Interactive Schools | News Feed

Why Is SEO Important For Your Website?

2011-12-22T00:00:00

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. SEOmoz (an influential SEO site) defines it as ‘the process of taking a page built by humans and making it easily consumable for both other humans and for search engines.’

For most, Google is the first, and sometimes only, place we go to find companies, products, information etc. If your website is not available to search engines like Google then how do you expect to be found online? We find that most schools that are well optimised receive between 70 – 80% traffic from search engines.

We categorise visitors into three types of people:

Those who want to find your school - “ABC Independent School”
Those who are looking for a school but not one in particular – “independent school in Kent”
Those who are looking for something on your website – “term dates for ABC School”

SEO to find your school name

Most search traffic are from ‘branded searches’ which are searches containing your specific brand name. These visitors may be existing parents/pupils or they may be prospects searching for more about your school.

SEO to find a school

These visitors are high value traffic as they will most likely be prospect parents looking for a school but have not made a decision. By being high up on Google you will not only receive a high amount of traffic but you will also build reputation. Searchers innately trust Google’s results and being #1 acts as an endorsement by Google.

SEO to find specific pages in a website

Parents, pupils and prospects want the easiest route to information. To find out information about your school they will almost always use Google to instantly seek that out. If they want your address or telephone number Google will tell them within a second.

Your website is an online building

Think of your website as the online version of your school building; it has a structure, a design, an address etc. Would you refuse to give someone looking for your school the name of the street you are on? No, you would most likely give detailed directions to the building. The same applies to your online building, your website. You want to give detailed instructions to search engines not just for the overall building but your rooms – the pages. The content needs to be visible, easily read and well optimised. This is not just good for search engines but for user experience – after all, search engines want users to receive the best experience possible.

Why a Prospectus needs to be Interactive

2011-12-01T00:00:00

Technology advances and shifts in user behaviour mean independent schools cannot wait when considering moving their prospectus to a digital, interactive format. But why is this so important?

Shifts in Consumer Behaviour

Users no longer consume media in the traditional sense. We know this since less and less people are reading newspapers, watching live television, listening to CD’s etc. Why? Because these models of consumption are limited. It is not that these mediums are not good it is that the alternatives are better.

Discovery

How do we find content in the 21st century? Most of us discover content via search engines or social media. If your prospectus is not online then people are not accessing your content. If Google cannot find you and people can’t share your prospectus then how do you expect to be found?

We all know the traditional method of interruption advertising no longer works. It’s a fact. It is thought the average person is exposed to over 3000 ads per day and how many of those can you remember? Most people would say 0.

By allowing your prospectus to be instantly discovered online, you become highly visible to your prospects and bypass the need to interrupt them with adverts. And how much does it cost to be found through Google or social media? Nothing.

Experience

Your prospects are shifting from a world of consuming content, to a world of experiencing content. You want your prospectus to be an experience to remember. The ability to imbed rich, interactive digital content such as video, audio, galleries, animations etc. means your prospectus can be a instrument to inspire. You can no longer buy attention, you must earn it.

Social

‘Create content worth sharing.’ That is the goal of most content marketers. Your prospectus is your school’s message; you want as many people as possible to hear that message. By having a tangible prospectus you are limited by supply and by the ability for people to share it. Prospects may in fact want to share parts of your prospectus but they are restricted in how to do this.

This is where social media thrives. Your prospective parents are on Facebook, they are on Twitter, they are online. People have a natural need to be sociable and by creating a remarkable experience within your prospectus, you create something for parents to talk about and share.

Promote a School Contest with Social Media

2011-11-30T00:00:00

Contests are really popular within schools, whether they’re put on to encourage and reward good work, for charity or just for fun! Social media can be an incredibly influential tool for contest promotion, but only when implemented correctly.

Have a Plan

Whenever you aim to engage your target audience using social media, you should always think about your overall goals. What is it you want to achieve? We believe having 3 goals is a good starting point. An example could be:

Drive pupil engagement
Expand our school’s brand
Create initial connections with prospects

Share With Your Super Fans

Everyone has them, the followers/fans who will share and connect with everything you create. These are the Super Fans. Much of the content you share will get lost in people’s feeds so share your contest directly to the people who you know will share your contest as well as enter.

Keep People Interested & Engaged

Stay involved with your audiences and create opportunities for them to engage with you. This makes it more likely that they will talk about the contest, which is exactly what you want!

How has your school used social media in contests? Let us know in the comments!

Why is an Interactive Website Important?

2011-11-28T00:00:00

Websites are challenging the traditional methods of communication by aligning their designs and functionality with the changes in user behaviour and technology.

Technology has allowed us to use the web as a social platform meaning we no longer see a website as just a place to gain information; we see it as a place to socially experience content. This has subsequently changed our expectations as users in that we anticipate the ability to interact with the website before we have even loaded the page.

Control has shifted from school to end user.

What does this mean? Schools traditionally have had control over how information is consumed. A letter may be sent out to parents, an announcement in assembly etc. Students and parents now expect to consume information in the way they choose. This could be via Facebook, Twitter, Flickr YouTube, a blog etc. All these channels of communication can be overwhelming to your school's marketing person. An interactive school website is designed to contain all these channels into one central hub - your school website. By having all these social media platforms on your site means your end user is just one click away from consuming rich content from one stream.

Measure & Research: Involvement, Interaction, Intimacy & Influence.

An interactive website is more than just a means to push content; it excels in measurement and research.

Involvement

By using Google Analytics you can measure the level of involvement a user has with your site and even specific content. How many people visited our site this week? How long did they spend on our "About Us" page? Why do 75% of people leave our "Request a Prospectus" page? These are all essential questions that can be answered with analytics.

