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Group Work Made Easy

December 21, 2010 by jthampson
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Ever gotten a review sheet for a test or final exam from your teacher that would be much easier to fill out and complete with a group of people instead of by yourself? How about being assigned to create a script for a short skit or even give a presentation that would be much easier to work on with other people at your own leisure. Imagine not having to get in touch with a group of people and meet at the library to work on something like this; that would be awesome! Well, with Google Docs, you can! You can use Google Docs to avoid having to trust just one person with the project and you can even monitor how much people are doing and who is contributing and who isn’t. And when you’re done working on the assignment you no longer have to worry about making copies or fighting over who gets to hold onto everything and not loose it.

Some of you may be familiar with Google Wave, Google’s collaboration tool that did not take off as well as some may have hoped, but since the termination of Wave, they have begun to incorporate some of the features of Wave into Google Docs. Some important things that are still missing is the ability to see what exactly someone has edited since your last visit and it would be nice to be able to resort back to say what yesterdays version of the document looked like (which could be done on Wave). But there is a chat room feature, when working in a document which allows for multiple people to talk about the current project.

I have personally used Google Docs a bunch of times; a few times to work on lab reports for some of my Biology classes and I even used it to fill out a study guide for my Modern American History midterm and final exams. Both situations worked out great. It was so easy to use and completing the assignments was a breeze since I could log on and edit the documents on my own and everyone could see what I had done and then edit it how they wanted to.

Have you tried out Google Docs? Am I missing any important information or did I get something wrong? Have any questions? Comment below!
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Ask James: Technology is Everywhere

November 30, 2010 by jthampson
Every day technology is playing a bigger role in the lives of everyone, including students. There’s no doubt that a student doesn’t use a least a couple different types of technology in their day-to-day lives. From using their computers to complete assignments and to keep in touch with friends and loved ones to using their phones for texting and music, technology is present everywhere. Because there is so much technology in our lives, it sometimes becomes difficult to know which products are the best and which software does exactly what you’re looking for. That’s where we come in to help.

My name is James Hampson and I am currently a sophomore at North Carolina State University. I use a number of different forms of technology every single day, both hardware and software. I personally own a MacBook, Dell desktop computer, iPhone 4, Flip video camera, Nikon digital camera and I have my eyes on an iPad. I also use Google Voice, Dropbox, Evernote, Moodle, Webassign, Facebook, Netflix, HuluPlus, Mint as well as a number of other software programs that help make my life easier and more convenient. (and I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch). What kinds of technology do you guys use on a day-to-day basis? What software do you guys use? What are your favorite phone apps? Do you have any questions about anything (when to buy Apple products, what’s the best laptop for me, what is Evernote)? Or do you just have general questions about your hardware or how to use software?

Comment and let us know what you want to hear about!
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Category General | Tags: , technology | No Comments
Moodle and Blackboard

March 3, 2009 by Adam Evers
Most Universities now a days use Moodle or Blackboard. I have personally used both. I like Moodle better because it is a ton easier to navigate. The way in which it is organized makes more sence in my brain than Blackboard does.

Here are some helpful resources for dealing with Moodle and Blackboard.

Moodle
- http://www.moodletutorials.org/ – this is a great resource! Full of feature rich videos to help anyone out that needs a jump start with Moodle.
- http://docs.moodle.org/en/Student_tutorials – this is created by Moodle it self. It has a ton of articles on how to do things and is created by the people that made Moodle so you know it will be helpful!
Blackboard
- http://www.blackboard.com/quicktutorials/quicktutorials.htm – this is from Blackboard themself. It is kind of helpful but honestly not so much.
- http://www.utexas.edu/academic/blackboard/tutorials/ – there are a ton of universities that use Blackboard and as a result most of them produce a help section. This one is filled with helpful resources. Check them out!
I hope this helps someone! Have you found any other resources which you found even more helpful or do you think that these were not helpful? Let us know in the comments!
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Category Help! | Tags: , blackboard, moodle, online course management | 1 Comment
Multiple computer headache?

February 25, 2009 by Adam Evers
Do you work on files on 1 computer in the library or computer lab and then continue to work on them in a different location? Of course you do! Your a college student! Coffee shops, libraries, restaurants, dorm rooms, and parks are all your desk space. Instead of a flash drive or emailing it to yourself there is a better way.

Introducing Dropbox. This service enables users to store and sync files online and between multiple computers. Dropbox has a cross-platform software application (Windows, Mac and Linux) that enables users to drop any file into a Dropbox folder that is then synced to the web and the users’ other computers with the Dropbox client installed on it. Files in the Dropbox folder may then be shared with other Dropbox users or accessed from the web. Users may also upload files manually through a web browser. A free Dropbox account offers 2 GB of storage. Which is more than enough for your average college student.

Dropbox does functions more as a storage service, its focus is on synchronization and sharing. Dropbox synchronization uses SSL transfers with AES-256 encryption, and it supports revision history, so files deleted from the Dropbox folder may be recovered from any of the synced computers or online. Your files are transfered in an encrpyed stream so you don’t have to worry about your files being looked at by anyone but you. You can enable a Public Folder where you can share different files for other people to view as well.

