Edudemic published a recent post about the 5 biggest education technology trends that teachers and administrators should be aware of. Here are the trends they listed:
This is what Edudemic said about learning management systems:
Technology doesn’t just disrupt education; it makes it easier for educators to do their job. That’s the case with learning management systems, which track and monitor student progress and effectively are data analytics for education, simplifying the process so that teachers can focus on what they do best. As they get phased in, expect LMS systems to join the list of technologies changing the way we think about teaching.
We can help your school move forward with this exciting new technology with RenWeb Learning Management powered by Moodle. Want to learn more? Email us at moodleproductmanagement@renweb.com.
Congratulations to Kathie Sizemore of Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville, SC!
We are pleased to announce the winner of RenWeb's Social Media Survey contest for a free Power Conference registration! Congratulations to Kathie Sizemore, Director of Communications at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville, SC.
If you haven't yet registered for the 2013 Power Conference, there is still time!
Register for Conference
If you haven't already, we encourage you to register for the 2013 Power Conference as soon as possible to ensure you have the opportunity to register for preferred conference sessions before classes fill. Once you register, you will receive a separate email inviting you to reserve a seat in your desired sessions. We've already received over 500 registrations for this year's conference, which is more than any conference we've ever held. We expect classes to fill quickly so don't wait any longer to register and miss out on the sessions you want most.
To register for the conference, go to the RenWeb Main Menu > Report Manager > 2013 Power Conference > Registration Form. You may also view the Registration Instructions by clicking on the associated link.
Announcing Launch of RenWeb Portal at 2013 Power Conference
Conference Attendees Can Now Register for 8 Hours of RenWeb Portal Training
RenWeb is pleased to announce that the official launch of RenWeb Portal will occur at the 2013 RenWeb Power Conference, to be held July 9-11, 2013 in Dallas, TX.
RenWeb Portal is a browser-based solution that works on both PCs and Macs. It will replace RenWeb’s Desktop application for accessing RenWeb’s Administrative features. That means you will not need to download and maintain the most current version of RenWeb on your machine. You will receive all updates automatically when you simply log in through your browser. Supported browsers include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome for PCs, and Firefox and Safari for Macs.
It also means Mac users will no longer need Parallels or VMware to access RenWeb since they can access RenWeb Portal directly from the browser on their Mac.
Please note that schools can migrate to RenWeb Portal on their own timeline. Once the development for Admissions, Accounting and Scheduling are completed in Portal, we will announce a timeline for migrating schools off of RenWeb Desktop. That is expected to occur in 2015. In the meantime, schools can start using Portal immediately after the Power Conference or wait until our migration timeline is announced.
RenWeb Portal Training Sessions
Registered Power Conference attendees can reserve a seat in the RenWeb Portal training sessions they wish to attend. The following sessions on RenWeb Portal have been added to the Power Conference Sessions list.
RenWeb Portal: Overview (1Hr)
RenWeb Portal: Academic Management Training (1 Hr)
RenWeb Portal: Attendance Training (1 Hr)
RenWeb Portal: Communication Training (1 Hr)
RenWeb Portal: Locker Management Training (1 Hr)
RenWeb Portal: People Management Training (2 Hrs)
RenWeb Portal: Security Training (1 Hr)
RenWeb Portal: Transportation Training (1 Hr)
Reserve Sessions
If you are a registered attendee, you may submit your initial Session Reservation Form, or make updates to the form you already submitted.
From the RenWeb Main Menu, select Report Manager > 2013 Power Conference > Session Reservation Form > Print.
Please type your school Email Address.
Click the Open Session Reservation Form button to open the request form.
If you have already submitted your session requests, you can update your selection by simply changing your “Yes” and “No” selections so that your total hours of sessions do not exceed 15 hours, then select the Save button.
If you haven't already, we encourage you to register for the 2013 Power Conference as soon as possible to ensure you have the opportunity to register for preferred conference sessions before classes fill. Once you register, you will receive a separate email inviting you to reserve a seat in your desired sessions. We've already received over 500 registrations for this year's conference, which is more than any conference we’ve ever held. We expect classes to fill quickly so don't wait any longer to register and miss out on the sessions you want most.
View Power Conference Schedule and Sessions List
This year's Power Conference will be held July 9-11, 2013 in the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion Tower, one of the most recognizable landmarks in Dallas, TX.
You may view the Conference Schedule and Sessions List by clicking on the associated links. For more conference information, please visit our dedicated Power Conference Website.
Reserve Your Sessions
After you register for the conference, each attendee will receive instructions via email on how to reserve a seat in the sessions they wish to attend. The session reservation deadline is June 4. If you meet this deadline, you can expect to receive back a personalize session schedule via email on June 14.
Reserve Hotel Accommodations
To reserve your room in the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion Tower, click here. RenWeb has reserved a limited block of rooms for attendees and their families at our negotiated rate of $139 per night. This rate is valid five days pre- and three days post-conference based on availability. To take advantage of the discounted rate, we recommend you book your room as soon as possible before all rooms in the block are reserved.
Conference Registration Deadline, Fees and Billing Information
Be sure to register for the conference by May 31 at the rate of $375 per attendee. This will allow you to avoid the late registration fee of $425 per attendee, which begins on June 1.
Conference fees will be included in the monthly RenWeb invoice sent to each school. Payment of the conference fees is due upon receipt.
Schools may request delayed billing for conference fees and receive invoices after their new fiscal year begins on July 1, 2012. To request delayed billing, please send an email topowerconference@renweb.com. Include your district code and ask that Power Conference fees be delayed until July 1.
The most successful school boards and executive leaders consistently implement these three best practices for leadership: They Hire Well, Fire Well and Engage the Donor.
Despite the many issues and responsibilities that compete for attention, the most effective board trustees and chief administrators diligently keep these three keys as the top priority. Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer & CEO of School Growth, will share how these keys are implemented to create a high performing organization that is equipped for greatness. Failing to execute well in these three areas will produce unnecessary stress, turnover and risk at all levels. Many understand the importance of these key elements and concepts but struggle with the implementation processes. A balance is essential between these elements and the polarities that can tip the scales--potentially resulting in “Boards Gone Wild.” (Another board development series from School Growth.)
Webinar participants will have the opportunity to submit questions in advance and during the one hour session.
Register for the Series
PART ONE: 3 Keys for Successful School Leadership: Hire Well (1 of 3) - May 7 at 2:00 PM ET
Nothing is more important for the board and for the chief administrator than hiring talented employees who are well-aligned with the mission, culture, strategies and position of the school. This duty should not and must not be outsourced! Imagine if Apple or Google recruited the way most schools do. Would they still be in business or be as successful? Part One will feature the effective talent cycle that the best schools use to build an outstanding administrative team and faculty. Attendees will learn to build on employees' unique strengths, including how to best bring out an employee's star attributes while also blending into the overall team.
