2012 University of Scouting Course CED 148 Top Ten Ways to Use the Internet in Scouting

About This Course

50 minute session

Attend this class to find out the top ten ways to use the internet to
help you manage, communicate with, and promote your Unit. Email distribution lists, online calendars, unit websites, social networks, Merit badge resources, advancement tracking, geocaching and other online tools will be covered to bring you up to speed and help you use technology to make your Scouting jobs easier.

My goal is to demonstrate how the internet can be used for

promotion communication program enhancement information archiving (repository) and sharing/collaboration interaction (surveys, etc.)

Scouting Program Sites

BSA - http://www.scouting.org/ MeritBadge.org - http://meritbadge.org/ Guide to Safe Scouting - http://scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/toc.aspx Baltimore Area Council - http://www.baltimorebsa.org District sites

Arrowhead - http://www.bacarrowhead.org/ Carroll - http://www.bsacarroll.org/ Chesapeake - http://www.chesapeakedistrict.com/ Dulaney - http://www.dulaneybsa.org/ Four Rivers - http://www.crwflags.com/4rd/ Harford - http://www.harfordscouting.org/ Hopkins - http://www.baltimorebsa.org/openrosters/view_homepage.asp?orgkey=994 National Pike - https://www.nationalpike.org/ Reginald F. Lewis http://www.baltimorebsa.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=29988 The Capitol - http://www.thecapitoldistrict.org/ Thurgood Marshall http://www.baltimorebsa.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=30064

Scouting Program Sites

MeritBadge.Org provides resources for Tiger, Wolf, and Bear Cub Scouts, Webelos, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, and Venturers including: Nearly 200 worksheets for Merit Badges, Webelos Activity Badges, and Cub Scout Belt Loops and Pins. Thousands of resource links for nearly 300 ranks, Merit Badges, Scout Awards, and Scouter Awards. 796 main topics and 6,951 pages with 1,596 documents and images. 9,652 volunteers who have made 34,345 updates. MeritBadge.Org is your online Scouting University providing resources for Scouts and leaders http://meritbadge.org

Scouting Program Sites

FAST TRACKS is a series of den meeting plans (two den meetings per month) designed to be used in conjunction with the youth handbooks. By following the prescribed den meeting plans as written, the boys will fulfill the requirements necessary to earn the badge of rank by early spring. http://media.scouting.org/cubscouts/fasttracks became the New Delivery Method http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Leaders/NewDelivery Method.aspx

Advancement Tracking

ScoutTrack - http://www.scouttrack.com
[$45/year] [$44.95/year] [$44.95/year]

ScoutManage http://www.scoutmanage.com

TroopMaster/PackMaster - http://www.troopmaster.com/ eTrailToEagle - https://www.etrailtoeagle.com/

[$19.95/year]

Communicating Tools

Things have changed

Communicating Tools

YouTube is the world's most popular online video community, allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share originallycreated videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators large and small. Users create a profile page with little to no web building knowledge needed. http://www.youtube.com Check out >> http://www.scouting.org/youtube

Communicating Tools

Facebook is the social networking service. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Organizations can set up pages that folks can like or subscribe to http://www.facebook.com Check out >> http://www.scouting.org/facebook

Communicating Tools

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. http://www.twitter.com Check out >> http://www.scouting.org/twitter

Communicating Tools

Get a free phone number (and answering machine) for your unit! Use it to leave event update information. Use it for recruiting voice mail messages are delivered to you as email! http://www.google.com/voice

Communicating Tools

SurveyMonkey enables users to create their own Web-based surveys. Create unit surveys that get emailed to your users. You can later view reports and responses. http://www.surveymonkey.com

Communicating Tools

Yahoo! Groups is a community-driven Internet communication tool, a hybrid between an electronic mailing list and an Internet forum. Group messages can be posted and read by e-mail or on the Group homepage, like a web forum. Members can choose whether to receive individual e-mails or daily digest emails, or to read the posts at the web site. Some Groups are simply announcement lists, to which only the Group moderators can post, while others are discussion lists. As well as providing e-mail relaying and archiving facilities for the many Groups it hosts, the Yahoo! Groups service provides additional facilities for each Group web site, such as a homepage, message archive, polls, calendar announcements, files, photos, database functions, and bookmarks. http://groups.yahoo.com

Communicating Tools

Google Sites is a free and easy way to create and share webpages. Single-click page creation Customizable look and feel Dozens of pre-built templates Settings for accessing and sharing information And it's free! Seamlessly integrates with Google Calendar and Picassa (photo sharing). http://sites.google.com http://calendar.google.com

Web-based Phone Tree

Send Your Message To Everyone In Seconds! DialMyCalls lets anyone tap into the power of sending voice or text message
broadcasts to an entire phone list in seconds. No hardware or equipment to buy - now you can record & send your messages out to 2 or 200,000 phone numbers within minutes. Plans start at $10 for 140 outgoing calls/text messages http://www.dialmycalls.com

Theres also advertiser based Free Phone Tree - http://freephonetree.com/

GEOCACHING

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world

by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment. Scouts love it! http://www.geocaching.com/

Website Tonight!

Get your unit online tonight, for FREE*! All you need is an email address Then register a FREE* site at www.scoutlander.com ScoutLander.com is a free* place to host your Cub Scout Pack, Girl Scout Troop, Boy Scout Troop or Venturing Crew website. As a member, you will have access to tools that will help you create your website, plan and organize events, share photos, and cultivate parents into next generation leaders. *As of late last year they are a voluntary donation run
service

ScoutLander.com Overview

ScoutLander.com is an advanced scout pack / troop / crew management system. Features Manage events through shared calendar Simplify communication with broadcast emails Create memories through photo albums Capture and retain lessons learned with searchable knowledgebase Promote your pack with ScoutLander site hosting
No HTML required

Be online in 10 minutes

Benefits

Higher parent involvement Cultivate new leaders Reduced leader burn out A website that is always up-to-date

Manage events through shared calendar

Publish event details Track RSVP responses to get accurate head counts Record event fee payments Attach maps, forms, and flyers Print attendee roster

Simplify communication with broadcast emails

Send reminders and event updates to members with a click of a button Target recipients by den, patrol, or role (ex: Leaders, Parents) Attach calendar events that link directly to your pack's calendar

Easily create memories through photo albums

Build photo albums Share photos with other parents Search / filter by scout's name Search / filter by parent's name Download zipped albums for video slideshows

Searchable Knowledge Base

Compose or upload how-tos, lessons learned, tips, links, flyers, forms or just about anything you can imagine Categorize and tag articles for easy searching Retain your packs collective wisdom for future generations

Every year your pack will lose 4 - 20 years of experience when your veteran leaders move on to Boy Scouts.

Promote your unit with ScoutLander

Host your site for free Create and customize content to attract new members Publish your site in the ScoutLander Directory to make it easier to find

Summary

Totally Free*

Safe and Secure

Up and running in 10 minutes No HTML programming required

Thank You