Interaction

By measuring the level of interaction your users have with your site leads you to find out which content works and which does not. Simple measurements such as the number of comments, sign ups for your newsletter etc. allows your school to engage on a higher level than other schools.

Intimacy

Intimacy analyses what occurs within the interaction between user and website. What are people saying about your school: is it positive or negative? What feedback can be taken from your latest news?

Influence

This is one of the most critical tools for measurement. It measures the communication between user and their social audience. For example, a student can 'like' a video from your school and it is then seen by their friends. Advocating content is one of the most crucial ways a school can increase their awareness.

4 Ways Schools can be Great on Facebook

2011-11-24T00:00:00

Schools are really starting to embrace social media and it is really exciting to watch them expand their networks. It has led to other schools to follow suit and quickly sign up to Facebook but before you do this there are a few things you need to consider.

Plan and Strategise

It is very tempting to just jump into Facebook and start engaging with your audience but unfortunately we all need a plan of action. So before you jump in ask yourself a few important questions:

What are your goals and objectives?
Who are you trying to reach?
Who is your target audience?
Where are they and how do you get them to ‘like’ you?
How much time can realistically be invested?
How will you handle negative comments?

Use these questions to help form a plan and remember that they are not the only ones you should ask. There are many more so sit down and brainstorm.

Be Available

Facebook is a direct channel of communication between you and an individual. You need to be available for communication just like you are available to handle telephone calls.

Be sure to check your wall often and respond to all posts. You want to show how engaged you are with your pupils, parents, alumni, community etc.

Interact

Most of your parents and pupils spend most of their time within Facebook. They consume and share content with their friends within this platform. By interacting with your audience you create an environment of engagement that feels comfortable by both parties. This ultimately creates advocacy because your parent’s friends will see that their friend (the parent) is engaging with your school.

Analyse and Action

Just like planning and strategising, you need to analyse and action on your findings. You need to find out what people are saying about your school – are they positive or negative? If they are positive then how can you utilise this? If they are negative then how can you address the problem?

Treat Facebook as a fantastic free research tool that your school can use. Imagine the cost of hiring a company to find out what the public thinks about your school – pupils, parents, alumni, community etc. The costs would be extortionate. Facebook is free and has those capabilities.

4 Ways to Promote your New School App

2011-11-16T00:00:00

With more and more schools creating apps and integrating them into their marketing strategies it is becoming increasingly important for schools to promote their app in order to maximise the apps potential.

In some ways creating a school app is the easy part, the hard part can sometimes be getting people to download it. The reason this can be so hard for some schools is that marketing apps is something they are new to.

Here are 4 easy ways to promote your new school apps:

Send out a letter to parents and students. Let them know that your new app has been launched and is ready to download. Explain the benefits of downloading the app.
Let students know via assembly. Explain why the school app will be useful for them.
Send out an email. Sending an email with a link to the app gives the student or parent direct access to the app.
Remind via social media. If the first 3 ways didn’t lead to enough downloads then this will surely work. Social media is an essential marketing ingredient to any communications strategy regardless of downloads. Not only will social media advertise to your students and parents, it will advertise to a prospective parent or student.

Remember, this is not an exhaustive list of ways to market smartphone or social media apps. We can help you with your strategic marketing or digital marketing efforts - not only for apps but for websites, prospectuses etc. Contact our marketing team at the top of the page or connect via our social media channels:

Twitter: @schoolapps

Facebook: InteractiveSchools

Setting Up Google Plus For Your School

2011-11-09T00:00:00

We've had to wait, but Google+ have finally allowed us to create branded profiles for our businesses. It's incredibly easy to get started and we believe Google+ can be great for schools.

1. Getting Started

To get started with setting up a Google+ Brand Page for your school just simply sign into your Google account and then jump to http://www.google.com/+/business/. You can choose to watch the video but it’s not essential.

2. Pick your Category

You then select which category your business is in. You need to choose ‘Company, Institution or Organisation.’

3. Add Some Info

Now, enter your school name and website address. After this you can select ‘Education and Schools’ as your specific category.

4. Tagline and Profile Photo

This is where you can get creative. You only have 10 words to describe your school! After you’ve narrowed your school’s description to 10 words you can add an image.

5. You’re Done!

You’ve finished your Google+ Brand Page. All you have to do now is share your new account with the world!

Connect with us on Google+ - https://plus.google.com/107183773809584685966/

Promote a School Event with Social Media

2011-11-07T00:00:00

It doesn’t matter which kind of event you are promoting – sports, concert, alumni etc. - social media can be an inexpensive and cost effective way to create hype and fill seats.

Blog

Make sure you are always blogging about the event - before, during and even after.

Blogging before the event acts as an alert to potential event goers and gives a personal touch to your event.

Blogging during the event means people who cannot attend don’t miss out on key parts of the event.

By blogging after you create a recap of the experience. People can look back on what happened and may encourage them to attend the next event.

Flickr

What better way for people to remember your event that with photos. A post and tagged photos of your event on Flickr helps generate interest in your event from those that attended and followed via your social channels.

Facebook

You can obviously update your status about your event, but do not overlook the power of Facebook Events. Simply create an event from your school’s Page and you are on your way! Offer competitions to entice sharing and create a buzz.

Twitter

A great way to promote your school event via Twitter is by creating a new hashtag. To create a hashtag just simply use #EventName and encourage people to tweet using your hashtag. Give people reason to tweet or retweet your hashtag by offering free passes, prizes or giveaways etc. for a lucky hashtagger.

Using Twitter for Learning

2011-11-02T00:00:00

Twitter has obviously taken the world by storm. It is highly popular with people to keep up to date with news, blogs, articles etc. but one of the lesser known tool Twitter possesses is the fantastic ability it has to help learn.

Twitter is a digital communication network that is formed around shared interests. This social hub in which experts share and curate content from their field of work creates a feed of information which students should use to form their own knowledge.

140 Characters – Cut to the Chase

Students are busy trying to educate themselves with relevant content. As Twitter uses only 140 character it enabled students to quickly filter out irrelevant information. By looking at a short and sweet title we can all instantly learn what a link contains without the need to click through.

#Hashtag – Group & Track Discussions

The hashtag enables students to follow subjects that they feel most interested in. 3 ways to do this is via:

Classroom/seminar discussions – once a class or seminar is over it doesn’t mean that learning has to cease. Use the Twitter hashtag to carry on from the classroom. Create a unique hashtag for your class to follow up. #Year8History

Conferences – many subjects have conferences that take place - for example, TED talks create incredible discussions on Twitter using #TED… hashtags. A science conference would be exciting to follow on Twitter for any science student.

Subjects – most students have a specific subject that they are passionate about. Some students may find Shakespeare fascinating so why not create a Shakespeare hashtag to curate a discussion with other students that have the same passion.

Who Should I Follow?

To get started you need to find some people to follow but don’t sweat, this is an easy (and fun!) task.

First of all, find a couple of people who have similar interests to you – to do this use Twitter Search and input your interests. Follow this people and then look at whom they follow, tweet and retweet. Then follow the people who you think could be of interest. Begin to share content and engage with these people and you will find that they will start to follow you back!

Following these easy steps can ensure that you get the most out Twitter for learning. Do you have any more tips or any examples of how Twitter has helped you in the education world? Let us know below!

Benefits of a School Smartphone App

2011-10-31T00:00:00

The way we consume content has changed. Less and less people are consuming content via newspapers, magazines, TV etc. These products are in the saturation stage; the future is in interactive media.

Smartphones have taken interactive media to a completely new level and now with the rise of the tablet device, interactivity is an essential core element for all content. Why? Because people like to interact, communicate and engage with the author.

School apps help your audience access content

Does your school push news, blogs, events etc. to an end-user? Whether it’s a piece of content is pushed to a pupil, parent, alumni or the local community, a school app can improve the accessibility and availability of the content your school creates.

People don’t always have a computer nearby but they do always have their mobile. Do you have urgent news such as school closure? Only a smartphone app will ensure quick and easy updates like this.

By creating an app your end consumer does not need to open their web browser, type in an address, wait until the entire site loads and then navigate through your website. This is not good user experience for your consumer.

School apps help your audience engage with content

Pre-Web 2.0 businesses, schools and organisations used to push messages to an audience and then that was it. It was left to consume and there was no follow up. Now, with technology advances the consumer of content is accustom to communicating with the author.

Businesses have adjusted to meet these needs and your school should be no different. School apps can be designed to allow your school’s parents, pupils, alumni etc. to communicate and engage with you creating a mutual flow of interaction.

School apps can be integrated with social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter so that your end user can tweet, share, like and more actions that your audience is familiar with. Why is this good for your school? It’s advocacy.

School apps help your audience advocate content

840 million apps were downloaded in the UK last year; imagine how much content was pushed out to the world via apps alone. In order to stand out you need your team of advocates to push your content out there. If a parent is using your iPhone school app, for example, they can easily share your content with other parents via email, Twitter, Facebook and many more.

The reason school apps help advocating is partly down to their great ability to share via the platform the consumer wants. Another reason is simply because apps are fun! There is no limit to how far you want to push your app; it can be as fun, creative and engaging as you want it to be.

By having something that connects directly with the end user, on their terms, and that is fun to connect with means that it will be shared with peers.

Want to know more?

School apps should be part of a multi-channel, multi-platform, integrated communications strategy that takes time and knowledge to develop. Content is just a small part of what your school app could achieve and there is no limit to this.

Feel inspired? Contact us at the top of the page.

Are you interested more in how apps can benefit your school? Do you have a creative idea for an app? Get in contact with our apps team and we will be happy to talk anything apps, mobile and social.

Look out for more tips coming soon on how apps & mobile can help your school with its marketing campaign.

Google Plus In Schools

2011-10-12T00:00:00

Google+ is the coolest new thing on the web, everyone in the social world is talking about it. According to Mashable, in its 'first three weeks, Google’s competitor to Facebook and Twitter has amassed more than 10 million users, and its users are sharing more than 1 billion pieces of content daily.' It’s become a hotbed for early adopters, tech luminaries, marketers and businesses around the world.

Now it is opened to the public - invite free. We are extremely excited about the potential Google+ has within schools and education. Some schools are still yet to adopt social media but we believe Google+ is the one for schools. Why?

Targeted Sharing with Circles

Unlike Facebook you don't add someone as a friend, you simply follow them - ahem, Twitter. But what makes it different to Twitter is that you have the ability to group these people you follow into different groups - or Circles as they're known on Plus. I believe this is one of the main reasons Google+ is going to become huge in the education world. The ability to group people into circles allows a great amount of 'targeted sharing' and helps build and nurture relationships with specific groups without the pain of having unnecessary news or information filling up people's feeds which is a problem on Twitter and Facebook.

What could a Circle be? We think the basics should be 'Parents', 'Students' and 'Public' should be the groups that are essential. Once a suitable level of students are engaged on Google+ then go niche with subjects and topics such as 'History' and 'WWII'. This allows not only engagement and relationship building and student collaboration but also the ability to be able to teach and help the student with and problems.

Privacy

A recurring problem that schools find with social media is the lack of privacy and that everything is public. But this is especially not true with Google+. By having a 'Public' Circle you can choose which information you wish to share out to the public.

Teach with Hangouts

Many educators have found Skype to a be a hugely popular tool in the classroom. The ability to bring guests have speakers into the room and help better the student experience has been a great asset. However, Skype is a desktop app and many people have wished for a web app that can be accessed anywhere. Now its here, and better! Google Hangouts can allow up to 10 people at once to be part of a video conference. Being able to see up to 10 experts on a subject discuss their passion is very exciting.

Future

Google are constantly innovating and don't expect Google+ to be the final product. However, do expect a great number of new features to be rolled out in the future. Some of the potential updates could include integration to Docs, apps and other collaboration tools.

Twitter Web Analytics

2011-10-08T00:00:00

Twitter have announced the release of Twitter Web Analytics.

Twitter is a powerful platform for websites to share their content, and drive traffic and engagement. However, people have struggled to accurately measure the amount of traffic Twitter is sending to their websites, in part because web analytics software hasn’t evolved as quickly as online sharing and social signals.

Twitter claim the new software will enable three key benefit:

Understand how much your website content is being shared across the Twitter network
See the amount of traffic Twitter sends to your site
Measure the effectiveness of your Tweet Button integration

This is fantastic news for any school who use Twitter and it will be rolled out in the ne

Facebook Marketing - Andrea Vahl

2011-09-13T00:00:00

We asked Andrea Vahl, co-author of Facebook Marketing for Dummies, how she thinks schools should be using Facebook in their marketing campaign. Here's what she had to say:

"Depending on the grade level, I think schools should be targeting the parents. Giving advice on how to help their child succeed in the school, updating about events. Encourage sharing with other parents so that your Page is shared more often. If it's college level, use Facebook as a recruiting tool and a place for students to connect. Again making sure you are focused on providing great information for your audience."

You can find Andrea Vahl on Google+

Your School Should Consider Using Instagram

2011-09-08T00:00:00

Instagram is an app on the iPhone - it also works on the iPod and iPad - that is used for taking pictures and then adding filters to make them look retro and cool. It’s kicked off a storm of these fun, cute looking picutres streaming within peoples Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Facebook. Get it for free from Apple’s App Store.

Sharing – You can easily share across your multiple social networks. This allows students and parents to view your pictures on their chosen network so there is no need to adopt a new platform in order to view your pictures.
Aesthetics – The pictures you can create on Instagram are truly beautiful. You can take an average picture of a field and make it something magical. Your art department would really love to get their hands on some of the pictures.
Follow – Parents, students and more can ‘follow’ your pictures, meaning they get a stream of your pictures to view. This can create a small personal group of ‘Instagramers’ who love to take pictures. It brings people together.
Unique – The fact that it is not something many schools, if any, actually use with their students means that it keeps up a modern, connected school ideology.
Fun – It really is so much fun taking pictures on Instagram. You will love it. Try it.

ISBI Marketing & Admissions Conference for Prep Schools

2011-08-30T00:00:00

Interactive Schools will be the main sponsor at the upcoming ISBI Marketing & Admissions Conference at Woldingham School on Friday 16th September.

Finally a conference targeted at Prep schools that doesn’t assume huge budgets and teams of twenty! Bringing marketing and admissions teams together. The conference is offering delegates the opportunity to build their own personal marketing toolkit by providing practical examples incorporating feedback from the delegates themselves, on the real issues they are facing in their schools’ today. The conference will be hosted by Woldingham School which is set in a beautiful 700-acre estate within the Surrey Downs and close to Central London. The event will be held in the School’s Millennium Centre, which includes a 600-seat auditorium.

One of the Keynote speakers at the event will be Simon Noakes, Managing Director at Interactive Schools. He will be addressing "The Power of the Word - Viral Marketing put into context". Simon will cover how social media and mobile usage has changed what current and prospective parents do, and when.

For more information on the event, visit www.isbischools-conferences.com/

How Can My School Implement QR Codes?

2011-08-27T00:00:00

It really is amazing how smartphones can unlock a world of interaction. A new way of sharing on mobiles is through QR codes – quick response codes.

QR codes are basically a bit like barcodes, except when you scan them they deliver you something! The most popular thing delivered is URL’s (web addresses).

A really good way for schools to use QR codes is to send a user to their interactive prospectus app. It becomes a creative way for prospective students and parents to learn about your school. For example, if you have an interactive school prospectus for the iPhone then you can have a QR code that will automatically send users to your prospectus when they scan it.

Facebook Guide For Schools

2011-08-26T00:00:00

Don’t Believe The Hype

Facebook is sometimes an awkward word within schools. Social media can often be overlooked by schools because of stories of teachers losing their jobs for what they’ve posted online. Fortunately, these are rare cases and there is protection in place to prevent sorts of inappropriate behaviour to be broadcasted.

Create A Policy

Schools should create a policy to show teachers what is appropriate to post on their personal page and what is not. But your school should also create a Facebook Page specific to your school. This creates a means by which your school can establish a controlled environment from which important and valuable content can be published. As well as a policy your school should create a plan of what content is to be published – photos, videos, personal information etc. This allows your school to plan for consent off parents or guardians before posting personal items.

What To Share

The most obvious thing to share on Facebook is your school news. This creates an excellent opportunity for your school to connect with your students, their families and prospective students. If your content is clear and concise then your audience will use your Facebook Page as their source of news.

Sometimes parents want to find out what their child is doing at school. Facebook offers a solution to this through updates on the Page’s wall. This is a simple, quick and convenient way for schools to share and parents to view.

It can also become an instant source for announcement. If the school has a closure people may rely on Facebook to give them this news. “Example School is closed today due to…” can instantly tell hundreds of parents and students of the closure.

Events

Schools can use Facebook Events to invite and also showcase past events. Events allow students and family to RSVP and to gain up to date information on changes to the event. If used to its full potential, Facebook Events can lead to an increase in the attendance to your school events.

Photos

Facebook can be a great way to engage with your audience through photos. You can use photos to show:

School trips – prospective students can see what types of trips your school provide and get a feel for the school’s personality.

Student work – this is excellent to use for students and parents. Showcasing a student’s work can show parents what type of work their children do and also heaps praise and reward for students. This kind of recognition could prove priceless for student motivation.

School culture – every school has a specific culture, whether it be an historical, ideological etc. Using photos on Facebook can show what type of culture your school exhibits. Photos of charity work, fundraisers, founders days, celebrations etc. can really put across your school culture.

Videos

School events can be extremely fun and videos to showcase this can really provoke positive memories. Here are a few examples of what videos can be used on Facebook :

Concerts
Plays
Sporting events
Choir
Interviews with students, teachers etc.

Social Community

Your school can harbour Facebook’s great ability to connect and engage. Students, parents and teachers can participate in a variety of online discussions.

Discussions

Your school can use the Discussions tab to create and communicate with your audience. Discuss school news, subjects, homework etc. and allow your students to participate and engage with each other. Parents can give instant feedback and can be used as a great research tool.

Polls

Schools have historically sent out ‘surveys’ to parents to request feedback on a certain subject. This costs money, takes time and doesn’t always get a reply. Using Facebook Polls can greatly increase the amount of information received due to its convenience.

6 Ways To Use Twitter In Your School:

2011-08-25T00:00:00

Use Twitter in your school to research what students think of your classes.

Use Twitter in your school to find out up-to-date education news and opinions.
Use Twitter in schools to show your passion for subjects.
Use Twitter in schools to lead your students to resourceful online content. Voluntarily learning.
Put your school’s head boy/girl on Twitter as a personal channel of communication with students.
Use Twitter in your school to show prospective students and parents the high level of community within your establishment.

You can integrate Twitter Apps for Schools and many more social media apps for schools into your school website.

Kincoppal-Rose Bay, Sydney School Website live

2011-08-01T00:00:00

Delivering a school website and integrated social marketing strategy across the other side of the world was no problem. In fact in enabled the project to run 24 hours.

Kincoppal-Rose Bay, Sydney are a leading independent girls school - and continue to take the lead when it comes to schools' marketing. Teaming up with Interactive Schools proved to be the perfect match - with a stunning new feature-rich school website and integrated social strategy into Twitter and Facebook being launched.

The iPhone Prospectus will soon be launched too - completing the marketing toolkit!

> Visit the Kincoppal-Rose Bay school website

School App for kids with learning difficulties

2011-08-01T00:00:00

Get Talking™ is a powerful Augmented Alternative Communication (AAC) text-to-speech (TTS) App that provides a user friendly and cool assisted communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking. Developed for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, it uses natural sounding male and female voices, an expandable default word library, and is a fraction of the cost of traditional AAC devices.

This AAC App is ideal for people with Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Stroke, Dementia, brain injury, learning difficulties and also early learning. It is used by special needs teachers, speech language therapists, occupational therapists and parents looking for a more cost effective assisted communication solution for their child.

Features:

• Large keys & easy navigation buttons
• Predictive word library
• Expandable word library through free text qwerty keyboard
• Quick access to favourite words and phrases
• Administration settings for tailoring features, themes and a unique experience to each user
• Recordable phrases using your voice
• Convenient audible attention alert button
• Easy categorisation of words and phrases. Create your own categories
• Talk with real-world voices. Male and female

Say It, Voice it, Speak it, Chat it, Talk it. Your way, Your app, Your one true voice.

What are you waiting for? Get Talking™

>> Download the app from iTunes App Store

Godstowe school website pioneers digital integration

2011-07-15T00:00:00

Interactive Schools are pleased to announce the launch of the Godstowe Digital Strategy, including school website, iPhone prospectus app, iPhone Parent App and Digital Signage app. All these solutions are 'socially integrated' and also interface directly with their school website - so every channel gets real-time updates.

David Gainer, Headmaster at Godstowe Preparatory School, says “Modern parents want information now and in a format convenient to them - whether this is via a school website, a mobile device, social platform, or desktop/display. Allowing prospective and current parents, girls and alumni to access the school information however they can is fundamental to the success of our marketing and communications strategy. We have just finished a huge digital integration project that has seen our main school website publishing updates to our iPhone and Facebook Apps from one central school website content management system, without a big increase in administration time. Choosing the right website solution is key to everything, and Interactive Schools are years ahead of anyone else out there. Continue to watch this space!”

> visit www.godstowe.org to find out more

6 Reasons Your School Should Adopt Twitter:

2011-07-15T00:00:00

Twitter is one of the hottest properties on the web right now. It seems everyone is Tweeting but schools have not been as active as others.

Schools can heavily benefit from the use of Twitter and here’s why:

Simplicity – the idea, the usability and the ease of use is so simple that anyone can adopt. Some people may be afraid to use new technology but Twitter is so easy to use anybody at your school can use it.

Concise Communication – because you can only use 140 characters you must be concise. This allows students, parents and governors etc. to be able to understand your message a lot clearer and easier.

Quick Communication – sometimes we all need to let people know of urgent information. Schools are no different. Twitter gives a direct link to parents and students of school news. For example, with one tweet you can let every student and parent know that the school is closed for the day because of snow.

Variety of Platforms – you can use Twitter from almost everywhere: on your PC, laptop, mobile, smart phone, tablet device etc. This means that no matter where your target audience is you can communicate with them and vice versa.

Excellent Learning Tool – you can learn so much more about your school and students by using Twitter. You can also keep up in real time with education news and hear other opinions. Asking your followers questions can be an essential research tool.

Inspire – people share what inspires them and using Twitter allows you to have access to inspiration. It can help you and your students create something magical.

Twitter really is a great tool to use and it should have a place within schools.

Let us know what you have done to implement Twitter into your school!

Simon Noakes+

Leading Prep School selects TIARC CMS v3.1

2011-05-28T00:00:00

A leading Prep School in the south-east has chosen Interactive Schools to deliver their complete digital strategy - based around our powerful TIARC CMS v3.1 school website solution.

Harrow launch new school website

2011-02-27T00:00:00

The world's leading independent boys boarding school has just relaunched their website using Interactive Schools' latest technology (TIARC CMS v3.2)

Simon Noakes, Managing Director at Interactive Schools said, "Harrow has a huge tradition and it was important to balance this with with latest technology and shifts towards Social Media. Harrow has been a client for many years, and we are delighted that they wanted to upgrade their existing website (also developed by us) - to keep at the forefront of website communications."

Interactive Schools are now looking forward to developing further integrated strategies with Harrow.

// Visit www.harrowschool.org.uk

Apple leads the way for Mobile Parents

2011-02-24T00:00:00

Stats compiled by Interactive Schools show that Apple is out performing it's rivals in the parent market.

Parents usage of mobiles is on the increase for accessing school information 'on the go' - and even though the choice of platforms and devices is growing, Apple's iPhone/iPod/iPad products stealing the lion's share of this traffic to school's websites - accounting for a staggering 80% of the market!

The iPhone is out in front across all schools sampled
The iPod follows next (surprisingly)
The iPad is third (on avergage - but this share is likely to increase substantially in 2011)
Android and BlackBerry fight off for 4th place - with not much between them
Symbian and other platforms account for a very small minority

2011 is set to be a very exciting year in the mobile space - and Interactive Schools will continue to launch new products to meet the demand.

Another Independent School selects Interactive Schools

2010-12-13T00:00:00

A leading Co-educational 4-18 Independent School in the south-west has chosen Interactive Schools to deliver their complete digital strategy - based around our powerful TIARC CMS v3.1 school website solution.

Another world first - iPad Prospectus LIVE

2010-12-06T00:00:00

Woldingham School has again shown their innovation and vision to stay ahead of the pack in terms of school marketing and communications.

Simon Noakes, Managing Director for Interactive Schools says, "This is a fantastic achievement. There are not many world first's that still remain - but our innovation and approach ensures we continue to deliver these pioneering and effective solutions for our clients."

Download the Woldingham School iPad Prospectus

Independent Schools Magazine Cover artilcle

2010-12-01T00:00:00

'School Apps & Social Media. Fads or here to stay?'

Ask your school parents and pupils if they have heard of Facebook or Twitter, YouTube or Flickr - and what is the latest 'cool' app they have downloaded to their iPhone or BlackBerry. Are you met with blanks look and confusion? No, because it is now commonplace amongst today’s modern parents and pupils.

The news is constantly carrying stories about ‘Apps’ and ‘Social Media’ growth. Why? Because by 2020, Apps are predicted 'to be as big as the internet' peaking at 10 million apps.

These technology advances and shifts in user behaviour mean your school cannot stand still. UK Independent Schools have always been at the forefront of innovation in schools marketing - and this needs to continue, otherwise the rest of the world will close the gap.

One school ‘leading the charge’ is Woldingham School. Following on from their pioneering Interactive USB Prospectus in 2009, they have become the first Independent School in the UK [and we believe the world] to launch a fully interactive iPhone and iPad School Prospectus (http://bit.ly/dCxUFe).

“Allowing prospective parents and girls to access the prospectus information in a channel that suits them is fundamental to the success of our marketing strategy. No longer can a school expect to prescribe just a linear printed prospectus – it needs to be multi channel. Parents want the information now and in a format that is convenient to them. Since we launched the App we have seen a huge number of downloads and social sharing of the App amongst parents.” enthuses Jacky Hall, Marketing Manager at Woldingham.

The creation of an iPhone School Prospectus will help engage with the digital generation. Couple this with the viral nature of Social Media, and a school can now reach more people [globally] at a fraction of the cost of their normal prospectus expenditure.

For some schools Social Media has already excited and connected them. For other schools it feels like a spot on the horizon, far from today’s reality. Either way, schools need to be able to navigate their way successfully through the web of social platforms, channels and technologies - so that both marketing and communications are effective and worthwhile.

One company that is leading both Social Media and Apps adoption in the schools sector is Interactive Schools.

“Too many schools 'jump onto the bandwagon' of new trends without fully understanding how best to leverage their power and usefulness. Just because most social channels are free, doesn’t mean that the schools are using them correctly and effectively. In fact many I have seen done internally will fail to grow successfully with the school, costing them more in the longer term”, says Simon Noakes, Managing Director of Interactive Schools.

Developing Social Media channels and Apps should be part of a multi-channel, multi-platform, integrated communications strategy - and not just done to follow the crowd. Maximising the benefits and value of Apps, as well as choosing the right channel to deliver your message, needs careful planning and expertise.

Noakes continues, “Social Media usage has exploded over the past 2 years into the world's favourite online past-time. Why? Because people are inherently social, like to share, and want to do it all quickly and conveniently. There is no better sector to leverage the huge benefits that social and mobile media bring, allowing schools to connect with all their key communities through the entire lifecycle of the relationship – whether prospects, current or alumni.”

Ironically, in today's world 'our time' appears more finite - yet we are more available [24/7 in fact] due to technology advances! Don’t forget, this is the same world your busy parents live in too.

Social technologies and Apps have [and will continue to] change the way we consume information, do business, and live our lives. They will improve your school’s reach and SEO footprint. Engaging in a 'social mobile mindset' is really important, because social media and mobile phones are not going away.

Just make sure you seek advice on how to do it properly.

ISC Marketing 2010

2010-11-10T00:00:00

Interactive Schools were at this year's Independent Schools Council (ISC) Marketing event at Plaisterers’ Hall, One London Wall, London EC2Y 5JU.

We showcased our pioneering 3 solutions - and received a very good reception. Find out more on on three dedicated microsites below:

// www.interactive-school-apps.co.uk
// www.interactive-school-websites.co.uk
// www.interactive-school-prospectuses.co.uk

Newton Prep School iPhone App Launched

2010-10-21T00:00:00

Newton Prep School iPhone App Launched

Keep up-to-date on the latest news, events and photo galleries from Newton Prep School.

Perfect for parents on the go to keep up with events (like snow days!), without needing to log into the website. Just log in to the app every day as part of your daily routine to find out the latest things happening from Newton Prep School. You can also contact the school directly, and share the app with your friends via Twitter, Facebook and email (of course).

// download Newton Prep iPhone App from the Apps Store

Sydney School chooses Interactive Schools

2010-10-05T00:00:00

Leading Sydney School, Kincoppal-Rose Bay chooses Interactive Schools to deliver their school website and interactive marketing.

At KRB they welcome students from all over Australia and the world to a beautiful location overlooking Sydney harbour. With high academic standards, a strong co-curricular program and a warm caring community underpinned by Catholic foundations, KRB provide a first class education preparing students for life in the 21st Century.

Watch this space for updates as we [again] deliver some pioneering marketing and communications - but this time around the other side of the world. How exciting!

Socially Connected TIARC CMS v3.0 launched

2010-10-01T00:00:00

We are constantly looking at improving our school website software, and every 12-18 months we look at upgrading the platform to a new ‘major’ version to take into account the ever changing technology landscape.

The following functionality now comes 'As Standard' in our 'Socially Connected' TIARC CMS™ v3.1 school website platform:

Video Multiplayer – Connected to YouTube
Photo Gallery – Connected to Flickr
Homepage Carousel
Social/Share Links
Interactive World Trip Map
360° Panoramic Photo Gallery
Exam Result Charting
Quotes/Testimonials & Statistics
Google Maps Integration for Directions
Calendar & Events
News & RSS Feed
Request a Prospectus, Arrange a Visit and Contact Forms
Download Library
Page Level User Permissions - and User Admin

Woldingham launches iPhone Prospectus App

2010-09-27T00:00:00

Woldingham School is the first Independent School in UK to publish their school prospectus as an iPhone App.

The iPhone Prospectus App showcases Woldingham School in the 21st Century, and includes the following amazing interactive features:

Detailed Prospectus information
Photo Gallery slideshows that you can play along to - using your own music on your iphone
Videos on all the key areas of the school
Key Information about Admissions
Latest News - streamed directly from the school website
Quick Registration Form for immediate place reservation
Contact Form and Google Maps integration for directions

Now available for FREE to Download from the Apple iTunes Apps Store.

World's First iPhone School Prospectus launched

2010-09-21T00:00:00

The RGS in High Wycombe launch the world's first iPhone School Prospectus.

The Royal Grammar School (High Wycombe) iPhone Prospectus App is for prospective parents and pupils to find out more about the school on their iPhone.

Functionality includes: -

Prospectus Information
Live newsfeed from www.rgshw.com website school website
Updated photo galleries from the www.rgshw.com school website
Contact form
Directions via Google Maps
Social Media Sharing (Facebook & Twitter)

// download RGS iPhone School Prospectus App from the Apps Store

London Business School chooses TIARC CMS v3.1

2010-09-15T00:00:00

New London Business School chooses TIARC CMS v3.1

The London Academy of Management & Business is an independent, privately funded institution led by respected academics and businessmen whose purpose is to promote the creation of wealth through the understanding of management & business disciplines Our purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the management sciences, through conferences, education and advisory services and to champion their role and value. The Academy comprises a business school, a number of business consultancies and an events space.

Mission

To provide, through the interaction of academic tuition and online learning, a premier ‘blended learning’ experience, leading to an internationally recognised qualification in Management & Business.

Interactive Schools will be delivering LAMB's new website and longer-term multi-channel marketing strategies.

Website is due to go-live end of November 2010

Newton Prep School Website Launched

2010-09-08T00:00:00

Another Prep School Website goes live

This week, the Newton Prep School in London launched an updated version of their school website. The website uses our TIARC CMS™ v2.3.

Simon Noakes, Managing Director of Interactive Schools, said "This is always a special day for us and the school whose website is being launched. We continue to be the most pioneering school website solutions company in the UK, and enjoy seeing our innovative solutions live for the world to see."

// visit the school website at www.newtonprepschool.co.uk

Lansdowne College Website Launched

2010-08-01T00:00:00

Another Secondary Independent School Website goes live

This week, Lansdowne College in London launched an updated version of their school website. The website uses our TIARC CMS™ v2.4.

// visit the school website at www.lansdownecollege.com

Harrogate Grammar School Website Launched

2010-07-08T00:00:00

Another Secondary State School Website goes live

This week, Harrogate Grammar School in Harrogate launched an updated version of their school website. The website uses our TIARC CMS™ v2.3.

// visit the school website at www.harrogategrammar.co.uk

Woldingham iPhone News App

2010-06-05T00:00:00

Launched in the Summer 2010 on iTunes - Woldingham School is the first UK school to have an iPhone App linked to the website news.

Keep-up-to-date with the latest news from Woldingham School. Perfect for parents on the go to keep up with events (such as snow days!) without needing to log into the website.

Now available for FREE to Download from the Apple iTunes Apps Store.

Woldingham School Website Launched

2010-01-01T00:00:00

Another leading Independent Secondary Girls School Website goes live

This week, the Woldingham School in Surrey launched an updated version of their school website. The website uses our TIARC CMS™ v2.3.

// visit the school website at www.woldinghamschool.co.uk

Thornton College Website Launched

2009-11-08T00:00:00

Another Secondary Independent Girls School Website goes live

This week, the Thornton College launched an updated version of their school website. The website uses our TIARC CMS™ v2.1.

// visit the school website at www.thorntoncollege.com

CVMS School Website Launched

2009-09-09T00:00:00

Another Leading Secondary State School Website goes live

This week, the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School (CVMS) launched an updated version of their school website. The website uses our TIARC CMS™ v2.1.

// visit the school website at www.cvms.co.uk

Holmer Green School Website Launched

2009-09-08T00:00:00

Another Secondary State School Website goes live

This week, the Holmer Green Senior School launched an updated version of their school website. The website uses our TIARC CMS™ v2.1.

// visit the school website at www.hgss.co.uk

St Joan of Arc Website Launched

2009-09-05T00:00:00

Another Secondary State School Website goes live

This week, the St Joan of Arc School in Rickmansworth launched an updated version of their school website. The website uses our TIARC CMS™ v2.1.

// visit the school website at www.joa.herts.sch.uk

Royal Grammar School Website Launched

2009-09-03T00:00:00

Another School Website goes live

This week, the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe launched an updated version of their school website. The website uses our TIARC CMS™ v2.1.

// visit the school website at www.rghsw.com

Harrow School Website Launched

2008-10-01T00:00:00

Interactive Schools was engaged to redesign, redevelop and relaunch the Harrow School website - one of Britain's leading independent schools, and one of a very few schools still specialising in providing a high quality boarding school education.

The website (www.harrowschool.org.uk) was built using the TIARC CMS™ v1.0 as the core application technology to deliver full rich multi-media content.

Barnaby Lenon, Harrow School Head Master, commented, "Interactive Schools has provided a fantastic and highly effective new website making the most of all the interactivity the web can offer, and giving prospective parents a really good insight into Harrow before they even come and visit us."

The Harrow School website delivers the following content and functionality:

Video overviews of all aspects of the school - created by and delivered by the Harrow school themselves (not TIARC).
Photo Gallery
Photo Slideshow
360° Panoramic Photo Gallery
Personalised PDF downloads - Create your own prospectus
Exam Result Charting
Page Quotes
Page Stats
Google Maps Integration for Directions
Interactive School Calendar
RSS News
FAQs
Customised forms

Simon Noakes, Managing Director Interactive Schools, adds, "Schools are having to increasingly differentiate themselves, and stay ahead of their peers in attracting the best pupils. Interactive School Prospectuses is extremely proud to have been selected to deliver Harrow School's new website - and we have taken up the challenge and created a website that is leading in it's design, functionality, and underlying technology. Harrow School is now back out front, and will continue to lead the way on the web."

RGS showcase Interactive School Prospectus

2008-09-01T00:00:00

The Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe has become the first school in the UK (and dare we say it - the world) to deliver a unique and pioneering Interactive School Prospectus - not seen before.

The RGS embarked on this journey back in March 2008, when approached by RGS Old Boy, Simon Noakes (Managing Director, Interactive Schools).

Roy Page, Headmaster, took the brave decision to throw away the traditional A4 glossy printed prospectus, in favour of this innovative product. Whilst it may have been met with some scepticism by the few, the RGS Governors and current parents embraced this new way of presenting the school to prospective parents and boys - and the world. Modern approaches to communication should not be the exclusive right of the corporate sector, and our Interactive School Prospectus has gone along way to bridging that gap.

Roy Page commented, "we are immensely proud that this has been achieved through an old boy’s vision and his forward looking company. Simon Noakes has done us proud."

"Every school needs an Interactive School Prospectus if they are to communicate with parents and pupils in the 21st Century – it is essential" continued Page.

Simon Noakes adds, "We continue to have lots of interest from many state and independent schools in the UK and abroad, but we took the decision early on to make examples of the RGS and Harrow as leading schools in their field - both state and independent. The RGS Interactive School Prospectus is of course very special to me because i am an Old Boy. It is great being back at the school and seeing how amazing it still is, and then having the tough task of putting the spirit and essence of the RGS into an interactive digital format.I think the team has truly created a pioneering product that has put the RGS and Harrow a long way at the forefront of educational communication."

Interactive Schools are currently finishing off the Harrow School's website - which will based on the TIARC CMS v1.0 interactive features the RGS has.