Nothing is more important for the board and for the chief administrator than hiring talented employees who are well-aligned with the mission, culture, strategies and position of the school. This duty should not and must not be outsourced! Imagine if Apple or Google recruited the way most schools do. Would they still be in business or be as successful?
Part One will feature the effective talent cycle that the best schools use to build an outstanding administrative team and faculty. Attendees will learn to build on employees' unique strengths, including how to best bring out an employee's star attributes while also blending into the overall team.
PART TWO: 3 Keys for Successful School Leadership: Fire Well (2 of 3) - May 14 at 2:00 PM ET
Dealing with an underperforming employee is inevitable. Evaluation and, if necessary, dismissal can be accomplished in a manner that is constructive for the person and the organization. Fire poorly, however, and you will create consequences that are expensive, demoralizing and disruptive. Part Two will feature performance review and counseling techniques that build on the integrity of the organization to build a culture of high expectations and professional respect. Participants will also learn how to minimize the risks of a lawsuit, and how to sustain momentum through a period of transition in leadership.
Dealing with an underperforming employee is inevitable. Evaluation and, if necessary, dismissal can be accomplished in a manner that is constructive for the person and the organization. Fire poorly, however, and you will create consequences that are expensive, demoralizing and disruptive.
Part Two will feature performance review and counseling techniques that build on the integrity of the organization to build a culture of high expectations and professional respect. Participants will also learn how to minimize the risks of a lawsuit, and how to sustain momentum through a period of transition in leadership.
PART THREE: 3 Keys for Successful School Leadership: Engage the Donor (3 of 3) - May 21 at 2:00 PM ET
At the most successful schools, fundraising isn't about selling stuff and managing events. Consultative relationship development with an ROI focus is most common among the organizations that raise the big bucks, with the board and administration collaborating to cultivate generosity throughout the community. Part Three will feature fundraising techniques designed to cultivate deeper relationships that encourage donors to make the organization a top giving priority. Participants will also gain a better understanding of how to structure the annual fund calendar and the campaign leadership to maximize the results.
At the most successful schools, fundraising isn't about selling stuff and managing events. Consultative relationship development with an ROI focus is most common among the organizations that raise the big bucks, with the board and administration collaborating to cultivate generosity throughout the community.
Part Three will feature fundraising techniques designed to cultivate deeper relationships that encourage donors to make the organization a top giving priority. Participants will also gain a better understanding of how to structure the annual fund calendar and the campaign leadership to maximize the results.
Now is your chance to sign up for a FREE trial that lasts until August 1 of RenWeb Learning Management, our hosted Moodle service that integrates with RenWeb. That means you’ll have time to get set up and ready for the new school year -- at no cost and with no risk! We’ll set up your Moodle site so you can load your content and train your teachers before school starts. If you decide to move forward with the service, we won’t begin making payments until August 1.
To get started, simply sign up below for a free demonstration of RenWeb Learning Management powered by Moodle. After the demonstration, we’ll provide you instructions how to begin your free trial.
Register for Sessions and Receive Your Free Trial
Tuesday, May 7 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM CT
Wednesday, May 15 - 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CT
Thursday, May 23 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM CT
Wednesday, May 29 - 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM CT
We are pleased to announce that on April 29, RenWeb will allow registered Power Conference attendees to begin reserving seats in the conference sessions they wish to attend. Each registered attendee will receive instructions via email on how to complete the online form and reserve a seat in their desired sessions.
If you haven't already, we encourage you to register for the conference prior to April 29. This will ensure you are included in the first round of session reservation requests before classes fill. We’ve already received more registrations for this year’s conference than we did in total for last year. We expect classes to fill quickly so don’t wait any longer to register and miss out on the sessions you want most.
To reserve your room in the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion Tower, click here. RenWeb has reserved a limited block of rooms for attendees and their families at our negotiated rate of $139 per night. This rate is valid five days pre- and three days post-conference based on availability. To take advantage of the discounted rate, we recommend you book your room as possible before all rooms in the block are reserved.
Cancellations
Cancellation requests must be received prior to June 30 to avoid being billed for the conference. To request a cancellation, please send an email to powerconference@renweb.com. Include your district code and the name of the attendees who are cancelling their registration.
“Creating Sustainable Funding for Your School” by Terry Axelrod, founder and CEO of Benevon
“School Growth Strategies for 2013 - 14 and Beyond” by Scott Barron, CEO of School Growth
RenWeb is pleased to announce two exciting keynote speakers for the 2013 Power Conference, hosted this year from July 9-11 in Dallas, Texas.
On Tuesday, July 9, Scott Barron, CEO of School Growth, will deliver a keynote speech entitled “School Growth Strategies for 2013 - 14 and Beyond.” In this keynote, Barron will address how education in the United States is in the midst of a disruptive revolution that will permanently transform the way students learn and schools operate. Administrative and board leaders who are able to capitalize on this opportunity to re-engineer their business and teaching models have the best chance to grow enrollment and revenue. Technology is a major contributor to this movement, including learning management systems that combine online course content with student collaboration tools and in class instruction to create a blended learning environment. This keynote will explore the resources available to RenWeb schools, including highlights of some schools that are already well along this path.
On Wednesday, July 10, Terry Axelrod, founder and CEO of Benevon, will deliver a keynote speech entitled “Creating Sustainable Funding for Your School.” Does your school struggle to raise funds from individual donors? Do you feel trapped on the year-to-year fundraising treadmill? Are you committed to leaving a legacy of sustainable funding for your school? In Axelrod’s fast-paced keynote session, schools will learn a practical, proven system--designed at an inner-city school--for building sustainable funding and endowments from individual donors. Listen and ask questions about how this proven mission-driven approach has generated passionate, long-term donors for many schools and nonprofit organizations across the United States and Canada.
More about Scott Barron: Scott is an expert in reinventing people and schools. He believes that well-designed schools are incredible places for enabling dreams, expanding knowledge and skills, and cultivating intelligence. Scott is the author of the book, The Yabwi Tree, and provides professional coaching for leaders involved in the education industry at K-12 schools, higher education, and corporate education. He has extensive experience in defining blue ocean strategies for schools and determining strategic differentiation for success. He has developed strategic plans to establish a strong brand presence and academic results for schools, and worked with well-established schools to achieve profitable differentiation. Scott served as the top administrator for schools in Maryland, Texas, and Georgia. He earned his MS in Education Administration and Supervision from the John Hopkins University, and was awarded undergraduate degrees in religion and computer science from Mars Hill College.
