1 7/24/2008

SCHOOLWIRES

for

WEBMASTERS

http://centergrove.schoolwires.net

Website Management:

- Your Site Manager classification is “Subsite Director”.

o You will manage the homepage and overall content.

- The secretary’s classification is “Home Page Editor” (calendar).

o Barb has trained them on how to post on the calendar.

- The Media Specialist and other individuals have the classification of “Section Editor”.

o Amy has trained all of the Section Editors that have been established.

- The Technology Department will handle the transfer of the Staff Directory.

- Joann will handle updating the lunch menus.

- “Site” = District Website

- “Subsite” = Individual School Website

- All of the information is housed on the Schoolwires’ own server.

* The goal of this initiative is to provide a uniform and professional look to our websites. In

addition, we need to take advantage of the special features available through Schoolwires.

* For any follow-up questions throughout the year, please refer your questions to the Technology

Department.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Logging In p. 2

Page Organization & Terminology p. 2

Viewing Site Manager p. 3

Creating/Revising Channels, Sections, Pages p. 4-6

Workspace Content p. 7

Formatting Tables p. 8

Linking a Page to a File/Website p. 8

Hiding Sections p. 9

Link within a Page p. 9

Electronic Forms & Surveys p. 10

Photo Gallery p. 11-12

Homepage Headlines & Announcements p. 13-14

Homepage Shortcuts p. 15

Calendar p. 16-18

Public/Private Access p. 19

Assign Section Editors p. 20

Favicons (for District page only) p. 21

FAQ & Timeline p. 22-23

Hierarchy Directions (separate document) p.23-24

2 7/24/2008

Getting Started:

Channels Sections

Breadcrumbs

Page/Drop-Down Menus

District’s Home Page

Move Between Schools

Access My Info Staff E-Mail Link Site Manager Status

You may edit your Available – only

profile info and change appears when logged

your password. in.

“Sign In” –

Type the username and password you

received via e-mail.

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* Click on the “Site Manager” link in the upper right corner, in order to have the view shown below.

“Site Manager” –

View from the edit/creation mode.

“View Website” –

View the published look. (If you are checking

for working links go to the actual site, rather

than use this view option.)

Click here to

select your

school’s site.

School Site Viewing

Channel Listing – When you are viewing

the actual website, the channels will only

appear if there is content created for it.

Otherwise, empty channels will just be

viewed in the Site Manager area.

* Once you click on a channel, the

corresponding sections will appear.

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CREATING/REVISING CHANNELS, SECTIONS, PAGES:

* Click on the name of your subsite to have the view shown below.

* Click on a Channel, in order to have the view shown below.

From this orange page you can Click on a section to revise it

add more sections to a particular or add a page/drop-down menu

channel. for it.

* The addition of a new channel MUST be requested by the Technology Department.

(A channel has a possibility of not being able to be renamed if another subsite is using

it and does not wish to change names.)

* The addition of a new section must be approved by the building principal. A

Section Editor does not have the rights to perform this function.

* New pages may be added at your discretion. However, please keep it

limited/concise.

Click on the “Configure” tab… “Channels” drop-down… “Assign Channels”. From there you

can select your needed channels and then click on “Save” at the bottom.

* Get approval from the Technology Department first.

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* Click on the “Options” button to the right of a Section name to have the view shown below.

Section Editors do not have rights to this “Options” button.

Creating Subpages – “Options” button… “Navigation” tab

The Section/Menu name can be changed here.

Turn on/off the option to have the “Last Modified

Date” shown.

Hide a section from view if it is not ready or if you

are creating a complex list (will discuss later in

training.)

Directly link a Section to a URL (i.e. Media

Center’s Library Catalog section)

Click on the “Hierarchy List” to have the

ability to create subpages. Separate

directions are attached for completing

this function.

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* Click on a Section, in order to have the view shown below.

* This is the first screen a Section Editor will see. However, they will not see the Channels listed on the left side.

From this green page you can Click on a page/drop-down

add more pages/drop-down menu to revise it.

menus to a particular section.

“Overview, Articles, and Calendar”

are defaulted to be created whenever

you add a new section. Click the box

to de-activate or activate.

* Please check each section to be sure the correct activation is selected for the Articles

and Calendar.

Click here to sort the order of the pages.

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* Click on a Page/Drop-Down Menu, in order to have the view shown below.

