As information technology continues to entrench itself in today’s society, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Department of Education (CADOE) has taken the initiative to utilize such technology to greatly enhance its services to tribal members in the form of a portal-like website where individuals can interact with the CADOE in an up-to-date and efficient manner.
In an era where terms like Facebook, MySpace, Google, and YouTube have become a part of everyday conversation, the ability to connect with others without having to physically be present has become the norm for the great number of people who have access to the internet. Through the use of e-mail, social-networking websites, and texting, these new forms of communication have made quite an effect on our current culture. In response to these technological developments, CADOE has sought to provide an internet portal that allows our tribal members to connect and communicate in a way that so many internet users have come to expect. Of course the options to stop by for a visit, call, or send something in the mail always remain open!
The portal is developed for the Higher-Education Program. The portal allows college-going tribal members that are seeking assistance through the Higher-Ed Program to electronically submit applications and other documents, download documents, communicate with peers or Higher-Ed staff, find news and updates, view program calendar of events, and obtain or send other information pertinent to their Higher-Ed career. The intent of the portal is to serve as a central location that students can utilize for all their Higher-Education needs. One of the unique features of the portal is that students create their own profiles that are used over the course of their college-careers with our program. The profiles allow students a personalized way to enter the portal and view their sensitive information or interact with the portal in other ways.
The portal also allows the CADOE to effectively gather important information from a database of information. This information enables our Tribes to confidently communicate the various aspects of our college-going tribal members experience so as to create a knowledge base used to inform decision-making that should affect our education services in a most positive way. As the portal grows, the CADOE will gain the ability to network other programs into the system and develop a more comprehensive approach to implementing tribal education initiatives. It is the hope of the CADOE to remain committed to improving its abilities for the benefit of all of our tribal members.