UNHCE Information Technology & Distance Education Blog: August 2004 Archives

Microsoft offers free tutorials on their website. To access all of their learning opportunities, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/education/?ID=Tutorials

A listing of tutorials for Office XP and Internet Explorer can be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/education/default.asp?ID=ClassTipsArchive

CIS is offering training for faculty and others on the use of their SuperTec classrooms.

View the letter sent by the CIS Academic Technology team.

Dear Faculty Member:

CIS Academic Technology Audiovisual Services has created online, web-based tutorials for faculty and instructors using TEC.1, TEC2, and SuperTEC classrooms. These tutorials are available for instruction or quick reference. At the conclusion of a training module, faculty take a pass/fail quiz to obtain the combination to the audiovisual equipment in their assigned room.

A/V Services will continue to host live demonstrations for those who prefer face-to-face training. We hope that this new web-based option for training will provide a way for faculty to review instructions for using classroom technology resources, distribute room combinations, and provide an on-demand index for faculty to use as a reference at any time. For live training session dates and locations, please see our current offerings at http://at.unh.edu/audiovisual/news/demosched.html.

In addition, once a user participates in module training or attends a live demonstration, they will be part of a classroom-specific list. This process will enable A/V staff to notify and communicate to faculty important room, hardware, and software updates pertinent to the classroom in which they are teaching

The modules will be available Aug 16, 2004 . To access, you must currently be scheduled with the Registrar's Office to teach in a TEC.1, TEC2, and SuperTEC classroom. Login to Blackboard at http://blackboard.unh.edu. Beneath your course list on the right, you will see a box labeled "My Organizations." Click on A/V Services Training module. If you are not currently scheduled in a TEC or SuperTEC classroom, but would like to participate in module training, A/V staff can create access for you. Call 862-2558 or email av.services@unh.edu with your request.

Our goal is to make the training modules easy to access, easy to navigate, and provide all the instructions needed to ensure that all A/V equipment in TEC or SuperTEC classrooms is easy to use. We welcome your feedback. Please register your opinion by completing the survey at the conclusion of a module.

We look forward to serving you in the upcoming semester. Please call 862-2558 or email av.services@unh.edu with any questions.

Sincerely,

Diana Scovill

Computing and Information Services Academic Technology

Dimond Library 18 Library Way , Level G Durham, New Hampshire 03824-3547

603-862-7039 603-862-2030 fax

Please don't install the newly released Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, unless and until instructed to do so by an ITDE staff person. We don't plan on installing the service pack for at least a month, until we can be sure it won't cause additional problems.

Microsoft routinely provides updates or patches for its operating systems through the Windows Update system. This service pack features a number of new security "enhancements," an update to the Internet Connection Firewall, and an update to Internet Explorer. Because of the scope of changes implemented, the ITDE team needs time to ensure that these changes won't adversely impact current operations.

Microsoft is listing service pack 2 as a critical update, but you should not install it; in all likelihood, the ITDE team will perform the installation once we decide it's appropriate. If you are notified of critical updates automatically (most Extension computers running Windows XP have this feature enabled) please ensure that you deselect Service Pack 2 from the list of updates to install (you can view the downloaded updates by clicking on details.) If you aren't sure how to do this, please contact the ITDE team through the web interface, or via the Hot Seat phone number.

Many opportunities for FREE training and professional development are offered through CIS and CLL in the next few months.

Sign up EARLY!

The following training opportunities are available from the vendors listed below on the following topics.

I. UNH CIS

Sign up early for CIS classes. Not only are the most popular classes oversubscribed early; CIS has begun to cancel classes which are under enrolled two weeks prior to the class date.

 CIS has changed some of their offerings. New courses being offered include:

• Adobe CS (Photoshop)
• Macromedia MX 2004 (Dreamweaver, Flash)
• MS Office 2003 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
• Dreamweaver Level 3
  
  

FREE offerings during August include:

• Computing @ UNH: Using Dreamweaver MX to Create Web Pages
• Computing @ UNH: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Using Photoshop to Create Wicked Cool Web Sites But Were Afraid to Ask

(As of the date of publication there were no free offerings listed for September. Check their website at: http://www.cistrainingcenter.unh.edu/ for updates.

