Web Developers Meeting

 

Attendance: Wade Tripp, Park University; Dawit Wubshet, Park University; Tom Purkaple, Midwestern Baptist Theo. Seminary; Rondel DeLong, St. Louis Community College Meramec; Bob Palank, same; Chad Killingsworth, Missouri State; Sara Clark, MSU; Rob Hornberger, MSU; Grayson Gordon, MSU West Plains; Shahn Hogan, Columbia College; Anthony Alexander, North Central MO College; Shane Fountain, William Woods University; Allan Brokken, University of Missouri, Columbia; Shelly Brown, SBU; Mark Carl, Maryville University; Karyn O’Dell, OTC.

 

Chair Shelly Brown made introductions of the current officers –

 

-         Sara Clark, past chair

-         Mark Carl, chair-elect

-         Karyn O’Dell, secretary

 

Karyn read the minutes from 2005.

 

Shelly asked Sara to update on the national High Ed Web Dev organization. Formalizing officer elections, then a process to get the bylaws established, and then will discuss state chapters. Benefits to becoming a Missouri chapter – listserv, communication resources, staff on national organization to assist us. If we want anything in the way of benefits, ask. Funding: they may ask for dues, whether individual or university. Educause model, AITP, etc. being looked at for options. October 22-25 Rochester NY national conference. Registration opens July 1, around $400, discount for presenting.

 

Shelly shared the Best in Track winners from last year’s national conference (www.highedweb.org/2005). Sara – mostly web personnel at the conference rather than faculty, but they do cover academics, learning systems, Blackboard, etc. Attendees from last year’s conference discussed what topics they had learned about open source content management, blogging systems, CSS (web standards, right way to use HTML/CSS). Podcasts are available on the web site.

 

Election of New Officers

 

Shelly moves to Past-Chair; Mark moves to Chair.

 

Chair-elect is responsible for coordinating the next conference.
Secretary takes notes/minutes from today’s meetings, sends to Chair for posting on the Web site.

Chair maintains listserv.

 

Karyn O’Dell remains Secretary.

Rob Hornberger (Missouri State) elected Chair-Elect.

 

Open Forum

 

E-Learning using PowerPoint and Flash?

 

Missouri State is using Macromedia Breeze for online learning; PowerPoint can be brought into Breeze and exported as Flash. STCC: Provide online content for students who can’t make it to face-to-face class. MS: View PowerPoint before class, then go over it in-depth in class; fundamentals are still there if you can’t make it to class. Attend classes through Centra. WebX – video synchronized with a conference call. Shelly: People may not be buying into online learning yet, more focused on “traditional” learning. Would students rather come to class or get the content online? Depends on the class, if the lectures are good, how discussion-oriented the classes are, or if you can catch up by watching it later. How “portable” are the classes? Entry-level classes online – Introduction to Computers online. Faculty open to teaching online? Some yes, some no. MSU-West Plains pushing for AA online.

 

Content management systems?

 

MSU: reddot. Needed staged solutions. OTC: Contribute with staging server, script to compare files, then move to live server.

 

Disaster Recovery?

 

UMC: 70% of critical systems are backed up and stored off-site. Park: 30 miles from downtown campus, parts in place to create, bring up info from a location off-campus. Working on a full back-up system with everything. MSU: Is the web a critical system, or more considered a communication system? (It’s not student records, finances.) UMC has WebCT as the third on the list to back up. Shelly has talked to MoreNET about rerouting their domain name to another IP if something happens. Maryville: becoming more critical with more systems on the web. “What good is the data if no one can get to it?”

 

Which should be taken first – HTML or Dreamweaver/FrontPage?

 

Dreamweaver first is visual/tactile, gives a big picture, but makes them realize the shortcomings, then learn HTML to fine-tune it, or show how Dreamweaver does it all wrong. HTML first shows them how it works, then Dreamweaver shows an easier way to do it. MSU-West Plains is trying to move away from software, make it ‘generic’ so the students will have the skills despite the tool.

 

Meeting adjourned.