We’ve had several questions about RenWeb Portal since we debuted it at the 2012 Power Conference. This FAQ list will hopefully serve to answer some of your most pressing questions!

Q: What is RenWeb Portal?

A: RenWeb Portal is a modern replacement for the RenWeb Desktop that is browser-based, meaning schools will no longer have to download a desktop application to access RenWeb’s features. RenWeb Portal will make both RenWeb’s administrative and faculty features available through a browser.

Q: What browsers does RenWeb Portal support?

A: All major browsers including Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox and Chrome.

Q: Will it work on a PC and Mac?

A: RenWeb Portal works equally well on a PC or Mac since it is browser-based.

Q: How about a tablet or Smartphone?

A: RenWeb Portal was not designed to work on a tablet or Smartphone. RenWeb Staff is our current solution for iPhones and can work on an iPad in 2X Mode. RenWeb Staff HD, which is being designed specifically for the iPad, takes RenWeb Home to the next level by taking advantage of the iPad’s larger screen size to add additional feature areas to this mobile solution.

Q: When will a RenWeb Portal Preview be available?

A: In December 2012, we will make the following feature areas of RenWeb Portal available for schools to access and review:

• Student
• Family
• Staff
• Admissions: Including Admissions, Inquiry and Reenrollment
• Communication
• Report Manager
• Security
• Configuration

Q: When will you then turn off the desktop access to RenWeb?

A: We have no planned schedule for turning off access to the RenWeb desktop. We believe schools will naturally want to use the new RenWeb Portal, but will not be forced to do so until they are trained and ready to make the transition.

Any other questions? Feel free to email us at socialmedia@renweb.com.

 Have you seen YouTube for Schools yet?

Here’s an explanation from Brian Troung, a Project Manager at YouTube:

We’ve been hearing from teachers that they want to use the vast variety of educational videos on YouTube in their classrooms, but are concerned that students will be distracted by the latest music video or cute cat, or a video that wasn’t appropriate for students. While schools that restrict access to YouTube may solve this distraction concern, they also limit access to hundreds of thousands of educational videos on YouTube that could help bring photosynthesis to life, or show what life was like in ancient Greece.

And another description from SocialTimes.com:

To solve this problem and help teachers bring the power of video to the classroom as a tool for education, engagement and inspiration, YouTube has developed YouTube for Schools. YouTube for Schools offers high quality educational videos on YouTube for free, in a controlled environment. When a teacher logs in with their school’s Google account, students can browse educational content from over 600 partners, including TED, Steve Spangler Science, Smithsonian and more, without the distraction of kittens or music videos.

YouTube has worked with teachers to put together a variety of educational playlists, according to subject and grade level, from Math to Science, English Language Arts and more.

Would you use this in your classroom? 

 With the start of the 2012-2013 school year rapidly approaching, have you considered using the RenWeb Staff App to take attendance in your classroom?

Here’s how to do it:

• From the Home screen, click  Classes. The list of classes to which you have access displays.

• Select the class for which to take attendance.

• Click on the  (ATT icon). The class selected on the Classes screen displays.

• Tap the class drop-down menu to select another class for which to take attendance.
• Select the desired class or click Cancel to return to the Attendance screen.
• The Date defaults to today’s date.
  • Tap the date drop-down menu to select another date for which to take attendance.
  • Select the new date and tap Done.
• Tap the student name to enter an attendance code. The Attendance Codes display.
• Select the attendance code to assign to the student.
• Tap Fill Present to assign a P attendance mark to any student with a blank attendance mark.

At this year’s Power Conference, we encouraged attendees to tweet with us at #rwpc throughout the conference. Additionally, schools who did not attend this year’s conference could follow our Twitter feed for live news at General Sessions, read announcements and more.

If you aren’t using Twitter yet at your school, there are plenty of reasons to start!

Here are a few articles we’ve found helpful:

• Twitter In Schools – A Getting Started Guide by Steven Anderson – This blog post helps you start a Twitter account and explains some logistics you may want to think about.
• Tweeting for Schools by George Couros – What’s next? Once you have a Twitter account for your school, this article outlines some great ideas for utilizing your account to communicate with students and parents.

Here are a few additional things your school can tweet about:

• Tweet when you’ve updated your school’s blog or calendar
• Promote your school’s sports teams and events
• Remind parents of the week’s lunch menu!
• Help get parents involved by posting upcoming opportunities for them to volunteer or assist with school activities
• Link to an Online Donation page to invite alumni, parents and other constituents to give to specific campaigns or other fundraising events

Follow RenWeb on Pinterest! What have we been pinning?

• Classroom Tips
• RenWeb News
• Social Media and Education
• School Marketing
• …and more!

Is your school on Pinterest? Check out one of our pins to learn how you can use Pinterest to market your school!

