Whether school starts online or in person, the reality is that schools use a variety of online tools in the education process. This collection of tools can get messy. Students, staff, and families can easily find themselves in a situation where they’re continually looking for the right resource at the right time.
Fortunately, Abre makes this easy.
Abre Shortcuts
Abre shortcuts are links to external websites. They live in two places:
- The Shortcut Panel Available from ANY page within Abre.
- The Shortcut Widget – Available from the Abre Home Screen and customizable by users to display their top 6 most used shortcuts
Shortcuts are easily tailored to your stakeholder needs. This means schools control what different stakeholders see. Parents and an elementary school might use one set of Shortcuts, while high school students might use a different set of Shortcuts. No more sifting through a list of tools that are not relevant.
All users can add their personal Shortcuts. For example, if I’m a student who enjoys coding, I might add Github as a personal Shortcut. Making it easier to access for my own needs.
The Back to School Scenario
Let’s say I’m the Director of Technology at my district. How do I use shortcuts to allow easy access to third-party tools for my students, staff, and families returning in the fall?
Step 1: Pre-Plan
Identify the websites used by the various user groups within the schools. It is easiest to start with those tools that are district initiatives. For example, if your elementary buildings are using SeeSaw and Flipgrid you will want to add those tools for your elementary buildings. For parents, you may want to add your district fee payment link
| Name of Online Tool | Login URL | Buildings that will Use | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin City Website | https://example.com | All | Students, Parents, Staff, Partners |
| Google Drive | https://drive.google.com | Secondary | Students, Staff |
| Flipgrid | https://flipgrid.com | Primary, Secondary | Students, Staff |
Step 2: Add (or Update) Shortcuts
Adding shortcuts is simple. Especially with preplanning.
A Fun Use Case
You can add shortcuts for anything. You can adapt them to fit any need.
For example, many schools created a dedicated website to address the complexities of Covid-19. Using Google Sites, WordPress, or some other website builder, they built an informationally rich site to help students and families navigate a coronavirus world.
This makes a great shortcut link!
Here’s an example of Mason City Schools using a dedicated website for Covid-19 Resources and creating a short cut for their families.