May 2002

Our WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is the site of the The Petrides School in Staten Island
http://www.petrides.com

This is one of the best-designed and most useful school sites I have seen. It makes use of the Web strengths - timely, immediate information - and has lots of features that even web sites of major corporations could use. It's a site that has handy sections to help students, teachers, parents and prospective students. This is clearly a school that knows how to use technology in a smart way in the classroom and that's reflected on the Web as well. I especially liked the "virtual tours" of the gym, lobby and auditorium - I felt like I was actually in the school. Overall, a site that other schools might want to take lessons from.

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March 2002

Our WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is the site of the John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, Long Island
http://www.cougaronline.org

Exactly two years ago, John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, N.Y., launched its Web site, CougarOnline.org. Back then it was ahead of many of its peers, and, two years later, the site is still an example of a quality site for students, parents and teachers. It has a good combination of practical school-related information and links to the outside world, including college and career planning. It has a simple design with emphasis on useful content, rather than bells-n-whistles that add little to a visitor's experience.

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February 2002

Our WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is the site of the J47 School in Manhattan
http://www.j47.org
J47, a Manhattan school for both hearing-impaired and hearing students, has a site that is easy to use and easy to understand -- two features much too rare in the world of school Web sites. In addition to plenty of contact information, a detailed calendar and other school info, the site has several good Web resources, which can be used by teachers, students, even parents. It's a site that's clearly a work in progress, but that fine because all good sites are works-in-progress.

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January 2002

Our WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is the site of the Murry Bergtraum High School in Manhattan
http://www.bergtraum.org
Bergtraum High, which trains its students for the business world, has an excellent Web site that serves as a model for other schools. The site is more than just a brochure. It's a showcase for the work of the teachers and an effective communications tools for its various constituents, including parents and students. This public school, which is only a few blocks from the World Trade Center, was closed for two weeks after Sept. 11. At the time, its Web site was the used by students and others to keep track of what was going on there. The collection of good wishes the school received from around the world is quite touching. The site is maintained by John Elfrank-Dana, a social studies teacher, with student help. But a lot of the individual pages are run by various teachers who have shown real initiative by using the Web to extend the teaching - and learning - process.

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December 2001

Our WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is the site of the Morris Hills High School, Rockaway, New Jersey
http://mhrd.k12.nj.us/mhhs
This site, of Morris Hills High School in Rockaway, NJ, is an example of a site that's well executed, easily navigable and has plenty of information. Not just for students, but also for parents and even alumni. Among the notworthy features: the school policies section, the e-mail address director of teachers and an informative "virtual tour" that allows you to learn about the school and its features without leaving your desk. One quirky item I liked: the administration page uses cartoons -- showing the staff has a sense of humor and doesn't take itself too seriously. I wish some of my teachers had been like that.

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November 2001

Our WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is the site of the New York Institute for Special Education
http://www.nyise.org
This site has been chosen because it does exactly what a good school site should be doing: serving its audience well. The NYISE, which was founded in 1831 as The New York Institution for the Blind, now caters to students with various disabilities. The school is located in the Bronx and runs classes for K-12. There is a special section that is accessible to those with eysesight problems or can't use the mouse properly.

Like all good Web sites, this one also does have items of interest to those not directly connected to the institution. For example, the Blindness Resource Center is a wonderful resource on blindness issues and information -- it is used by educators and others throughout the world.

After a break of a couple of months, we are now back with this segment, picking a new school site once a month. So send in your suggestions.

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August 2001

Our WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is Iona Preparatory, a Catholic school in Westchester.
http://www.ionaprep.org

Here's a site that has undergone a facelift in recent months and improved its already-strong design and contents. A quick glance will show you how sports-oriented the school is, but academics are also emphasized. Everything is easy to find and the navigation is simple. A large percentage of teachers have Web sites for their class work. Something other webmasters can learn from Iona's site: the importance of listing phone numbers on the site. Yes, people come looking for phone numbers, in addition to e-mail addresses.

Remember, we pick a new one on the last Thursday of every month. So send in your suggestions.

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July 2001

July 26:
Our WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens.
http://www.cardozohigh.com

This site does a good job of providing news and information for its students, teachers and parents. It is well organized and easy to navigate. It's a lot more daring in its design and look-and-feel than other school sites and uses colors in a way that appeals to teens.

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June 2001

June 28:
Our WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is Manhattan School for Childran, a public school in Manhattan's Upper West Side
http://www.manhattanschool.org

This is the kind of site I think a school needs: a simple, clean presentation that packs a lot of information. It has features I have not seen on many school sites, including a section of frequently asked questions, a comprehensive calendar, PTA notes, even the lunch menu. It has a lot of links for students, teachers and parents, another good feature. I also liked its use of art work by the students.

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May 2001

May 31:
Our first-ever WABC Tech Guru School Site of the Month is New Dorp High School, a public school in State Island, NY: http://www.newdorphsnyc.org

I like this site for its clean layout, easy navigation, links to teachers, classes and even homework assignments. There are plenty of photos as well as information for parents and alumni.

Of course, it is not perfect and like all sites, is a work in progress. But it has many of the features that make it useful, fun and a Tech Guru School Site of the Month.

Tech Guru School Site of the Month

Is your school site good enough to be the School Site of the Month? On the first Thursday of each month, we will select one Web site in the WABC-7 viewing area and highlight it on the Tech Guru segment, 6:45 a.m.

The sites will be chosen on the basis of its features, ease of use and relevance to the lives of students, teachers and parents (K-12, only). Please send in your nominations to techguru@sree.net and tell us why your site should be selected.

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To join the LOW-volume "Sree Tips" e-mail mailing list, send your name and e-mail address to sreetips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. No more than once a month, you will receive an e-mail message with tips and tricks about new, useful and fun Web sites.