| About SqoolTools |
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What
is SqoolTools?
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SqoolTools
is an online service, brought
to you by SqoolTechs, LLC, that provides instructional tools for the
purpose of
“Supporting Quality Online
Opportunities
for Learning”. Specifically, SqoolTools
is a virtual
learning environment, built on Moodle™ open source software, that
allows K-12 teachers to create interactive websites to either support
classroom instruction or to deliver instruction completely online.
SqoolTools provides a wide variety of tools that support most
instructional and classroom management tasks.
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How
is SqoolTools pronounced?
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“SqoolTools” is
pronounced just as “school tools”. Sqool
is an acronym that stands for "Supporting Quality
Online Opportunities
for Learning”.
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How
much does SqoolTools
cost?
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All SqoolTools
accounts are provided free of charge and are supported through
the ads placed
on your web pages. Following the beta phase of our site, you may choose
to purchase a subscription which will provide you with an “ad
free” account or you may continue using your free,
ad-supported, account.
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How
long will my account
be active?
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Free SqoolTools accounts
will be active as long as they are being utilized. Accounts will NEVER
be disabled due to summer vacation. Accounts will be considered
“inactive” when SqoolTools staff is unable to
contact the account holder, using the email address of record, for 10
days.
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What
tools are included in a
SqoolTools account?
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The following
tools and features are currently available through
SqoolTools. These tools have been grouped into the following
categories. It is important to note that many of the tools fit into
more than one category as teachers can utilize them in multiple ways.
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Web Tools
- Web editors
- Web page templates
- Hyperlinking Tool
- Built in Navigation/Menus
- Site/Course Search
- Education Search Engine
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Classroom Management Tools
- class calendar
- choice (poll)
- groups
- workshop
- electronic “drop box”
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Web 2.0 Tools
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Learning Activity Tools
- assignment
- database
- editable glossary
- lesson
- journals
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Assessment Tools
- grade book
- multiple quiz formats
- automatic scoring of multiple choice and
true/false questions
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Communication Tools
- chat
- forum
- internal messaging
- news announcements
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Do I have to use all of the tools? |
No.
You decide which tools to use and add them to your classroom
by
selecting from a drop down menu. For example, if you don't
want
your students to use blogs, you simply don't add the blog tool to your
class. You can also add a tool but hide it from student view
until you want them to use it. Here is an example: You
want to use the chat tool for a literature group discussion at a 11:00
on Monday. You can set up the chat in advance, but hide or
turn it off
from
students view using the hide (eye)
editing tool. Then, on Monday At 11:00, you un-hide the chat
tool, or make it
available for students to access by again clicking on the hide editing
tool.
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Is
SqoolTools difficult or time consuming to learn?
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No.
SqoolTools has an
easy to use interface. Once you understand the basic editing
tools, you can quickly build your first virtual classroom.
Easy
to follow training videos (coming soon) and written user guides are
provided
for
every tool in SqoolTools. In addition, a searchable database of the
most frequently asked "how-to" questions is provided. If you have
advanced technology
skills,
the sky is the limit to what you can do with a SqoolTools virtual
classroom. Here are a few of the simple editing tools that
you will use to create your virtual classroom:
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Can
SqoolTools save teachers time?
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Yes,
SqoolTools makes
teachers more efficient. Here are a few examples.
Automatic
grading of objective items and automatic entry of scores into the
online grade book reduce the time that teachers spend on assessment and
grading tasks . Units of instruction created with web-based
resources can be re-used with other students and shared with other
teachers. Announcements, homework, and other information can be quickly
posted for all students. Web-based resources can be easily
added
for students working at different levels, thus making differetiation of
instruction possible.
Traditionally when teachers want to integrate a new technology, they
must learn to use a new software program. Since teachers use one
interface for all tools, less time is devoted to learning new software
programs.
See also:
Can
I use my existing
instructional content?
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| SqoolTools in the Classroom |
I
only have a few computers in my classroom. Is SqoolTools
worth my time? |
Yes.
The
SqoolTools suite of tools will make you a more efficient teacher.
