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By Jim Ingram on January 2, 2009
With the demise of Manila, Broken Bow is looking for a different way to provide teachers with a professional web presence. The probable adoption of web apps like Blackboard and the move toward Web 2.0 apps parcels out many of the reasons for a professional web page to a collection of more specialized systems. As a result, the ubiquitous "professional web page (every teacher should have one)" is being gradually eviscerated. There are already schools in Nebraska that are using one-to-one and have completely dropped the use of individual teacher professional web pages. Our approach will probably be to drop back from "every teacher must have one" to "teachers who want one in addition to what's on Blackboard and Infinite Campus already can have one."
Manila's exit from the scene has a bearing on the development of a different approach. First, it is driving the timeline for adoption. It's our intent to drop Manila as of the end of the 2009 Spring semester, and a replacement solution must be in place before then. Second, Manila's long use in the District has a host of difficulties and complaints that we think can be corrected in a new system. (It's not that we don't like WordPress, it's just that we don't necessarily agree that every computer user and their dog must blog and that the jury's still out for us.) Complaints include:
- I have to remember a separate login ID and password
- Pages have to be created in Manila, so I have to learn a whole different editing system
- Drag and drop from Microsoft Word doesn't work, so I wind up having to type things twice
- Keeping up my web pages is always an additional task, and I don't have the time
Local resources may lend themselves to an elegant solution. (1) Microsoft IIS is capable of serving out pages from "webshare" folders located in teachers' network home directories, and we are already using it for many other purposes. (2) Microsoft Office (the District's standard application software platform) is capable of producing robust static web pages to put in the webshare folders. Links between pages would have to be managed manually, but the effort to do so is no greater than the effort to do so in Manila -- maybe less. (3) I'm functionally fluent in ASP (including ADSI interface access to Active Directory), HTML, CSS and SQL, and somewhat less fluent in PHP. I certainly don't consider myself to be anything close to "expert." (4) We have Sharepoint installed, and are considering that as part of the local mix.
Having said all that, here's the vision and the problem:
Professional pages should be created and maintained in Word 2007, and stored/served from a webshare subfolder in the individual's home directory. Security permissions for editing vs. reading should be controlled by NTFS/Active Directory. A Microsoft SQL 2000 Desktop instance has been created on the IIS server to support the website, but no tables have been created yet.
Somewhere somehow the professional pages need to be encapsulated in a template wrapper (the template is already fully developed using CSS floated boxes, and can be seen at http://services.bbps.org/theme3/index.asp). The Word-created HTML pages should appear in the large white section to the right of the navigation menu.
The problem so far has been that Word-created HTML pages include their own styles, fonts, and tags. If the file is simply imported into it's proper sequence in the template, you have nested <HTML>, <META>, <HEAD>, <STYLE> and <BODY> tags that are consequently misinterpreted. I'm in the process of experimenting with framesets, but understand that frames have been deprecated. If I store the Word-created pages as BLOBs in the SQL database, it's still not a matter of just adding the template segments around them -- the nested tags still exist. Of course, Manila accomplished this by requiring use of their own HTML editor that couldn't understand the complex markup in Word documents. And storing them in SQL implies a two-step update process: (1) open the document in Word and make the change, then (2) upload it to SQL again. Ideally, it should be enough to just open it in Word, make the changes, and save it again, just like any other document.
So what I really need to do is display NESTED web pages (a web page inside another web page), where both the inner and outer pages are fully independent and standards-compliant.
So... any ideas?
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By Nathan McClenahan on December 5, 2008
I've had fun making dumb little programs for fun. The inspiration for this came from the need to host a gathering where some group games were to be played. So knowing that I could project my screen from my laptop I created this game to have a little fun. It is a very basic version of hangman or Wheel of Fortune. I've zipped up the source code and exe in this attached file. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
WordPuzzle.zip
Note: Requires .NET Framework 2.0 or greater.
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By Brian Schanbacher on March 18, 2008
 Link: www.at4all.com
AT4ALL ( Assistive Technology for All) is a free service from the Assistive Technology Partnership. Once you have set up an account you can list your own assistive technology items for sale or giveaway.
AT4ALL has a variety of equipment available for all of your needs. Equipment available includes: computers, wheelchairs & scooters, walkers, personal care items, items for vision and hearing impairments, hospital beds, and adapted vehicles.
At AT4ALL you can find equipment for loan, for sale, or for giveaway. You can also find equipment from local lending programs to try out before you buy.
AT4All www.at4all.com (Nebraska)
ICAN equipment.arkansas-ican.org (Arkansas)
South Dakota At4All www.sd.at4all.com (South Dakota)
Idaho Assistive Technology for All www.idaho.at4all.com (Idaho)
Wyoming Assistive Technology for All www.wy.at4all.com (Wyoming)
INData www.indata.at4all.com (Indiana)
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By Brian Schanbacher on March 18, 2008
 Link: www.dacspro.com
DACS ( Documentation, Accountability, and Communications System) is a
completely new system enhancing existing business processes. It is a system used by non-educational entities within city and county government offices.
Documentation
DACS records all conversations and items related to
conversations allowing users to easily access historical information
quickly.
Accountability
DACS stores information allowing manager to quickly see
time spent on projects, key participants, and conversation response
time.
