Home > College of Education > Tech Committee
COE Technology committee
Tech Tips
Directions for using LiveText Guidelines for faculty and students using LiveText are available from two sites: 1) http://www.valdosta.edu/~djudd/livetexthowto.html written by Diane Judd 2) http://www.valdosta.edu/coe/sec/studentresources.shtml written by Heather Brasell
Access Your VSU Computer From Home? Faculty can request Remote Desktop capabilities which will allow them to remotely access their office computer. A form is available on the IT Website: http://www.valdosta.edu/it/security/. You will be able to access your "U" drive, printers, anything that you would be able to access in your office.
Missing emails? Regularly check your Junk Mail folder because some @valdosta.edu messages could be ending up there. To keep this from happening in Outlook select any message from a @valdosta.edu account then click on Actions, Junk Mail, Add Sender’s Domain to Safe Senders list.
iPod FM Transmitters (Information provided by Andy Brovey) These handy gadgets allow you to play your iPod through your car’s radio using FM frequencies. Based on reviews, Andy recommended the HHI or Griffin brands. http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/accessories/
Resources for Differentiating Instruction (Information collected by Heather Brasell)
- Net Trekker is a program that filters websites for educational appropriateness, reading level, etc. Users can highlight text to read aloud. Additional resources are available for English language learners. Several schools are using this site. Fourteen-day free trial is available http://school.nettrekker.com/freetrial/
- Searchasaurus provides Lexile reading levels (aligned with grade equivalence) for websites. From the Galileo home page, select the link for K-12 (to the right of the tabs).
- DOE GPS has created Differentiated Tasks along with Frameworks and detailed unit plans. They have just been released for science grades 6-8 and Biology. http://georgiastandards.org/scienceframework.aspx
- DOE GPS has also provided Vertically Aligned Matrices to “provide a tool for teachers to use to determine, at a glance, the significant concepts, processes, and content vocabulary terminology for the grade or course that precedes and the grade or course that follows a grade or course being taught in English Language Arts.” http://georgiastandards.org/elaframework.aspx#matrices
Office 07 Tips
Compatibility Problems with Office 2007 WebCT is not currently compatible with Office 2007 documents. Users need to submit files as Office 2004 documents until this problem has been resolved.
Here is the site with the instructions for downloading the compatibility pack to convert Office 2007 documents to older Office versions: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923505 The compatibility pack needs to be downloaded and installed on your computer first. Then, when you receive an attached .docx document in WebCT, click on the link to the document and choose “save” when the File Download options box opens asking if you want to open, save, or cancel. When the “save as” options box opens, add (i.e., type in) the extension .docx to the file name that appears in the box. The file type will indicate that it is a Compressed (zipped) Folder – just ignore that. Changing the file extension will allow an older version of Word to open the document after it has been converted (the conversion will happen automatically when you click on the document to open it after it has been saved). While I haven’t had an opportunity to do so, I believe that adding .xls or .ppt to a 2007 Excel file or PowerPoint file also will allow the converters to open the file with an older version of either of those programs.
More on Reading Word 2007 Files (information from Vesta Whisler)
You can open docx files that your students have attached in WebCT if you follow these steps:
1.Save the .docxfile to your local computer or jumpdrive
2.Open Word2007
3.Open the student's file from Word, and it automatically converts it from the zip file to a readable document!
If you click on the file BEFORE opening Word, and it just doesn't want to work as well.
Office 2007 Resources Used by IT to Help Users (Information provided by Ike Barton)
http://www.valdosta.edu/helpdesk/guides/office2007/index.shtml
This is the UofW-EauClaire¹s online tutorials that I hope to be incorporating into VSU¹s soon in some format-very well done and
inclusive: www.uwec.edu/help<http://www.uwec.edu/help>
ThisisMicrosoft¹swebsiteofonlinetrainingavailable:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/results.aspx?qu=office+2007+training
theycanthenusethesearchbaratthetoptonarrowdownexactlywhatthey arelookingfor.
ReferenceManuals/Textbooks:
The library has two on-line reference manuals where they can search for information online click the Start Reading online button in the upper right corner:
1)Special edition using MicrosoftOffice2007 by Ed Bott, Woody Leonhard.
http://library.valdosta.edu:2048/login?url=http://proquestcombo.safaribooksonline.com/?uiCode=valstuniv&xmlId=0789735172
http://library.valdosta.edu:2048/login?url=http://proquestcombo.safaribooksonline.com/?uiCode=valstuniv&xmlId=0789735172
2)Access2007;the missing manual by Matthew MacDonald
http://library.valdosta.edu:2048/login?url=http://proquestcombo.safaribooksonline.com/?uiCode=valstuniv&xmlId=0596527608
http://library.valdosta.edu:2048/login?url=http://proquestcombo.safaribooksonline.com/?uiCode=valstuniv&xmlId=0596527608
I also have a small(emphasisonsmall)library of reference manuals/textbooksthatcanbecheckedoutbyanyfaculty,stafforstudent:
http://www.valdosta.edu/it/css/documents/IT_library_reference_manuals.pdf
OtherAssistance:
MostVSU-ownedcomputershaveInteractiveReferenceGuidesonthedesktop thatcanassistinnavigatingtheribbon(iftheiconisnotthere,Jeremy Scottcanmakesureitgetsinstalled).Instructionsforhowtorunthese: http://www.valdosta.edu/it/css/wks/index.shtml
TutoringisavailableforanystudentstrugglinginOffice2007fromthe
StudentSuccessCenter: http://www.valdosta.edu/it/css/wks/index.shtml
2007 Faculty Development Opportunities
For more training information & opportunities:
http://www.valdosta.edu/distance/training_request.php#facultyhelp
Andy Brovey, Distinguished Apple Educator, is presenting a series of faculty development workshops related to using technology for teaching. Contact him (abrovey@valdosta.edu) for additional information and new offerings.
Podcasts in Education – Presented by Andy Brovey There are thousands of free podcasts available for teaching, learning and professional development. We'll briefly explore uses in education, and learn how to find and save these audio and video resources to your computer. • 10/9/07; 3 - 4 p.m. • 10/26/07; noon - 1 p.m. brown bag • 11/6/07; 3 - 4 p.m.
Desktop Videoconferencing - An Introduction - Presented by Andy Brovey With a free tool called Skype and an inexpensive webcam, you can use your computer to audio or video chat for free! We'll briefly explore this set of computer tools for communicating and collaborating across town or around the world. 10/11/07; 2 - 3 p.m. 10/23/07; 2 - 3 p.m. 11/8/07; 3 - 4 p.m.
2007 Tech Committe Notes
Committee notes,etc
| COE Tech Committee: |