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USER GUIDE FOR WEBSITE MANAGERS (DRAFT)
CHAPTER 1: What is the ATA Portal?
Overview
The ATA Portal is a collection of websites hosted by the Alberta Teachers’
Association (ATA). Each website in the portal represents one of the ATA’s
subgroups—ATA locals, teachers’ convention associations, or specialist councils.
The provincial ATA also maintains a website in the portal. Each website in the
portal follows a similar design and navigation, a feature that emphasizes that all
subgroups are part of a single professional association.
The subgroup websites have both public and members-only areas. In a typical
scenario, an Alberta teacher visits an ATA website and logs in as a member. The
portal responds to the profile of the teacher by displaying links for all of the
subgroups to which he or she belongs. For example, the portal may present the
person with access to the websites of the Calgary Public Local, the Calgary
Convention Association, the English Language Arts Council and the Early
Childhood Education Council. In addition to featuring public information, the
subgroup websites will eventually contain pages that are for members only.
The portal will integrate information for users across websites by employing the
following services, known as “common portal functions”:
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A news headlines feature that will draw headlines from all of the subgroups
to which a member belongs, including the provincial organization, and display
them in one place.
A search function that will locate information contained in one subgroup
website or, at the user’s request, in some or all of the other subgroup websites.
A calendar of events that will display events from all of the member’s
subgroups.
To make the portal possible, all subgroup websites will be consolidated into a
hosted technical environment located at Barnett House. Each subgroup will
continue to manage the content of its own website, but the ATA will handle the
more complex aspects, such as security and authentication. Subgroup web
managers will enter content into pre-defined templates using simple webauthoring tools provided by the ATA. Instructions for using these tools are
presented in Chapters 3 and 4.
-1© 2005 The Alberta Teachers’ Association