In this section you'll find materials and presentations from all sessions relating to IT staff and consultants.
We've gathered presentations and handouts from every session at the NTC, and also have videocasts of the most popular sessions. Browse through the list of sessions below and click on the ones you're interested in for more information and materials.
Come and hear case studies of using open source software. We'll have some individuals from nonprofits and from technology providers talk about their experiences using open source software. You'll hear about why they chose the software project they did, how they implemented it, what pitfalls they might have run into, and what the final results were.
Not a technical workshop, this technology neutral session is designed for Executive Directors, Managers and other organizational decision makers. It will be of most value to organizations who view their IT system(s) as a mission critical strategic asset. During this workshop, we will explore the design hallmarks of a “resources centralized” vs. the prevalent “resources distributed” IT network. We will discuss the advantages of this type of design with respect to increased operational efficiency, increased network uptime, staff and management collaborative tools, reduction of operating costs and other factors. We will also deliberate the things to consider in determining whether your organization could benefit from full or partial implementation of the centralized network model and the managed services that this architecture enables.
Open source content management systems (CMS) are particularly attractive to the nonprofit community because of their cost-efficiency, but what do these systems actually do? And what are the differences between the most common CMSs? We’ll compare Joomla, Drupal, and Plone for typical nonprofit needs, and then experts in each of the systems - Ryan Ozimek, David Geilhufe, and Patrick Shaw – will demo the systems and answer your questions.
There has been a groundswell in the nonprofit sector around the issue of data integration. We all want each of our applications to be able to share data easily and seamlessly. Open Application Programming Interfaces certainly make this goal more possible. But what exactly is an API? And what makes it open or closed? Finally, what can nonprofits do with APIs to increase their data integration? This session will define all the buzzwords and help you make sense of the power of APIs for your organization.
You can't talk about disaster preparedness too loudly or too often. This session will refresh your memory about the disaster preparedness steps you should make today to avoid problems tomorrow. We'll provide a checklist of the hardware, software and data protection pratices you should implement. We'll also save some time to talk about how you get staff to buy into the disaster preparedness policies.
Open Source content management systems are taking the nonprofit sector by storm, but there's much work to do. Gather together with other folks doing work on Joomla, Drupal/Civicspace and Plone, and talk about new tools, new ways to integrate data, and bang out some new code. We'll gather first to talk briefly about overarching issues and problem solving using open source CMS, then break into specific groups using individual frameworks for the real fun. Join in if you've rolled up your sleeves with any of these frameworks, or are just interested in learning more.
With organizations finding unique uses for the Salesforce.com CRM system, it’s time our sector has its own brainstorm and code sprint to build new modules for non-profits. Prior to the start of this session, you can submit mashup ideas at the registration desk. We'll pick up to 10, and make them happen at this session. Bring your laptop, your collaborative spirit, and your geek factor. We'll provide the Red Bull and snack food. At the end of the session, groups will report on their work and share lessons learned.
With new mashups popping up every day, it’s time our sector has its own mashup brainstorm and code sprint to build new mashups for non-profits. Prior to the start of this session, you can submit mashup ideas at the registration desk. We'll pick up to 10, and make them happen at this session. Bring your laptop, your collaborative spirit, and your geek factor. We'll provide the Red Bull and snack food. At the end of the session, groups will report on their work and share lessons learned.
Want to capture your organization's story on video and share it with the world on the Internet? You will have an opportunity to learn the secrets of video blogging from leaders of the video blogging community. During the morning session, video blogging experts Jay Dedman, Ryanne Hodson, Andy Carvin, and Jonny Goldstein will share their knowledge and techniques for video making, editing, and distributing online that anyone can easily learn to get started. The afternoon session will be structured as a drop-in clinic (you can stay for as long as you want) where you will have the opportunity to get shoulder-to-shoulder coaching from these expert video bloggers and trainers. You will walk away with actually creating, editing, and uploading a brief video that will be showcased on the NTEN site along with other user-generated content from the NTC Conference. You also discover how easy it is to create good video content for the web. Bring your laptop, your video or digital camera, your collaborative spirit, and your geek factor. We'll provide the Red Bull and snack food. More resources are here:http://ntcvideogeekout.pbwiki.com
Remote desktop and server support was more dream than reality for many years. Now however, better connectivity and new tools have made it possible and affordable. This session will outline some models used in the field for delivering support and maintenance, as well as the tools used. We’ll have live demos (always fun), with plenty of time for Q & A.
Whether you are an accidental techie at a nonprofit or an IT person looking to work with nonprofits, developing a long-term, sustainable working relationship with the nonprofit sector can be difficult. In this session, we will identify the common obstacles facing IT workers in the nonprofit sector, strategies for addressing these obstacles, and resources for the future.
“Microformats” are a major piece of what people are calling “the semantic web” – ways to signify the meaning of text on a web page the same way visual information is indicated – by means of xhtml tags. Designed to be readable first and foremost by humans, and only secondarily by software, microformats provide a way to make visually-displayed information immediately useable to other applications. This session will explore how this is done, and how some current applications are making use of the technology. Finally, we’ll push the state of the art by brainstorming how semantic markup can transform data sharing on the web for non-profit organization.
Those of us that provide technology support for nonprofits get asked a few questions over and over (and over and over) again. Screencasts are a great new way to answer simple how-to’s and record the answers to those frequently asked questions for posterity. A recording of your voice, the image on your screen, and some additional elements, screencasts are perfect for explaining how-to’s for your applications and other specific, tactical uses. In this session we’ll explore some uses for screencasting, the tools you’ll need to create one, and tips and tricks for making them work.
While many nonprofits are calling for increased access to their data through APIs, the sector is also increasingly concerned about security. This session will bring together several of the important vendors in the sector to discuss the move toward Open APIs in the sector, the concerns, and possibilities. This will be a highly interactive session with audience participation encouraged. If you’re curious about what an API is, we encourage you to attend Data Integration: What is an Open API and what difference can it make?
Many nonprofits view technology as a cost center, a veritable black hole of money. One of the most valuable tools for communicating the value of a proposed technology investment is to articulate to your leadership how your organization will benefit in time saved, increased revenue, etc. This session will review a few of the most-used models for calculating the “Return on Investment” for technology spending and cover strategies for articulating the need and benefit to decision makers in your organization.
Voice Over IP is becoming a more popular telephony option. It's a standard choice for residential and commercial phone systems now. But has it replaced other communications systems? In this session, we'll review the benefits and drawbacks to VOIP for standard telephony, conference calls, and video conferencing.
Small is the new big. And widgets are the new black. In the age of openness, it's suddenly very sexy to build small applications that plug into bigger ones. There are a lot of really fun and innovative widgets out there, and this session will take you on a tour of the best for the nonprofit sector.
In today's Flash-y, widget-y, smaller-is-better world, we may be leaving behind a huge portion of our potential audience. People with special vision, hearing, and physical needs may not be able to use the tools and services you're designing. In this session, we make the case for the importance of accessible technologies from the perspective of a consumer with a disability, a consultant and an advocate.