Revamped Campus Websites Draw in Visitors, Delight GISD Personnel
Article Date: July 10, 2008
The Internet churns out loads of information, all of it accessible through the simple click of a mouse. Rummaging through the ensuing mass of facts and figures is where the search oftentimes becomes difficult.
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Fortunately, visitors to the Garland ISD campus websites won’t have to dig deep before they find themselves surrounded with quality information delivered in a user-friendly package, thanks to a districtwide conversion.
After six years of the same look for GISD’s high school, middle school and elementary school campuses – 71 in total – the district’s Web Communications Department decided it was time for a makeover.
“We’ve been pleased with our campus sites but they have maintained the same appearance for several years,” said Jasmine Preston, GISD web manager. “Additionally, there has been a lot of progress in website management systems since we purchased our original product.”
The department’s desire to upgrade the image, coupled with technological advancements, presented a prime opportunity for a complete overhaul of each campus’s site.
Website addresses for several campuses have changed. Bookmarks with old addresses will no longer access the pages. Click here for an updated list. |
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“We wanted to offer newer capabilities, such as podcasting and video, because we knew that our audience could really benefit from these engaging
technologies,” Preston said. “Our old system was in place long before those mediums became prevalent so we needed to find something that had the potential to grow with us.”
And they found it, in the form of a website content management system that caters to the needs of school districts.
Instead of limitations and constraints presented by an outdated product, user-friendly features abound. The new setup included a set of designs that were then customized with school colors and mascots for each campus by the Web Communications team.
Upon visiting a revamped campus site, visitors are greeted by a Flash banner that displays various photos. From there, a tour of the media gallery reveals slide shows, audio files, podcasts and videos. Online calendars present events specific to that campus with the option for visitors to receive reminders for upcoming events by email. “Page tools” allow them to change font size from small-to-large, print the page, or e-mail it to a friend.
“We’re extremely excited with what we’re offering our users,” Preston said. “The attractive, engaging sites are reflective of the exciting things happening in our schools.”
While Preston is happy with the district’s improved Internet communication to the outside world, its internal workings are what please her the most.
“This is so much easier for our campus webmasters, primarily because there is no more HTML coding,” she said. “Without focusing on the technological end, they can now concentrate on managing and providing useful content.”
Because the campus webmaster position is voluntary, the necessary upkeep has been difficult to manage along with the primary educational duties of teachers and staff. Preston wanted to find something that would make their lives easier, and the feedback indicates she has.
“Almost everyone has made at least one positive comment on the user-friendly features of what we now have,” she said. “They can edit images, directly type in their school’s information quickly upload media. Completing this project put more quality information out there for our visitors to access and made things easier for a lot of people in the process.”