Create your content in this workspace.

(You must click within the workspace to be able to insert pictures, tables, etc.)

Be sure to “Save” once you are finished.

To view your work, click “View Website” at the top.

1. Insert Image – Schoolwires’ Clipart available

2. Insert File Link

3. Insert Link – to school site, section, page; website, e-mail

4. Insert Form Link – forms or surveys

5. Insert Photo Gallery (See CGHS Art Gallery for a Sample)

6. Open Toolbox (page format, Flash movies, sounds, etc.)

7. ActiveBlocks (Date, User’s Name, etc.)

8. Clear All Content

9. View Tutorials

* The unidentified icons are standard.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9

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Formatting Tables

Link to Electronic File/Website

Once you have inserted a table, click somewhere inside the table to format it. Click on the

“Edit Table/Cell” icon for your options. For instance, if you want to format the table so that

the column width doesn’t change, click on “Edit Cell, Column, or Row”, select your

width/height specifications, and then go to the “Apply to:” drop-down menu. From there

select Current Column, Whole Table, etc. Go to “Edit Table Properties”, “Properties” tab to

add borders.

SECTION - automatically linked to a WebSite: Options button…”Map Section to URL”(scroll to

bottom)…enter the URL in the box…Save

SECTION - Electronic File Opening Automatically in Separate Window: Tools menu at top…Files &Folders

…Upload document…click URL and “Temporarily Allow”…click again on URL and copy the URL

address…Go back to the Options button next to the Section Name…”Map Section to URL” (scroll to

bottom)…Paste the URL into the box… Type: www.centergrove.k12.in.us between 2nd

and 3rd forward

slash…After this address type a forward slash and your building’s initials for your building’s standard

address, if it is already not listed at the beginning of your file’s URL. (for example:

www.centergrove.k12.in.us/pges) ....Save

PAGE - Electronic File Opening Within Page: Tools…Files &Folders …Upload document…click URL and

“Temporarily Allow”…click again on URL and copy the URL address…Go back to the Page’s content

workspace and click on the Tool Box icon…Active Blocks…Embed Complex Content…Paste URL…

Type: www.centergrove.k12.in.us between 2nd

and 3rd forward slash… After this address type a forward

slash and your building’s initials for your building’s standard address, if it is already not listed at the

beginning of your file’s URL. (for example: www.centergrove.k12.in.us/pges) ....Save

* This process is not recommended. It would be better to use the Insert File Paperclip icon in the

workspace to create a link.

9 7/24/2008

Hiding Sections

A section may be hidden for various reasons. For example:

1 – If it is under construction and you are not ready for it to be viewed.

2 – If you want it to be linked to another area within the site.

Link within a Page

Sample: CGHS Athletic Homepage – Sports’ Team Links to Hidden Sections

When you are in your page’s workspace,

click on the “Insert Link” icon. Then

select “Insert a link to a site, section or

page…”. From there you can choose

your specific place.

10 7/24/2008

Electronic Forms

Electronic Surveys

11 7/24/2008

Photo Gallery

Samples are available on the CGHS subsite, in the “Art Gallery” section of the “About Us” channel.

From the Homepage, go to Tools…Photo Galleries…New Photo Gallery. Complete the information and “Save”.

It can also be created within the Section Workspace. (Go to the Tools menu… Photo Gallery)

(The “Gallery Width” cannot be changed after it has been created. If the Photo Gallery will maximize the entire page

width, “600” is recommended.)

Click on the “Photos” button to upload the images.

12 7/24/2008

“Upload Photos” and browse for photos and then click on “Publish Gallery”.

(If you add photos later, you must re-publish the gallery.)

Go to your page’s workspace and click on the Photo Gallery icon. Select the gallery you created and “Insert

Gallery” button. A link will appear. When viewing the page online you will see the photo gallery rather than

the link. Text may be added above or below it.

* A Photography O:/ drive has been established for the Webmasters.

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Homepage Headlines & Announcements

* Once you have clicked on “Homepage” you will have the view below.

Click on “Edit Headlines & Features” or “Edit Announcements” to add or change content.

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* Once you have clicked on “Edit Headlines & Features” or “Announcements” you will have the view below.

Click on “New Headline” for new content or the “Edit”/”Delete” buttons to the right of a current headline.

For Headlines:

- Follow the steps for the information

needed and click “Next” at the bottom of

the page.

