This wiki is a forum for discussing and organizing important topics and ideas for the 75 minute workshop CPSC101 required for each student in the first week of the Fall Semester.

CPSC101 Workshop Objectives: Students who complete this orientation session should

1. Should have greater familiarity and comfortproficiency in using important networked systemsThis workshop should helpcampus studentscomputer makesystems.
2. Make a relatively smooth transition to life on campus, and quickly get up to speed withtake theadvantage campusofthe digital environment of campus.
   

Many ofmodern information systems are web-based and the campusCampus informationhas systemtwo areweb web-based. Thepages: currentone Collegeis Homefor pageexternal audiences (www.saintmarys.edu), while the other is a campus portal for communityevents, community forums, an excellent pointsource of departureinformation becauseabout life on campus.

• it contains valuable information about current events on campus
• it has links to manythe ofother thesystems commonly(Prism, usedBlackboard, systems,Email, Spam Filter, etc.
when

N.B. When accessing thisthe pageinternal Campus homepage from off campus, you will need to authenticate,authenticate using thea genericspecial username and password.password: username: "smcguest" and password: "guest1". Once connected you can login with your own username and password, and contribute information to the Village, Ticket Trader, Discussion Forums, etc.

OnceUsing the links at the top of the Homepage, you can connect to other systems:

• Zmail Advanced (Zimbra)
  
• Forwarding email to Hotmail or gmail...
• Vacation Messages
• Limit on attachment size
• Checking your mail quota - empty trash
• Prism
  
• Blackboard is the campus Learning Management System currently used by many instructors on campus. Blackboard enables instructors to create a virtual classroom, where many of the traditional activities of the physical classroom can occur in online activities in an electronic virtual classroom, where student can perform at her own pace, and at convenient times.

The following examples compare a number of traditional physical classroom tasks with the corresponding online digital version:

• attending a lecture - instructors often use the traditionaldigital classroom to present new material, or to summarize important concepts or information in a textbook. The electronic equivalent makes newelectronic contentmaterial available to students 24 by 7, at their own pace, and a convenient time.
  
• asking questions. In the classroomOnline students raise their handcompose toquestions askor arespond question.to Onlineother students compose questionsposts in a Discussion Forum, or submit their questions in email.Taking aOnline discussion test.forums Inprovide thean classroomopportunity for students taketo aexchange ideas testand withto paperformulate questions and pencil;responses to questions raised by others any time of day or night.
• students can also use a world wide browser to access an online quiz, which they complete and submit electronically.
  
• Submitting an assignment. In the classroom students compose their work on a computer, print a copy for the instructor, and physically turn the work in to the instructor. Online students can compose their work on their computer, and submit the work electronically.Calculating a grade by hand.electronically Traditionally instructors calculate grades and notify students with a report card. Online students can access their grades using an electronic gradebook. dropbox.
  
• classroom discussion. Classroom discussion is a common way of exploring student's understanding of content. Online discussion forums provide an opportunity for students to exchangecan ideasaccess andtheir togrades formulateon questionstests and responses to questions raised by others anyassignments timeusing ofan dayelectronic orgradebook. night.
  

Instructors may use Blackboard to post their syllabi, handouts, assignments, quizzes and tests, and grades on the Web. They might also conduct class discussions or virtual office hours through Blackboard. To access the Blackboard portions of your courses and to download your course materials, login to the Blackboard web site at

http://bboardnew.saintmarys.edu.

It is available 24 hours a day from any computer connected to the Internet.

• LIBRARY
• Print•Limit
• SPAM Mailbox
• Online PhoneBook

Opening a File

Your instructors post course materials to Blackboard as digital files. They can post files of almost any type, including files created in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, audio, video, or Adobe Acrobat.

1. To open a document, locate the file you wish to open and click on the blue underlined link, which is usually the name of the document.
   
2. The document should open automatically. If not, you will be prompted to open or save the file. Clicking Open allows the document to be viewed directly in your browser.
   

NOTE: You must have either the program the document was created in (e.g. Microsoft Word) installed on your computer or the compatible viewer to be able to view the document in your browser. It is a good idea to install the most recent versions of Flash, Quicktime, Windows Media Player, and Adobe Acrobat Reader to view .pdf and any media files your instructor may have made available.

