Month: April 2014

Need to Know?

Is there some technology you need to learn about or that your students need to become familiar with?  Well check out Lynda.com’s library of resources.  lynda.com is an online learning company that helps anyone learn software, design, and business skills to achieve their personal and professional goals. ECU has a subscription and it is available to you and your students.

Request an account using this link
https://ecu.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2fX43o1UGmgr9BP

  1. Faculty will be able to share content with students using the playlist feature.  See the How to Use lynda.com video to get started.
  2. Faculty and students sign in using their Pirate ID/passphrase.**If either your students or faculty have an existing lynda.com account, we recommend that they merge accounts on the initial login.
  3. Faculty and students can contact the IT Help Desk for assistance.

Clickers Anywhere?

Anywhere Polling available via Turning Point application (available in all classrooms) lets you poll over any applications such as a web page, PDF< streaming video, etc.  

Anywhere Polling also allows you to poll verbal, on-the-fly questions at anytime during your presentation and it works on Mac’s or PC’s!

You do need a receiver and clickers, open the content to be polled, open Turning Point, Select Anywhere Polling, click open to start polling and close to display the results.  It is that easy!

Why not try it out these last days of the semester or include it this summer!  Stop by OET for a demo or to learn more!

Did you know? Just a couple of PPT Hints!

Turning Photos into PowerPoint Slide Shows

To turn your digital pictures into PowerPoint slide shows:

bullet Select Insert from the pull-down menu
bullet Click on the Picture menu option
bullet Click on New Photo Album
bullet Select pictures from the Photo Album dialog box
bullet Click the Create button

Using Hyperlinks in PowerPoint

When adding a hyperlink to a presentation, be careful that the target of the hyperlink is available. If you are giving the presentation offsite using a laptop, all the targets need to be on the laptop as well, unless your laptop is actively connected to the Internet. A good alternative is to copy Web site documents you think you will need to your laptop and hyperlink to those documents. The advantage is that you don’t have to depend on getting a good connection to the Internet at your offsite location

Blackboard Enhancements! and something for fun!

Some Blackboard enhancements you will find in May –

  • Build a profile, have students do this task and it completes the old homepage assignment and appears in all courses.
  • Calendar is intuitive, enter a due date on assignments, tests and will automaticallly enter on the calendar.  Drag and drop items as well!
  • Discussion Forum can be set up that until a student posts an item they can’t see what others have already posted.
  • Inline grading on files submitted.
  • Exceptions by students on test taking times, availability and attempts.
  • Retention center lets you set rules to follow student progress.

Faculty Intro/Overview Video (6 min)

Quick intro videos – http://blog.ecu.edu/sites/blackboard/blog/2013/11/14/blackboard-sp13-pilot-information/ 

and now that you have worked here are 15 things you didn’t know your IPhone could do!

Just for fun!

1. Passcode with letters instead of numbers
2. Siri can read your e-mails to you
3. Timestamps on texts
4. Find out what planes are flying above you
5. Shake to undo and redo texts
6. More detailed calendar
7. Double tap the shift key for caps lock
8. Use your phone as a level
9. Turn off in-app purchases
10. Burst photos
11. The em-dash exists
12. Shoot a photo with the volume button
13. Use your Apple earbuds
14. Custom vibrations
15. Airplane Mode = faster recharge