More about Terry Axelrod: Terry Axelrod, founder and CEO of Benevon, trains and coaches nonprofit organizations to customize a systematic process for engaging and developing relationships with individual donors, ultimately creating sustainable funding. Benevon has trained and coached more than 4,000 nonprofit teams over the past 16 years. Terry has more than 30 years’ experience in the nonprofit field, including founding three nonprofit organizations in healthcare and affordable housing. Terry created the Benevon Model in 1996 after serving as development consultant to a private inner-city school. There she designed and implemented the fundraising and marketing programs that yielded $7.2 million in two and a half years, a significant endowment, and much national recognition of the program (including a cover story in The Chronicle of Philanthropy). She is the author of seven books and several DVDs, including her most recent book, The Benevon Model: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting it Right. Terry’s passion and commitment to the possibility of sustainable funding for all nonprofits drive the mission of Benevon and each of its programs. Terry is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Michigan, where she received her Masters of Social Work and Bachelor of Arts degrees. She currently serves as a Life Trustee of Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.
We look forward to seeing you in person at the 2013 Power Conference!
Have you been evaluating school management systems? Here are 10 reasons why you should choose RenWeb:
Email us at socialmedia@renweb.com for more information.
RenWeb Learning Management powered by Moodle offers schools a hosted learning management system that’s simple to manage and inexpensive to own. But did you know these other facts?
Are you ready to make the move to Moodle? Email us at moodle@renweb.com.
Take a Social Media Survey and Be Entered to Win a Free Registration to the 2013 Power Conference!
Over the past several years, we've connected with you on our blog, Facebook Page and through our Twitter account. Now we'd love to hear more about your social media usage!
Take our social media survey and you'll be entered to win a free registration to the 2013 Power Conference (a $375 value)!
Once you've taken the survey, you are automatically entered to win! We'll announce the winner on May 31, 2013.
Enter to win:
Go to the RenWeb main menu.
Click Report Manager.
Select 2013 Power Conference.
Select Social Media Survey - Win a Free Power Conference Registration!
Once you've completed the survey, you are automatically entered into the contest.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at socialmedia@renweb.com. To learn more about this year's Power Conference, visit our Power Conference website.
Good luck!
This is a limited time offer. Contest ends May 30, 2013 at 11:59 PM ET. One winner will be chosen at random from survey participants and will receive a free registration to RenWeb's 2013 Power Conference. If the winner has already registered for the 2013 Power Conference, their registration fee will not be charged. If the winner cannot or will not use their free registration voucher, they may transfer it to another staff or faculty member within their District Code database.
Register Today and Save $50 Per Attendee
Be sure to register by March 31 for RenWeb's 2013 Power Conference and save $50 on the registration fee! After March 31, the $325 early registration fee increases to $375 per attendee so don't wait any longer and miss out on the savings!
We have lengthened this year's conference to three days and expanded it to include 90 separate session topics, providing attendees the opportunity to attend more sessions than ever, including:
RenWeb Trainings and demonstrations led RenWeb staff specialists.
Seminars led by Education Professionals covering areas such as School Marketing, Fundraising and Critical Skills for School Heads.
Seminars led by other RenWeb schools as they share their experiences using new technology, Social Media, 1:1 Device programs, and a variety of RenWeb products and services.
Round-table discussions among schools that share common interests.
Plus you'll gain expanded access to our Expert Bar where you can spend time with RenWeb experts to discuss specific questions for your school.
As an added benefit, and in observance of the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, RenWeb has arranged for free, after-hours access to The Sixth Floor Museum for all 2013 Power Conference attendees and their guests. The Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository, is just four blocks away from the Hyatt Regency Dallas.
View Conference Schedule and Sessions List
To register for the conference, go to the RenWeb Main Menu > Report Manager > 2013 Power Conference > Registration Form. You may also view the Registration Instructions by clicking on the associated link. Please note that the early registration fee of $325 increases to $375 when early registration ends on March 31.
Beginning in April, each registered attendee will receive a session reservation form to request the sessions they wish to attend.
Enables Teachers to Access Student Information, Manage Grade Books, Take Attendance, Record Lesson Plans, and Place Lunch Orders - all from their iPad.
March 12, 2013 - RenWeb School Management Software, the leading provider of Cloud-based school management systems, today announced the launch of its RenWeb Staff HD app for iPads, enabling teachers to access student information, manage grade books, take attendance, record lesson plans, and place lunch orders - all from their iPad.
"Our new RenWeb Staff HD iPad app takes our current RenWeb Staff iPhone app to the next level by leveraging the additional screen space we have available on the iPad to add new features and functionality. We’re very pleased to provide faculty members in our schools access to this powerful functionality from a mobile tablet,” said Bob Wilbers, RenWeb Founder and President.
RenWeb Staff HD provides mobile access from an iPad to the following RenWeb features and information:
STUDENT INFORMATION:
Demographic Information
Emergency Contact/Pickup
Family Information
Medical
Behavior
Parent/Teacher Conference
Student Schedule
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance by Class
Two Columns for AM and PM Attendance
Yearly Attendance Report
LUNCH:
Student Lunch
Staff Lunch
GRADE BOOK:
Add/Edit Category
Add/Edit Assignments
Add/Edit Grades
Controls for Grade Book Setup
Grade Book Progress Reports by Quarter
LESSON PLANS:
Lesson Plans
Homework Published from Grade Book
Copy from One Class to Another
SCHOOL:
School Calendar
School Announcements
School, Parent and Student Directory
Future enhancements to RenWeb Staff HD include report card management and communications.
To download the RenWeb Staff HD App:
Click the App Store icon on the iPad screen.
Tap “Search Store” and type “RenWeb Staff HD” into the search bar. The RenWeb Staff HD app will appear in the search results.
Tap it, and then tap “FREE” in the upper right-hand corner.
Tap “INSTALL APP.”
Tap “OPEN.”
Tap “Login” and log in as normal to the system using your existing Username and Password.
Experience a Night at The Sixth Floor Museum
Free, After-Hours Access Provided To All 2013 Power Conference Attendees and Their Guests
In observance of the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, RenWeb has arranged for free, after-hours access to The Sixth Floor Museum for all 2013 Power Conference attendees and their guests.
The Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository, chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy through artifacts, photographs, documentary films and eyewitness accounts.
The Grassy Knoll and Sixth Floor Museum, located just four blocks away, are within easy walking distance of the Hyatt Regency Dallas, site of the 2013 RenWeb Power Conference.
The Hyatt, a AAA Four Diamond Hotel, stands adjacent to Reunion Tower, one of the most recognizable landmarks in Dallas. So if this will be your first time in Dallas, you’ll definitely want to see Reunion Tower and visit the Grassy Knoll and Sixth Floor Museum. You can even prepare in advance by visiting www.jfk50.com.
RenWeb’s 2013 Power Conference will be held July 9-11, 2013. Spanning three days, this year's conference provides attendees the opportunity to attend more sessions than ever, including:
Are you looking for ways to go green at your school?
