Technology & Learning - March 2009 - (Page 16) news trends ■ Become a reporter: Even with a generic email, you might still find it difficult to get staff to email you information. This means going on the hunt for news that you can add to site. If your students are attending a field trip, find someone to write a report on it. Got a school event? Get the camera out and get some pictures for a news article about it. ■ Have approved stock photographs: Create a stock of approved photographs if you have a news article that hasn’t got an approved photograph with it. ■ Start a principal blog: Ask the principal to write a regular blog post for the site and respond to comments. ■ Delegate some of the content writing: If you have access to an administration team, see if you can delegate some of the content writing and preparation to them. ■ Provide a virtual tour of the school: Create a panoramic photographic view of the school and let visitors look around. ■ Get students to produce audio and video content: Buy one of new handheld cameras that are currently on the market and get your students to create videos about the school. TIME TO REFRESH YOUR WEB SITE What can you do to breathe some life back into your school’s Web site? Here are some tips from Edugeek’s Russ Dyas: ■ Install a Content Management System (CMS): Most CMSs allow you to create content for your site without the need for programming skills. A large number of systems are available for free as they are released as open source. ■ Think about the stakeholders using your Web site: Make sure the content on your site is helpful for each type of visitor to find the relevant information. ■ Setup an email for school staff: Make life easier for your staff to give you updated information and news by having a generic email that they can access to email you any information. Sites We Like: www.romereborn. virginia.edu/ T&L ASKS READERS Stimulus package reporting hints at billions of new dollars headed toward America’s public schools in the coming years. Is this a good thing? 86% Absolutely. y 0% 0% Not so sure. We still don’t teach the tech we have. There can never be tec enough new tech. 14% No. We need to get back to basics! Rome Reborn: What was it like to walk the streets of ancient Rome at the peak of its grandeur and technology? Find out here! Starting with the founding of Rome and moving through its history, the Rome Reborn team has created digital models that illustrate its urban development. 16 | TECH & LEARNING http://www.romereborn.virginia.edu/
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