Many of the tools will assist you with classroom management
tasks. A SqoolTools account provides a secure way to
provide
information to parents and learning activities for students 24 hours
and day, 7 days a week. For example, you can easily post a class
calendar, contact Information, downloadable documents, class schedule,
news & announcements, assignments, links to reference
materials,
links to web-based activities and learning games, and unlimited web page creation.
If
you have only a few computers, it is likely that you have a schedule in
place to provide for equitable access for all of your students.
A
SqoolTools account will make the most of the time your students have on
the computer.
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Can
my students access my virtual classroom from home? |
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Yes.
Unlike some
education-related web services, we do not restrict your SqoolTools
account to your school's IP address or restrict login times to school
hours. Your students can access your SqoolTools virtual
classroom
from anywhere at any time.
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Can
I link
to SqoolTools from my district, school, or classroom page?
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Yes. Many
teachers add links from
their personal or school Web pages to their SqoolTools virtual
classroom. There
is no need to ask for permission before linking to SqoolTools.
When you create
a virtual classroom on SqoolTools, you get a URL (Web address) that
you can link to from your school's
website. Alternately,
you can link to http://sqooltools.com
. When
students log in, their individual start page will load.
This
is helpful if you have a separate virtual classroom for each of the
subjects that you teach. The start page will list all the
classrooms
for all of the subjects in which the student is enrolled. |
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Can
I use SqoolTools as my classroom website?
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Yes and No.
Yes, you can use SqoolTools as your classroom website,
however, keep in mind that in order for anyone,
(parents, students, other teachers, administrators) to access
your classroom, a login is required. This makes your
classroom
more secure and protects student privacy. We recommend that
non-student visitors to your website be assigned visitor privileges.
Visitor privileges allow them to see most of the information in your
virtual classroom, but not post any information. (This is a
simple procedure explained in the User Guides.)
Many teachers choose to maintain a classrooom website that doesn't
require a login on their district's servers. They post
information for the general public on those pages and provide a link to
their
virtual classroom. This is a good solution
to
guarding student privacy while letting the general public see only what
you want them to see.
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I teach several different subjects
within a self-contained classroom.
Can I have a virtual classroom for each of the subjects that
I teach? |
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Yes. Teachers
may create as many virtual classrooms as they need to best meet the
needs of their students. When students login to SqoolTools,
the start page will list all the classrooms
for all of the subjects that the student is enrolled in. When
a teacher logs in to SqoolTools, all the classes that they teach are
listed on the the start page.
After your first classroom, or master classroom has been approved, you
will be given the
right to create as many subject area classrooms as you need.
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I teach the same subject for each
period of the day. Can I have a virtual classroom for each of
these sections? |
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Yes. Teachers
may create as many virtual classrooms as they need to best meet the
needs of their students. When
students login to SqoolTools, the start page will list all
the
classrooms that the student is enrolled in. When a
teacher logins in to SqoolTools, all the class that they teach are
listed on the the start page.
After your first classroom has been approved, you will be given the
right to create as many sections of your classroom as you need.
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| Compatibility and Hardware |
Can
I use my existing instructional content?
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Yes!
Virtually any
file type ((images, PowerPoint, Flash,
Shockwave, Word
Processing documents, Spreadsheets,etc.) can be integrated into your
SqoolTools virtual classroom. This allows existing
content
and resources to be utilized saving you time.
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Can
I move my content from another VLE to SqoolTools?
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Yes!
SqoolTools is SCORM
(Sharable Content Object Reference Model)
compliant. It simple terms, this means that the content is
shareable and reusable from one VLE to another simply by importing or
exporting a zip file.
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If
I close my SqoolTools account, can I take my content with me? |
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Yes! Since
SqoolTools is SCORM
(Sharable Content Object Reference Model)
compliant you can export your content to a zip file and move
it to another SCORM compliant
VLE. Unlike some web-based
education-related services, your content is not locked into a system.
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What
hardware and software do I need in order to use SqoolTools?