Pay Now, powered by FACTS/NBS, allows your parents to make safe and secure online payments directly from ParentsWeb. If your school is using Pay Now, you can simply email your families their invoices! You can also notify families via email that their balances have been updated and posted on ParentsWeb. (Of course, you still have the option to mail invoices to families that don’t have access to email or prefer to receive a paper statement.)
This eco-friendly approach to invoicing and sending balance update notifications saves your school significant expenses and gives today’s busy parents more convenience and ease-of-use!
Learn more about Pay Now on Wednesday, March 20 at 10:00 AM CT!
RenWeb is pleased to announce that over 90 conference sessions will be provided during the 2013 RenWeb Power Conference to be held July 9-11, 2013 in Dallas, TX.
This year’s conference has been lengthened to three days, providing attendees the opportunity to attend more sessions than ever, including:
RenWeb School Management Software Power Conference Team
Loads Moodle with Students, Faculty and Courses Originating in RenWeb
Updates RenWeb's Grade Book and Parent/Student Portal with Grades, Homework Assignments and other Content Originating in Moodle
Provides Management of Digital Lessons for Schools Launching 1:1 Device Programs and Blended Learning Classrooms
Moodle Hosting by RenWeb Provides One-Stop Shopping for Schools
If your school is looking at purchasing a Learning Management System (LMS), now is the time to sign up for your free 90-day trial of RenWeb Learning Management powered by Moodle.
Moodle, the most widely used LMS in the world, combines digital lesson content with student collaboration tools and powerful online quiz capabilities to create an interactive learning environment that reinforces traditional classroom teaching.
Especially important for schools launching 1:1 device programs, Moodle allows schools to maximize their investment in devices by organizing, sequencing and delivering digital lesson content to students on their devices.
Plus, hosting by RenWeb makes Moodle easy to own and operate. Our integrated solution loads students, faculty and courses stored in RenWeb into Moodle, and then updates RenWeb's grade book and ParentsWeb with grades, homework assignments and other content originating in Moodle. To learn more, we encourage you to sign up for the following webinars by clicking on the link for the desired day and time.
Moodle Product Demonstration
This webinar provides an overview of learning management systems and what makes Moodle the most widely used LMS in the world with 59,000,000 users. It then provides an overview of what a Moodle course looks likes, demonstrates how the tools provided by Moodle can enrich the classroom learning experience for students, and covers pricing for Moodle hosting and support.
Monday, March 4 - 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM CT
Tuesday, March 12 - 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM CT
Wednesday, March 20 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM CT
Friday, March 29 - 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM CT
Moodle Integration Training
This webinar provides an overview of the integration that exists between RenWeb and Moodle. This includes RenWeb passing to Moodle RenWeb classes, teachers and students to create Moodle Users and Moodle Courses. It also includes passing homework assignments and scores created in Moodle to RenWeb's ParentsWeb for viewing by parents and students, and to RenWeb's grade book for calculating report card grades.
Wednesday, March 6 - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT
Monday, March 25 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT
February 11, 2013 – RenWeb School Management Software today announced that it surpassed the 2,500 school milestone in 2012, reinforcing RenWeb’s position as the leading provider of cloud-based school management systems for private schools.
Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) is one of the latest examples of schools that are converting to the industry leader in search of the integrated services RenWeb provides. CAK, located on a 77-acre campus in West Knoxville, TN, provides a co-ed day school to 1,150 students enrolled in grades PreK-12.
CAK previously used PowerSchool for its student information system and Blackbaud for student billing and fundraising.
“We are converting to RenWeb because of the wide range of integrated services RenWeb provides,” said Scott Sandie, CAK Superintendent. “Not only does it give us the opportunity to move enrollment and admissions to a paperless format, but it also enables all three of our schools, and our admissions, business and development offices to be operating on a fully-integrated database management system.”
According to Sandie, CAK’s goal when they purchased RenWeb in December was to get the system up and running by February 1 for the 2013-14 re-enrollment season.
“RenWeb’s support team worked diligently to ensure we met this deadline and we appreciate their efforts,” Sandie said. “We are very excited to share this new and improved program with our families.”
After re-enrollment is completed, CAK will use RenWeb’s scheduling tool to build its 2013-2014 schedules. CAK will also take advantage of RenWeb’s on-site teacher training to equip this school’s 100-plus faculty members with the many features they will be using on a daily basis.
“The decision to make this change was reached through evaluation by a number of different stakeholders on campus who looked at what we had, what our needs were, and the options available to us,” Sandie said. “The general consensus was that RenWeb would be a good long-term fit for CAK.”
About Christian Academy of Knoxville
Since 1977, Christian Academy of Knoxville has served as an extension of the home and a partner with the church in Christian education. CAK has dual accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools (SACS) and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Presently, students come to CAK from more than 100 churches. Located in West Knoxville, CAK’s 77-acre site is beautifully designed into a complete campus which includes an Elementary School, Middle School, High School and Campus Center. Athletic Facilities include gymnasiums, baseball and softball fields, track, football, and soccer fields. To learn more go to http://www.cakwarriors.com/.
About RenWeb
RenWeb’s Power, Integration, Ease-of-Use and Affordability are demonstrated daily in more than 2,500 customer schools as the leading provider of cloud-based school information systems. RenWeb’s unmatched convenience and service include complete installation of the software, including conversion of data, along with a client interface that provides easy access to more than 200 integrated features. Developed by a university dean, RenWeb is leading the migration of schools from client server-based to cloud-based systems, bringing administration, parents, students and the classroom together with anytime, anywhere access to a full range of services. Features include Admissions, Enrollment, Scheduling, Billing and Tuition Management, Lunchroom Management, Health Management, Attendance, Homework, Lesson Plans, Grade Book, Report Cards, Transcripts, Extensive Reporting Capabilities, Automated Emailing and ParentsWeb. For more information about RenWeb and its affordable payment plans for schools of all sizes, visit www.RenWeb.com.
Schools are always searching for new, innovative ways to attract donors and run successful fundraising campaigns. If you're looking to reach the new wave of tech-savvy parents in an upcoming campaign, consider using Donate Online in conjunction with your school's Facebook Page.
At St. Luke's Episcopal Day School in Baton Rouge, LA., Laurie Adams, the Institutional Advancement Director, did just that.
"Each year that new parents arrive, they are a year younger and a year more technologically savvy. When we sat down to think of ways to reach them in our annual campaign, we knew we needed something comfortable, fun and engaging," said Adams.
The Campaign
In response to this need, Adams and the team at St. Luke's created a campaign called 371 Reasons to Give. To drum up interest prior to the campaign launch, the school began posting photos on their Facebook Page of a student or faculty member holding a sign that said, "I Am a Reason."
"People kept checking to see if their student was going to be featured," said Adams. "It helped us create a lot of engagement on our Facebook Page prior to the official launch of the campaign."
Once the campaign launched, St. Luke's posted a link to their Donate Online secure donation page right on Facebook. Parents could simply click the link and make their donation via credit card.
