Indiana University: IT Training Tips Blog

For some of us, a computer is everything. It’s your repository for every major achievement of your life, your gateway to much larger world for news and interacting with friends and family, some next door and some on the other side of the world.  It’s your amazing tool for being productive when deadlines approach or your escape when you just need to laugh or unwind.

Without the Internet, your computer is a typewriter at best and a paperweight at worst.  You need to protect this amazing asset, but how?  You need to be on the network to figure out how to protect yourself from the network.  What do you do?  You need to Get Connected.

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Oncourse, the open source course management system that is used by IU, was created right here – and is constantly being revised, tweaked, and improved.  (Technically Oncourse is our version of Sakai).  Oncourse provides a place for collaboration and learning for faculty and students.

Every course taught at IU automatically gets an Oncourse site. The following tools are immediately available:

• Home, where instructors post an introduction to their course. The Home tool also displays the most recent announcements, and whether or not there are new messages.
• Announcements, useful for keeping site members up-to-date on assignments and other events
• Assignments 2, for posting homework and other tasks. You can associate them with the Gradebook automatically, and choose to post an announcement when they come available.
• Gradebook, where to record and calculate grades.
• Library Resources, an interactive page connected to the university library.
• Messages, an internal email system for each site than can be connected to its members’ IU email address, or automatically forwarded to any outside email address, as desired.
• Resources, a place to post documents and links related to course content.
• Roster, which shows a list of site members (students, instructors, course assistants, and others). There’s even a roster version with everyone’s official ID photo for those of us with memory issues.
• SIS Grade Roster, a quick way to officially post grades.
• Site Setup, the only tool that can’t be deleted, which allows site owners (usually instructors) to change what tools are visible, who can access the site, and how basic info is displayed.
• Syllabus, where you can post a copy of your course syllabus, as text or as an attachment.

These are by no means the only tools at your disposal, however – there are many more.  Some additional tools that might be useful:

• Web Content, which allows you to list links to other web sites that will be listed among the tools on the left of the screen.  You can add multiple links this way.
• Forums, a discussion board
• Chat room, for live chat between students – with or without the instructor
• Tests & Surveys Beta, for creating assessments

There are many more tools available that might serve your needs.  For more details on how to use Oncourse, watch our short feature demo movies and read the PDF Least You Need to Know documents, or click the blue question  marks sprinkled liberally throughout the workspace.  Watch this blog for tips and tricks to make the most of your Oncourse experience!

The Adobe Premiere Pro user interface can be intimidating for those just getting started with this application. While UITS IT Training & Education at Indiana University offers a fantastic STEPS workshop that will teach you how to create professional looking movies with this video editing package, participants who have never used an Adobe application before will feel more confident coming in to the workshop if they view the following tutorial first:

Becoming Familiar with the Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 User Interface

Since most of the other Adobe apps have a similar look and feel, this short video can also be useful for those getting started with Photoshop, After Effects, Flash, Illustrator, etc.

What Is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing has burst onto the computer technology scene like a fast-moving cold weather front. Essentially, “cloud computing” refers to a new concept and delivery model rather than a specific program or platform. Traditionally, when you wanted to achieve a task on your computer such as filling out a spreadsheet or typing a letter, you’d purchase a piece of software at the store, install it, and then use it as long as you owned the computer. Cloud computing turns that notion on its head – the functionality is available via the Internet, not a program sitting on your computer. And, rather than buying a permanent license, cloud-computing services are usually offered according to a cafeteria model where you pay for only what you use when you use it. (And, unlike a real cafeteria, many cloud-based services are free). Cloud computing is now used for a lot more than just replicating the functionality of traditional desktop applications, too, including virtual server hosting, database processing, and lots of technical business operations.

What does Cloud Computing have to do with me?

Perhaps more than you realize! If you’ve ever used a service like Google Docs or Zoho, you’ve been working in the cloud. And even if you’re just using 3rd party applications, like Gmail and Facebook, many of the issues discussed here will apply to you, too. (more…)

* Well, up to 2 gigs of space for free

For a moment, think of your worst nightmare. The imagery that rouses you out of a slumber with teeth clenched, clutching the bedcovers. No, not the bad dream where you find yourself at your high school reunion standing on the stage wearing only a cereal bowl for a hat and barking like an apoplectic prairie dog. (Um, that’s actually kind of a funny dream, isn’t it?)

The other dream, the one that perhaps you’ve had while awake, where that paper/dissertation/project that was on your hard drive/flash drive/friend’s computer is suddenly corrupted/not there/gone/wait/what?!?!?!

“Oh, noooo!” you’ll cry. “I knew I should’ve backed that up!”

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UniCom is a new way to communicate at IU. UniCom provides telephony, email, instant messaging, audio and video conferencing that you can access from almost anywhere. Microsoft Office Communicator and Live Meeting are the main applications you use. Any member of the IU community can join up! To learn more, see the video.