StudentCentred Intranets by Stuart Hasic What is an

Student-Centred Intranets by Stuart Hasic

What is an Intranet? • • An internal computer network that uses the same tools and protocols as the Int. ERnet Any number of networked computers can make up an Int. RAnet in your school. They can be linked by any standard network cabling system A server (which can be any computer on the network) is the host for HTML webpages created and used in your school Workstations access webpages on the server using an internet browser like Netscape or IE

What’s in a Typical School Intranet? Many schools have already setup a School Intranet n Usually one (or two) teachers manage the whole intranet site n Content usually includes: n n School policies, newsletters, staff lists, calendars, timetables, library info, sport info, teacher programs, links to useful internet sites, homework/project tasks, Principal’s page, faculty info, “whacked” internet sites and class pages with some examples of good student work

Typical School Intranets n Documents are submitted by other staff to the “Webmaster” so they can be placed on the school’s intranet n “Exemplary” student work is converted by the Webmaster and made to fit into the intranet – mainly for “show off” purposes n There is usually very little educational value for students in existing intranets

Typical School Intranets n Most intranets are setup merely to automate existing processes at school or to make information easier to find n Updating the intranet content is usually a difficult and/or time consuming procedure n Many existing intranets have passed their use-by date

Let’s Think Differently About School Intranets n Why restrict the school’s intranet to just one or two webmasters? n Website design skills are very useful and should be developed at school n How can we use the intranet more with our students? n How do you integrate the intranet into the curriculum? n Let’s informate – not just automate

What is a Student. Centred Intranet? n An intranet based on student content n All students publish their own work n Students are encouraged to add to & update their pages n Student webpages relate to their work in class n Students are responsible for what gets published n The intranet becomes a new medium for student output

Advantages of a Student. Centred Intranet n Extended life of student work n Higher quality content and presentation by students in their work n Increased information skills n Website design skills and ownership n Sharing of ideas and skills among students n Integration of various technologies: n Photos & scanning, word processing, Powerpoint, Hyper. Studio, video, sound, animation, internet links

Hang on a sec… n We’re just teachers. How can we teach website design when we can’t do it ourselves? n What’s the structure of this student-centred intranet look like? It sounds huge! n How are we supposed to build & maintain it? n Where do we even start? n What grades does it really apply to? n How do you monitor what gets published?

Some of the Answers: n Tools like Front. Page and Dreamweaver make website design as easy as word processing n It’s not inconceivable that Kindergarten students could create webpages n All schools should have publishing guidelines linked to the discipline policy that stipulate what is acceptable and what isn’t n …Edu. Web.

What’s Edu. Web? n Edu. Web is a software tool that builds a student-centred intranet automatically! n It extracts all student names, grades and classes from OASIS quickly and easily n It then asks you to choose which grades you want to include in the school’s Edu. Web n You have a choice of colour schemes n It’s totally free of charge.

Edu. Web System Requirements Edu. Web is a Microsoft Windows application n But the intranet structure it creates is totally platform-independent n n i. e. Yes, the end-product works with Macs n The created Edu. Web is transferred to a server of some type: n n Windows NT, 2000, Peer-to-Peer, Novell Netware, Apple. Share IP, Linux, whatever Networked workstations need a browser and a Webpage editor of some kind

How to Get Edu. Web n Go n to the Edu. Website: http: //www. stgeorged. det. nsw. edu. au/eduweb n The Edu. Web website contains: Information about what Edu. Web is n A downloadable copy of this PPT slideshow n Complete instructions for running Edu. Web n Frequently Asked Questions (…and Answers) n The Edu. Web program itself available for download n

Any Questions? …Thank you for your attendance