ISchoolNet.org's Services
Go Wild: Mouse-over animals' pictures for more information about Sustainable Ed-Tech.
Elephant Database -- School Information System
They say that Elephants Never Forget; Neither should your student-database!
Whether you know them by "SIS" or "SIMS" or something else, Student Information Systems are second in importance only to good teachers. They help schools run more effectively and efficiently. Even hardened ludites are glad to have them when checking attendance or enrollment records, setting up a schedule (timetable) or doing report cards.
We like our tools light on their feet and easy on the wallet. That's why we're pleased to say we now build our Elephant Database on top of two of the leading Free Software school databases.
| Open Admin for Schools | Open SIS |
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Elephant DB Facts
Elephant DB Facts
- An SIS (St
udent Information System) with student info, dates, courses, enrollment, attendance, and schedule). - A Teacher's site with gradebook, report cards and "Daybook".
- Scheduling (Time-tabling)
- A Parents' site by which they can monitor their chidren's progress.
- An IEP System to facilitate careful teamwork to help specific students.
- Student Medical Background.
- Lunch-time scheduling
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Always evolving!
This is based on free software, which we customize for you. If you really don't need customization or help, go ahead and download it from the original sites, http://openadmin.ca and http://opensis.com.
Tell them ISchoolnet.org sent you!
If you want dependable, experienced, expert help, contact us now.
- Les Richardson has a working demonstration set up and so do we.
- Open SIS has a demo, too.
- Contact us to have us walk you through either of them.
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| Open Admin for Schools | Open SIS |
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Literate Leopard Library System
Never let it be said that school librarians cannot change their spots -- or ways! Our Leopard Library Systems permit librarians to take the "long view" of their on-line book cataloging needs -- to choose power, dependability and, ultimately, sustainability.
How? We choose the free/open source solution that fits your system's size and particular characteristics and then we work with you to adjust it so it's just right.
Our current offering is Koha, the powerful free software solution developed in New Zealand. But, as with all of our offerings, we are not wedded to a particular product, especially in view of the fact that the GPL (free software license) allows projects to capitalize on each other's strengths. If a good solution is developed by one group, it can be adopted and adapted by another. And if one tool ultimately leaps ahead, then we can move to support that one.
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More Leopards Changing Their Spots
Key features
- A full featured modern integrated library system (ILS).
- Award winning and open source no license fee, ever.
- Linux, Unix, Windows and MacOS platform.
- Web Based.
- We can fully integrate it into your website.
- Copy cataloguing and z39.50.
- MARC21 and UNIMARC for professional cataloguers.
- Tailored catalogue module for special libraries.
- Use as a document manager or digital library.
- Manage online and off line resources with the same tool.
- RSS feed of new acquisitions.
- E-mail and/or txt patron's overdues and other notices.
- Print your own barcodes.
- Serials management module.
- Full catalogue, circulation and acquisitions system for library stock management.
- Web based OPAC system (allows the public to search the catalogue in the library and at home).
- Simple, clear search interface for all users.
- Simple and comprehensive acquisition options.
- Koha is multi-tasking and enables updates of circulation, cataloguing and issues to occur simultaneously.
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More about Koha
Our Literate Leopard brings sustainable prices and reliability with quiet, kller features to school libraries. A full-featured, modern system to rival the most expensive, but this time at a price you can afford over the long term -- and not only does it come with support, it is a support package!
ISchoolNet.org chooses Koha for its Leopard Library System because it is simply the best: powerful, scalable and flexible, free (as in freedom) and open source and affordable. What's more, it's being actively developed and offers schools the chance to get involved and influence its development. It comes with a robust set of searching tools for users.
It also offers a complete set of librarian's admin tools.
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GNU LMS (E-Learning)
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ISchoolNet's Online Web Course Builder/Manager (LMS, or "Learning Management System")
We have used and continue to seek out the best Learning Management Systems (LMS) that are available as free software (GPL). Currently, weuse and recommend the following mix: Manhattan Virtual Classroom is great k-12 (it's developed and used at a college/university in the U.S.), and because of it's ease-of-use, we recommend it to primary or elementary school teachers for their classrooms. Remember, however, that it's very powerful and, again, it is used at universities. It is the major open source/free software replacement for Blackboard and the likes.
