[Lias] School Intranet Server - Functionality & Requirements

[Les Bell]

Andrew Dorrell <andrew.dorrell at cisra.canon.com.au> wrote:

>>
Interesting comments on email.  My experience: don't touch it.

DET provides their own webmail interface for staff and is looking at
expanding it.  I don't like their system much but they maintain it.
Anything you add will only cause confusion (sorry - I've just been there
...several times)  You will also run into duty of care concerns with
email as it is difficult (impossible) for teachers to monitor what the
kids are doing with it.
<<

Now that's useful to know! One problem I face is that, especially in a
primary school, the teachers themselves don't always know just what's
available, so I didn't even know about the DET staff webmail system. I have
heard about the upcoming expanded DET system which will provide some
facilities for student email etc. and will supplant some of what we're
doing, but I don't have firm scope and timeframe info - which is why I
decided to plough ahead and get something running in the short term. In any
case, I think there will always be scope for a system inside the school
which can run intranet applications.

>>
Setting up an intra-net homepage is practical and a very good idea IMO -
  put a form on it for a google safe search.... One thing I also setup
in the past was a page that teachers could add bookmarks to (via a
frm/cgi interface)... I'm moving away from this however towards things
like wiki (for better or worse)
<<

Heh. Google Safesearch is on there already, on my sample homepage. I'd love
to hear more about your bookmarks CGI app, though, as I can see that being
a popular feature. I've never implemented a wiki, but maybe it's time to
start. A wiki could allow kids (and teachers!) to learn about
computer-mediated communication, without a lot of the thorny problems of
email, couldn't it?

Best,

--- Les Bell, CISSP
[http://www.lesbell.com.au]