wazmac || School Intranets - Creating Content

School Intranets - Creating Content

Overview

As with any technology infrastructure in a school environment, an Intranet is only of any value if it is able to support the curriculum, and contribute to an improved learning environment.

Below are some sample frameworks (Intranet templates), along with some associated Quickstart notes, which may be of use in creating an intranet environment in your school.

Getting Started

The Somewhere PS templates below can be used to "kick-start" your school Intranet. These templates can easily be modified for use in your school.

All Mac OS X networks include a built-in intranet environment - OS X Server software includes a "one-click" web server (Apache), and every user's Home folder includes their own personal web site.

Much of the info below is designed to operate in this environment, but is also applicable in other Intranet environments utilising Linux and Windows platforms.

Intranet Template		Intanet Publishing Notes
Somewhere PS Intranet Includes links to sites for year groups and KLAs, links to student and teacher web pages (using xSUIM), and could easily be modified for use in a HS by replacing years with faculties. Also includes templates you can download for use with iWeb and other web editing software. DET School Library Search Search your NSW DET school library catalogue from any computer in the school, using your school Intranet.		Publishing an iWeb Intranet Site (1.4Mb - pdf) Use the iLife suite of tools to create Intranet web sites for students and teachers on your Mac OSX network. Publishing an iWeb Photo Album (1.7Mb - pdf) Use the iLife suite of tools to create students' and teachers' photo albums on your Mac OSX network. Publishing Student e-Portfolios (1.5 Mb - pdf) Step by step introduction to including links to student's online projects on a school intranet to create an e-portfolio, using iWeb.
Setup Notes		Site Index Utilities
To successfully operate a school Intranet to publish student and teachers' web sites, an OSX Server must be setup to use networked Home Folders, with individual logins. To enable your OSX Server Intranet: Click to start the Web service (in Server Admin) and your Intranet will be running. Go to http://serverIPaddress/ (on a network computer) to see your Intranet site Copy the Somewhere PS template files to your server so that your intranet users see the SPS site rather than the default OSX Web Site. For more OS X Server setup details see Wazza's Server Setup notes (12 - Configuring Your Intranet). If you don't have an OSX Server..... See Wazza's OSX Intranet Without a Server Quickstart, using Personal Web Sharing, on the Intranet Servers page. ISER Intranet support Getting started with editing your school's site, and teachers' and students' web sites on your intranet.		xSUIM (OSX Server User Import Manager) For NSW DET schools. (Needs Filemaker). Imports users from OASIS into Workgroup Manager, as well as keeping your user accounts (and Intranet index pages) synchronised with your school's OASIS admin records. SWIG (Student Web Index Generator) A spreadsheet that exports a web index page, providing links to student web pages on an OS X web server.
		Site Capture (Whacking) Software
		Site Capture Software Links Site-capturing software (also know as site-whacking software or site-sucking software) allows you to download entire websites to your computer. These locally captured sites can be used for presentations where no internet connection is available, or for storing entire sites on school intranets, guaranteeing availability when required for class activities. This can also make web sites available to local network users without requiring authentication to the Internet.