PowerSchool & Excel
Contents
Introduction 3
PSUG-MI Wikispaces 4
PSUG-MI Wiki Link 4
PowerSource 5
PowerSource Link 5
PowerSource Home 6
Support 6
PowerTeacher 6
PowerSource Community Area 7
Exchange 7
Discussion Forums 7
PowerSource Search 8
PowerSource Labs 9
PSUG – PowerSchool Users Group 10
PSUG Link 10
PSUG-MI – PSUG for Michigan 11
PSUG-MI Link 11
Indiana PSUG 11
IPSUG Link 11
Power Data Solutions 11
About PowerDataSolutions 11
PowerDataSolutions Link 12
Tim Staal’s Site 12
About the Site 13
Tim Staal Link 13
Nick Tech 14
Nick Tech Link 14
Introduction
PowerSchool is a fully integrated, web-based, cross-platform student information system used by thousands of school districts. Whether you are new to PowerSchool or have been using it years, there is always something new to be learned. One of the major things that separate PowerSchool from its competitors is its user community. As you can see from this 2-day event the PowerSchool Users Group is a large and active resource. This course is designed to introduce you to some of the resources and networking available to you as a member of the Users Group.
We will cover the following Support/Networking sites:
· PSUG-MI Wikispaces
· PowerSource
· PSUG
· PSUG-MI
· Indiana PSUG
· Power Data Solutions
· Nick Tech
PSUG-MI Wikispaces
Hopefully most of you have already seen this site. This is the official site for the PSHS Class of 2010. It is also a useful place as it will be the repository for all materials presented at this conference.
PSUG-MI Wiki Link
http://psug-mi.wikispaces.com/
Once you are at the site click on the Session of your choice to see everything that was offered in that time slot.
Scroll until you find the desired session to get the material used in that session.
PowerSource
PowerSource is Pearson’s community-focused web site for support, services, downloads, training and more for School Systems products. Unlike traditional web sites that only allow you to receive information, PowerSource leverages the latest Web 2.0 technology, allowing users to not only access, but also contribute resources to the community.
· Find resources by browsing or searching.
· Access product downloads including installers, updates, user guides and more.
· Find product solutions in the knowledgebase.
· Manage Support cases through the self-service portal.
· Provide feedback on existing content through feedback forms, inline discussions, and by voting.
· Contribute resources to the knowledgebase and the Download Center.
· Create accounts for all users at your site, allowing teachers and other staff access to Support resources.
· Purchase and view training content online.
· NEW Use the Labs to test new releases prior to the release date
PowerSource Link
http://powersource.pearsonschoolsystems.com/
Pearson should have provided you with the login and password for this site, if they have not, see your local system administrator who can assist in getting you setup.
PowerSource Home
Pearson is continually adding more content areas and more features to PowerSource. From the home screen we can see a number of options immediately available. A row of tabs across the top shows the products and services that our account has access to.
The home page is broken down in three columns. In the center of the pages are some rotating banners that Pearson uses to advertise new services and communicate information to us. The right and left columns provide helpful information of recent items your account has accessed, Trainings that are coming up, and some other new announcements.
Support
Under the Support tab are a number of options, including the knowledgebase, downloads, documentations, and a link to the forums. These items are specific to the core application.
PowerTeacher
PowerTeacher is available to more than just the PowerSchool System. Because of this, Pearson has separated its content into its own tab. Similar to the core application, wee have options for the knowledgebase, documentation, and downloads (for Chancery customers). There are a few other items in here, including a specific section for suggesting enhancements.
PowerSource Community Area
Exchange
One of the big initiatives of the PowerSource site was to provide a community area where all Users could share reports, templates, best practices, etc. A copy of this document is available on the site.
Discussion Forums
New to the Community area this year are Discussion Forums. This is a place where PowerSource users can discuss School Systems software and help other users troubleshoot product issues. PowerSource is also the only place where Pearson Support staff participates in online product discussions.
