The Website Baker is_a free program_created by a European_guy (14 or 15 when he came out with version 1, I think)._It is free and "open source", which means_anyone_can improve the program and submit it to him._It just keeps getting better and better and he is now at version 2.6.2, with a whole community of people working on it all the time.
The program is installed on Beaverton's "webserver"; the computer that our website is stored on and delivered to the world. The Website Baker uses a database to store information, and each teacher has their own separate installation so no one else can edit their things._Currently the company that hosts our website is called Crystal Automation.
Those are the nuts and bolts, and here are some thoughts about them:
1) If Crystal Automation wanted to (or by accident), they could obliterate all our Bakers._I do perform backups periodically, but if we change hosts, there may be some real work for me to do and it might be over my head at that._The point is that all might be lost at any time!!! (although they've been good_for several years now)
2) There are people in the world who deliberately mess with things, and The Baker is no different._When_a bad guy finds a weakness (and this has happened), he will exploit it, maybe using your installation to send emails or store data or who knows what._Luckily the community reacts quickly to these things.
3) Sometimes I'm not very smart and I do things that affect people's installations._In almost all_cases_(so far) the end user hasn't ever known this because I usually remember to save things before_I play around._I worry quite frequently that the websterver is going to hiccup and mess everything up.
Most users never see the real nuts and bolts; they use the end product to make web pages. Website Baker uses templates for this._Being template driven, there are limitations to how much you can alter the look and feel of your site, but that's the idea._Beaverton Rural Schools wanted a uniformity throughout all of our websites and that's why I decided to use this program._Feel free to try different stuff and see how you like it.
There's the "content" issue, and here are some thoughts about it:
1) Can you put anything on your site you want?_No._There are limits all the way down the chain..._the State of Michigan pays some of our hosting fees_and they have rules._Crystal probably has rules._BRS has rules._They're things you would expect (I'm guessing):_no porn, no gambling, keep kid's pictures anonymous, etc.
Once this project goes far enough, I imagine we'll have to have a more well-known district-wide policy.
2) Who can tell you to add or remove stuff?_Beats me._If the superintendent said he/she wanted me to remove a certain page or photo, I'd do it._Will our bosses (i.e. the administrators) eventually be forcing us all to post stuff on our websites?_Perhaps._I admit I'm mostly on that side myself._The more stuff we share with the community, the easier our jobs are, AND the more transparent._This transparency makes it easier for the community to be assured we are actually teaching their kids and keeping them safe and so on._If I had a kid in our schools, I'd love it if I could find lesson plans and grades online.