The Results
"Parents told us that they loved how Donate Online made donating so fast, easy and convenient," said Adams. "In addition to placing a link to our Donate Online secure donation page on Facebook, we also included the link in email reminders to parents throughout the campaign. It's great how Donate Online is branded to our school and integrates directly with RenWeb. That integration meant I could just download the donation information for the day and process it directly into our system. It saved me a tremendous amount of time!"
By using Donate Online on their school Facebook Page, St. Luke's had their highest campaign participation rate to date and over 10% of the donors were new donors.
If you would like to learn how Donate Online can help with your upcoming fundraising campaign, feel free to register for one of our free webinar demonstrations listed below.
Tuesday, February 12 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST
Thursday, February 28 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CST
Parent Alert provides instantaneous notifications to parents and your school community. You can send the alerts directly from RenWeb or from the Parent Alert mobile apps, providing you a convenient and consistent method of communication for situations such as bus schedule changes, tuition payment reminders, grade/attendance notifications and emergencies.
Parent Alert's apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices are FREE with any school subscription to Parent Alert. They give administrators the flexibility and convenience to send emergency alerts from anywhere--even if they have no access to electricity, landline phones or Internet service. That includes text messages to cell phones; voice calls to work, home and cell; and emails to multiple addresses.
To learn more about Parent Alert and the Parent Alert apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices, please join us in a FREE upcoming webinar. Following the session, attendees will be provided access to Parent Alert at their school for one month free of charge. Schools may then sign up for a 12-month subscription to Parent Alert for $0.30 per student per month.
Thursday, February 7 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
Tuesday, February 19 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CST
Is your school waiting to launch RenWeb’s Online Application and Online Enrollment features until you’re sure the services work and your parents will have a good experience?
Your wait is over. In 2012, 463 RenWeb schools processed over 100,000 Online Applications and Online Enrollment packets, and received over $11.4M in online payments for application and re-enrollment fees.
As you consider whether or not to launch Online Application and Enrollment this year, here is some additional information that demonstrates how these services can increase your enrollment levels, accelerate collection of re-enrollment fees and improve parent satisfaction.
Online Application Statistics and Information
437 schools processed 39,000 Online Applications in 2012.
89.8% of schools using Online Application charged parents an application fee.
The average application fee paid online by parents when submitting their application was $100.50.
Total online application fees collected by RenWeb schools exceeded $3.0 million.
Per Kim Norbeck, Admissions Coordinator at Wheaton Christian Grammar School in Wheaton, IL:
“We absolutely love our OA here at Wheaton Christian Grammar School! Over 60 percent of our new applications since our launch of OA in October have been online. I love how easy it is to navigate and customize. Thanks again for all your help in setting it up for us!”
Per Stacie Harrell, Admissions Director at Living Word Christian School in O’Fallon, MO:
“We had more applicants and new students than ever before because the new Online Application system was easier to use than our old paper application process. Last year we had approximately 100 new students. We have 186 new students attending our school this year - an 86 percent increase in new students!! We have so many new students that we ran out of locker space. Students are sharing lockers for the first time.”
Online Enrollment Statistics and Information
193 schools processed 62,000 Online Enrollment packets in 2012.
76.7% of schools using Online Enrollment processed online re-enrollment fee payments.
The average re-enrollment fee paid online by parents when submitting their online enrollment packet was $278.
Total online enrollment fees collected by RenWeb schools exceeded $8.4 million.
Per parent at All Saints Catholic School in Plano, TX:
“Online Enrollment was very user friendly!! The pre-populated info was correct, very easy to navigate. One feature that I like is the 'Save' or 'Save and Next,' an easy one but missed in a lot of sites. It provided me reassurance that the info was saved along the process of filling out all the forms. In fact, I had to came back to one of the pages (to enter his Dentist info), very easy (just a click on the menu located @ the left) and all the info was saved there.”
Per Lisa Espinoza, Director of Admissions at Mission Hills Christian in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA:
“I am AMAZED at how simply and clearly RenWeb lays out all these potentially overwhelming tasks for setting up your system, OA/OE in particular. You have done FAR more to get us set up for success than I even imagined.”
To Sign Up for Online Application and Online Enrollment
To sign up for Online Application and Online Enrollment, go to your Main Menu in RenWeb, select Report Manager. Select Product & Services. Select and -complete the Online Application - Sign Up form and Online Enrollment - Sign Up form and a RenWeb Project Manager will contact you to begin the setup process.
To Learn More About Online Application and Online Enrollment
If you would like to view a free, live demonstration of Online Application or Online Enrollment, please click on one of the links below to register for one of our scheduled webinars.
Online Application Demonstrations
Tuesday, February 5 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM CST
Wednesday, February 20 - 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CST
Online Enrollment Demonstrations
Wednesday, February 6 - 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CST
Tuesday, February 19 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM CST
We look forward to sharing with you how to modernize your application and re-enrollment processes!
Now is the time for your school to evaluate Learning Management Systems (LMS) for next school year, especially if you are planning to launch a 1:1 device program at your school. To assist in your research, RenWeb is offering free demonstrations of RenWeb Learning Management powered by Moodle.
Moodle is the world's leading open-source LMS, combining digital lesson content with student collaboration tools and powerful online quiz capabilities to create an interactive learning environment that reinforces traditional classroom teaching.
The integration of RenWeb and Moodle loads students, faculty and courses stored in RenWeb into Moodle, and then updates RenWeb's grade book and parent/student portal with grades, homework assignments and other content originating in Moodle.
To Learn More:
To learn more about Moodle and its integration with RenWeb, please register for a free demonstration by clicking on the link below for the desired date and time.
Monday, February 4 - 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CST
Wednesday, February 13 - 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CST
Friday, February 22 - 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM CST
Thursday, February 28 - 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST
We look forward to you joining us for these sessions!
Need proof? Just ask Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Chandler, AZ.
"I wanted to write and let you know how much positive feedback we've received from our parents regarding Online Application," wrote Linda Barkyoumb from the Office of Admissions at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School. "The comments are overwhelmingly positive and the fact that parents have gone out of their way to tell us they are pleased with the product is great! We have about 50% of our normal number of applications already in process which is unheard of for us for this time of the year. We could not be more pleased. The parents loved the status screen and the automatic emails that we are sending them."
If you want to launch Online Application for your school in this admissions season, you still have time. Sign up today by going to Report Manager > Products & Services > Online Application Sign Up and complete the online form. A RenWeb project manager will then contact you to begin the setup process.
Register for Sessions If you haven't participated in an Online Application demonstration yet, you can sign up for one of the upcoming FREE webinars by clicking on the link below.
