sifbits

SIF Developer Training events this spring

2010-02-02T23:33:00Z

The date is rapidly approaching for our SIF Developer Boot Camp V, which will be in Sandy, UT, Feb 16-18. This one is nearly full, but there is still room if you would like to join us. Please see registration details here: http://sifzone.com/content/SIFBootCampV.aspx We are also planning to deliver SIF developer training in the UK on April 27th and 28th in Leicester. Please see the landing page for this event here: http://sifzone.com/content/SIFBootCampVI.aspx We look forward to delivering more training...(read more)

Set aside these dates for SIF Developer Boot Camps

2009-12-23T12:34:00Z

We are pleased to announce dates for the next two SIF Developer Boot camps. SIF Boot Camp V will be held in Sandy UT, Feb 16-18. We will also be holding a boot camp in Leicester UK, the last week of April. Please hold those dates. More information will be available soon....(read more)

Kick your career in gear

2009-12-20T04:24:00Z

Due to rapid growth, Edustructures is hiring lots of new faces. We are looking for exceptional people who are looking for a company where excellence is the expectation, not the exception. We are looking for data analysts, software engineers, technical support, QA, tech writers, project managers, product managers, and more. If you have experience with SIF, it's considered a plus. http://www.edustructures.com/com/careers.html...(read more)

New Video from the SIF Association

2009-12-04T04:54:00Z

Here is a new video from the SIF Association...(read more)

Student record exchange... In the news

2009-08-19T20:53:00Z

Installation of a new SIF-based student record exchange project (Iowa) in the news... http://www.amestrib.com/articles/2009/08/19/ames_tribune/news/doc4a8c28ffe9b18952980250.txt...(read more)

SIF 3.0?!

2009-08-12T04:50:00Z

Well, we've been working on it for almost two years now, and this is the first time I've actually seen it in print. The release code-named Columbus has now been exposed as SIF 3.0. excerpt: "True interoperability is best accomplished when applications can be purchased and put into service in an integrated model, without significant customization or modification. We should continue to make it as easy as possible for applications to interface with SIF. Support of a web service transport...(read more)

Avatars can explain SIF

2009-07-13T04:14:00Z

If you can't describe it yourself, let Voki do it for you......(read more)

Pearson adds Google Maps support to PowerSchool and Chancery SMS

2009-06-26T02:34:00Z

Interesting news from the SIS front. Interoperability between an SIS and Google Maps using the Google Maps API... http://www.pearsoned.com/pr_2009/062409.htm...(read more)

SIF Connectathon, May 26th, 2009 12PM - 3PM MST

2009-05-13T14:28:00Z

"Connectathon" is SIF lingo for live connection tests between SIF Agent developers. This month's tests will be held on Tuesday, May 26th from 12PM to 3PM MST. We'll set up some zones and chatrooms, and connect any SIF agents we have available. At the end we will also have a Q&A session with some of Edustructures SIF agent developers. The theme for this third connectathon of the year will be staff data. The PowerSchool 2.2 SIF agent, which is in beta, will be featured in this...(read more)

Nice overview of SIF and Edustructures

2009-04-21T00:57:00Z

http://www.edustructures.com/flash/...(read more)

Careers available at Edustructures

2009-04-21T00:20:00Z

SIF Connectathon, April 28th, 2009 12PM - 3PM MST

2009-04-20T22:35:00Z

"Connectathon" is SIF lingo for live connection tests between SIF Agent developers. This month's tests will be held on Tuesday, August 28th from 12PM to 3PM MST. We'll set up some zones and chatrooms, and connect any SIF agents we have available. At the end we will also have a Q&A session with some of Edustructures SIF agent developers. The theme for this second connectathon will be SIF Zone Services. If you would like to try your hand at testing SIF Zone Services, either as...(read more)

SIF Developer's Camp, Day 1

2009-04-09T03:24:00Z

We made some really amazing progress today in our first day of the SIF Developer camp in Austin. By the way, thanks to ESP for hosting this event. Your facilities are awesome! We held a Tech Board meeting, where we discussed 2.4, SIF Zone Services, and a few other issues. We prioritized, once again, the list of projects we are working on for the "Columbus" project and came up with a very good shortlist of critical projects. We made a lot of progress on brainstorming solutions for end of...(read more)

SIFZone Connectathon II postmortem

2009-02-26T03:09:00Z

The SIF Connectathon event happened this week on Tuesday. We had good participation with 16 zones, 13 participants, 10 SIF Agents and 2 Zone Integration servers. We did have a few glitches. One of the issues was that of our choice of an open chatroom from meebo for the event. The chatroom was sitting empty for about 4 days, but the minute the connectathon started, we were joined by all kinds of interesting visitors, most of which were interested in things other than SIF. It was interesting mixing...(read more)

Space is limited. Register now for SIF Developer Boot Camp IV

2009-02-25T15:27:00Z

We're excited about this developer training camp. The space we have reserved for the training looks great, and the list of attendees is growing fast. If you would like to be part of this event, there is still time to register. To register, please fill out this form and fax to 801-858-0525. SIF Developer Boot Camp IV Registration Additional Information Hotels and Location Information Boot Camp IV (PDF) Boot Camp IV Schedule (PDF) SIF Boot Camp IV Overview...(read more)

What could you do with an extra $18 per student?

