As the HeightsNET web site has grown, it has gotten more and more difficult to find what you need or even know if it exists. The school district Web site has just been reorganized to make finding what your need easier. There is a new main menu that is available at the top of most district web pages. It will allows you to quickly jump to the main information areas.
The top line is organized around the buildings and support services available. Read the latest news releases from the Public Relations department. Find the support services available at the Board of Education. Check out the school web sites - see what Oxford teachers are doing in their classrooms or what the Roxboro Middle School Rocket Zone is all about. Check out the online archive of school publications including the Union Technologist and the Heights High Newspaper. Search for colleagues that teach your subject or grade level at other schools in the district.
The second line categories are organized around the needs and interests of users and are sometimes referred to as channels. The Instruction category has links to many web pages designed to assist you in your teaching. You will find proficiency resources, educational sites, ideas for student projects, and the best educational indexes and search engines. Educational Journals, ERIC documents, and other research sources are available at the click of a mouse. You can quickly find and order instructional videos from the Educational Resources Department, and then find books, media, web sites and lesson plans related to that topic € all with just the click of a mouse.
The Staff web page or channel organizes the non-instructional needs of the staff. You can search our contract for a topic, such as the grievance procedure or pregnancy leave. The Board of Education Policies are also being converted to searchable form on the web. Soon you will also be able search for job openings listed by the Human Resources Department.
Student, parent and community resources are also organized in one location, and the online support for technology is in one place. Search the technology Help desk, request repairs, or download free or inexpensive software.
The third line's pop-up menu lets you jump to specific areas of HeightsNET from an alphabetic list.
The new site graphics were designed by high school student Bram Lambrecht. Try the new interface, and let the webmaster know what you think.
Prioritizing our Needs
While it would be ideal to have networked computers always available to every student and staff member, we will not reach that anytime soon. The costs are too high and the value for those dollars is not yet clear. But as teaching professionals, we need to help determine where limited technology dollars can have the most impact.
Two district initiatives will have an impact on how those dollars will be spent. The new TAP (Teacher Administration Partnership) representatives will have budgetary responsibilities within each building. This spring you will be asked to elect colleagues to this important committee.
Second, a district Technology Standards Task Force is looking at when and what technology skills should be integrated into the mainstream curricula. Your input is needed to make sure we provide the best instruction to our students. At what grade levels and within what curricular objectives should the creation and analysis of charts and databases be taught? When should keyboarding skills be introduced and practiced? Are you currently incorporating technology and problem solving skills into specific areas of your curriculum? The standards task force is looking for your input. Send your comments to Stephen Titchenal, BOE.