Give Parents the Convenience of Online School Payments with Pay Now
Does your school give parents a way to make school payments online? If not, consider the fact that:
68% of Internet users took advantage of online banking in the past year. (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve)
Using online banking and online bill pay is about as popular as using Facebook. (Pew Research)
Don't let your school fall behind. Given the statistics mentioned above, we expect the percentages to be even higher among parents who send their children to private schools given their typical age range, income bracket and educational background. Your parents are not only accustomed to using electronic commerce and online banking, but likely anticipate having the option of online bill pay. Pay Now, powered by FACTS/NBS, not only gives your parents the option of making safe and secure online payments directly from ParentsWeb, but it even automates the accounting for your school.
Pay Now is easy to use and there's no need for parents to apply or qualify in advance. They simply input credit card or bank information and confirm the payment! The payment immediately posts to family account balances inside RenWeb and clears charges.
To learn more about how Pay Now can help you offer online payments for school parents, please join us for a FREE webinar.
Monday, February 4 - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM CST
Tuesday, February 21 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CST
RenWeb Announces Launch of QuickBooks Interface for Summarized Entries
New Version of Interface Tailored for Schools That Use RenWeb for Student Billing and QuickBooks for General Ledger Package
RenWeb is pleased to announce the launch of its QuickBooks Interface for Summarized Entries, a new version of its QuickBooks interface that was created uniquely for schools that use RenWeb for Student Billing and QuickBooks for their General Ledger package.
Benefits of the interface include:
Price
There is a one-time setup fee of $295 for RenWeb's QB Interface and an ongoing integration fee of $39 per month.
To Sign Up for the Interface:
From the RenWeb Main Menu, go to Report Manager
Select the Product & Services Category.
Select QuickBooks Interface - Sign Up and click Print.
Complete the form and Submit.
We will then contact you to begin the process.
If you would like to learn more about RenWeb's QuickBooks Interface for Summarized Transactions, please register for one of our free webinar demonstrations by clicking on the desired date below:
Wednesday, January 30 - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST
Tuesday, February 5 - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST
Tuesday, February 7 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST
Interested in RenWeb's QuickBooks Interface with Family Detail?
RenWeb also offers its QuickBooks Interface with Family Detail, a separate version of the interface that was created for schools that use QuickBooks as both their Student Billing tool and General Ledger package.
This version of interface posts family balances from QuickBooks into RenWeb, enabling schools to display family balances in ParentsWeb so parents can make online payments using Pay Now against those balances.
Please contact quickbooks@renweb.com to request more information on RenWeb's QuickBooks Interface with Family Detail.
RenWeb is pleased to announce a new round of Moodle Monday Webinars, our training sessions for our RenWeb Learning Management powered by Moodle user community. RenWeb Learning Management powered by Moodle is our hosted Moodle service that integrates with RenWeb. Moodle, the most widely used learning management system (LMS) in the world, combines digital lesson content with student collaboration tools and powerful online quiz capabilities to create an interactive learning environment that reinforces traditional classroom teaching.
The Moodle Monday Webinars are a series of trainings RenWeb will offer on a weekly basis to help our clients become Moodle power users. Your school's access to Moodle Monday Webinars, along with the integration that we provide between RenWeb and Moodle, are part of the value-added services we provide to schools using our hosted Moodle solution.
Sqooltechs, our hosting partner and Moodle experts, will be leading our Moodle Monday Webinars. All webinars are held on Mondays, beginning at 11:00 CT. There will be at least 24 webinars presented each year, typically two per month.
Webinar topics are geared to instructional staff charged with training teachers, however, teachers may also attend. Each webinar has a companion online course that demonstrates the ideas and examples presented in the webinar. The enrollment key for the course will be shared during the webinar. All webinars address the latest stable version of Moodle (currently 2.3+) and will be updated as new versions are released.
Register for Sessions
To register for the Moodle Monday Webinars, please click the link below for the desired course and date/time.
Gamification of Moodle - Harness the motivational power of games to improve student engagement in Moodle courses. The effective design of a course can keep students in a game-like state by escalating the difficulty of the work incrementally and unveiling levels one at a time. Discover how this and other game-like elements can be used to transform Moodle courses into gamified learning experiences.
Are You Ready to Moogle? - What do you get when you combine the power of Moodle with the power of Google? Amazing and engaging learning for students plus efficiency for teachers, of course. This webinar will teach you to incorporate tools such as Google Translate, Google Gadgets, Google Docs, Presentations, and Spreadsheets, Custom Google Search Engine, and more into your Moodle courses.
Extra, Extra! Get the Inside Scoop on Your Moodle Course with Reports - Did you know that Moodle keeps a record of EVERYTHING that happens in your Moodle course? All of these records are available to you through reports. These reports can give teachers insight as to how your students are using Moodle course and can save teachers valuable time. In this webinar, we will explore Logs, Live logs, Activity, Course participation, Activity completion, and Statistics reports.
To learn more about Moodle Monday webinars, please click here or to go http://pdtechu.sqooltechs.com/mod/page/view.php?id=3024.
We look forward to sharing with you these educational and informative webinars.
How do you distinguish your school online? There are several important ways your school can stand out from the competition.
But what about social media usage? Marketing using social media is more important than ever and Pinterest is rapidly becoming one of the most widely used among school marketing teams.
How do you take full advantage of your school’s Pinterest account?
We came across this blog post on Brendan Schneider’s blog about how one school (Canterbury School of Florida) turned their Pinterest account into an online marketing viewbook. What if prospective parents could learn about your school community and school guidelines without even taking a tour? Pinterest can make that possible.
Here are some of the pins on the Canterbury School of Florida’s Pinterest account that we thought presented a unique and exciting perspective on their school:
Is your school using Pinterest effectively? We’d love to hear about it at the 2013 Power Conference. Submit your request to lead a seminar here.
Learn how with the RenWeb Customization Kit!
The Customization Kit enables schools to:
Customize ParentsWeb Web Forms, Report Cards, Transcripts, Schedules and Family Directories.
Brand communications by compiling and deploying custom dynamic Email Templates.
Enhance your Online Giving site with access to the style sheet for Donate Online.
The webinar demonstrations will cover how to create and deploy customized Web Forms, 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 a free session, please click on the link below:
Tuesday, January 24 - 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM CST
Thursday, January 29 - 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM CST
Need proof? Just ask Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi, TX.
"RenWeb's Online Enrollment has saved us a huge amount of time that previously consisted of data entry, phone calls and filing. We love the streamlined process and the effectiveness of our new automation options. We were able to have 60% of our existing students complete reenrollment within 2 weeks of open enrollment. In the past, we would not reach 60% of reenrollment until 3-4 months after reenrollment was open. This new efficiency resulted in administration being able to make informed decisions based on actual enrollment numbers. The various reporting options that are available with Online Enrollment have provided our board and administration with the data needed to make informed decisions. Additionally, we saw a trend of reenrollment applications being completed 'after hours,' which helped solidify our suspicions that our school's busy parents prefer to complete reenrollment when it's most convenient for them and not necessarily during school business hours. 90% of our parents polled (using RenWeb’s Survey feature) preferred the online enrollment process over paper reenrollment. The best thing about RenWeb, and what makes them stand out, is being able to listen to the needs of their clients. The Online Enrollment system works seamlessly with our own school website. The quality and flexibility in the design is extremely impressive and gives us brand continuity throughout our entire website."