Communication
DACS informs users of updates that require their attention
via email and alarm. DACS allows for easy workgroup collaboration on
distinct problems or tasks using work queues that the DACS support team
assists you in building.
DACS current customers include:
Arapahoe Public Library
Buffalo County
Buffalo County Community Partners
Buffalo County EDC
Bush Family Dentistry
City of Kearney
Kearney Eye Institute
Kearney Family Practice
Techconnectors
The Tooth Fairy
SELECT DISTINCT E.Name
FROM [tbl-ap-Entity]E
INNER JOIN [tbl-rl-Relationship]R ON R.CustomerID = E.ID
INNER JOIN [tbl-rl-RelationshipYear]Y ON Y.ID = R.YearID
WHERE SupportID = 7
AND GETDATE() > Y.DateStarted
AND GETDATE() < Y.DateStopped
ORDER BY E.Name
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By Brian Schanbacher on March 18, 2008
 Link: www.esu13media.org
ESU 13 is the system we created for ESU 13 to use to manange their own information and communication. It is based on ODIE, but has been customized for their use.
ESU 13 has it's own accounts, separate from ODIE's accounts, as well as their own library available online.
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By Brian Schanbacher on March 18, 2008
 Link: www.esupdo.org
We created ESUPDO's website (Educational Service Unit Professional Development Organization), a cooperative effort by the ESUs across Nebraska. Below is the list of affiliates within ESUPDO that can manage their own publications, workshops, and registrations on the site.
ESUPDO Affiliates
SDA ( Staff Development Affiliate)
NOC ( Network Operations Committee)
TAG ( Technology Affiliate Group)
ESPD ( ESU Special Populations Directors Organization)
IMAT ( Instructional Materials)
Distance Education
ESUAA ( Educational Service Unit Administrators Affiliate)
PDO ( Professional Development Organization)
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By Brian Schanbacher on March 18, 2008
 Link: odie.esu10.org
ODIE (Open Door Information Exchange) is a
comprehensive data warehouse that allows users to track information related to themselves and their school districts. Released in the fall of 2002, ODIE has since grown to manage all communication between ESU 10's Network and Information Services department and the school districts we serve. Information in ODIE falls under the following categories:
Accounts
ODIE manages the accounts of teachers and the school districts and buildings at which they are located. ODIE also manages the contracts between ESU 10 and the school districts we serve, as well as the billing statements that are created each month from the Network and Information Services department.
Helpdesk
ODIE allows teachers to request assistance with technological problems from their school district's Lan-Manager. ODIE also manages the issues for which the Lan-Managers request help from ESU 10's helpdesk. Each helpdesk ticket has a requesting account and building from which they come, a problem type to allow for easier searching, and the possibility of being associated with computers and other network devices. The helpdesk also includes standard solutions, which are documented problems and solutions that may occur frequently for easy reference.
Hardware
ODIE manages each school's computer and network inventory. ODIE also manages the computers and devices that are sent to ESU 10's computer repair department, allowing for a repair history to be tracked for each device.
Workshops
ODIE allows teachers to easily register for one of the many workshops offered by the Network and Information Services, Special Education, and Professional Development departments at ESU 10. ODIE tracks the registrants of each workshop as well as the training history for each teacher that has attended more than one of the workshops available.
Library
ODIE allows teachers access to ESU 10's media catalog, both to the videos that get sent to via the routes that ESU 10 runs to each school each week, as well as the digital content as it becomes available for streaming and download.
Miscellaneous
ODIE also tracks all the miscellaneous services that the Network and Information Services department provides for our school districts. These services include:
- Binding
- Cisco Academy Support
- Contracted Services
- E-Rate Consortium
- Equipment Resale
- Greater Nebraska Educational Network Consortium (formerly Project 42)
- Infrastructure Support
- Internet Filtering
- Lamination
- Materials
- Standards Database
- TECHS (Technology Education Challenges in High Schools)
- Vendor Fees
- Video Duplication
- WebEvent Calendars
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By Brian Schanbacher on March 18, 2008
Link: communities.esu10.org
The ESU 10 Network & Information Services department staff has
created an online community framework allowing groups of people, or
communities, to stay in touch and share resources. This technology
allows groups to collaborate, contribute information and ideas,
participate in discussions, upload files, and other activities to the
community. Not only will this be a repository and archive for such
activities, this virtual environment will allow for collaboration when
it is sometimes hard to meet face to face because of time and budget
issues.
Communities use ODIE for authentication. That means you can use your
existing ODIE account (email address and password), and not have to
create another account for each community. If you don't have one, you
may request a new ODIE account.
If you have any questions about your ODIE account, about what a community
is, or anything else we might be able to assist you with, please let us know.
List of Communities
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By Brian Schanbacher on March 18, 2008
 Link: otter.esu13.org
OTTER is the system we created for ESU 15 to use to manange their own information and communication. It is based on ODIE, but has been customized for their use.
OTTER has it's own accounts, separate from ODIE's accounts, as well as their own helpdesk tickets and standard solutions.
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By Brian Schanbacher on March 18, 2008
 Link: standardsdata.esu10.org
The Standards Tracking Database was created to assist school districts in tracking the assessments and student's current levels required to report the appropriate information to the state department of education at the end of each school year.
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