* Edited to add additional technical responses at the end
Chapter Leaders,
Thank you so much for your questions and attending the MYCLS on Feb. 8. We've gathered the questions from RingCentral that we were not able to answer during the presentation and replied to all of those questions here. If you have another question that has not been answered, please either comment on this post or attend one of the Higher Logic Office Hours over the next few weeks so we can get your questions answered!
Higher Logic/Websites:
How do we populate blog posts?
CSTA staff will share a training video on creating the blog posts to share with you in the coming weeks.
How do we create events?
CSTA staff will be sharing an event guide and training video with you in the coming weeks about creating and managing your events.
Is there a carousel block for pics?
Yes, there is a carousel widget. You can search for it in the widget section and drag it onto your page.
Can certain pages on the website be exclusively for members only? If so, how do you designate that?
You can designate this in the page properties on the right side of the page. Scroll down to where it says "View Permissions" and change that from "Everyone" to "Logged in" and hit save and publish. Be sure to test this in an incognito window to make sure this works as you intended it do.
Can you schedule announcements for future dates so they'll pre-populate?
Unfortunately, you are not able to schedule out any announcements for future dates at this time.
Is there a way to embed outside tools?Is there a widget that allows social media feeds to be shown on the new website?
There is not widget that you can pull over. You can use RSS readers where you can embed the content.
What happens to our old MemberNova image library? Do we need to download the ones we want to keep and upload them to Higher Logic? Can we bulk download them?
Yes, you'll need to download your images from MemberNova.
If you are a chapter with a lot of images, we can work on getting you a zip file of your images. Please reach out to your regional coordinator with this request.
MemberNova access is available through March 31, 2025, so please be sure to extract any information out of the system you need before then.
Is the Member Home "Latest Announcements" section different from the Chapter Home "Latest Announcement" section? I.e. if we change one does it change the other, or are they separate?
These are separate sections - one is public facing and the other is for members only. We recommend tailoring these sections to each audience.
Unified Membership:
Can you please provide more specific information on what teachers get with their membership?
Our member benefits page is located here: https://csteachers.org/join/membership-benefits-overview/
CSTA membership is valued at over $5900 per year. Quantifiables include:
Save $50 on your Annual Conference registration ($50)
Free registration for CSTA's Professional Learning Series ($30/PLS, valued at over $300 a year)
Access to CSTA's searchable and filterable Resource Library, including over 1400 resources - workshops, resources, recorded PLS sessions, etc (Valued at over $3000)
Access to CSTA's On Demand courses, tailored specifically for CS educators (7 total courses, individually priced fro $39-$99, valued at over $350)
Partner benefits:
Over $2100 of partner benefits, including:
Save on WeTeach_CS Certification Prep ($300 value)
Free access to CSTA's specially curated Pluralsight channel ($99 value), plus the option to upgrade to the full Pluralsight Platform for only $99 ($500 value)
Free school year access to two CompuScholar Courses ($345 value)
75 free Typesy accounts (valued at over $120 a year)
10% tuition discount at the College of St. Scholastica (up to $90/credit hour)
Additional discounts on books, certifications, and products for your classroom
Non-Quantifiables:
Opportunities to apply for Equity Fellowships, Conference Scholarships, and CSTA Awards
Join a CSTA chapter
Participate in CSTA Affinity Groups
Connect with other educators through the CSTA Virtual Community
Apply to advise a CSHS Chapter
Serve as a CSTA Volunteer or Chapter Leader
Vote in CSTA elections
Will the member data in Higher Logic that chapter leaders can see will be the same (or better)? We would particularly like to see how long folks have been a member for?
The data that chapter leaders will be able to see in the new portal will be better than Member Nova, due to the platform shift and quality of data. They will be able to request specific reports and views, as well.
MemberNova unfortunately does not have super reliable data about length of membership, and so we won't have this information. Members will be able to indicate inside of their portal how long they've been a member.
Moving forward, we will be able to track accurate lengths of membership, but anything prior to 2025 will be self reported by the member.
Should we still plan to user our Google Groups?
With the transition to Higher Logic, Fonteva, and Unified Membership, we recommend that all chapters fully transition to Higher Logic for chapter management, including events and communication.
Where can we direct our members for answers to questions about Unified Membership?
Please direct your members to the FAQ page on the website. If they have additional questions, please have them email membership@csteachers.org to get in touch with the membership team.
Chapter Operations:
Will the process to request Zoom links for virtual chapter events remain the same?
Yes, the process will remain the same. You can email chapters@csteachers.org to begin your request.
What happens if we have an event in March? How will the events be transferred from MemberNova to Higher Logic?
If you have an event already set up in MemberNova, you will need to set up the event in Higher Logic as well. We work with your regional coordinator to download the registration lists and upload them into Higher Logic so those folks remain registered.
We recommend putting a note on the event page stating, "CSTA is transitioning to a new platform. Please note there may be a delay in your registration experience during this transition."
How do we get our scholarships for the Volunteer Leadership Summit (formerly Chapter Leadership Summit) at conference?
We have created a new form and process that was sent out via email with an information guide today (2/14) to all chapter leaders. Please check your emails for that information. But for reference the new guide to scholarships is VLS Scholarships Guide