Opening a Document in a New Window is Best
It is often more convenient to have your documents open in a new window. This allows you to more easily close windows and facilitates your navigation in Blackboard.

1. Right click on the link to the document.
2. Select the Open in New Window option.
3. The document will then open in a new browser window.
   

Saving a File

You can save a file your instructor has posted in Blackboard two ways. In a campus computer cluster, make sure to save your files to a location other than the lab computer’s hard drive, e.g., your network directory, or a USB flash drive, because all files will be deleted from the hard drive when you log out.

1. Click the link to the file and choose Save or right-click on the file link and click Save Target As...
2. When the Save As dialog box appears, use the Save in drop down arrow and browse to a place you wish to save the file. For instance, to save the file to the desktop, choose Desktop.
3. Click Save.
   

Printing PowerPoint Presentations

You can print out PowerPoint presentations in a number of layouts; these directions help you print out a layout in notes (handouts) view.

1. Save the PowerPoint file to the desktop, as described in “Saving a File” above.
2. Open the file from the desktop, as described in “Opening a File” above.
3. Choose File | Print from the PowerPoint menu bar.
4. In the Print pop-up box, choose Handouts under “Print what:”
5. Choose 3 next to “Slides per page:” This layout creates space for notes next to each slide.
6. Click OK.

Frequently Asked Queastions:
Why can’t I open the linked files?
Remember that you must have the right helper application installed on the computer you are using to access Blackboard (Word, Adobe Reader, PowerPoint) to open and read the files your instructor has posted on Blackboard. If you are certain you have the correct application, make sure your browser is updated. Blackboard works best in Windows with Internet
Explorer 6, SP1 or Firefox 1.5 or higher; on a Mac it works best with Firefox or Safari. If you continue experiencing trouble, try saving the file to your computer and opening it from your application.

Why does it sometimes take a long time to download files from Blackboard?
There are many factors that affect the time it takes to download files from Blackboard, including varying Internet speeds (home and on campus, dependent on traffic), and the size of the document you are trying to download. A typical Word document is 120KB and takes just a few seconds with a Broadband or campus connection. However, a 10 mb audio file would take more than a minute with the same connection. Use this download calculator to estimate how long it should take to download files:
http://www.intel.com/personal/resources/broadband/calculator.htm?iid=ipc+broadband_menu_st

I’m a Mac user. Why can’t my instructor and classmates read the files I’ve uploaded?
Macs do not automatically add extensions to files when they are saved (for example, .doc or .docx for Word, .ppt for PowerPoint). But documents being shared via the Web, need these extensions to open easily. So remember to add the correct extension to your Mac file names. This will allow your instructor and classmates to easily read your files.

Many Saint Mary's instructors use Blackboard to distribute information, for communications and feedback from students in their class. It is important that students be familiar with a few strategies for using this system.

• Cushwa-Leighton Library - the Library has a rich collection of online resources, including JSTOR, which supplies over 100 full-text journals; Lexis-Nexis; Medline and more.
• Print Management (Duplex Printing)
• Baracuda Spam Manager
• Online Campus Phonebook

Login to Home Page - and discover Village Forums, and Mail System Status.

• Opening and Printing files from Blackboard
• Blackboard Assessments, Assignments, Quizes

• Zimbra
• Barracuda (Whitelist, Blacklist)
• Using the Village Page to contribute to info on the College Home
• Advantages of using your personal Network Directory: (H:\ Drive)
  All students have access to the H:\ drive. It is a secure place on a server that will allow you to store files and be able to access them from anywhere on the Saint Mary's network. You can access the H:\ drive directly from any computer in the labs, from your residence hall room, from classroom or from any wireless connection on campus. You must use ftp when you are off-campus and want to access your H:\ drive. When you use ftp, you will be prompted for your user name and password. When you are using a lab computer, please do not save files to the C:\ drive; save them to your H:\ drive,CD or jump drive. When you log off the machine or it is restarted, the files will be lost if you saved them to the C:\ drive.
• Accessing the Library Home Page
  
  
• Campus Firewalls:

Where to find help for various problems?

• problems with your computer, printer or network connection
• help with a PowerPoint presentation, or an iMovie or Image editing project
  
• Viruses or Shareware
• Using the printers or Scanners in Trumper
• Computer hardware problems
  
• If I have a question concerning my own personal computer, will ResNet provide support?