"RenWeb's Online Enrollment has saved us a huge amount of time that previously consisted of data entry, phone calls and filing. We love the streamlined process and the effectiveness of our new automation options.
We were able to have 60% of our existing students complete reenrollment within 2 weeks of open enrollment. In the past, we would not reach 60% of reenrollment until 3-4 months after reenrollment was open. This new efficiency resulted in administration being able to make informed decisions based on actual enrollment numbers. The various reporting options that are available with Online Enrollment have provided our board and administration with the data needed to make informed decisions.
Additionally, we saw a trend of reenrollment applications being completed 'after hours,' which helped solidify our suspicions that our school's busy parents prefer to complete reenrollment when it's most convenient for them and not necessarily during school business hours. 90% of our parents polled (using RenWeb’s Survey feature) preferred the online enrollment process over paper reenrollment.
The best thing about RenWeb, and what makes them stand out, is being able to listen to the needs of their clients. The Online Enrollment system works seamlessly with our own school website. The quality and flexibility in the design is extremely impressive and gives us brand continuity throughout our entire website."
If you haven't participated in an Online Enrollment demonstration yet, you can sign up for one of the upcoming FREE webinars by clicking on the link below.
Friday, January 11 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
Thursday, January 24 - 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CST
RenWeb Announces Launch of School Site Mobile
Mobile-Friendly Solution Enables Schools to Optimize Their Marketing Website for Smartphones
Parents are spending more time on their Smartphones than ever before. What do parents see when they view your website from their mobile device? Can they still view your content and navigate your site?
If you would like to optimize your website for Smartphones, School Site's new mobile-friendly solution is the answer for you.
School Site Mobile is compatible with all major smartphones including the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows 7 phones. Plus, it's always in sync with your main School Site viewed from the desktop. Any changes you make to the text, images and content on your desktop site using School Site will automatically be updated in your mobile site.
Here is what Jaime Buege, Director of Public Affairs and Communications for St. John's Northwestern Military Academy, had to say about School Site Mobile:
"After developing our new website through RenWeb's School Site, we worked with RenWeb to develop a mobile site using School Site Mobile. It was a quick process and effortless on our part. The RenWeb team did an excellent job capturing our website on a mobile scale. We are very pleased with the result and excited to have a mobile presence!"
Learn More via Live Webinars
To learn more about School Site and School Site Mobile, please register for one of our upcoming free webinars:
Wednesday, January 9 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST
Thursday, January 24 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST
We look forward to helping you mobilize your school's marketing efforts with School Site Mobile!
Parent Alert provides instantaneous notifications to parents and your school community. You can send the alerts directly from RenWeb or from the Parent Alert mobile apps, providing you a convenient and consistent method of communication for winter weather situations that cause school closings or delays.
To learn more about Parent Alert and the Parent Alert apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices, join us in a FREE upcoming webinar. Following the session, attendees will be provided access to Parent Alert at their school for one month free of charge. Schools may then sign up for a 12-month subscription to Parent Alert for $0.30 per student per month.
Wednesday, January 9 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM CST
Monday, January 21 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST
Access the Latest RenWeb Power Blog Posts from FacultyWeb
Enjoy Easy Access to RenWeb News, Tips and More!
Have you logged into FacultyWeb lately? You may notice a new widget displaying on the homepage of FacultyWeb. We are excited to announce that you can now see RenWeb Power Blog posts right in your FacultyWeb screen!
More and more educators are turning to online sources like blogs and social media sites like Pinterest for information and tips. In light of that, we are committed to bringing you important, applicable content you can use right in your FacultyWeb home page. In addition to presenting the latest RenWeb news and announcements, we’ll also feature tips for your classroom, content on the intersection of social media and education and posts on school marketing tactics.
To access a blog post, simply click the link after the word “More,” as seen below. The blog post will open in a new tab in your browser.
If you have any questions, feel free to email us at socialmedia@renweb.com.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
RenWeb is offering free webinars to train schools on how to complete a New Year Setup for their online applications and online enrollment packets for the upcoming admissions season. Every school using one or both of the services will need to configure the settings and web forms in Online Application and Online Enrollment in preparation for the new school year.
The webinar training sessions RenWeb is offering will instruct schools on the specific configuration steps that must be completed for Online Application and Online Enrollment before they can be offered to parents for the upcoming admissions season. We encourage schools to sign up for both webinars if they use both services.
In the Online Application webinar, schools will learn how to:
Copy an existing application into a new application for the new school year.
Review and update all dates and school years referenced on the application forms.
Modify the data collected and questions asked on the forms.
Update any required application submission fees.
Update the Resource Library for Online Application.
Update the automated notification emails to prospective parents.
Modify application checklist items in RenWeb.
Turn off the previous year's applications.
In the Online Enrollment webinar, schools will learn how to:
Copy an existing enrollment packet into a new packet for the upcoming school year.
Review and update all dates and school years referenced in the packet.
Modify the data collected and questions asked in the packet.
Update any required re-enrollment submission fees.
Update any tuition plan options offered in the enrollment packets.
Update the Resource Library for Online Enrollment.
Modify re-enrollment checklist items in RenWeb.
Turn off the previous year's enrollment packets.
To register for a session, please click on the link below for the desired date and time.
Online Application – New Year Application Procedures Wednesday, January 9 – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm CST
Online Enrollment – New Year Enrollment Procedures Friday, January 11 – 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
If you decide after attending the webinars that you would like one of our Project Managers to perform the New Year Setup for you, we will perform the work for a fee of $85 per hour. The average time required is 1 - 4 hours for Online Enrollment New Year Setups and 1 - 4 hours for Online Application setups.
To sign up for the custom update service, from the RenWeb Main Menu, click Report Manager. Then select the category of Product & Services, select the report title of Online Application & Online Enrollment New Year Setup, and click Print.
We look forward to serving you in 2013/2014 with these valuable online services.
RenWeb Product Management
Wednesday, December 12 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST
Thursday, December 20 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM CST
Prepare Now for a New Year and a New Season of Giving
Provide Your Donors an Easy, Online Method to Donate to Your School
Start off the new year with a new opportunity for giving to your school. Like many of our users, your school may have constituents who prefer to make online donations rather than fill out and mail paper checks. If that sounds familiar, Donate Online could be the answer for you!
