SharePoint 2010

[richkeys]

How do people use Sharepoint in a small school environment? We have it but so far it is unused!

[jamesfed]

As for all things that has to be a need to use it in the first place further more you should not go about looking for things to use it with after it is deployed but before instead....

 

SharePoint is great for keeping 'lists' of data and viewing it in a number of ways - ordered document librarys is another of its key features as well. So if you have anything that would fit the bill then by all means however to me it sounds like you have something and are trying to figure out what to do with it after its deployed.

[richkeys]

As for all things that has to be a need to use it in the first place further more you should not go about looking for things to use it with after it is deployed but before instead....

 

SharePoint is great for keeping 'lists' of data and viewing it in a number of ways - ordered document librarys is another of its key features as well. So if you have anything that would fit the bill then by all means however to me it sounds like you have something and are trying to figure out what to do with it after its deployed.

 

Well we have things like documents sent to all staff PDFs etc...sent on a weekly basis and therefore a copy exsists in all mail boxes in exchange - which seems crazy to me!

[jamesfed]

Well we have things like documents sent to all staff PDFs etc...sent on a weekly basis and therefore a copy exsists in all mail boxes in exchange - which seems crazy to me!

 

In that case you might want to setup a SharePoint document library and then when your weekly mail drop comes around SharePoint would blast off a list of the documents that have been most recently updated - the documents would stay on the SharePoint site and never touch the mail boxes.

[richkeys]

In that case you might want to setup a SharePoint document library and then when your weekly mail drop comes around SharePoint would blast off a list of the documents that have been most recently updated - the documents would stay on the SharePoint site and never touch the mail boxes.

 

That sounds exactly like the sort of thing that would be really useful.

Do you know of any good guides to getting started with this

[GrumbleDook]

Have a look at the SP365.co.uk website for a heap of information about setting up things in SharePoint, as well as a number of other SharePoint blogs (a search on well known search engines for SharePoint and Education turns up most of them ... and a fair few are members inhere who are far to shy to push themselves forward!)

[jamesb]

As for all things that has to be a need to use it in the first place further more you should not go about looking for things to use it with after it is deployed but before instead....

 

I can't agree with this I'm afraid. Yes, there should be a need to get it in in the first place, but once it's in then you need to make use of it as best you can. There is an awful lot that can be done with SharePoint (or similar platforms like Alfresco) to make people's jobs a lot easier, and to add value. Saying that it should only be used for things which you happened to spot before deployment is missing a huge opportunity.

[jamesfed]

I can't agree with this I'm afraid. Yes, there should be a need to get it in in the first place, but once it's in then you need to make use of it as best you can. There is an awful lot that can be done with SharePoint (or similar platforms like Alfresco) to make people's jobs a lot easier, and to add value. Saying that it should only be used for things which you happened to spot before deployment is missing a huge opportunity.

 

Sorry my meaning behind it was more aimed at the idea that its been deployed with no idea of what to do with it in the first place - naturaly the system would evolve into more as time goes on and as uses are found but from the outright there should be a NEED for it.

 

This is after all how buisness cases are formed - you have a NEED for a new type of tech and so you go and deploy it.

You don't just deploy things on a whim that one day you will find some uses for it.

[jdoyle]

How do people use Sharepoint in a small school environment? We have it but so far it is unused!

 

+1 for the shared document libraries and email alerts. Very useful. Some very good document management features in SP2010.

 

Shared calendars are very good.

 

We use SP2007 for our Intranet and Extranet. Areas setup for All users, Staff, Students, Governors and Parents. Hope to have SP2010 in soon and will then look at using it for the website too (branding in SP2010 looks a lot simpler). We've a few workflows put in place to get rid of paper (Training requests, Cover Requests, etc), a system for recording mentoring meetings and next actions, a feedback system for students who have needed some help on personal/behaviour matters. Our staff handbook is now on Sharepoint as a Wiki.

 

Sharepoint 2010 has the ability to use a text service (as well as email) and I'd like to replace my current parent/school communications system with this if possible. Still to investigate the details.

 

I'd developed an SEN Register on our old Intranet and am just looking at re-developing this in Sharepoint using custom lists/contact lists.

 

Looking to use SP2010 as our VLE in place of Fronter.

[User3204]

Have a look at the SP365.co.uk website ....

 

 

Yaar... ! my eyes, what a horrible website.

[Sandman]

Most common use is resource and room bookings etc.

 

This guy does a good blog on the uses - SharePoint in Education - Mike Herrity's Blog about SharePoint in Education