Chapter 10
Making the Most of
Technology
P.O.W.E.R. Plan
• Prepare: Identify distance learning
course possibilities
• Organize: Obtain access to technology
• Work: Participate in a distance learning
class
• Evaluate: Consider your “classroom”
performance
• Rethink: Reflect on what and how you
have learned
Technological advances
increase your
opportunities to achieve
success in college.
A “digital divide”
separates students who
have easy access to
computers prior to
college from those for
whom access is
difficult.
The Divide
• Homes without computers
• Homes without internet access
• Older students who did not have
computers in school
Computer Basics
• Hardware - physical part of computer
–
–
–
–
Display
Mouse
Keyboard
Computer unit (CPU)
• Software – tells the computer what operations
to carry out
– Operating system
– Application programs perform specific kinds of
functions
• Word processing, Presentation programs, Spreadsheets
Word Processing
• Creating text documents
• Inserting graphics or symbols
• What else can a word processing do?
– Spell-check
– Correct grammatical errors
– Correct style of writing
Presentation Programs
•
•
•
•
•
PowerPoint-common software
Animates graphics
Moves text on and off the page
Sound clips
Movie clips
Getting the Most out of
PowerPoint
• Pay attention primarily to what is said
and second to what you see on the
screen
• Don’t copy the entire slide
• Key points are on slide
• Ask if presentation is available online
• Note-taking is still important
Spreadsheet Programs
•
•
•
•
Excel: common software
Calculations
Formulas
Create graphs or pie charts
The “Net”
•
•
•
•
•
Email
Newsgroups
Listservs
World Wide Web
Telnet (requires name and password)
Using Email
• Username
• Password
• Abbreviations
– AFAIK (as far as I know)
– BTW (by the way)
– CYA (see ya)
– OIC (oh, I see)
– WTG (way to go)
Spam Management
• Junk mail
• Use filter if available
• New response to spam: Do Not Click on
Link
Email Emoticons
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
(:-&
:,(

:-D
:^D
*
;)
angry
crying
frown
funny
happy
kiss
wink
Netiquette
•
•
•
•
Email is not private
Tone is hard to convey
Don’t use all capital letters (shouting)
Don’t send email when you are angry
Distance Learning
• Internet
• ITV-through television
• Some courses and degrees are not
from accredited colleges, so check
before you take an internet class over
the web
• Online courses may be self-paced
• Online courses may improve your
writing skills
Disadvantages of
Distance Learning
•
•
•
•
Prisoner of technology
No direct, face-to-face instructor contact
Immediate feedback not likely
Requires discipline, personal
responsibility, and time-management
Prepare
• Identify distance learning possibilities
• Make sure your college will accept
credit
• Check course requirements
Organize
• Obtain access to technology
– Computer
– Internet
– Check settings
Work
• Back up all work on CD-rom or disk
• Makes hard copies of work
• Have alternate plan if your computer
crashes
• Be sure you check in with instructor
frequently
Evaluate
Use basic principles of classroom
civility when receiving or
providing feedback
Rethink
• What have you learned?
• Would a classroom setting be better?
Finding Facts
• Library
– Periodicals
– Indexes to periodicals
– Encyclopedias
– Government documents
– Musical scores
– Reserve collections
– Online databases
Where is It?
• Library catalog
• Use call number, a code that tells you
exactly where to find information
• Stacks - shelves of books
• Recall - library contacts person to
return a book
Where is It?
• Interlibrary loan - system by which
libraries share resources
• If you can’t find it - consider interlibrary
loan
WWW
• Browser-Internet Explorer or Netscape
Navigator
– Browser is a program to help you find
information
• URL (Uniform Resource Locator) identifies
a unique location on the web
• Web pages: document
• Links: embedded addresses
• Search engines: index
Search Engines
•
•
•
•
•
•
Yahoo
AltaVista
Excite
Google
Ask Jeeves
Dogpile
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fast Search
Hotbot
LookSmart
Lycos
Northern Light
MetaCrawler
Evaluate Information
on the Web
•
•
•
•
•
Consider the source
Unregulated information
How current is the information?
Don’t copy without citing source
Nothing is private
P.O.W.E.R. Plan
PREPARE
Identify distance learning
course possibilities
ORGANIZE
Obtain access to
technology
WORK
Participate in a
distance learning class
EVALUATE
Consider your
“classroom” performance
RETHINK
Reflect on what and how
you have learned
Career Connections
Explore career
opportunities on the web.
Resources
Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Computers
by Michael Miller (Que, 2005)
The Distance Learner’s Guide by
Western collaborative for Educational
Telecommunications (Prentice Hall,
2004)