- The teaser text should be no more than one

or two lines.

- Be sure to use the date range option so that

you do not have to go back to remove a

displayed headline or announcement.

- After you type the Headline Body click on

the “Active” box to be sure it appears on the

homepage.

* Schoolwires will automatically generate a

link on the title of the headline to the body

of it.

For Announcements:

- Teaser text should be 2 lines or less. Then

establish a “Read More” hyperlink to a

hidden page. An “ANNOUNCEMENTS”

hidden section has been set up in your

“About Us” channel. New pages can be

created for each announcement posted.

- To link “Read More” to the hidden

page, use the Insert Link icon.

- The Spotlight image will remain the same.

- A Spotlight can remain there for about

three or four months. Don’t feel like it

constantly needs to be changed.

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HOMEPAGE SHORTCUTS

Click on “Add Link”. Complete the information needed.

*Click on “Browse” to select the shortcut area.

* Target = New Window

* Link Text & Tooltip should be the same heading

* Move to: --top--

* “Add Peer Link”

16 7/24/2008

HOMEPAGE CALENDAR

* Once you have clicked on “Calendar” you will have the view below.

Double-click on a date box to add a time and event, as shown below. Then click “Save”.

17 7/24/2008

You may also click on the “New Event” tab for more detailed options when posting information.

Start/End Time:

The automatic displayed default is 8:00 – 5:00. Otherwise you must designate the times. “No Specific Time”

will allow no time to be displayed at all. “No Ending Time” = no ending time.

Recurrence:

Options include: Today, Daily, Weekly, Every Other Week, Monthly, Yearly

Category:

You may color-code events.

Request Posting:

This is an option that will NOT be used. Please do not make this request. Thank You!

* However, you will receive requests from Section Editors to post their events on the subsite’s homepage.

(Directions will appear later in this document.)

Homepage Upcoming Events:

It is set up as a default to display up to three of the most upcoming events. If another event needs to be

highlighted, it should be added to the “News” section.

18 7/24/2008

NEW EVENT TABS:

Contact & Location:

Name and address information may be included.

Attachments:

Up to three files may be attached.

Roles:

You can designate who has viewing rights. “General Public” and “Registered Guests” are the defaults.

Registration:

This piece will be rolled out later for when we have parents become registered users of the site. Parents can

register to attend events and be asked up to three simple questions. A “√” will appear to identify it as a

registered event. This information can then be exported to MS Access for the final data.

EVENT QUEUE:

Periodically you should check your “Event Queue” tab to check for requests to have events posted to the

homepage. A listing will display and you simply click “Approve” or “Decline”.

* Schedule Star will be tied into Schoolwires.

19 7/24/2008

Public vs. Private Access and Intranet Options

You can make a section or a page available for private view only.

For example, the School Board Agenda may only be available to the School Board prior to a meeting.

Then it can be made public the day of the meeting.

Go to your specific SECTION or PAGE and click on the “Options” button to the right.

Then navigate to the follow places:

SECTION: Roles tab…select/de-select users (for Private view be sure to de-select

General Public, Registered Guests, and Intranet Users)…Save

PAGE: Manage Pages tab… select/de-select Users (for Private view be sure to de-

select General Public, Registered Guests, and Intranet Users)…Save

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Assign Section Editors

A Section Editor can be given rights to one or more pages, or an entire section. When they sign-in they must go to their designated section in order to view the “Site Manager” link.

1 – Click on a specific section, for rights to the

entire section.

2 – Click on the “Section Editors” tab.

3 – Click on the “Assign Editor” button.

4 – Scroll to find your person and click on the

“Select” button.

* Click on the “Options” button next to a specific

page, to assign individually within a section.

21 7/24/2008

Favicons – For District Page Only

1. Upload the favicon.ico file to Files and Folders at the District (you can put it on the root or in the

template folder) and copy the URL for the uploaded file.

2. Edit the Head Content tab for the template in Styler and add the following code as the last line in the

Head Content.

3. <link rel='shortcut

icon'href='http://anyschool.schoolwires.com/schoolvroot/lib/schoolvroot/favicon.ico'>

4. Publish the template and add your website to your Favorites in your browser. Close the browser and the

next time you access your website the favicon will display at the beginning of the web address.

Guidelines for Format:

- Images under each section will not be changed. However, flashing images on the homepage can be

changed and should be submitted to Julie Bohnenkamp.

