Guest posting to voced-coord email list.
Item 5 of 15:

Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 10:24:27 +1000
To: voced-coord@owl.qut.edu.au
From: Gary Stephenson (Stevo)
Subject: Re: VocEd:Gary Stephenson(Introduction-ONLINE)

Stevo's response below (by the way, Lenny and I may both answer questions, as 2 heads better than 1)

Andrew Marnie (andrewm@coastnet.net.au) wrote:
To echo Ty's comments it is good to see a guest/s back on veco. Some food for thought, as well as some feedback on the following ideas we are floating here on the Sunshine Coast.
We are working out what we want on a web site at the moment and have some intial discussions with some of the IT people around. Our concept is something like this, to have a website that not only promotes the program but also is an administrative and operational managment resource for our program. We are considering the following (some of which will be tempered by budget and IT restraints)

1. an interactive procedures and policy manual so our schools/employers/students can access the latest forms etc at the click of a button (we no longer have to worry about paper/disc updates)

2. Short bios of our management committee members with site based (if that is the correct term) e-mail addresses for them

3. Posting our meeting agendas with e-mail response forms so that interested people can provide direct input into agenda discussions

4. and this is the curly (read possibly too expensive idea perhaps) to have encrypted access to our placement database for our industry placement coordinators so that they can access the database from the schools, home, local library or workplace and make ammendments as required whilst on the road

I see the web as one way of really opening the management of the program up and broadening the input we recieve from people.

As I said before budget and it may curtail these but I hope not. Anyhow keen to hear your ideas on it.

[Gary:]
Andrew this is the correct way to start a web site, you must have written down what you want the site to achieve at the end of the day. In Janine's intro she said

"why would you have a website for your program ? - what's the point?"
"we had $1000 to build a website, paid a consultant to do it for us but now it's a headache to maintain"

this is a common problem, poor planning and lack of professional input. Let's not forget when you go to a company (IT) they are looking to make money just like everyone. The thing to save money is to have everything thought out. For example:

1. A mud map: Like a family tree, starting at the top with splash page and working down like a book with chapters that are well organised etc. This takes time and is the most important thing. Ours took about 6 months, by the time we had spoke to 40 teachers, 10 students etc

2. Any resources or information already saved on discs, photos all labeled etc It's far cheaper to get it all done at once, not making repeated visits to IT company as they will charge for their added time.

3. Make it very clear that as part of the deal you want some follow up inservicing , this is essential otherwise they will be the only ones who uderstand the layout of the site. IT people can make the site coordinator friendly, or very complicated.

4. Some software is essential Frontpage (yes Bill Gates) and "cuteftp" a file upload manager (or similiar). These 2 programs will enable you to change the pages simply and upload them to your ISP.

Andrew and anyone else, be very careful with online forms changing agenda's etc, the responses will be eye opening to say the least. Some things are better left alone eg. you still need the phone and fax for some things. Kids are great at getting into things they are not meant to. I can paste up some responses I have had to an idea we tried student lists or their own resumes (but the f.... word and others is used a little to often, students are so boring they repeat the same word far too often.)

Finally don't spend money getting encrypted coding, just apply the above rule, only put info on the site that is not really critical if students get a hold of it. We only use a user name and password very easy to crack with a cracker software (less than 5 seconds) Encryption takes longer but students like a challenge they think there is something really good behind this wall. The schools also have their own section on our site, it is exactly the same just they only have the password so other schools cannot gain access to their contacts etc. In the city everyone is very cautious about giving personal contacts out (hospitality especially).

To get student to use these kind of resources don't forget they must be at their level with new and exciting things to see. Not just text / pictures etc , the government sites do this very well.

Sorry so long
Stevo