There is no limit to file size for files added via the Dropbox application, but files transferred through the web interface are capped at 350 MB. Dropbox uses Amazon’s super fast S3 storage system to store the files.

This service is a God send for people college students working on multiple computers! There is only one catch. If you can’t install a program on the computer then you can’t install Dropbox.

Check out the screencast on there site for more info! Here. Do you want more space? For a limited time Dropbox is giving away 250mb for those users who sign up from a referral. Here is my link!

What do you think? Is this something you want to use or could use?
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Category Solutions | Tags: , backup, multiple computer | No Comments
Laptop Guide

February 24, 2009 by Adam Evers
Updated: 2/24/09

Note: We will update this about once a month. If it hasn’t been updated in a while please just post a comment and remind us

This guide was put together to help you think through which laptop would be good for you in college. We won’t be going through any desktop’s reviews in this guide sorry. That’s for a later post. Now on to the content!

Average Joe/Jane

Description: This college student is going to school for a simpler major and doesn’t need their computer to do complex tasks such as image manipulation, web design, graphic design or computer programming. The college student will use there laptop for checking facebook, email, online course work, paper writing, enjoyment of music and the occasional presentations.

PC

For a PC we would suggest either an HP or a Dell. Dell and HP are quality products for a decent price.

HP

Specs:
- Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual-Core Mobile Processor T4200 (2.0 GHz)
- 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- 14.1-inch screen
- Wireless and wired network adapter standard
Bonus:
- Comes with Vista – Vista is the newest Microsoft operating system. Your school will support it. If they don’t I would be very surprised/shocked.
- Make sure you ask for an Educational Discount!
Recommendations:
- For PC’s you can get the support but more than likely you will have to mail your computer in or talk with someone from India for about an hour then mail it in. You might have more luck getting a service contract with Geek Squad. They have stores in most every BestBuy now.
Caution:
- Don’t buy the CHEAPEST PC from ANY manufacture. If your going to buy a PC make sure you put at least some money into it. It will save you many head banging nights and many frustrated screams. Technology is changing fast.
- The way in which Dell and HP makes its money is through extended warranties which are more than likely NOT worth the massive trouble of calling someone then mailing your computer and not having it for two weeks!
Dell

Specs:
- Intel® Pentium™ Dual Core T4200 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/1MB cache)
- 3GB² Shared Dual Channel DDR2 (2 Dimms)
- 160GB⁴ SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
- 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive)
- 13-inch screen
- Wireless and wired network adapter standard
Bonus:
- Comes with Vista – Vista is the newest Microsoft operating system. Your school will support it. If they don’t I would be very surprised/shocked.
- Make sure you ask for an Educational Discount!
Recommendations:
- For PC’s you can get the support but more than likely you will have to mail your computer in or talk with someone from India for about an hour then mail it in. You might have more luck getting a service contract with Geek Squad. They have stores in most every BestBuy now.
Caution:
- Don’t buy the CHEAPEST PC from ANY manufacture. If your going to buy a PC make sure you put at least some money into it. It will save you many head banging nights and many frustrated screams. Technology is changing fast.
- The way in which Dell and HP makes its money is through extended warranties which are more than likely NOT worth the massive trouble of calling someone then mailing your computer and not having it for two weeks!
Mac

The basic line of MacBook will do you fine. Not the all aluminum one but the all white beast. It has a ton of features and is well built for this type of college student. It can even handle some of the harder tasks like web design and image manipulation. For the majority of college students this will do fine for them. You don’t need to get a MacBook Pro or even the MacBook Air. The current MacBook has the features that an average college kid would fit perfectly!

Specs:
- 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM – 2x1GB
- 120GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
- SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- 13-inch screen
- Wireless and wired network adapter standard
Bonus:
- Comes with iLife – which lets you create websites, organize photos, make movies and listen to music. iLife is a definite bonus as more and more professors are wanting you to use multimedia in your presentations. Plus its just fun to make movies every once and a while!
- Comes with amazing support via the Genius Bar. I love Apple’s support! You can bring in your computer into any Apple store with a Genius Bar and have them look at your computer. If its in warranty they will fix it for free!
- Sometimes if you wait until like August to buy … they will include a free iPod nano when you purchase your Mac!
- Make sure you ask for an Educational Discount!
Recommendations:
- Spend the extra $249.00 and get the AppleCare Protection Plan – this protection plan has saved my butt time and time again. This means that you will have a fully covered computer for 3 years.
Caution:
- Make sure you school’s network can support a mac: printing on mac can be handled differently and wireless can be handled differentially.
- You will still need to buy some sort of word processing. We suggest iWork or Microsoft Office 2008 (the home and student version works fine)
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Category Guides | Tags: | 2 Comments

collegetechblog.com

Group Work Made Easy

Ask James: Technology is Everywhere

Moodle and Blackboard

Multiple computer headache?

Laptop Guide