Centricity Expands Collaborative Tools
Schoolwires has released Centricity², an update to the company's Web platform designed for K-12 institutions. The new version adds a range of collaborative technologies, developer resources, management tools, and integration features.
Centricity is a hosted service that combines Web site management, online community management, and collaboration and communication tools. The service, which also performs the duties of a content management system, lets users create and update multiple Web sites and implement features on those sites such as blogs, communities, and other social content.
The latest version is designed with integration in mind, including open APIs to help developers unify data and third-party applications and to allow for single sign-on access to multiple tools for parents, educators, and administrators. It also includes a new feature called Schoolwires Builder, which is designed to let schools develop their own apps.
On the collaborative front, the new version also adds "snap-on Web 2.0/social media functionality," designed to let districts more easily add Web 2.0 features to their sites. And it supports groups, individualized workspaces, and mobile device access.
Other new features include:
- A new developer community;
- An app store for downloading templates, databases, and other software;
- A new Community Engagement Dashboard for monitoring community activity;
- Threaded community discussions;
- New design and HTML coding tools;
- Calendar sharing;
- Emergency alert support;
- New video tutorials and other help documents; and
- New controls and filters for the integrated search engine.
Centricity² is available now. Further information can be found here.