The JA Technology Toolkit
The JA toolkit is a collection of software tools that do not require anything except for a computer with access to the Internet. If anything needs to be downloaded and installed, or if there is a MAC vs PC issue, it is not considered. This minimizes the need for any capital or management investment and gives you obsolescence insurance going forward. It also lets you take advantage of new, better and cheaper digital delviery devices as they become available. When the $100 laptop is finally available, your organization will be ready to take advantage of it.
In addition to the ever increasing free functionality of Google, Josefowicz Associates is presently using PB Wiki , Basecamp and SurveyMonkey
PBwiki has collaborated with JA to develop Wiki2Web. This is an online tool that combines the publishing power of a website with the ease of updating and managing of a wiki. The website you are now reading is an example of a Wiki2Website. Although it has not yet been publicly released, the cost of a wiki2website is projected to be $99.50 per month. Using this tool combined with the appropriate design skill and production skill (you need a basic knowledge of CSS), lets us install a completely customized website for your organization in a matter of days and weeks, not weeks and months. Once installed, the learning curve is so short, and the accessibility so easy, your own staff will be able to easily keep it updated.
If you can do with the formatting of a wiki, instead of a website there is a free version that you can start with now.
Current pricing on other PBWiki service levels
Basecamp provides the platform for an on line project managment tool. With the addition of the practices we've developed over the last two years, it can be a very efficient way to manage complicated projects with clear deadlines, budgets, and many stakeholders. We used it to manage over 100 projects. We are happy to share what has worked for us with you. The tool is free to use when JA is engaged. It is available at different price points, including free, once the engagement is complete. Current pricing.
SurveyMonkey is an online survey tool. It allows us to build email networks of students, staff and outside resources in a fraction of the time previously available. With the ability to create and implement a survey in less than an hour we can respond in real time to real world needs.
Paper forms can be transferred to online data formats, with results automatically sorted and stored. There is no charge for this software when JA is engaged. It is available at different price points, including free, once the engagement is complete. Current pricing.
