PBCS Technology Announces Innovative Webtool for Schools By Sara Eisen The atSchools tool allows anyone with basic computer skills to create professional-grade webpages and manage website content. Now, you really are the master of your domain. The Internet is quickly replacing notices, newsletters, and “round-robin” phone calls as the primary tool for keeping parents, teachers and school administrators connected. A dynamic school or preschool website not only enables prospective parents to consider the institution on the basis of up-to-the-minute information, but it allows parents of children already enrolled to be fully involved in their child’s educational environment - - from anywhere. In the past, these websites had to be custom designed and maintained by a professional Webmaster, at prohibitive costs. Each small change or new announcement would require teachers or administrators being in touch with the school’s website liaison (frequently an already overworked secretary), who would then need to contact the Webmaster with said information. A dynamic website might have several of these of changes every week, from upcoming events and important announcements, to pictures from a class trip, or helpful articles. Recognizing the need to simplify and streamline this process, PBCS technology developed an innovative website tool which makes everyone a Webmaster, instantly. Joyce Levitas, VP of Technology at PBCS, now based in Bet Shemesh, Israel, understood that most Internet-savvy people today have a good idea of what they’d want in a website, just not the technical skills to translate their vision into virtual reality. She led the development of the atSchools tool to allow anyone with basic computer skills to be able to create professional-grade webpages and manage website content. The tool is online, and there is no need for the customer to install it. With the atSchools tool, administrators and teachers (with varying levels of “security clearance” determined by the customer) can access a series of user-friendly screens with which they can add or edit content and photos in any of 9 predetermined content areas, which include About Us, In the News, Calendar, Department Pages, Parents Association Pages, Fundraising, and more. Links can also be created to hyperlink to content on other websites, as well as to PDF, MS Word and HTML forms and documents. The result is a quick, professional-looking website written and designed by the people who know the school best. Presto, You’re a Webmaster! In addition, the optional atSchools e-Notice distribution tool allows an administrator to quickly e-mail notices and announcements to all parents (who may not check the website daily) with a single click. (There are no permission slips and class newspapers for kids to loose in their bags, and having everything online saves both trees and the office staff’s time.) Teachers can publish their own web pages, with password protection, for communicating with individual parents as to what is happening in the classroom. For preschools, the atSchools product can work in conjunction with an existing synagogue or day school website, and summer camp administrators are also among the satisfied users of this tool. The PBCS team designs and creates the masthead and sidebar for each new school customer. Once the masthead and navigational bar is created, PBCS configures and launches the school website container to the URL name that the customer chooses. And the rest is in the hands of the Webmaster - - you! For more information or to see sample sites visit: http://www.pbcstechnology.com Contact Information: Richard Levitas, President PBCS Technology rlevitas@pbcstechnology.com