TechTalk
Thoughts on using IT in NC Cooperative Extension
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Tuesday February 05, 2008 |
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TechTalk has moved
TechTalk has moved to a new site: http://nccetechtalk.blogspot.com/ By moving to Blogger to host this blog, we'll be able to provide some new features, analyze visitors better and make it easier for us to edit the template and articles. If you subscribe to this blog, you will want to update your feed reader to subscribe to the new location. If you subscribe via email, I think you should be getting the new feeds and probably won't even get this article. We'll see if I have everything configured correctly. If you get this article, then go to the new site (above) and subscribe. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me - john_dorner@ncsu.edu Hope you like the new look! Posted by jdorner ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / Feb 05 2008, 04:49:54 PM EST ) Permalink Comments [1] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/techtalk_has_moved |
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Friday January 25, 2008 |
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Getting started with Elluminate Live! (web conferencing)
You've probably heard (if not participated) about Elluminate Live! web conferences. Elluminate Live! is a great way to be in two places at once. If you've heard about it or just want to see what all the buzz is about, the best way to learn is to dive in. I'll be teaching several sessions of "Intro to Elluminate Live! for Participants" and "Intro to Elluminate Live! for Moderators" classes during the next month. To register, go to: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/xlms or http://jdorner.notlong.com/calendar.html (for my Extension friends outside of NCSU, just send me an email and I'll send you the link to join us). Note: if the sessions aren't listed in the LMS, you can register by following the links in my training calendar. Potential Uses:Replaces telephone conference calls.+ FREE + Give and receive non-verbal feedback (i.e. laughter, confused looks, raise your hand, applause, thumbs down) + Take polls + Show applications on your computer (or your entire desktop) + Brainstorm on the white board + Record the session for those who were not able to attend + Text chat with other participants without disrupting the speaker + Ask your questions in the chat window without disrupting the speaker + Share video (one video camera at a time) - Requires that you are sitting at a computer connected to the internet (no cell phone access) Computer Help (visit my virtual office from my home page) + Show someone exactly what problem you are having + Let them control your computer (if you like) Take and Teach Classes + NO TRAVEL TIME + NO TRAVEL EXPENSES + Can use "break out rooms" for small group discussions. + Lots of seats Virtual Office + Just like a real office, except accessible by anyone from any place (on the internet) + Bad hair days just don't matter - Difficult for people to bring you coffee and donuts Staff Conferences for a geographically distributed staff Bring in a guest speaker to a meeting + Project speaker's presentation onto screen + NO TRAVEL EXPENSES + NO TRAVEL TIME for the speaker + Speaker could be presenting to several locations simultaneously - Requires special microphone for best results - Speaker cannot see the audience and them see him simultaneously Posted by jdorner ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / Jan 25 2008, 03:32:04 PM EST ) Permalink Comments [0] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/getting_started_with_elluminate_web |
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Wednesday December 12, 2007 |
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Do you have a blog?
I'd like to create a collection of Extension Blogs. If you have created a blog to enhance your Extension Programming or know of another agent or specialist's blog, please share it - either by commenting to this article or emailing me at john_dorner@ncsu.edu. I've started a PageFlakes page with blogs of interest to Extension, but thought it would be good to have one with just Extension produced blogs for current and future Extension Bloggers to look at for ideas and inspiration. [UPDATE] - I've started posting these at: http://www.pageflakes.com/extension/ Also, since it is getting close to "evaluation time", please let me know if I played a part in getting you started blogging and if so, what part (awareness, motivation, initial setup, etc.). If you haven't started blogging or want to learn more about it, in my Scouting Around blog, I recently wrote an post titled "Do you Blog? or Why Blog?" If you don't blog, that is a good place to go if you want to know why. If you want to get started blogging, I'll be teaching a class on starting a blog (via Elluminate Live!) on Monday 12/17 from 9-11 at http://slms.delta.ncsu.edu/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1193259183867 (NCCE staff, please register at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/xlms/event_display.php?event_id=1142) Posted by jdorner ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / Dec 12 2007, 03:55:23 PM EST ) Permalink Comments [0] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/do_you_have_a_blog |
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Monday October 08, 2007 |
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NCSU Symantec Antivirus Problem
If you were running Symantec Antivirus (SAV)10 for Windows on October 2, 2007 and getting your updates from NCSU, your SAV may not be getting updated. To find out if you have this problem, open SAV (On PCs: Start -> All Programs -> Symantec Client Security -> Symantec Antivirus) and look at the Virus Definition File's Version. If it is 10/2/2007, then follow the instructions at: http://help.ncsu.edu/solutions/all/3513.php. The Virus Definition File Version should always be current - within a day or two. If not, then run Live Update. If you have any problems, please contact your Area IM Agent. Posted by jdorner ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / Oct 08 2007, 11:20:51 AM EDT ) Permalink Comments [0] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/ncsu_symantec_antivirus_problem
Google Docs
