I had a thought today whilst sat at home due to the school being closed as a result of the bad weather. I was thinking about the first school website I set up back in 1997, and how things have changed up to the present day.
I was on my way to work when a text message came through to my phone telling me that the school would be closed for the day, and so I carefully turned round and began my journey back home. Once back at home I switched on the computer and checked the school website. There was a message, from the Headteacher, giving the official notice that school had closed. And that's where I thought what would have happened back in 1997 with the website at my old school. At the time we thought it was excellent. It contained information about the school, it showcased the pupils work, it was wonderful! Of course it was maintained by just one person - myself - and could only be updated when I was at the one computer with the website page creation software (Dreamweaver) installed.
So, on a day when the school was closed with a decision taken at the last possible minute, this would have been the process needed to put a message onto that website;
- Go to the one computer containing the Dreamweaver software (this was my home machine, not at school)
- Load said software.
- Browse the computer for the folder containing all the website pages created.
- Load the "index.html" page (the front page).
- Start to make changes to that page - adding the text to let people know that the school was closed.
- Save the altered page.
- Load a program that transfers files from the computer to the internet (FTP).
- Connect to the internet through the phone line.
- Wait for the connection to be made.
- Use the FTP program to transfer the altered page onto the internet.
- Close the FTP program.
- Close Dreamweaver.
In the meantime, the HeadTeacher would have phoned the local radio station, given the official "snowcode" and had the school added to the list of establishments closed to be read out every 30 minutes.
Oh, and of course, once the school re-opened I would have to repeat that all again and remove the text that had been added.
The problem with this of course was that if I was not near to that computer with the software on the changes could not be made "quickly".
Now fast forward to the present day. As soon as the school is to be closed, then a message is sent out to all parents mobile phones with the latest information (as long as we have their latest mobile number, and they have their phone switched on!) We're also using a blogging platform for the website at my current school - it works in the same way as a Content Management System (CMS) that many schools use, and it's so much more convenient.
Rather than rely on one member of staff, and one computer, with a CMS any registered user (ie all members of staff) can add the content instantly, and not be limited to only one machine. Any device that can access the internet is capable of doing so. Our system allows staff to post from any computer connected to the Internet using their browser, and we can also post from mobile and handheld devices too. So today, whilst I was returning home, the HT was adding the latest information for parents to the website.
Not only was the website updated instantly, but as soon as that post was added to the website, it was sent to Twitter and the school account (@porchester_jun) was updated with the latest information too. It gave parents the information quickly and easily.
I know many other educators used their CMS / Twitter accounts to inform parents and pupils of their school closures today - many posting on Twitter that their schools would be closed, and people should visit the website for detailed information. In some cases, the load on the school websites from parents and pupils seeking information caused them to fail for a short while.
Returning to the 1997 scenario briefly, there would have been no extreme load on the website - it would have been the phone system that struggled under the strain as parents rang the school with the same question; "Are you open today?".
So, not only does the technology make it easier and quicker to inform parents of changing situations, it also saves the school administrator from blowing their top as they repeat for the thousandth time "No, we're closed today".