When can I use the Computer Labs?

Campus Networking Issues:

• The Appropriate Use agreement you signed to get your computer account, forbids....
  
• using campus resources to conduct commercial activities (violation of the College's non-profit status)
• Using the network for gambling, any other illegal activity, or any activity prohibited by the College's acceptable use and related policies and procedures, including but not limited to violations of copyrights, software agreements and other contracts
• violating the terms of software license agreements by illegal sharing arrangements
  
• harassing others by sending unsolicited email
  
• reading, copying, changing or deleting another's files without the owner's explicit permission
• Invading the privacy of individuals or revealing confidential information gained by
  
• Using another person's username and password to gain unauthorized access to any confidential information kept on computer systems.
  
• Knowingly performing actions that interfere with the normal operation of campus computers or networks
• Using any Saint Mary's College computers or network to gain unauthorized access to any computer systems
• Revealing confidential information obtained from administrative data systems to unauthorized persons or groups
• Attempting to circumvent data protection schemes or uncover security loopholes
• Knowingly performing an action that interferes with the normal operation of computers or networks
• Use of another person's computer account that you are not authorized to use
• Knowingly running or installing on any computer system or network, or spreading to another user, a program intended to damage or to disrupt a computer or network. This includes but is not limited to programs known as computer viruses, Trijan horses, and worms.
  
  
• File Sharing sites
  
• Good: iTunes, Napster
• Illegal: WinMx, iMesh, Kazaa, eDonkey, LimeWire
  

Practice Safe Computing

• Protect Yourself from Creeps
• Maintain a computer free of Viruses, Spyware,
  
• Dont fall prey to Phishing attacks. NB. A new virus/phishing email is making the rounds which
  can get through quite a few spam filters. It informs
  the recipient that they have "received a postcard from
  a family member!", includes a link to click on and a
  verification code. The email appears to come from "postcards.com" however
  all the links show up as numbers, ie: http://1.2.3.4
• Danger of clicking on obscure URLs (http://www.pc-help.org/obscure.htm#how)

Test Your Basic Understanding of Campus Technology:

1. change printer parameters like page numbers, paper orientation, margins and proportions, etc.
2. navigate through files and directories (e.g. using Windows Explorer)
3. What computing services will I get?
4. Your student tuition entitles you to a Networked Computer Account (login ID and password) that entitles you to use any computer cluster or classroom computer on campus, a Saint Mary's Email account, 1 online file storage (H:/), and access to cluster computers and software. (e.g. students taking an Art course can use graphic and web design software installed in all clusters)
5. Where can I get help with my computer?
6. ResNet provides a handy step-by-step networking guide that is all most students need to get connected. The Guide is distributed during move-in days, but visit the ResNet website if you want to learn more about networking and other services before you arrive.
7. Are you exposed to identity theft, phishing attacks, viruses or spyware attacks?
8. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt127.shtm
9. How to avoid unwanted SPAM in your campus email
10. Safe Browsing - the danger of clicking on obscure URLs. Check out... (http://www.pc-help.org/obscure.htm#how)

Using Your Computer Account

You may access any computer in any of the Information Technology computer clusters. On the network there are over 70 software packages for student use including stat packages, browsers, Microsoft Office, Dreamweaver, and Photo Shop. Once you have authenticated with your username and password on any of the college computers, you have access to all of the software and can use your network directory to save your work.


Your student account includes e-mail privileges. Your e-mail address will be your username@saintmarys.edu. The College expects you to use this account for official correspondence.
If you have another e-mail account such as Hotmail or Yahoo that you prefer to use, you may forward your Saint Mary's account e-mail to the other e-mail account if this makes it easier to keep track of e-mail, since you will not have to check two different e-mail accounts. But use Zimbra to send messages to faculty or staff.

Network Document Storage

There is a place to store your work. This space is called your H:\ drive. You can save documents, pictures, and other files. There is a limit (quota) of 500 Megabytes for student H:\ drives. Avoid saving MP3 files or movie files on the H:\ drive. You may use the WWW folder in your Network Directory for creating a web site for showing family and friends your experience at Saint Mary's.

Other drives of interest are the P:\ drive where some professors store their notes and other files they may want you to access.

The ResNet drive containing .......


When can I use the Computer Labs?