- Addition of “Channels” will be consistent across the District.

o (1 to 14 sections per Channel allowed) (800 pixels/Channel bar)

o CANNOT wrap around to second bar line

- When creating new section pages, be sure to name the “Section” and the “Drop-Down

Menu/Directory Text” the same names. This will ensure that the Section and Breadcrumb names

match.

- Look and organization is consistent across the District.

o Font Style - Tahoma (Heading – Bold, Size 3, Centered; Content - Size 2)

Simple Description with Link (Document or Site) – Size 3 and Bold

- The school calendar for the public will be posted on the homepage.

- Save file attachments as a 97-2003 file, vs. Office 2007

o Use PDFs as much as possible.

- Files that need to be re-used can be housed in the file library. (e.g. School Seal)

- A Clipart Gallery is available. (preferred for copyright purposes) During the final step of inserting an

image, use the “Alt. Text” box to display an explanation of the image.

o The image should complement the look of the page. Keep it simple.

o Images on the homepage should be thumbnail size.

- An Internet AUP will be put into place. (Picture authorization permission will be given at the

beginning of the year and given to the Webmaster.)

- Get approval from the Technology Department to have a link to an affiliated group’s separate

website. (e.g. PTO, Clubs, etc.)

- The addition of a new channel MUST be requested by the Technology Department.

- The addition of a new section must be approved by the building principal.

- New pages may be added at your discretion. However, please keep it limited/concise.

- Share with one another. Before adding a new section, check the other schools to see where they

have placed it within a channel.

- Please review your school’s site to check for the “last modified date”. We want to keep everything

up-to-date.

- Please check for the crisp look of pages your section editors are creating.

22 7/24/2008

General Information:

- More and more of your school’s site will be less of your responsibility and more of each of the

section editors.

- Department Chairs and Club Sponsors can be in charge of their own section. (They will have to be

given rights to those sections.)

- PTOs can be given section editor rights.

- Current teacher webpages can be linked to the Staff Directory (under Contact Us) until they receive

training on Schoolwires’ teacher webpages.

- The file storage limit is 1G/subsite. You will see a green bar in the Channel workspace showing your

use thus far.

- If a Subsite Director (Webmaster) and a Section Editor try to edit the same page at the same time, no

prompt will be given. Whoever saves last will have their information posted.

- At this time there is not an option to create more than one calendar per section.

Special Features:

- Within the “Tools” menu... “Files and Folders” option you can find flash images for the District’s use.

- Electronic forms and surveys are possible.

- Blogging and Podcasts are possible.

- There is an E-Mail link in upper right corner for Staff.

- Each school site has its own calendar. It will be set up so that only the Staff can view it.

- We have a Search box for content within the website. (when the site goes public on August 1).

- We can create blogging pages within our webpages. However, this will not be available until a later

date. The AUP needs to be tweaked.

- E-alerts

o Registered users (parents) can subscribe to have notifications sent when sections have been

revised, but not channels. (Minors cannot register.)

o This will NOT replace the current Alert Now system, which is tied to our Student Information

System.

o This option will be saved for a later phase. Please keep in mind ideas on how to best utilize

this option.

Today & Tomorrow’s Work Time:

Review the PPT that will be shown at the beginning of school. Answer any questions?

Receive Excel “To Do” Lists – This entails what I was able to copy over and what new information is

needed.

Colors for Categories in Calendar?

Add/Edit Content. (use “To Do” Excel list)

Add Handbook (PDF)

o Amy needs the handbook to put on the District’s homepage.

Add Office Hours to “Contact Us” section

Hide Sections/De-Activating Pages that we don’t anticipate to be ready for content at this date.

Suggestion for those of you with a Newsletter – in About Us channel…link Newsletter section to elec.

PDF file

Check all links

Check with your building principal before school starts to have a message posted in their “Principal’s

Corner”. You will need to follow up with them to show them how to post on Schoolwires.

PLEASE communicate with your Staff/Departments at the start of school to check for up-to-date and out-

of-date information posted in their area.

23 7/24/2008

Future Trainings:

We will meet to brainstorm and answer questions throughout the year.

A future GIMP open source software training will be provided for resizing thumbnails and making

images transparent. This might be done as a 20-minute I-LINK training.

Look at others’ subsites for new ideas