|
APRIL
29 2004
* West Bloomfield: Technology
brings game show flair to learning
Education
just became all fun and games for some students and teachers
at Roosevelt Elementary School. Kristi Law, a teacher at
Roosevelt, recently received some state-of-the-art
technology to help monitor learning in the classroom. She
won the equipment - valued at about $2,500 - last month at a
Macul technology conference. Students use remote controls to
buzz in their answers to questions displayed on a screen.
The system calculates the number of right and wrong answers
without identifying individual students. But because the
remotes are numbered, Law can later determine which students
chose the wrong answer and can give them extra help.
Source: West Bloomfield Eccentric, http://www.hometownlife.net/berkley/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=31006
APRIL
30 2004
* Livingston County: Internet
detective aims at predators
Comprising the Livingston County Sheriff Department's
Computer Crime Unit (CCU), Detective Ed Moore spends his
days investigating all computer-related crimes that are
reported to the sheriff's department. Child exploitation is
a higher priority, he noted, but he also investigates fraud,
identity theft, stalking and other crimes. Another
aspect of his position is computer forensics: Moore takes a
suspect's computer and analyzes the computer's hard drive.
These cases can include child pornography, fraud, homicide
or narcotics.
Source: Daily Press and Argus, http://www.hometownlife.net/berkley/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=31134
MAY
3 2004
* Coldwater: City showcases
in-house GIS system in Lansing
Three years ago,
Coldwater made the commitment to put on its records, maps,
engineering, zoning on an integrated system usable by
everyone. By the end of the year, many of the records will
be available to anyone on the internet.
Source: The Daily Reporter, http://www.thedailyreporter.com/articles/2004/05/03/news/news1.txt
MAY
5 2004
* Macomb Township: Web site vs.
Web site
The official township site - www.macomb-mi.gov
- currently contains only the
township’s general number and address, but is expected to
be “about 70 percent up within 30 days,” Township
Supervisor John Brennan said. The township is also planning
on installing two kiosks in the lobby of the township hall
at 25 Mile and Broughton roads, that will allow residents
and developers to connect to the township’s Web site when
away from a personal computer. While the township’s site
continues to develop, so does a site created by Macomb
Township residents. The site, www.macombtruth.com,
was launched April 7, and features
several pages, with information on issues including roads,
utilities and public safety. Source: Macomb Chronicle, http://www.candgnews.com/editorial/2004/may/5/macombchronicle/website.html,
Related story in The Macomb Daily, http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11615571&BRD=988&PAG=461&dept_id=141265&rfi=8
*
Troy: City Web site offers campaign finance info
Soon,
information about how much Troy City Council and mayoral
candidates spent on their election campaigns will be
available to Internet users. Troy City Clerk Tonni
Bartholomew said the new site — accessed from the city’s
Web site at ci.troy.mi.us —
should be up and running within a week or two. “We
are starting to accumulate the information,” Bartholomew
said, adding that the city will pay 25 cents per page for
copies of financial campaign records filed with Oakland
County. Costs to gather the information will be paid for
with budgeted city funds.
Source:
Troy Times, http://www.candgnews.com/editorial/2004/may/5/troytimes/campaign%20web.html
*
Monroe County: County services available online
Monroe
County residents today can spare a trip to the county seat
for vital records, lists of registered voters and to
register 'Doing Business As' (DBA) certificates. The
services are available online through the county's Web site
and represent the tip of the iceberg as far as planned
online services go.
Source:
Monroe Evening News, http://www.monroenews.com/articles/2004/05/05/news/news05.txt
*
Resort Township: Resort Twp. to start long-term
planning process
Trustee
Bob Nicol provided the Board with an update on development
of a township Web site, which is now accessible in a
preliminary form at www.resorttownship.org.
Township officials and staff have been
working with Land Information Access of Traverse City to
develop a Web presence. Nicol said he hopes the site
ultimately can include a schedule of township meetings and
events, information about township officials and services,
meeting minutes, township ordinances and more.