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There's a terrible rumor going around that GNUs might not be the smartest animals on the savannah. We at ISchoolNet.org feel so strong-headed about this that we've named our choice-LMS (Learning Management System) after our friend, the Gifted GNU, a selfless and ceaseless thinker. Which LMS?
Gifted Gnu: More Information
For middle/lower-secondary/junior high, we like the blog-ability and forums and books (the list goes on) of Drupal, DrupalEd and its hybrids.
For upper-secondary or high school, either of the above would do very well, but ed-tech is subject to fashion just as much as any other part of the techie world (cell phones, browsers, computers). The current favorite flavor of free software/open source LMS for secondary schools is Moodle.
These, then, are our idea of the most economical, yet powerful and sustainable options. In the Free Software/Open Source Software world, however, new tools emerge all the time. Write us about your favorite and we will probably be able to support it. That means we can host it on our site under your domain name or ours. Read more about our hosting options if interested. Or just contact us and start a productive conversation.
Contact us today!
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Some of Our GNU LMS Offerings
Moodle Learning Management System
Do it Yourself
DrupalEd-Hybrid Drupal Learning Site (before logging-in)
Drupal LMS (after logging-in)
Manhattan Virtual Classroom
Want to do it yourself? Let us host your Learning Mangement Systems -- Direct Admin Control panel, ftp and ssh access, one click installation of many programs ("Installatron"). Read about our options on our hosting site, Makethewebyours.com. Support us as we support you.
As with other software we use, we choose the above systems because they are not only affordable, but also powerful and flexible and easy-to-use. We offer installation, hosting, configuration and training in all of the above tools.
Rhinoceros School Web Site CMS
Rhinoceros Web CMS Facts
Find your favorite Free and Open Source application, and we'll host it for you -- see about our hosting options on MaketheWebYours.com.
We are particularly fond of the flexibility and clean coding of Drupal
Like all the other software we use, it is free and licensed under the GPL.
But we chose it because it's powerful, flexible and reasonably easy to use -- if you take a little time to get to learn how to use it. We offer installation, hosting, design and customization (a.k.a. "development") -- and, of course, training. Heck, we'll even maintain it for you!
Among the others we support are the following:
You can find others listed on FlossEd.org/weblinks
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Rhinoceros School Web Site CMS Examples
We customize the tool of choice for each school.
Sometimes we just host a tool and the school manages it.
Watch the slide show of sites on our sister-site, Web4you (MaketheWebYours.com).
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Example Sites
See also: Screen Shots of Other ITeachNet.org Tools for Schools
ITeachNet.org custom-builds high-quality, interactive Web sites and backs them up with personalized support and the best technology available today. Standard features include:
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Some Web Sites Built on Drupal
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Some other sites we work on/with or host:
Batsiranai
Gichristian.org
Siam extranet
VKP
Tansengjua.com
Hosting
Did You Know You Have a Choice?
Most schools just go with one of the two or three most well-known companies for their hosting. They base their decision comopletely on price -- assuming that the big name will ensure reliability.
However, well-known, does not always mean reliable or affordable, however, let alone responsive or powerful. Let us explain what iteachnet.org, a small company that specializes in personalized service and customized tools for schools.
From our viewpoint, hosting involves at least three things: The address of your Web site, who controls it, and the physical location of your data (your Web pages).
Most of us don't think about this very much. If they look hard for a designer/developer, sometimes they let that person decide where/who/what company will host the data.
But although taken lightly the decision can have strong effects: you could end up with expensive, or undependable service, or find yourself working with people or a company with which you would prefer not to be associated. Worse, someone else might accuse you of endorsing a person, idea or group that could embarrass you.
And there's one more thing. The simple truth about hosting is that it's a buyer's market. Hosting is a very competitive business at this time. Big companies offer it for prices with which small and medium sized companies cannot compete. What's new, right?
Why Not Choose a Host of Which You Can Be Proud?
