Intranet

First Light Connect is a completely web-based solution, which is accessible from anywhere you have an Internet connection. Whether you are in the office, working at home, or on the road at a convention, you can stay connected with your colleagues and partners. From the home or the road, you can access and update your important information and have it at your fingertips.

With a web-based product such as First Light Connect, your days of multiple installations to cover all of your staff's workstations are no more. Since the software is hosted on the Web, all any user needs to do is connect through an Internet browser, log in, and they are ready to be connected to Christian educators from around the world. All software updates, changes, and modifications will happen automatically, and new features will seamlessly be integrated.

Each page of First Light Connect includes its own help module, easily accessible with the click of a button. This takes away the worries about finding assistance and asking questions about how to best utilize the product. The power of First Light Connect is that it is user-based and user-friendly-it will greatly serve you as an educator by making you connected with the best practices and ideas that can be found in the world of education.

RESOURCE LIBRARY

The resource library is an outstanding tool for schools on two levels. On a local level, it can help you create a paperless office system whereby staff members can find all of the forms and materials they need online. On a broader level, you as a school will have access to the resources developed by other schools at your disposal. Time is a valuable commodity, and the resource library can help you see what your partners in Christian education are doing and then modify those materials to meet the needs of your particular school.

All resources are organized with categories and subcategories that match your needs. These resources can be uploaded files, links to Web addresses, internal Intranet pages or online fillable forms. A powerful search utility will allow your staff members to find resources immediately. Best of all, they will always be accessing the most up-to-date version of each resource.

ONLINE FORMS WITH APPROVAL ROUTING

Are you looking for a better way to create forms and to be able to capture data digitally? With First Light Connect's I-Form Builder, you will be able to build online forms and surveys in minutes. Then, when your staff members fill out and submit a form, the contents of this form will automatically get emailed to the appropriate supervisor who can either accept or reject the form. If rejected, the form will come back to the submitter; if accepted, the form and data will continue through the approval routing procedure. In addition, all data will be captured in an easy-to-use back end database where your form administrators can analyze the data or download it as an Excel file.

CALENDAR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Calendars are a vital component of any school's communication. With this module, you will be able to add as many calendars as your school needs. You can use this calendar system for internal meetings, workshops, keeping track of personal days and so much more. If desired, you will be able to set up calendars for public events as well; in this case, you can easily incorporate these calendars into your public Web site. Many schools are using it for both internal and public calendars.

One added feature is the weekly automated email utility. Each Thursday night at midnight, your application will automatically send an email to the "calendar subscribers" which will contain the next 10 days worth of events off the desired calendar(s). The calendar subscriber can sign up for this service from the online calendar and subscribers can be staff members, administration, parents, etc. If you can think of an application, this calendar probably already has it!

ONLINE INSTRUCTIONAL FORUMS

As teachers and administrators, we often feel like we are on an island when it comes to the issues we face on a daily basis. This is ironic when you consider all the educators throughout the country that face the same issues that we do. The online forum was designed to foster collaboration between educational professionals of different school districts.

As a math teacher, you may be looking for an activity to introduce the Pythagorean Theorem. With the online forum, you can post this as a question or search the archives to see if any others have posed a similar question in the past. Administrators can exchange ideas on curriculum standards, budgeting, and best practices. Activity advisors can share insights and materials they have used to serve their students.

Most importantly, this can create some outstanding ways to integrate faith and learning. There are other forums that can be found online, but First Light Connect offers the sharing of information from the Christ-centered perspective that is at the heart of our schools and their missions. Together we can integrate faith and learning to help our students see today's world through God's eyes.