Project "Tech Plan"

This spring, the Tech Team and other interested faculty/staff members will craft an updated Technology Plan for York School. Given technology's ever-changing landscape, our hope is to design a relevant 3-year plan. Throughout the process, the emphasis will be on ways to promote our school's mission statement by improving infrastructure as well as hardware, software, and training.

Take a moment to think about how technology might be better used at York to enhance communication and learning. We welcome input from all constituents: students, parents, faculty, board members, etc. Please consider contributing to this project, either formally or informally. During winter break we will be creating a web form to gather this kind of input, but for now comment here in this blog or send any suggestions to ctorg@york.org.

Faculty/Staff Contest and other sundries

I think it's safe to say that people enjoyed the recent baby photo contest on Inside York web. There were certainly a lot of students and faculty/staff alike chuckling at the images and guessing on the chubby cheekers' identities. In case you missed break last Friday, Samantha Reed was the clear winner, outscoring all entries in both categories. On the student side, Karly Sherwood earned 2nd place, while Mr. Tom Murray topped the faculty/staff in correctly guessing the baby photos. Mrs. Reina Garrison earned Honorable Mention.

For dramatic tension, faculty members Brian Rogers, June Trachsel and Carol White tied in the child category and participated in a spontaneous chapel face-off. They had 3 minutes to identify 4 new photos with 200+ people watching. Hearing the "Jeopardy" theme ditty being sung by that many people may have undermined the serious competitiveness of the moment, as none of the 3 were able to guess all of the babies correctly. Ultimately, Mr. Rogers and Mrs. White tied with 2 answers each, sharing the prize and receiving the commendation of the crowd.

We won't be able to repeat this World Class event next year, but perhaps we can come up with something comparable. Suggestions, anyone?

New Drama Postings

Come visit the newly created drama corner of Inside York to see some great photographs of our current production of The Threepenny Opera, images courtesy of Jessica Calzada. Feel free to comment on individual stills, as well as the performance.

First Post of the New Inside York Weblog

"Opening communications in 3...2...1... ...."

Now that our new and improved Inside York (www1) website has been up and running for a few months, it seems time to open a window of communication and see what users have to say. We haven't yet set up a "blog policy statement" on campus, but I trust that you will keep your comments and questions respectful and responsible. Since I'm hoping to learn how individuals and groups respond to the website, please do sign your name when you comment; anonymous postings are likely to be deleted.

First off, let me acknowledge that this site isn't perfect. When the "tech team" constructed this version of Inside York, we tried to keep users' expectations and perspectives in mind, but users vary and we didn't want to worry too much about making everything perfect from the start. One of the wonderful things about web publishing is its flexibility; if something isn't right, we can change it. So, don't be surprised if our on-campus site morphs a bit in the next few months. And hey, some of the changes may well be a result of your feedback and involvement.

So, the role/goal of this first post is to open the dialogue and invite you to participate in the process of making this a more valuable educational tool. Although others have certainly contributed to the design and content of this website, I am officially its spokesperson (and am likely to deserve the blame when things go wrong). Every now and again I'll let you know here in this blog about significant changes and ask for your feedback on particular aspects of Inside York. For those of you less familiar with blogging, the easiest way to respond is to click on the "comments" link next to the pencil icon below on the screen. Just be forewarned, your comments will be posted for anyone and everyone to see. For more personal exchanges, feel free to email me (ctorg@york.org) at any time with your comments, questions or recommendations. For more information on blogging, go to Blogger.com's tour.

As many of you may know, I'm a relative novice in this webworld. Be patient as I try to navigate its intricacies. I may not be able to accomodate every request instantaneously, but I'll aim toward incorporating the best ideas in a timely fashion.

CTorg