 Here are two photos we took at the 2012 Power Conference during the General Session on the second day. The first is looking at the RenWeb Portal Family settings section and the second is a look at the Communication section.

RenWeb Portal’s Demographics phase is set to launch in Winter 2012/2013. Are you excited to use it?

 Tweet to the RenWeb Team, Ask Presenters Questions and Discuss Topics with Other Attendees Using Twitter at the 2012 Power Conference

Would you like to send questions to your session presenters, write feedback directly to RenWeb and discuss the Power Conference with other attendees? You can do all these things and more by using Twitter at the 2012 Power Conference!

How can you participate?

• Follow @renwebpower (http://www.twitter.com/renwebpower) on Twitter. This is our official Twitter account and will provide conference news, announcements, updates and a live stream of conference happenings. This will be an invaluable resource for all Power Conference attendees!
• Use the hashtag #RWPC throughout the conference. Tag your Power Conference tweets with #RWPC or view the other Power Conference tweets by searching for #RWPC on Twitter.
• Ask questions or send comments and feedback directly to your session presenters. Each session presenter will have their own personal Twitter account. You will be able to find this information on the documentation for each session. Feel free to tweet “@” the presenter throughout your session! (Don’t forget to tag your tweets with #RWPC!)

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/renwebschoolmanagementsoftware) and tag your Instagram photos with #RWPC for even more interaction throughout the 2012 Power Conference!

We look forward to meeting you in person in a few days! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at socialmedia@renweb.com. If you’d like assistance making a Twitter account, please visit the Social Media Booth at the Power Conference!

The RenWeb Social Media Team

 Briefly Share Your Experiences on RenWeb with One of Our Videographers at the Conference and Earn an Entry into our “iPad for A Video Reference” Contest!

Schools that are considering a RenWeb purchase often seek reassurance that other schools are happy with the system.

If you would like to help inspire and build confidence in other schools that are looking at purchasing RenWeb or expanding their use of the system, we would appreciate the opportunity to videotape your comments during our Power Conference.

In return for your time and effort, for every reference you provide you’ll earn an entry into our “iPad for a Video Reference Contest”.  Prior to the end of the conference, we’ll conduct the drawing and give a new iPad to the winner.

The comments we are seeking are short and painless.  The signup form provides a list of reference topics and discussion points you can review prior to signing up.  An example of a specific reference topic with associated discussion points is: 

Group Email Capability

• How does your school use RenWeb’s Group Email feature?
• How often do you use it?
• How has it made communication more efficient for your school?

Once the video references are complete, we’ll edit them together into a video montage for each product/service and post them on our website where they can be viewed by schools researching RenWeb.

To review the list of reference topics and their associated discussion points, please go to your RenWeb Main Menu and click Report Manager, then select the 2012 Power Conference category, then select Video Reference Sign Up and click Print.

The signup form lists each of the product/service reference topics and the associated discussion points we will cover on each product/service.  Please select your reference topics by clicking the associated checkboxes.    

After you complete and submit the signup form, you will receive a confirmation email that will list your reference topics selected and provide instructions for you to come by our Social Media booth on Tuesday morning of the Power Conference so we can make arrangements to videotape your comments. 

Once you’re done, you will then receive an entry into our iPad contest for each video you complete. 

We look forward to talking with you further on your positive experiences with RenWeb and appreciate your willingness to share that with other schools!

Want another look at RenWeb Home? It launches July 13, but you can see a sneak peek on our Facebook Page!

(Don’t forget to like our Facebook Page to easily keep up to the latest RenWeb news and announcements through your Facebook News Feed!)

Will you be downloading RenWeb Home? Learn more about it here!

 Summer is here - time to update your Report Cards!

Learn how with the RenWeb Customization Kit.

RenWeb is pleased to announce upcoming live demonstrations of the RenWeb Customization Kit. The Customization Kit enables schools to:

• Customize report cards, transcripts, student and family-based reports, and ParentsWeb student and family-based web forms.
• Brand communications by compiling and deploying custom dynamic web forms and email templates.
• Enhance your Online Giving site with access to the style sheet for Donate Online.

The webinar demonstrations will cover how to create a Report Card, how to customize an existing Report Card template, how to brand your email communications, and where to find additional documentation and online training videos to view.

Following the sessions, attendees will be provided access to the RenWeb Customization Kit at their school for one month free of charge. Schools may then sign up for a $495 annual subscription and have access to the service year round.

In order to be successful with the Customization Kit, users must have a basic understanding of HTML. To test your knowledge, we recommend you take the following online Quiz . If you cannot pass the quiz, you will not be successful with the Customization Kit.

To sign up and register for the free session, please click on the link below:

• Thursday, July 12, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM CST - Register Online
• Thursday, July 24, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CDT - Register Online