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All you need in order to use
SqoolTools is a web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape
Navigator, etc) and an Internet connection. The following plug-ins are
recommended: Shockwave, Flash, Java, and QuickTime.
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| Educational
Benefits |
How
does
SqoolTools benefit students? |
Today's
students are digital learners who are best engaged by using technology
in a social community. Students genuinely enjoy learning with
SqoolTools. SqoolTools allows students to learn
anytime and any place. Student have access to the same
resources and activities that are used at school. Calendars,
announcements, and assignment postings help students to stay organized.
If a student is absent, they can quickly see the assignment
they missed. The Web 2.0 tools allow students to create
learning artifacts for an audience of peers.
Teachers can use SqoolTools to effectively differientate instruction
for students working at different levels. The grouping tools
allow teachers to easily provide resources based on ability level.
Students see only the resources that the teacher has provided
for them.
See also:
What
is Web
2.0
interaction? |
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How
does
SqoolTools benefit teachers? |
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The
SqoolTools suite of tools makes teachers more efficient and
make
good teachers even better.
Many of the tools will assist you with classroom management
tasks. A SqoolTools account provides a secure way to
provide
information to parents and learning activities for students 24 hours
and day, 7 days a week. For example, you can easily post a class
calendar, contact Information, downloadable documents, a class
schedule,
news & announcements, assignments, links to reference
materials,
links to web-based activities and learning games, and unlimited web pages.
Automatic
grading of objective items and automatic entry of scores into the
online grade book reduce the time that teachers spend on assessment and
grading tasks. Units of instruction created with web-based
resources and existing content can be re-used with other students and
shared with other
teachers. Web-based resources can be easily
added
for students working at different levels, thus making differentiation
of
instruction possible.
Traditionally when teachers want to integrate a new technology, they
must learn to use a new software program. Since teachers use one
interface for all tools, less time is devoted to learning new software
programs.
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How
does
SqoolTools benefit parents? |
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SqoolTools
benefits parents by allowing them a window into their child's
classroom. Parents can keep informed about assignments,
learning resources, upcoming events, and other happenings in
their child's classroom. SqoolTools assists parents and
teachers in becoming partners in the shared responsibility of educating
students.
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How
does SqoolTools benefit professional development goals? |
Professional
learning communities, or groups of educators working together to
improve student learning, can use the SqoolTools suite of tools to
develop a shared vision, work and learn collaboratively, and visit and
review each other classrooms. School or district-based trainers can
create web-based workshops that allow teachers to learn outside of the
school day.
Several examples of web-based workshops are provided when you create a
free account.
You may also be interested in the answers to following FAQs:
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How
does
SqoolTools benefit schools and districts? |
There is no software to
install and no servers to maintain when using SqoolTools. This means
there is no time commitment needed from district technology staff.
Teachers, schools, and districts can use free SqoolTools
accounts with no impact on school budgets.
If
schools and districts need a customized VLE, the SqoolTechs staff
offers services to meet these
needs. You may also be interested in the answers to following
FAQs:
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| Educational
Technology |
What is Web 2.0 interaction?
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Web
2.0 is a term often used to describe the
transition of the World Wide Web from a collection of websites to a
full-fledged computing platform serving web applications to end users.
Many experts believe Web 2.0 services will replace desktop computing
applications for many purposes, especially those related to educational
technology. Web 2.0 is also often referred to as the "read-write
web" because users are no longer merely reading the content provided on
websites but are often creating content for others.
Specifically,
SqoolTools provides Web 2.0 interactive tools including blogs, wikis,
chat, podcasts, and discussion forums.
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What is a virtual learning environment?
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A
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a web-based software system
designed to facilitate teachers in the delivery of online
educational experiences for their students. VLEs provide a set
of teaching and learning tools designed to enhance a student's learning
experience by integrating technology in the learning process. VLEs can
be used to teach courses entirely online or to support face-to-face
instruction. VLEs are sometimes referred to as Course
Management Systems (CMS) or Learning Management Systems (LMS) or
Managed
Learning Environments (MLE). Some common commercial VLEs
include BlackBoard and WebCT. SqoolTools
is a virtual
learning environment, built on ™ open source software.