2009-02-24T15:19:00Z

Alvarado Independent School District was featured in the March 2009 edition of District Administration magazine, which covered the savings the school district has been recognizing with SIF integration. In fact, the savings were so recognizable and substantial that the district was able to divert funds that normally would have been allocated to IT tasks to buying technology for the classroom. Article Excerpt: The true savings, which is estimated at more than $50,000 over the past three years, as stated...(read more)

Reminder: SIFZone Connectathon II is just around the corner

2009-02-20T20:24:00Z

On Monday, I'll open the zones and the connectathon hangout page so you can get connected. The actual connectathon is on Tuesday from noon to 3 mountain time. We've got a good crowd signed up already. If anyone else would like to join, let me know here ....(read more)

Live SIF Developer Connectathon, February 24th, 2009, 12PM to 3PM MST

2009-02-14T17:18:00Z

February 24th, 2009, 12PM to 3PM MST "Connectathon" is SIF lingo for live connection tests between SIF Agent developers. This month, I'm happy to announce that Edustructures will begin hosting a monthly connectathon for SIF developers. It will be held the last Tuesday of every month, schedule permitting, from 12PM to 3PM MST. We'll set up some zones and chatrooms, and connect any SIF agents we have available. The theme for this first connectathon will be basic student demographics...(read more)

SIF Developer Boot Camp IV

2009-02-05T23:34:00Z

SIF Developer Boot Camp IV We are pleased to announce the 4th SIF Developer Boot Camp, which will be held March 24th-26th in Sandy, UT. This is a three-day intense and hands-on training seminar on SIF Agent development. It gives developers the opportunity to learn about SIF and Edustructures SIF development tools. You also have the opportunity to work on your agent with other ADK developers, including some from Edustructures. For more information, please go to the overview page for SIF Developer...(read more)

Episode 1: What is Interoperability?

2009-02-05T03:19:00Z

From SIF Developer Boot Camp II, March 2008 What is Interoperability? In order to be a great SIF developer who develops world-class SIF Agents, it is important to understand what interoperability really is and what it is not....(read more)

The monthly BUZZ from the SIF Zone, February 2009

2009-02-01T03:56:00Z

Here is a quick list of some of the recent changes that have been going on at the SIFZone in the last month. New Content I added a new WIKI called " SIFLab ". This WIKI is meant to be used as a notepad for SIF Developers. It's a good place to post little snippets of best practices. There's even a wiki section called "SIF Wishlist" where you can post the changes or additions you would like to see in SIF My good friend Alex Jackl has joined the SIFZone blogroll. Alex is...(read more)

Is SOA Dead?

2009-01-06T14:20:00Z

SOA is Dead! So says Ann Thomas Mane s, Research Director, Burton Group. Ann was named one of NetworkWorld's "50 Most Powerful People in Networking," in 2002 and one of Enterprise Systems Journal 's "Power 100 IT Leaders. Excerpt: OA met its demise on January 1, 2009, when it was wiped out by the catastrophic impact of the economic recession. SOA is survived by its offspring: mashups, BPM, SaaS, Cloud Computing, and all other architectural approaches that depend on “services”...(read more)

SIF Highlighted on Pearson Schools website.

2008-12-30T22:23:00Z

Pearson schools has added a new section to their website, devoted to SIF. Also included is a link to a webinar in which a customer from Plainedge New York talks about sucesses with SIF on Long Island. Read More: http://www.pearsonschoolsystems.com/products/sif/...(read more)

Wordle is cool

2008-07-31T01:17:00Z

Here's a sample Wordle of the SIFBits blog:...(read more)

SIF Developers Boot Camp

2008-03-04T05:16:00Z

I couldn't resist a post on the SIF Developers Boot Camp last week. It was a great time. We had about 30 SIF developers from 3 countries gathered in one room, talking code and talking SIF. I think overall it went pretty well. The comments received so far are very encouraging: "The understanding of the purpose of SIF and how ZIS and agents communicate were most valuable" "The design of the instruction to address 1) SIF, 2) ADK, and 3) Integration and Development was a good approach to connecting all...(read more)