News Releases
May 24 - The Medicine Hat News interviews Brad Volkman from Eagle Butte High School and Brad Leitch, Creative director... (read more)
Apr 6 - Dreamstalk Studios is pleased to welcome Medicine Hat School District 76 to the NightFyre for Schools community.
Apr 4 - Dreamstalk Studios is pleased to welcome Strathmore High School from Golden Hills School Division to the NightFyre for Schools community.
Mar 28 - NightFyre for Schools V3 officially announced for Sep 1, 2008 launch (read more)
In the Spotlight
More schools making use of technology
By Amanda Stephenson - Medicine Hat NewsPublished May 24, 2008
"The dog ate my homework" just doesn't cut it anymore.
With more and more schools taking advantage of technology and posting homework on the web, it's not easy for students to say they didn't get the assignment.
"From the parent feedback we get, they say it holds students accountable," says Brad Leitch, creative director for Dreamstalk Studios. The company supplies website technology (NightFyre for Schools) to all schools in Medicine Hat School District 76 as well as the Prairie Rose School Division. With this technology, students are able to go to their school's website, click on their class, and view all the homework that has been assigned.
Eagle Butte High School principal Brad Volkman says the homework feature has been a great addition to the website. "If we have a student who's home sick three days, now they can download and print the worksheet and catch up on the work they're missing," he explains.
Leitch (an Eagle Butte High alumni) adds it won't be long before students will be able to submit their completed homework back to the teacher via the website, instead of having to print the assignment out.
But there are other ways website technology is making a difference to the way schools operate. Most schools now keep an updated calendar of events on their website, so parents can keep informed about what is going on at the school.
"Traditionally, schools were only able to consult with home on a monthly basis (through a school newsletter), unless they made a phone call home," Leitch says.
"In this day and age when people read the newspaper online, it's good that we can post our news on the website too," Volkman says. This includes photos — schools can now post photos of sports events, drama productions, and pep rallies on what amounts to an online ‘yearbook'.
As Leitch points out, a school website can only be successful if as many staff members as possible participate. That means the technology needs to be simple and quick to use.
"Because our software is designed specifically for teacher use, it's designed around their business day," Leitch says, adding homework assignments can be posted in less than a minute, even by teachers who have no website experience.
Volkman says not all teachers are as technologically inclined as some of their students, so it may still take some time before posting homework on the web becomes second nature. "I think it will become even more common — it's just about making it part of the routine," he says.
NightFyre for Schools v3.0
Dreamstalk Studios officially announced today the successor to NightFyre for Schools v2.0. This major revision of the software will feature a plethora of new features and streamlines based on school community feedback received in the 2007/2008 year.
Automated task management based on assigned user roles, user grouping for faster, easier administration, a revised photo gallery manager for special events and student projects as well as a plethora of new extra-curricular group and document management features are just some of the upcoming changes.
On-demand video tutorials will highlight new features and provide step-by-step walkthroughs corroborating our commitment to support, which already boasts enterprise phone and e-mail support.