Source:
Petoskey News-Review, http://www.petoskeynews.com/articles/2004/05/05/news/local_regional/news01.txt
MAY
6 2004
* Chelsea: Revamped city Web
site to launch May 10
Chelsea
City Clerk Terri Burtch last week said the Web site, www.chelsea.mi.us,
would feature a new look with news
updates, and eventually would contain lists of city
employees, as well as more comprehensive tools such as
zoning ordinances, tax and assessing information, news, and
public service announcements. At no cost to the city,
Chelsea is using the services of a Washtenaw County Web team
to revamp the site, Washtenaw County Knowledge Manager Andy
Brush said Monday. Chelsea’s new Web site will be hosted
by Washtenaw County, which provides a standardized look for
Web sites for other townships and villages within the
county.
Source:
The Chelsea Standard/The Dexter Leader, http://www.chelseastandard.com/news/20040506C02ISPR.asp?ID=177
*
Ferndale: New technology helps
police, courts
Arraignments are a daily occurrence at the 43rd District
Court in Ferndale. It's the first stop through the criminal
justice system for offenders arrested by police. Typically,
defendants are transported across Nine Mile to the court or
a magistrate visits them in the jail for their arraignments.
But for the past two weeks, defendants have been arraigned
from the relative comfort of their jail cell using computer
technology. Oak Net, developed by the Oakland County
Information Technology Department, allows the court to
perform video arraignments without having to transport
defendants to court and will eventually connect all of the
county's police agencies, courts and the county prosecutor's
offices using 600 miles of fiber optic cable.
Source: Ferndale-Pleasant Ridge Mirror,
http://www.hometownlife.net/berkley/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=32084
*
Garden City:
City has new address on the Web
Garden City has a new address - www.gardencitymi.org.
The official city Web site went live
at 7 a.m. Monday, May 3, featuring pages from each city
department. Each department page includes icons for
Frequently Asked Questions, but otherwise content may vary
depending on the individual needs. The Web site includes
downloadable forms where appropriate and some appointment
scheduling. One of the reasons for the Web site development
becoming a priority was the interactive aspect that could
alleviate and streamline some of the tasks handled by city
staff.
Source:
Garden City Observer, http://www.hometownlife.net/berkley/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=32220
*
Sterling Heights: Rec center for Sterling Heights
comes down to online survey
Sterling Heights Councilman Richard Bracci's dream
of having a modern recreation center for residents suffered
a serious setback last week. City Council listened to a
presentation on the parks and recreation project several
weeks ago, and then rejected a motion last week to put the
issue on the ballot. Instead, residents will be able
to voice their opinion on the Internet indicating whether
they support construction of the proposed recreation and
aquatics center along with major improvement to three city
parks. Residents who have access to a computer can vote
through an online survey by the Sterling Heights Community
Relations Department.
Source: Macomb Daily, http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11452735&BRD=988&PAG=461&dept_id=141265&rfi=8
MAY
8 2004
* Benton Harbor: District may
add $250,000 tutorial
If
the Board of Education approves, students in the Benton
Harbor Area Schools will be using a Web-based interactive
learning program from CompassLearning. The $250,000 program
uses visual, oral and written reinforcement to help students
in reading, math, science and social studies. More than 90
percent of the funding would come from federal Title I
money. The remaining 10 percent of the money for the program
would come from the 21st Century grant awarded to the
district to support technology programs. The district would
partner with The Boys and Girls Club, Citizens for
Progressive Change and the Council for World-Class
Communities.
Source:
The Herald-Pelladium, http://www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2004/05/08/news/news1.txt
MAY
9 2004
* St. Clair County: County gets
computer system to manage emergencies
St. Clair County is the first county in the state with new
emergency management computer software that enables state,
county and local officials to easily share information
during an emergency. The computer program allows for
real-time sharing of data from damage assessments to the
number of people and equipment available and where they're
assigned, said Jeffrey Friedland, the county's emergency
management coordinator. Personnel
on scene will be able to use hand-held and laptop computers
to send information back to the operations center. That
information will be used by officials to direct the response
to an emergency.
Source:
The Times Herald, http://www.thetimesherald.com/news/stories/20040509/localnews/384481.html
* Monroe
County: Tech funds and budget cuts
Since voters approved a five-year technology millage and
then supported a renewal, a total of more than $30.5 million
has been collected over the past seven years. One of
the biggest projects associated with technology has been the
installation of fiber optic network. Another major
advancement has been the use of distance learning, where
students learn via monitors from teachers who could be a
world away. Carl Hoffman, Monroe's technical information
coordinator, said students tap into electronic online
sources daily for research and study.
Source: Monroe Evening News, http://www.monroenews.com/articles/2004/05/10/news/news04.txt
|
