Time's Harvest, Fall 1997

Using the Conference(s) and Chat Room(s) for this course

Last updated: 9/5/97

Link back to "Welcome..."

CONTENTS:

1. Getting into the conference(s) and chat room(s)
   1. For the first time
   2. After the first time
2. Using the conference(s) and chat room(s)

1.1 Getting into the conference(s) and chat room(s) for the first time

Getting into the conference(s) and chat room(s) for the first time is a four-stage process.

• Assign yourself a User Name and a password. The User  Name is not your regular name. This system calls your regular name your "Real Name." A User Name is typically a code name or something like your initials, or your first initials and last name. Your User Name can be your UserID on another computer system. I recommend against using your password from another computer system, because this conference/chat system is not fully secure; someone who knew what to do could find out your password. You are responsible for assigning and remembering the User Name and password.

• Do a new-user login using your User Name and password. You do this by going to the course Web site, and scrolling down an following the link to Computer Conferences and Chat Rooms for Course and Teams. Click on this link. A dialog box appears; type in your User Name and password and click on the "OK" button. Since your User Name and password are new to this system, your are asked to choose whether you are logging in as a new user, or whether you are an existing user and just mistyped. For this first time, make the choice that you are logging in as a new user.
  
  These screens are shown below.
  
  
  This Figure shows the link from the course Web site to the Computer Conferences and Chat Rooms (this is the second link), and the dialog box (User Name and Password Required) that appears after you click on the link. The dialog box is where you type your self-assigned User Name and password, and then click the "OK" button.
  NOTE: Unless you enter BOTH a User Name and a password, your login will not be accepted!
  
  
  This Figure shows the the choice that you are asked to make the first time you log in to the conference and chat room. This first time, you should choose (click on) the top choice, "Yes, I am entering as a new user."
  
  As a new user, after logging in for the first time, you will be asked to supply information about yourself in a "User Profile." While you will always be able to go back and update this later on, the information that is REQUIRED AT THIS TIME is shown with red bullets on the screen, and is:

  • Your Real Name

  • Your User Name (again)

  • Your password (again; twice in fact)

  • Your e-mail address. If you do not have an e-mail address at this time, use webserver@cll.wayne.edu.This is not a real e-mail address -- you will not be able to pick up any messages to this address -- but it will get you into the conference and chat room for now. Later on, when you have your own e-mail address, go back and enter it here.
    
    After you have done these steps, you can leave this system. There is no logout; just quit your Browser.

• After you have done the new-user login, inform the Instructor (David Bowen). The Instructor will add you to the course conference and chat room. If you are taking AGS 334, you will be a member of a Team, and the Instructor will add you to the conference and chat room for the Team.

• After these steps, log in again (see description below), and you will have access to the conference(s) and chat room(s).

1.2 Getting into the Conference(s) and Chat Room(s) after the first time

After you get into the conference and chat room system for the first time, subsequent logins are much simpler.

• Go to the course Web site, choose the Computer Conferences and Chat Rooms for Course and Teams and login using your self-assigned User Name and password.
• If you see the Log in as a new user? screen again, you have mistyped your User Name and/or password. Make the bottom choice. (If you make the top choice, you will be counted as a new person, and this new person will not have been added to the course conference(s) and chat room(s).)

2. Using the conference(s) and chat room(s)

After you have added to the course conference(s) and chat room(s) and log in, you will see a screen like the screen below, except that it will have your first name instead of AlvinToffler's first name.

The left (yellow) panel shows the conferences you have access to. The conference for the on-line Math Proficiency Exam (MPE) tutor is a public conference that everyone has access to. It has nothing to do with this course.

(If this is the only conference that you see listed, you have mistyped your User Name and/or password, and made the wrong choice for Log in as a new user? Close your Browser and try again.)

At this time, you could click on the "You have ... new message(s)" link in the right (white) panel to read your new messages, or you can go to a specific conference and read the content in that conference. Be aware that if you select new messages, that will include any new messages in the on-line MPE tutor conference, which will probably not interest you (unless you need to take the Math Proficiency Exam!).

The Time's Harvest conference is the one for this course. If you are taking AGS 334, your Team conference will also appear. Click on the conference or the "+" to its left to see a list of topics. Click on a topic to see the Follow-ups in the right panel. An example of what you would see after you had clicked on the conference and clicked on a topic is shown below.

Once you are reading conference content as in the right panel in the figure above, you can post a follow-up or an entirely new topic, by clicking on the appropriate links.

Other actions that you can take include:

• Click on the CHAT button on the top row to enter a chat room.
• Click on the PROFILES button on the top row to edit your personal profile.
• Click on the HELP button on the top row to access the extensive on-line help.