Donate Online offers a secure donation link that schools can attach to any web page that will allow often hard-to-reach family and friends to make online donations via credit cards with a few clicks. Powered by the secure and reliable processing engine of FACTS/NBS, the industry leader in K-12 online payment processing, Donate Online speeds deposits of donations into school bank accounts within three business days.
Using Donate Online, schools can simply add a Secure Donation link to an existing Fundraising area on their website to begin accepting online credit card payments.
Donate Online also makes it easy for schools to take their fundraising to the next level by creating complete Online Giving areas for their websites, using simple web pages provided by RenWeb. These comprehensive pages can include an overview of the school's fundraising program, descriptions and photos for the school's various campaigns, and a secure donation button for submitting gifts. (See Donate Online Example.)
Now every school can simplify donations for school friends and families, while empowering schools to acquire new donors who often do not respond to traditional postal mail solicitations.
If you would like to learn more about Donate Online, please register for one of our free webinar demonstrations listed below.
Click on a date below to register:
Friday, December 14 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CST
Thursday, December 20 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST
If your school isn't using our Pay Now service, now is the time to get started! Pay Now, powered by FACTS/NBS, allows parents to make safe and secure online payments directly from ParentsWeb.
If you're looking to increase your automation and convenience with RenWeb, you must take a closer look at Pay Now.
There’s still time to sign up for tomorrow’s webinar! Click the date below to register:
RenWeb is pleased to announce it has scheduled a new round of free Demonstrations and Integration Training sessions featuring RenWeb Learning Management powered by Moodle, our hosted Moodle service that integrates with RenWeb. Moodle, the most widely used learning management system (LMS) in the world, combines digital lesson content with student collaboration tools and powerful online quiz capabilities to create an interactive learning environment that reinforces traditional classroom teaching.
The sessions, which are led by live instructors in a webinar environment, include:
Tuesday, December 11 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM CST
Tuesday, December 18 - 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM CST
Moodle Integration
Monday, December 10 - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST
Monday, December 17 - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST
This week we spoke with Erik Brown, Director of Software Development and Network Operations, and Gillian Harlow, RenWeb Portal Product Manager.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your family?
Gillian: I am a lifelong resident of Burleson, Texas, and attended Howard Payne University, where I studied vocal performance. I have three children I adopted out of Texas foster care: a 7-year-old, an 8-year-old and a 10-year old. They definitely keep me on my toes! Before joining RenWeb, I worked in the insurance industry for 13 years.
Erik: I was born in Florida but have lived in Texas for the last 14 years. I graduated from the University of Florida, got married, and moved to Texas all in the same month. (Not recommended!) I met my wife at the University of Florida while I was working on my bachelor’s degree and she her doctorate. We have been married just over 14 years and have one daughter that we adopted from Russia in 2009.
What do you do at RenWeb?
Gillian: I am the Product Manager of RenWeb Portal. I am responsible for client interaction, demonstrations, trainings, public relations and any and all communications pertaining to RenWeb Portal. I also manage several other products for RenWeb, including Donor Connect, Parent Alert and Donate Online.
Erik: My official title is Director of Software Development and Network Operations. My responsibilities are all development activities and support and maintenance of the servers that run RenWeb and the related network and networking components.
Can you tell us a little bit more about what RenWeb Portal is?
Gillian: RenWeb Portal is a browser-based solution that will replace RenWeb Desktop. It provides users access to all of RenWeb’s Administrative and Faculty features from either a PC or Mac using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or Chrome.
Erik: One of the benefits of RenWeb Portal being browser-based is that it means users will not need to download the most current version of RenWeb onto their machines. All updates will happen automatically, which will simplify the process of maintaining RenWeb for school IT staff.
Mac users should be pleased with how Portal will affect their RenWeb experience!
Erik: Yes. Mac users will no longer need Parallels or VMWare to experience RenWeb desktop. They will be able to run Portal from their native web browser. For some schools that can mean a significant savings as they will no longer have to pay for the Parallels license nor the Windows operating system license.
Gillian: We are also thrilled that Portal will be so accessible and easy to use with a modern, user-friendly interface. When our users previewed Portal at the 2012 Power Conference in Anaheim, Calif., they noted very little difference between using RenWeb Portal on a Mac versus a PC.
When will RenWeb Portal be available to RenWeb customers?
Erik: We released a Preview version of RenWeb Portal on December 3, 2012. This Preview is being used by approximately 50 schools that requested to participate in our beta test process. Once we complete the beta testing, we will release the first phase of RenWeb Portal to all of our school customers. We target this release to occur by the end of the first quarter.
What is included in the first phase release?
Gillian: The first phase of RenWeb Portal contains the following areas: Student, Family, Staff, Communication, Report Manager, Security and Configuration. After we complete beta testing and release the first phase to all of our schools, we will continue development on additional feature areas and release those features as the development, testing and documentation are completed. This will take approximately 2 years to recreate in RenWeb Portal all the feature areas offered by RenWeb Desktop.
For our customers in IT, can you share which software development tool was used to develop RenWeb Portal?
Erik: Portal was developed utilizing the Silverlight framework. Silverlight allows us to leverage Microsoft’s .Net platform and gives us the flexibility to provide RenWeb Portal to schools using the major browsers on either a Mac or PC.
Erik, since you work on software development, can you tell us a bit more about other projects in the works?
Erik: We have quite a few things in the works. Library is continuing to be refined as it is being used by more and more schools. We are planning the release of RenWeb Staff HD for the iPad in January which will encompass all of the features in the RenWeb Staff but in a larger format and with a few added features. We have also made some refinements to RenWeb Staff for iPhone which will be released in December. The RenWeb Home app will have a new release in December as well.
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us! One last thing: Can you tell us what your favorite thing is about working at RenWeb?
Erik: When I first started at RenWeb someone asked me, “What part of the family are you from?” I thought that was a strange question until I started to experience what they meant. RenWeb is made up of an incredible group of people that are dedicated to their jobs and have a very high expectation of the level of support they provide to our schools. I am amazed every day to see the lengths that RenWeb employees will go to in order to make sure we are taking care of our customers. It’s a pleasure to go to work every day with people that truly love their job and are dedicated to providing the best possible product and world class support. I believe it is this commitment and dedication that separates us from our competition.
Gillian: What I love most about my job at RenWeb are the people that I get to work with every day. It is a blessing to truly enjoy going to work each morning! There are tremendous opportunities for professional growth within the company and I feel as though I learn something new each day. RenWeb strives to create an environment in which employees work in their areas of strength and that allows my role to be an ever-changing and evolving one. I feel both challenged and satisfied with my job every day and that's a great feeling.
Happy holidays from the RenWeb team! We wanted to share with an interview that aired yesterday on 94.9 KLTY-FM out of Dallas, TX. RenWeb team member Gillian Harlow visited with Frank Reed of KLTY at a local Christmas Wish event and told him a little bit about RenWeb granting Christmas wishes for a few families this holiday season.
See below for the interview: