Stallings Island Red Hawks fly high with Ipswitch Instant Messaging
Company: Stallings Island Middle School
Website: www.ccboe.net/sims/
Industry: Education
Business challenge: Stallings Middle School wanted to enable their entire school staff with real-time response, particularly for emergency situations.
Outcome: Ipswitch Instant Messaging offered a unique combination of features and security while ensuring the confidentiality and security of its information and processes.
Donald Putman could not be more excited about the Stallings Island Middle School in Columbia County, GA. The halls of Stallings Island Middle School are now buzzing with some 554 Red Hawk students, 33 teachers and 28 supporting staff positions since it opened its doors for the 2008 school year. As principal of the school system's brand new and eighth middle school, Putnam says he is thrilled about having the opportunity to put together a school.
New School, New Technology
"We've certainly had to prioritize what we wanted to open the building with," says Putnam, also the former principal of Columbia County's Riverside Middle School. One item at the top of Mr. Putnam's wish list however, was Ipswitch Instant Messaging. Ipswitch Instant Messaging (IIM) is collaboration technology that allows co-workers to use their computer to communicate with each other singly or in groups.
Putnam said that he was first introduced to Ipswitch Instant Messaging by Karen Hale, technology support specialist, while serving as principal at Riverside Middle School. Initially attracted to it for its immediacy, he says his team brainstormed all the different ways they could benefit from Ipswitch Instant Messaging. "It became a way of life at Riverside Middle School. When I came to Stallings Island Middle School, I could not imagine setting up this school without it. It was one of those first things that I purchased."
Mr. Putnam said the biggest attraction was that it was instant and IM could be used to disseminate critical information to classrooms and increase the level of security throughout the school. All teachers in the building have a work station computer and all staff and faculty do have email. With Stallings Island Middle School being Columbia County's first two story school, Ipswitch Instant Messaging is ideal for keeping the entire school staff connected. In an event such as a lockdown, a designated staff member retreats to a secure area where they manage IM and offer real-time emergency response. Putnam says during such a time, teachers follow a strict protocol that includes notifying faculty and staff of missing students or additional students they may have pulled from hallways during an emergency incident.
The Value of Ipswitch for Stallings Island
With Ipswitch Instant Messaging, Putnam can offer real time support to his staff from his own PC without having to take the time to go from classroom to classroom to troubleshoot problems. Ipswitch Instant Messaging also provides means to selectively notify teachers and staff of impending meetings and other important notices instantaneously without intervening in the learning process.
Unlike free instant messaging services which rely on public servers outside the control of the school that expose the organization to security and confidentiality risks, Ipswitch Instant Messaging offers a unique combination of features and built-in security that enables an organization to widely deploy IM while ensuring the confidentiality and security of its information and processes. Ipswitch Instant Messaging offers advanced capabilities in a simple, well-designed, IM-specific architecture without unnecessary complexity and overhead.
Putnam says of the many collaborative functions that Ipswitch Instant Messaging provides him and his staff, they particularly benefit from conversation recall. At any time, previous conversations can be retrieved and subsequently printed. "We IM teachers when parents pick up students and we have learned the worth of having a written record when needed."
By recognizing the importance of effective communication, Putnam has provided his staff with a valuable, secure collaborative tool that improves communication throughout the entire school, not to mention peace of mind for students and parents in knowing the importance of immediate response in an emergency situation. "We love it," says Putman. "It's become a way of life."