What's New in Computers at GECDSB?

Before the Christmas Break, BookIT went live.

BookIT is an online service that allows all Greater Essex County teachers complete control over their Professional Development agendas.  All of the institute offerings are online and all registration will be done with BookIT.

Here's a quick introduction:

Logging On
   As more and more services become electronic, there are concerns about the number of different logins and passwords that you must be able to manage.  Fortunately, with BookIT, another login wasn't added to the fray.  In this case, you will use the same login that you do for your First Class email account.  There is a default password, as indicated on First Class.  On your first trip to BookIT, you should do two things:

	Change your password from the default to something different
	Enter your school location.  If you teach at two or more different schools, enter the school where your paycheque is sent.

Finding an Institute
    OK, you're in.  Now, how do you find something in which to enroll?  The first time in, you may wish to just Browse all of the Upcoming institutes.  There are a lot of them so be prepared to spend some quality reading time.

Searching for an Institute
    No time to browse?  Instead, use any of the search options.  Perhaps you're interested in a Science institute.  Enter "Science" as a keyword and check out the results.

Registering for an Institute
    Now, you've found the ideal session for you.  You'll notice that there is a little button labelled "Register".  Click on it and you're IN!  BookIT will also send an email to your First Class account confirming your registration.  If you look at the bottom of the screen when you login, you'll see a listing of all of the institutes that you have registered for.

Whoops!
   You didn't mean to register for THAT institute?  Or, perhaps you end up with personal conflicts later on and can't attend?  You're in complete control.  No more calling, faxing, or emailing to unenroll.  Just log into BookIT and DELETE yourself from the session.

Waiting Lists
    Sometimes an institute is so popular that it fills up quickly.  If the presenter has configured it properly, you'll see a WAITING LIST button instead of a REGISTER button.  Clicking this puts you on a waiting list.  If there are any cancellations, those on the Waiting List will be registered on a first come, first served basis.

Evaluating the Institute
    After the institute, you should log back into BookIT.  Beside the institute that you attended, you will find that you now have the ability to evaluate the institute.  Please take some time to add some thoughtful comments.  These will be used for planning for sessions in the future.

Certificate of Completion
    Finally, after you have evaluated the institute, BookIT will run a routine to generate you your own personalized Certificate of Completion.  The certificate will come in PDF format to your First Class mailbox.  In order to get to the certificate, you will need to download it and open the certificate with Adobe Acrobat.  From there, if your Professional Development portfolio records things in paper format, send your certificate to the printer.  If you portfolio is electronic, simply add the PDF certificate file.