 

Vendor-based Training

CIS has arranged with outside vendors to offer classes on a variety of topics for a nominal fee. The cost is typically $99 for a full day or two half-day sessions, or $198 for 2 days or 4 half-day sessions. That is less than half the cost of the training offered to the public.

Classes in the following topics will be offered in the next two months.

• Dreamweaver – 3 levels, plus a “What's New with Macromedia MX 2004” class
• PhotoShop
• Access Level 1
• PowerPoint – Level 1
• Transitioning to Excel 2003
• Transitioning to Word 2003

All Microsoft Office applications are taught using Office 2003. Dreamweaver is version MX 2004.

For further information or to register, please consult their web site at: http://www.cistrainingcenter.unh.edu/

II. TheState of New Hampshire offers classes “at cost” to all UNH employees. This is at considerable savings from what one would pay with an outside vendor.

Two NEW classes offered are:

• Basic PC Skills
• Research on the Internet

In addition, the state is currently offering classes in the following topics during the months of August and September.

• Access
• Acrobat
• Dreamweaver
• Excel
• Internet Explorer
• PowerPoint
• Windows
• Word

Topics are on a variety of levels, including special topics, such as a Word merge workshop.

Please consult their website for further information on the above listings.

To consult their website, go to:

http://www.nh.gov/hr/docs/ Then scroll down to the section on training and select the term for which you’d like information. (Note – The URL for the specific calendar changes each semester. If you bookmarked their site, you may want to replace it with the new URL listed above. Then follow the directions for scrolling to the appropriate term’s document.)

III. College for Lifelong Learning will be offering the following classes during September.

Seacoast Region – The following topic is offered at the Portsmouth facility in September. (Note: There are no classes offered in August.)

• Excel

A FREE computer workshop in PowerPoint will be offered:

• Tuesday, October 12 at the Bow site and
• Wednesday, October 13 at the Manchester site

Also of interest is a FREE course in Presentation Skills offered October 7 in the Littleton Center .

For further information and to register, consult their website at: http://www.cll. edu / .

CBT and Training Resources Guide

REVISED Training Resource Listings

The UNHCE Training Resources Guide (http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Intranet/ITDE/trg/vend_app.htm) has been revised. This guide contains information on training resources available in applications utilized by employees of UNHCE, including Microsoft Office, Adobe products (Acrobat, PageMaker, PhotoShop), as well as operating systems, and applications used by smaller audiences, such as DreamWeaver, Blue Ribbon YOUTH enrollment, or WordPerfect.

Included in this guide is a listing of Extension or University-owned Computer-based Training CD-ROMs (CBT), which can be used for free. UNHCE has a library of CBT (Training CD-ROMs) available from the ITDE office. The CDs are free to UNHCE staff, and can be borrowed for up to 2 weeks. CIS also has free CBT available to be used on campus.

This CBT can be used interactively, and allows you to receive information on just the topics where you desire training. For instance, you can select a topic such as “Creating/modifying headers and footers” in Word. It will show you how to do that step-by-step. You can repeat any sections as needed, and skip to other sections.

For further information on our CBT and a listing of the offerings, go to: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Intranet/ITDE/trg/trcdtoc.pdf

To access the complete, newly-revised, Training Resources Guide, go to: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Intranet/ITDE/trg/indextrg.htm

Karen Bennett has observed a new trend. People have started to ask Karen for physical street addresses for workshop locations. (e.g Pleasant Town Hall, 29 Pleasant St, Pleasant, NH) . They want to find directions from their specific locations to workshop venues using mapquest or yahoo maps. Adding these physical addressees to workshop brochures may be just what participants would like.

Michael Toepfer is the ITDE point of contact for purchasing new computer equipment. He will assist county offices in obtaining quotes, but counties need to order the equipment themselves. UNH funded equipment is the one exception that allows Mike to place the order.

If you are interested in purchasing digital imaging equipment or an LCD projector, please contact Faye Cragin for recommendations and quotes.

Here's a sample of recent prices for our standard configurations (in general, the prices remain stable while the performance and capabilities of the equipment improve):

Desktop - $1100

Laptop - $1200 - $2500

LCD Projectors
PT-LB50NTU - (2000 lumens, VGA - 800 x 600) $949.00
PT-LB50U - (2000 lumens, VGA - 1028 x 764) $1299.00

(Last updated 6/23/06)