Maximizing Technology for Academic Success

1. Chapter 10Technology and Information Competency

2. Technology and Academics 10-2 • Technology has revolutionized academic life • Course websites • Textbook CD-ROMs • Companion websites • Instructor podcasts and blogs • Wikis • Classroom presentation programs such as PowerPoint • Individual response technology

3. Using the Internet and the Web 10-3 • The World Wide Web • A graphical means of locating and accessing information on the internet • The Internet • The electronic network that connects millions of computers together • Common uses include: • Email • Text and instant messaging • Newsgroups and Listservs • RSS feeds

4. Using Email Effectively 10-4 • Certain email providers enable users to access their email from anywhere in the world • Some schools require students to have an email account • Check this account regularly • Have your mail from this account forwarded to your regular account or vice versa

5. Writing Effective Email Messages 10-5 • Use an informative subject heading • Make sure the recipient knows who you are • Keep messages short and focused • Include only one major topic per email • Put requests near the beginning of the email • Keep attachments to a minimum • Avoid abbreviations and emoticons in formal emails

6. Netiquette: Civility on the Web 10-6 • Don’t write anything in an email or text that you wouldn’t want everyone to see • Be careful of the tone you convey • Never write anything in an email or text that you wouldn’t say in person • Don’t use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS • Never send an email or text when you are angry • Be especially polite and professional when emailing instructors

7. Classroom Netiquette 10-7 • Turn off your cell phone • Don’t send texts or make calls during class • Stay on task, and not on Facebook, when taking notes on a laptop • Don’t use headphones connected to your computer • It’s still cheating, and therefore wrong, to text or receive answers to problems in class

8. Spam Management and Safety 10-8 • Tips for dealing with email spam: • Consider using two email addresses (one for personal email and another one for newsgroups and chat rooms) • Don’t use anything close to your name for a user name or screen name • Never give out your password and change it frequently

9. Spam Management and Safety 10-9 • Never respond to emails that ask for personal information • Do not click on any links in an email until you are sure the email is from a legitimate source • Neveropen an email attachment from someone you don’t know • Be cautious with social networking sites

10. Spam Management and Safety 10-10 • Keeping safe • Don’t give out personal information • Never send photos of yourself or family members to someone you don’t know • Don’t reply to emails that are offensive or weird • Don’t arrange to meet someone you’ve only met on the web • If problems do arise, contact your campus or local police

11. Distance Learning: Advantages 10-11 • Distance learning courses offer tremendous convenience • May be more flexible than brick and mortar classes • Distance learning classes may be self-paced • Contact with instructor may be greater • Shy students may find writing their responses easier than speaking them in front of a class • You can become a better writer

12. Distance Learning: Disadvantages 10-12 • You are a prisoner of technology • You won’t have face-to-face contact with your instructor or classmates • You won’t get immediate feedback • You need to have discipline, personal responsibility and time management skills

13. Distance Learning – Prepare 10-13 • Identifying distance learning course possibilities • Check your college • Do an internet search • Make sure your college will give you credit for the course • Consider if the course requirements will fit in your schedule • Get feedback from other students who have taken the course, if possible

14. Distance Learning – Organize 10-14 • Obtaining access to technology • You will need basic skills and an email account • Brush up on your computer skills before taking an online course • You will need regular access to a computer with internet access

15. Distance Learning – Work 10-15 • Skill set for online courses are very different from traditional courses • Manage your time carefully • Check-in frequently • Find an online partner • Make copies of everything • Have a technology backup plan

16. Distance Learning – Evaluate, Rethink 10-16 • Evaluate – Considering your “classroom” performance • Feedback comes from your instructor and classmates • Ensure your feedback to your classmates is polite • Rethink – Reflecting on what and how you have learned • Is distance learning for you? • Have you learned the objectives of the course? Have you learned as much as you think you would have in a traditional course?

17. Developing Information Competency 10-17 • Information competency is crucial • The ability to determine what information is needed, where to get it and effectively use it • Libraries • Periodicals • Indexes and online databases • Encyclopedias • Government documents • Musical scores • Reserve collections • Use an interlibrary loan, if necessary

18. Finding Information on the Web 10-18

19. Finding Information on the Web 10-19 • There is a great deal of information available on the web…and disinformation • Browsers – a way of looking at information on the web (Microsoft Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc) • URL – identifies a unique location on the web • Web pages – a document that presents you with information • Links – embedded in web pages that take you to other locations on the web • Search engine – a computerized index of information available on the internet (Yahoo, Google, etc)

20. Finding Information on the Web 10-20 • Search tips • Type your search in the form of a question • Identify the important words in the question as well as synonyms • Go to your search engine and type in 2 or 3 words from your list • Open a new window and type in a new search using different terms • Compare results and find similarities • Determine if you have found the answer you’re looking for • Resist the temptation to cut and paste the information you found directly into your work

21. Evaluating Information from the Web 10-21 • How authoritative is the information? • Remember, anyone can publish anything, whether it is correct or not • How current is the information? • How well are claims documented? • Is anything missing? • Utilize your college’s librarian as they are masters at information management and technology