It has been configured to meet the needs of K-12
teachers and students. It allows teachers to create
interactive websites to either support
classroom instruction or to deliver instruction completely online.
SqoolTools provides a wide variety of tools that support most
instructional and classroom management tasks.
You
may also be interested in the answers to following FAQs:
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What is an integrated instructional
interface?
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This is a term that we have
developed and coined to describe SqoolTools. An
integrated instructional interface is a computing platform that
provides all instructional tools merged together into a single system, accessible via the
Internet through one login. Through our years of
working with teachers, we discovered that one of the biggest
frustration that teachers report is the need to remember many
different usenames and passwords for
many separate programs to perform many necessary instructional
tasks. The SqoolTools vision is to provide all the
instructional tools that teachers need in one place with one login.
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What is the learning theory behind
SqoolTools?
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SqoolTools is
built using Moodle™ open source software. Moodle™ softwarewas designed
to address the 4 major principles of the social constructionist
pedagogy. These principles are summarized below:
- People actively construct new knowledge as
they interact with their environment.
- Learning is most effective when constructing
something for others to experience.
- Learning occurs on many levels when people
are
a part of a learning community in which learners are constructing
things for one another and are collaboratively creating shared
artifacts with shared meanings.
- The processes of reflection and metacognition
are stimulated through participation in a learning community.
Simply stated,
SqoolTools provides the tools for learners to actively
construct knowledge through interaction with a social learning
community.
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| Training
and Support |
Are
user guides available to help me learn to use SqoolTools? |
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Yes.
When your first virtual classroom has been approved, you are
provided with access to the Teacher
Information area. This
area links you to user guides for all of the tools available in
SqoolTools that will help you get started. The
Teacher Information area also provides you with access to the Sqool
Community where you can share ideas and resources with
other teachers.
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Do you provide on site training in the
use of SqoolTools?
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Yes.
The SqoolTechs Team offers a wide variety of training options
to address the needs of
districts, schools, and groups of teachers. Details are
provided on the SqoolTechs
website.
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Can SqoolTechs install a VLE on our
school district servers?
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Yes.
The
SqoolTechs Team offers a wide variety VLE services to address
the
needs of
districts and schools. Our staff can install a VLE using Moodle™
open source software on your servers and configure it to your
specifications. Details
are provided on the SqoolTechs
website. |
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Can SqoolTechs host a VLE for my school
or district?
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Yes. The
SqoolTechs Team offers a wide variety of hosting options to address the
needs of
districts and schools. Details are provided on the
SqoolTechs
website.
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Are there presentation or training
materials available for SqoolTools?
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Thank
you for spreading the word
about SqoolTools! Currently,
we have the following
free online workshops that could be used in a presentation or training
about
SqoolTools. To access these workshops, it is necessary to to create
a free account.
- SqoolTools
in
the K-12 classroom
- The
ABCs of
VLEs
As
we develop more presentation
materials, they will be posted here.
You
may also be interested in the answer to following FAQs:
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Security and Policies
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What
is the SqoolTools Privacy Policy?
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Click here
to view the SqoolTools Privacy
Policy.
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What
are the SqoolTools Terms of Service?
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Click here
to view the SqoolTools Terms of Service
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What
kind of security measures are used to protect my content and
information?
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We
protect your content by performing hourly backups of all your
files and database information. Content creation is protected
by
user name and password through our secure login. In
addition,
all files uploaded to the site are scanned for viruses and malicious
software.
See
also our Terms of Service and Privacy
Policy.
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How
does SqoolTools protect children's privacy? |
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Surnames, city and state,
and email address are hidden from view to all users excepts
teachers. We don't collect information from children or allow
children to create accounts on SqoolTools. Teachers are
responsible for creating student accounts and enrolling students in
their classes.
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My
question isn't in this list. How can I get it answered?
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Please email your question to admin@sqooltechs.com
. An answer will be returned to you by email.
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