Portfolio: School Content Management System

School Site Manager: Increasing School Web Site Functionality and Maintainability

A mismatch between need and required skills

Schools have communication needs among students, faculty, administration, coaches and the community that are well served by dynamic Web sites and email. However, there is typically a mismatch between the need to present timely information and the skills required to do so. The result is often school sites with very limited information or with out-of-date information. Typically, school Web sites contain only general information that is updated each semester. Compare that with many

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commercial sites that contain vital information that is updated daily or even continuously. How can the functionality of commercial Web sites be brought to school Web sites?

Content contributed by many, controlled by a few

Content management is a technology that makes the content on Web sites, text, images and other media, easy to update by anyone who can fill out a Web form. By making content easy to enter, we ensure that the site can be extensive and timely. By using technology to manage the content people enter, we ensure that the site will retain its design standards at the same time that it opens up authoring to many people in the school and in the public, thereby eliminating authoring bottlenecks. Administration of the site shifts from the onerous task of creating all content to one of simply approving content that has been entered by others—those who are the source of the content such as students, teachers, coaches or administrators.

Information rich with minimal effort

The key to Web site content management is to hold the content in a database, and then display it through specially designed Web pages. These Web pages access the database each time they are visited and place the content into page templates. The templates contain the design standards of the site, so, even as the content changes, the design standards are maintained. The site continues to look good.

The Web site gets new vitality and value

More important are the advantages of content entry when the site is database driven. Anyone can enter content for the site, but it will not be displayed on the site unless it has been approved. Teachers and students can enter content about courses. Teachers are authorized to approve their own contributions and those of their students. Similarly, coaches, players and fans can enter content about a team while only the material approved by the coach will be displayed on the site. Any club member can create club events to go on the school calendar which will appear only when they have been approved. Anyone can create a photo gallery of the prom or a profile of an admired teacher or student. They appear only when approved. Expanding authorship gives the Web site new vitality and value.

Content management Web sites were first developed for highly dynamic sites such as those for newspapers and magazines where the content of the entire site changed daily or weekly. Other businesses soon realized the advantages of dynamic Web sites for communicating with customers, suppliers and employees. Nearly all online stores use a variation of content management to display their product catalog.

Just as the functionality of a newspaper’s Web site is different from that of an online store, their content management systems must be different. They must be designed for the goals of the site.

Central repository for school, course and extracurricular information

At Harry Tennant & Associates we have developed a content management system specific to the needs and goals of school Web sites. It focuses on school life: academics, extracurriculars, social events, administration, parents and the community. It provides general information as well as capabilities for timely information such as daily announcements and classroom assignments. And, like the school newspaper and yearbook, the Web site serves as a central repository of school information and memories that can be archived year after year, accessible from anywhere.

Our standard site provides a highly functional Web site that is content-managed specifically for schools. Premium options may be added to the standard site for enhanced functionality and improved productivity. We can also create custom extensions to fit a school’s or school district’s unique needs.

Beyond a billboard to an essential component for the school, classes and activities

Benefits of this technology are a more effective way for schools to manage some of their administrative tasks, more effective communication among teachers, students and parents and a more effective way for the school to interact with the community.

For many schools it requires rethinking the role of a Web site. It’s no longer simply a place to hold the school address, contact info and policies. The new functionality simultaneously makes the Web site more useful and easier to maintain. Just as has happened in many other organizations, a school’s Web site can become the one-stop resource for school information and events, both current and past.

Standard Site

Courses
Sections
Teachers
Staff directory
Extracurriculars
PTA
Message From the Principal facility
Photo Galleries
Photo Galleries attached to extracurriculars, course sections, calendar events
File attachments and file management for each course section and extracurricular
Hyperlink management to enrichment sites for each course section and extracurricular
Hyperlink management for recommended library resources
FAQ managers for course sections, extracurriculars, the school and PTA
School calendars for events of general interest which can be viewed by event category
Calendars dedicated to each course section and extracurricular activity
Announcements
Profiles of outstanding students and faculty
Open creation of Photos, Galleries, Announcements, Profiles, Calendar events with Administration approval and email notification of approval
Content managed pages for easy maintenance of miscellaneous pages such as Student Handbook, Health Clinic or About Our School pages
User authentication and authorization utilities
College recommendation information management for counselors
Facilities Reservation Calendar
School cafeteria menu management facility
Online suggestion box
Learning standards and lesson plan manager

Premium Options

Syllabus and lesson plan planning and replanning facility where daily lesson plans are automatically fit to a new semester with different dates, days of the week and holidays
Course- or section-specific discussion forums
Online quizzes, feedback and grading
Online surveys and questionnaires with data summarization
Online book club discussions
MySchool site personalization for students, teachers and parents
Online school store
Volunteer scheduling facility
PDA & Web-based asset management
PDA & Web-based student data
Page review reminder facility
Administration-to-Parents email newsletters
Teacher-to-Parents email newsletters
Coach/Sponsor email newsletters to members
Coach/Sponsor email newsletters to boosters
Coach/Sponsor email newsletters to fans
PTA email newsletter
Message facility from Guidance/The Football Coach/The Fine Arts Director/PTA/other

Custom Extensions

Flash Home page
Flash page headers
Flash School Tour
Custom pages
Custom applications
Site conversion service