Google Docs is a GREAT way to share documents (word processing files, spreadsheets and now presentations) and work with other people. If you haven't used it yet, you owe it to yourself to take a look! All you need is a Google account. The key to working smarter is working together. Today, there are lots of tools that can help you do this more efficiently and Google Docs is one of them. I'll write about others I use in future articles. I have been using Google Docs for about a year now. Now, I save very few, if any, documents to my hard drive. They all go into Google Docs. The straw that broke the camels back and pushed me into using Google Docs for just about everything I do happened one day this spring. I needed to see the budget my secretary kept on her computer and she was out of town for a week. There was no way I could get to that file (legally). When she got back, we put that spreadsheet into Google Docs where we could both access it and work on it. I've heard of many such problems in the county offices. Reasons I love Google Docs:
Reasons Google Docs is not perfect:
Over the last year, Google Docs has made a lot of improvements and new features are being added at a fast pace. If it doesn't do what you need today, keep watching. For a quick overview of Google Docs, see: Google Docs in Plain English. If you have any questions or would like some help getting started, just let me or your IM Agent know. Posted by jdorner ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / Oct 08 2007, 09:24:17 AM EDT ) Permalink Comments [0] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/google_docs |
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Friday September 07, 2007 |
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Change the look of a wiki
Did you know that many wikis are customizable? Some that are include the NCCE Intranet, eXtension wikis and even Wikipedia. You can change the way the wiki appears for you - not others, but first you have to be logged in. Why would you want to do this? Some layouts look better on different screen resolutions or just personal preferences. After you've logged in, click on "Preferences" link in the upper right corner (usually - depending on how you've customized the wiki). Then, click on the "Skin" tab. Choose the "Skin" you like best - use the "Preview" to see how it is going to look on your computer first - and then "Save".  So, if you don't like the way the wiki is being shown on your screen, just choose a different skin.
Posted by jdorner ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / Sep 07 2007, 11:17:38 AM EDT ) Permalink Comments [0] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/change_the_look_of_a |
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Wednesday July 11, 2007 |
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Survey tools
CALS has a Survey Builder at http://ceres.cals.ncsu.edu/surveybuilder/ that we (NCCE) are welcome to use. This is a very easy tool to use to create an online survey. If this isn't robust enough to suit your needs, then check out some of the online survey tools like: Instant Survey: http://www.instantsurvey.com/ SurveyMonkey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/ Zoomerang: http://www.zoomerang.com/ Posted by jdorner ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / Jul 11 2007, 04:23:22 PM EDT ) Permalink Comments [0] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/survey_tools |
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Tuesday June 05, 2007 |
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Secure your equipment
Worried about equipment theft in the workplace? Maybe you should be. There is no way to completely prevent equipment thefts from occurring, but these three small steps might help reduce the risk: Purchase and use equipment locks like the one linked below that
fits into the Kensington lock slot on many laptop and desktop computers like the Mac mini. This model
allows you to set your own combination.
It costs about $35. Place the equipment out of direct sight, if possible. Keep your office locked when you're not there. Posted by rconlon ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / Jun 05 2007, 02:22:37 PM EDT ) Permalink Comments [0] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/secure_your_equipment |
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Thursday May 10, 2007 |
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Viewing NCDA Soil Test Results on a Mac
If a web page doesn't work like you expect it to work, try looking at it in a different browser (Firefox, Safari on Macs or MS Internet Explorer on Windows). If it still doesn't work, let the owner of the page know. Usually, they apreciate being told about problems so they can fix it. A new factsheet on getting Soil Sample Results from NCDA from a Mac has been posted to the CES Wiki at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/admin/wiki/index.php/Viewing_NCDA_Soil_Test_Results_on_a_Mac. If you have problems or questions, contact your IM Agent. Posted by jdorner ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / May 10 2007, 10:38:32 AM EDT ) Permalink Comments [0] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/viewing_ncda_soil_test_results |
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Friday May 04, 2007 |
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Another Way to Check IMAP mail quota
Recent cases of IMAP mail users being over their quota have generated multiple calls to the EIT Helpdesk. An easy way to check your IMAP quota exists in Thunderbird Mail. While in your ?inbox?, click on ?Edit? on the menu bar at the top of your screen. A dropdown menu appears, at the bottom, click on ?Folder Properties?. A second dropdown menu shows a list of tabs (like folders in a file drawer). The tab on the right, labeled ?Quota? will show your quota, your usage, and your percentage. After you find out your information, just click on ?OK?. Some users are not aware that our space allocations have increased from 150 mb to 300 mb. Please refer to John Dorner?s earlier (March 27, 2007) posting about ?Need More E-Mail Quota Space? for instructions on adding quota. Posted by baemmons ( Nov 19 2008, 10:42:58 AM EST / May 04 2007, 02:25:59 PM EDT ) Permalink Comments [0] Trackback: http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/techtalk/entry/another_way_to_check_imap |