Incorporating Map Blast lets site visitors build maps from wherever they are to the school they need to get to. Teachers have gotten into the act as well, building school pages that show the community what s going on at their school. Our parents and other visitors see one, powerful site that does all these things, Malos said. All information that goes out over the district site is protected, Malos said, because the county server, which is kept very secure, maintains it all. Malos also has built an extensive intranet using the product to help teachers select the best computer tools for their classrooms.
Teachers can go the intranet for product descriptions, specifications, and prices.
When they find what they want, they simply fill out an online purchase request form for Malos to review. The software cost is distributed throughout the organization, and it s really negligible. The real cost is the hands-on teacher training we provide, said Malos. The program additionally lets teachers use container pages to call up files in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel. So now, instead of using overhead projectors and the old acetate transparencies, teachers have begun using monitors and computers for their presentations.