Ready for Real Sharing among Teachers in your District?
Our Top Tip is a site that we suggest that you refer to your school district's IT Department.
Maybe you will find this new site useful if it attracts lots of active teachers.
But, in the meantime, this site can serve as a model for what your school district's IT Department could do for your district's teachers, without spending a lot of money...maybe without spending any money.
The site that I am referring you to is...
TeacherResourceExchange.org
What is so special about this site?
This site is an online forum that focuses upon teacher sharing.
The site is easy for your IT Staff to set up and run on an older computer, with software that is completely free.
Imagine that teachers in your district are sharing materials through a system like this, visualize this as already happening, already effective, already making a difference for your students.
Teacher sharing of hard goods and physical materials is less than ideal because someone has to pay for shipping. (Generally the receiving party.)
But, most school districts, and even some regional cooperatives, have an internal mail system that teachers do not have to pay to use.
What is this Magic Software?
The software that runs the TeacherResourceExchange.org site is called PHPBB.
You or your school district's IT Department can download this software at:
The PHPBB™ Open Source Project
There are some tricks that have to be done with another Open Source product, a free database management system, MySQL™
You (or your district's IT Staff member) can download the MYSQL™ software at:
The MYSQL™ Open Source Project
You can start by explaining that for very little work, and probably no money, your district's IT staff can become a "Big Hit" with your district's teachers.
Once the IT folks see what you want to do, and how easy implementing this project will be; they will be glad to help out.
