Sending Emails to Students/Advisees Through FAWeb:

Did you know you can send emails to your students and advisees using your FAWeb account?Did you know that you can send the same email to multiple classes?

Rebecca Hinkley, Database Manager/Programmer in the IT Department, has created an FAWeb Email tutorial that is now posted on the Faculty and Staff page of the HNU website, under “FAWeb Resources” (http://www.hnu.edu/facultyStaff/index.html). If this is old news, you may still learn a new tip from watching the video!

Tip: Use this tool to email any advisees that might have missed the registration period (with a reminder that online registration will re-open on Monday, May 2, 2011 for Late Registration).

Please contact Rebecca Hinkley (hinkley@hnu.edu) if you have any questions.

Tech. Tip of the Week:  Re-Introducing the Mac Text-to-Speech Feature I am returning to the Tech Tip “vault” to answer another frequently-asked-question: Is there a way to convert text to audio, so that I can hear what I have written?This tip will show you how to copy text (from an email, word document etc.), paste it into the Mac’s TextEdit application and then have the text spoken to you. It is a great way to double-check your work!http://hnulibblog.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/mac-tip-5-talking-text/

Elluminate Demos:

Just a friendly reminder that I am available for personal demos of Elluminate.  If  you would like a demo, including the opportunity to test drive, please let me know (You don’t have to be a pilot participant to request a demo).

For more details on Elluminate, see the pilot project invitation.

Blackboard Workshop Followup:

On Tuesday, April 5 over 20 faculty and staff  attended the BlackBoard Workshop in the HEDCO Technology Center. Nick Schiavi from Blackboard showcased some of the 80+ tools and  features available to us in Blackboard.

At the end of the session, Nick showed us the BlackBoard On Demand Learning Center (http://ondemand.blackboard.com) – a wide collection of how-to videos  and documents. The link to the On Demand Learning Center is now also available on the HNU website  (http://www.hnu.edu/facultyStaff/index.html), under the Blackboard Video Tutorials section.

Thanks to everyone who attended!

Tech. Tip of the Week:  Re-Introducing the Power Point Presenter Tools

Since this has been a frequently-asked-question over the past few weeks, I am opening up the Tech Tip “vault” to unveil  the  tip on the Power Point Presenter Tools. While the instructions are for a Mac, the Presenter Tools are also available in Windows.

Mac Tip of the Week # 10: The Untold Secrets of the PowerPoint Presenter Tools!

Distance Learning Pilot: Would  you like to see Elluminate in Action? I am now providing one-on-one demos of Elluminate. If  you would like a personal demo, including the opportunity to test drive, please let me know (even if you are unable to pilot).Note: We still need at least 3 volunteers to test Elluminate (at least once) in a class, meeting or advising/tutoring setting, before the pilot ends 5/31. If you are interested, please contact me at greenland@hnu.edu by April 8. For more details, see the pilot project invitation.Reminder: Blackboard Workshop, Tuesday, April 5, 12:45 – 1:45 pm in the HEDCO Technology Center (Brennan 80)We are pleased to announce that Nick Schiavi, a Blackboard representative, will be here to showcase some of the new features available to us in Blackboard, as well as answer any questions that you may have.Please RSVP to me at greenland@hnu.edu. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.Feel free to join us even if you can only attend part of the workshop. For those of you who can’t make it, I would be happy to schedule individual training with you for after the workshop date.Tech. Tip of the Week: The Magic of the iPad Restart!iPads, just like laptops, need an occasional restart. Restarting an iPad may not seem as obvious a process as restarting a laptop, especially if you were not an iPhone user before getting your iPad. Pressing down the power button until the screen turns black puts your iPad to sleep rather than completely shut it down.To restart your iPad:1) Hold down the Power button until you see the ‘Slide to Power Off’ bar across the top of the screen (keep holding down on the button even when the screen turns black).2) Slide the red arrow across. The iPad will shut down.3) To complete the restart, press the Power button again for about 3 seconds. The apple logo will appear as your ipad  powers on. It may take a few minutes.Restarting refreshes your iPad and fixes many operational errors. If your iPad  starts acting sluggish, displays strange or sudden error messages, or can no longer  perform routine tasks (such as connecting to a wireless network), it is very likely that it needs a restart.  You would be surprised at how many errors can be fixed  just by restarting. So the next time your iPad starts “acting out”, try restarting it!

