netTrekker has a New Home!

Written by: Danielle Abernethy
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Our office buzzed with excitement yesterday as everyone began their first day in the new netTrekker headquarters. The space offers new possibilities to improve the way we think, operate, and live out our company motto of “doing something good for kids!” As we expanded and outgrew our last building, our teams were split between two neighboring offices. This new space allows us to come together again for a more collaborative and customer focused environment.

Randy Wilheim is the CEO of netTrekker and the true heart of the company. He’s a visionary and knows how to make those visions reality. He envisioned a “home” where the team could work together, all in the same office, so ideas could take root and grow. He wanted a place where the meeting rooms were of abundance so each team could meet to accomplish goals. He visualized a place where ideas could flow and he thought back to where things flow in his own house, so he included a beautiful kitchen with plenty of space to work, laugh, relax and be energized. And since the kitchen is the heart of the home, he wrapped his employees, the netTrekker family, in a heart. If you look up at the front of the office, there is a blue piece of art that is the shape of a half of a heart that winds through the office space.

When the offsite team was up there in July, Randy gave us a tour of a new building and space, and I can promise you that it is every bit of Randy’s vision and more. And for those of you who have visited the offices before, you remember how on the wall was our mantra, “Go do something good for the kids.” it’s still there, reminding each netTrekker employee of our ultimate goal and the reason we are blessed to walk through the doors of netTrekker each day (or work from home for them).

As the new school year starts, I encourage you to find the heart of your classroom and a way to wrap your students in that heart.  Use it as a subtle way to remind you and your students each day of their mantra–their purpose. Maybe start the first day off deciding what that mantra is. And remember to build in time to laugh, work in a relaxed cooperative group setting, and to do something good. It will not only do your brain good and increase productivity, but will do your heart good too.

Check out these pictures of us kicking off the future of netTrekker with our new home!

Jama Wade, THINKronite of the Year.

Jama Wade, THINKronite of the Year.

Mimi Jett, General Manager, and Mike Logan, Manager of IT/IS

Mimi Jett, General Manager, and Mike Logan, Manager of IT/IS

Thomas Bain and Mike Casagrande, Account Managers

Thomas Bain and Mike Casagrande, Account Managers

Katrina Smith, Office Administrator

Katrina Smith, Office Administrator

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Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 Celebrate, Did You Know? No Comments

Did You Know…

Written by: Danielle Abernethy
Friday, July 24th, 2009

…Our netTrekker product, school.nettrekker.com, is undergoing scheduled maintenance and upgrades and will be unavailable from 9:00 PM Eastern Time on 07/31/2009 to 9:00 PM Eastern Time on 08/01/2009. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

…Effective August 1st, the process to register a NEW netTrekker username and password will change.

  • Users will be required to enter a Registration Key unique to each school during the registration process to make it simpler to connect to his or her specific school. No more searching for the correct school from a long drop down list; the Registration Key will automatically associate the user with the proper school, and will add extra access security to your subscription.
  • Current usernames and passwords will continue to work, and this change will not affect users who access netTrekker via IP authentication (unless they want to register for an individual account) or portal authentication.
  • Each unique Registration Key is generated by the netTrekker Administrator.
  • Click here to view a video tutorial on how to register a new user with a Registration Key.
  • Feel free to contact Customer Relationship Management at 877-517-1125 or your netTrekker Administrator with questions.



…After August 1st, netTrekker Administrators will need to login to the netTrekker Admin Account and generate a Registration Key for each subscribing school, and communicate the Registration Key to new users.

  • Click here to view a video tutorial for netTrekker Administrators on how to generate the Registration Key for each school. On August 1st, the Admin tutorial will also be available within Admin Tools.
  • The Registration Keys are valid for 1 year and can be reactivated, or new Registration Keys can be generated.
  • The instructions to share the Registration Key with your staff and students are provided when the Registration Key is generated.
  • Please contact me, Customer Relationship Management at 877-517-1125, or Contact Us with any questions.


…You’ll notice a few other updates that will enhance the user experience.

  • A new look to the User Management table in Admin Tools will provide for easier administration of usernames.
  • Advanced Search feature will incorporate the Refinement Menu items for ease in locating resources with multiple criteria.
  • The All Learners, English Learners, or 21st Century Skills channel will remain selected as the user moves through Elementary, Middle, and High tabs.
  • Changes to Home Page options within Preferences will enable more intuitive selections. Click here to view a video tutorial on Preferences.
  • Search History will be removed from My Tools. My Portfolio enables a more robust and dynamic search history. Stay tuned to the blog for additional information near the end of August.
  • Current Events button from the subject drill-down will be removed due to the limited use in this manner. Users can easily access Current Events resources from the homepage.
  • Help section will open in a new window, enabling the user to remain in the same area when Help was accessed.


…We’re really excited to share a sneak preview of the new netTrekker logo!

  • It’s time for fresh branding and an updated look. The current netTrekker logo is 10 years old. Couldn’t we all use a makeover every 10 years!
  • Our new logo conveys how netTrekker has evolved over the past 10 years – we’ve transformed from a mere “educational search engine” into a robust student-centered technology tool that supports differentiated instruction and engages students in learning.
  • The arrow represents netTrekker’s strength in filtering down the masses of information to get to only the poignant, relevant information you need, right now – for every individual student’s unique learning needs.
  • The new logo will be unveiled inside netTrekker at the beginning of August and gradually, over time replacing the old logo everywhere. In the meantime, get a sneak preview in netTrekker by viewing the Registration Tutorial.
  • Tell us what you think of the new logo by clicking here to send us an email.

As always, we welcome your input. If you’d like to provide feedback, please do so by using the Contact Us from within netTrekker or contact your CRM rep.

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Friday, July 24th, 2009 Did You Know? No Comments
 

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