Well, from the perspective of iteachnet.org, what's new is that you have a choice. If the cost is not great, why not host with a company whose values and mission you respect? Why not support a small or medium sized company that works for good causes such as universal education, as iteachnet.org does? And why not host with people you can talk to, real people who know what's going on with your site and can respond to your requests for changes quickly and efficiently. Can you really do that at one of the big hosting companies? We've tried and and we haven't been able to get the kind of service we think people should get. So, we started offering that service ourselves.
Some people have told us that they host with a big company because they think there is a better chance that that company will be around for the long-term. This from people who otherwise live a carefully responsible lives. Although we cannot promise that iteachnet.org will be around for a hundred years, it is a corporation like others, not dependent on a single person for its survival, but like the big companies, dependent on what happens next in the world, economically, politically, technologically and environmentally. We think that our fortunes will be less volotile than those of the big corporations and that working with us will be more like working with colleagues and friends. After all, that's what we become when working together. You decide what's better and who you want to support.
If you are worried that you might lose control of your site or data through hosting, please read about our Design and Development services and the Outsourcing Rationale.
And you get powerful tools.
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Features
- Direct Admin Control Panel
- OR Vexim control panel
- Nightly backup
- Easy access
- Unlimited e-mail accounts
- Web-based configuration
- Optional shell for advanced users
- Traditional Web page/site style
- CMS of your choice
- Blogs
- Forums
- User authentication
- Voting booths
- Customizable access roles and permissions
- Group creation capability for access and mailing
- Easily-updated, added, deleted pages via your Web browser
- Toggle on-off rich-text editing
- Books/Wikis/Resource pages (group-editable pages with easy-to-build hierarchies). Good for online curriculum documents that can include lesson examples.
- Categorizable content to create on-the-fly pages from visitors' search queries
- Easily changed themes/looks/layouts
- Mail and storage included
- Easy image uploading
- Free consultation
- Help for all that you do on the site
Contact iteachnet.org to arrange for us to host your Web site.
Web site topics:
Lion Web Mail Portal
Portals are for organizing and controling access to your school's local and remote applications.
ISchoolnet offers Web-based desktops, desktops optimized for networks and hybrids between the two extremes.
Using some, all or a selected combination of them, we are prepared to create a solution for your school using such tools and technologies as these:
- The ISchoolNet Portal
- LTSP (Thin client computing)
- Eye-OS (and similar solutions)
- Horde/Imp Web Mail Portal
- Web mail integrated with Drupal (phpEdu) or Joomla or Plone
- Customized hybrid solutions to specification
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Lion Webmail: More Information
Web-based Mail
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* Web-mail of which you can be proud *  Everybody uses Webmail these days, but most do so without much thought about who's behind it, what they represent, what alternatives there are and what the technologies behind them mean for schools. ITeachNet thinks about all those things and that's why, in our extensive search of open source Web mail tools, we have settled on just a few. Our current favorite is the Free Software Foundation's IMP/Horde.
Imp offers database-backed searching, address books, time zone configurability, folders, filtering and the capability to download entire folders to clear off the server. It also offers spam and virus detection and automatic deletion according to configurable threat-levels. Of course, if you download your mail, you can use Mozilla's Thunderbird and click "leave mail on server" in your download options." That way, the mail will still be on the Web when and where you are. This mail program is Top notch.
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Where Does ISchoolNet.org Come In?
* Web-mail of which you can be proud *
Everybody uses Webmail these days, but most do so without much thought about who's behind it, what they represent, what alternatives there are and what the technologies behind them mean for schools. ITeachNet thinks about all those things and that's why, in our extensive search of open source Web mail tools, we have settled on just a few. Our current favorite is the
's IMP/Horde.
Imp offers database-backed searching, address books, time zone configurability, folders, filtering and the capability to download entire folders to clear off the server. It also offers spam and virus detection and automatic deletion according to configurable threat-levels. Of course, if you download your mail, you can use Mozilla's Thunderbird and click "leave mail on server" in your download options." That way, the mail will still be on the Web when and where you are. This mail program is Top notch.