Distance Learning Pilot : Elluminate Update

We still need at least 5 volunteers to test Elluminate (at least once) in a class, meeting or advising/tutoring setting,  before the pilot ends 5/31. If you are interested, please contact me at greenland@hnu.edu. by March 31. For more details, see the pilot project invitation.

On Tuesday, March 1, our Elluminate representative, Stephanie King, conducted an online demo of Elluminate. The demo gave us a great overview of how we can use Elluminate  for teaching and learning. If you are interested in viewing the recording or would like to schedule an individual online demo with me, just let me know!

Blackboard Workshop, Tuesday, April 5, 12:45 – 1:45 pm in the HEDCO Technology Center (Brennan 80)

We are pleased to announce that Nick Schiavi, a Blackboard representative, will be here to showcase some of the new features available to us in Blackboard, as well as answer any questions that you may have.

Please RSVP to me at greenland@hnu.edu. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Feel free to join us even if you can only attend part of the workshop. For those of you who can’t make it, I would be happy to schedule individual training with you for after the workshop date.

Tech. Tip of the Week: The Magic of the Laptop Restart!

One of the great things about laptops is that you can easily put them to sleep by closing the cover. It makes it easy to pick up where you left off when moving from place to place.

However, laptops, just like desktop computers need an occasional restart (It is kind of like giving them water!). It is easy to forget to restart (or shut down) since putting them to sleep is so easy. Restarting refreshes your computer and fixes many operational errors. Plus, software updates often require a restart, especially with Windows.

If your laptop starts acting sluggish, displays strange or sudden error messages, or no longer can perform routine tasks (such as saving files), it is very likely that it needs a restart.  You would be surprised at how many errors can be fixed  just by restarting. So the next time your laptop starts “acting out”, try restarting it!

Reminder of My Hours:I’m available by appointment 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (where necessary, I can offer support outside those hours).Distance Learning Pilot Update : Elluminate DemoTo date, 15 faculty members have volunteered to be part of the Distance Learning Pilot using Elluminate, a product designed to create an interactive online environment optimized for teaching and learning. We will be piloting Elluminate until May 31.Stephanie King, our Elluminate representative, will conduct an online demo for pilot participants  on Tuesday, March 1, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. in the HEDCO Technology Support Center (Brennan 80). The session will be recorded for those who can not attend (and for anyone else curious about Elluminate!)For more details and to participate, see the pilot project invitation.Tech. Tip of the Week: How often students are accessing your Blackboard courses?Interested in finding out how often  your students are logging into your courses on Blackboard? The Performance Dashboard in Blackboard reports the last time a student accessed a course.To see the Performance Dashboard :1) Enter your class on Blackboard.2) Scroll down to the Control Panel (on the left navigation bar).3) Click Control Panel.4) Click Evaluation.5) Click Performance Dashboard.All of the students registered in your course will be listed, along with information on when they last accessed it.

How to Contact Me:I’m available by appointment 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (where necessary, I can offer support outside those hours).

To make an appointment for my services or for other ways to contact me, see the Faculty Technology Development section, located on the left navigation bar on the library website (library.hnu.edu), or go directly to hnu.libguides.com/FacultyDev. This leads to the Faculty Technology Development Guide which has a link to make an appointment with me as well as my full contact information.Distance Learning Pilot Update : Elluminate DemoTo date, 14 faculty members have volunteered to be part of the Distance Learning Pilot using Elluminate, a product designed to create an interactive online environment optimized for teaching and learning.Stephanie King, our Elluminate representative, will conduct an online demo for pilot participants  on Tuesday, March 1, 12:30 – 1:30 P.M. (The location details are still being finalized). The session will be recorded for those who can not attend (and for anyone else curious about Elluminate!)For more details and to participate, see the pilot project invitation.Tech. Tip of the Week: Wired vs WirelessInterested in showing a YouTube (or other internet video)  in class? Do you have a guest speaker that is planning on joining class remotely using Skype, iChat, or other  video conferencing software? Here ‘s how to get the best possible performance:

When playing a video on the internet (often referred to as streaming video) or using videoconferencing software, there is more demand placed on network resources. Connecting to the wired network  (instead of the wireless network) will assure the best possible connection.To connect to the wired network, you will need a network cable, (often referred to as an Ethernet cable).Need help getting started? I would be happy to schedule a practice session with you!

Expanding Our Faculty Technology Development Offerings uzzled by your iPad?Want to get comfortable with an emerging technology before you use it in the classroom?Still trying to put the pod in your podcasts?I’m expanding my availability for faculty technology support to a weekday-appointment model. Last fall I offered lunchtime drop-in hours several days per week, but I found that many of you needed to meet earlier or later in the day, or on days other than the ones I was offering. So to support your needs better, I’m now available by appointment 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (where necessary, I can offer support outside those hours).

To make an appointment for my services, see the Faculty Technology Development section, located on the left navigation bar on the library website (library.hnu.edu), or go directly to hnu.libguides.com/FacultyDev. This leads to the Faculty Technology Development Guide which has a link to make an appointment with me as well as more information about my services. I will be adding more resources to this guide in the coming weeks – stay tuned!Also expect a short survey about your needs/interests in the near future.Special Projects: Distance Learning PilotThis Spring, Holy Names University is evaluating Elluminate, a product designed to create an interactive online environment optimized for teaching and learning. On January 27, an email was sent inviting faculty to participate in a Distance Learning Pilot using Elluminate. To date, 10 faculty have volunteered to participate!For more details and to participate, see the invitation.Introducing the Tech. Tip of the Week!Formerly known as the Mac Tip, the new weekly Tech. Tip will give hints and suggestions on all things technology related! While it may be Mac specific at times, it will often be more general in nature. The first Tech. Tip will make its debut next week! If you have any Tech. Tip suggestions, feel free to drop me a line!

This spring, Holy Names University is evaluating Elluminate, a product designed to create an interactive online environment optimized for teaching and learning. Elluminate serves as an essential building block of the new BlackBoard Collaborate platform. Elluminate offers audio conferencing,  (limited) video conferencing, lecture capture and many interactive features that enable real-time lecturing, quizzing, polling, breakout rooms, and much more. I am Nicole Greenland, and I am the project lead and primary technical contact for this pilot.We are seeking full- and part-time faculty who would like to test Elluminate, which could happen several ways (but in any case with plenty of advance training, preparation, and other assistance).* Using Elluminate to conduct all or part of at least one actual class period.* Encouraging students to use Elluminate for study groups, group projects, and similar class activities.* Using Elluminate for tutoring sessions, counseling, “office hours”, departmental meetings  and more.Stay tuned for an announcement about an informational session about this pilot (it will be offered through Elluminate, and recorded for later viewing). Meanwhile, if you are interested in this ground-breaking pilot project, drop me a line!

Given the hustle and bustle of finals and the approaching Holiday break, my faculty development hours have ended for the semester. I am still available by appointment through Dec. 23 and starting again on January 4, to address your technology needs.It’s been a lot of fun working with you during this semester.Here are just a few of the exciting projects that I have had the pleasure of being involved in:

• Using Survey Monkey for course evaluations and student surveys.

• Using a Document Camera and SmartBoard to enhance your classes.

• Using online learning type measures.

• Using online screen capture software to create brief tutorials.

• Using the iPad in and out of the classroom.

 Happy Holidays! Have a wonderful break!I look forward to working with you during the Spring Semester!