PowerSource Search
In addition to sharing resources, Pearson maintains a knowledge base of known problems, workarounds, and documentation. If you are receiving a specific error message or having problems performing a task, you can search the site for information.
Simply enter your request in the area of the screen.
For example returns the following:
The results can then be sorted by published date, number of votes, etc to find the one that best fits your situation. Clicking on the 1st title reveals the Knowledge based article.
Notice that we also received Forum Search Results. These may be more relevant and up to date than a knowledgebase article. Click on the Forum Search Results tab to see these items.
Many times these Knowledgebase articles or forum discussions can tell you how to fix your problem without having to call support.
PowerSource Labs
The Labs area is probably one of the best kept secrets. It is a place where you can try out all the new features before they hit the streets. It also gives you the ability to present the new features to your administrative teams so decisions can be made based off real information and not just marketing materials.
PSUG – PowerSchool Users Group
A place for PowerSchool users to collaborate, cooperate, and share. PowerSchool is a powerful web-based student information system and the objective of this group is to help users get the most out of its many capabilities.
This is a national group within Yahoo Groups that you can join to post questions, download files, and share best practices. A wealth of knowledge and resources at your finger tips. If you are new to Yahoo groups, you will need to setup and account at http://groups.yahoo.com/
PSUG Link
Once you have signed up and logged in search for PSUG. (or go to http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/PSUG/
From the Group page you can Search for answers to questions, Post questions or go to the Files area to download reports, templates and more.
PSUG-MI – PSUG for Michigan
This is a place for PowerSchool Users from Michigan to discuss issues and share solutions specific to Michigan K-12 schools.
Like PSUG, PSUG-MI is a yahoo group. You sign up in the same fashion as you did above and the content on the site is specific to Michigan users. This is the site used by presenters at this conference. Join today and stay abreast of user group happenings within Michigan.
PSUG-MI Link
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/PSUG-MI/
Indiana PSUG
Indiana’s User Group was the inspiration for the Michigan User Group to organize as much as we have. This site lists some more helpful resources, and has links to even more helpful websites that aren’t listed in this documentation.
IPSUG Link
http://ipsug.tsc.k12.in.us/
Power Data Solutions
Power Data Solutions is a site that has been setup and is maintained by PowerSchool users throughout the US.
About PowerDataSolutions
The internet has amazing potential and allows for everyone to create whatever they can think of and publish it for everyone to absorb. In the same instance this is a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because it spurs great amounts of creativity, but bad because it also creates "internet sprawl".
I'm not sure if it's a real term, but I refer to "internet sprawl" in much the same way people talk about urban sprawl. It's the constant outward expansion away from a central nucleus. For PowerDataSolutions this nucleus is the PowerSchool student system. Pages upon pages of information abound with solutions to your PowerSchool customization problem. This means that to find a solution you may need to go to several different sites.
PowerDataSolutions will attempt to combine customization solutions from some of the best users out there. Some pages will contain solutions from users that frequently supply answers but don't necessarily have their own website, others will be pages containing solutions you could find at various other user sites combined into one location.
PowerDataSolutions Link
http://powerdatasolutions.org/
This site is new and constantly growing. If you have a chance to go to PowerSchool University or PowerSchool Advanced Learning Summit, you will be able to meet the creators and contributors for this site.
Tim Staal’s Site
Tim is a PowerSchool contract trainer and the Director of Media and Information Technology for Jenison Public Schools in Michigan.
About the Site
This site is designed to be used as a framework for my presentations and workshops, but also as a repository for resources for those events.
Please feel free to use the ideas and resources.
Tim Staal Link
http://web.mac.com/tstaal/iWeb/Staal/PowerSchool%20Links.html
Nick Tech
NickTech is a site created and maintained by a fellow PowerSchool administrator, Nick Peronti. The site can be reached at:
Nick Tech Link
http://www.nicktech.org/powerschool
PSUG Summer Academy 4 [4]
Jun2010