Last Updated: 2/9/02
Link back to course Welcome...

Web.Edu Agenda 
for class on February 7, 2002
(Modified on 2/9 to show changes during class on 2/7)

  1. Startup
    1. Reminder to sign in during the class, using the online signin form on the course web site
    2. Turn your computer on and go to the course web site
      1. Turn the red power switch on
      2. The User Name is "labuser" and leave the password blank
      3. Start the web browser of your choice (Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator or Communicator) by double-clicking on the icon
      4. Go to the course web site - http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen/webeduw02
    3. Pictures for a class photo album - I botched Susan's picture - got a good shot of my thumb, though
    4. Reminder about regular online work: conference postings, online weekly course reports
    5. Review assignments - Review of essay form from syllabus
    6. Mark - your email account is out of date - email keeps getting bounced back
  2. Reading - questions or comments. My comments
    1. For this week - Chapter 6, "Organizing Your Life for Learning"
      1. "be realistic about the time commitment"
        1. What is the value of a College education?
      2. Arranging for peace and quiet while you are studying [DB - possible conflict with keepin an eye on any kids while they are surfing]
      3. Printer is nice [DB - now close to $100, not $200, but inkjet printing runs when it gets moist]
      4. Tying up the phone [DB - if your Internet connection is a local call, and you don't use all of your prepaid local calls, then that is billed per call, not per minute, so no point in going offline to work]
      5. Finding the time. Assignment - when we stop meeting, when do you think you will find the three hours per week for this course?
      6. Involving your co-residents in your course [DB - politically wise - note the stuff above about the value of a College degree]
      7. Ergonomics - a good guide seems to be that the ergonomics are OK if you are comfortable. If you are uncomfortable and you tough it out over a long period, you are asking for trouble. I like to look down a bit at the monitor. There are times when I have to get close t the screen. The mouse position is important for comfort. Cleaning a mouse. Taking breaks and walking around every once in a while.
      8. Keyboard position - ideally, you should be able to adjust height, tilt and distance from your body. Some people swear by those fancy new keyboards with the two halves oriented in different directions.
      9. For monitor position, be aware that you can change font sizes, especially in your Browser
        1. Netscape: Edit > Preferences > Appearance > Fonts (can override the choices of the developer)
        2. Internet Explorer: View > Text Size (not as big a range of control)
  3. Alternate systems #1 - Blackboard
    1. Blackboard is a commercial (proprietary) web teaching and learning tool supported by WSU at the University level, and is used for many grounded and online courses
      1. There are many alternate systems in use at WSU. In particular, Medicine, Engineering, Nursing and Science have well-supported online course systems in place
      2. Our online work will change to Blackboard for the next three or four weeks except for
        1. Postings that were due by this week - still do those using WebBoard
        2. Class signins - Blackboard does not have this feature
        3. Weekly course reports - Blackboard does not have these
      3. One of the benefits that the University hopes for using Blackboard is that students will only have to learn it once. However, the Instructor for each course has a great deal of flexibility in configuring the course, so this may not be the case. Also, Blackboard does not always do things consistently
    2. There is a link to Blackboard from the course web site, or it is at http://blackboard.wayne.edu
    3. Many such systems, including WebBoard and the online course reports, make it easy to set up a second account (or even more). You need to be careful about this. On Blackboard and WebBoard, your accounts are persistent from course to course - you should not establish a new account for each course (no matter what the Instructor says to do!)
      1. If you have multiple accounts in BlackBoard, email the administrator (bbadmin@wayne.edu) listing the accounts and your WSU Student ID # (on your OneCard, starts with "P").
        1. Duplicate accounts that are not being used will be deleted
        2. Accounts that are linked to a course will not be (may not be) deleted
    4. Blackboard opening screen
      1. BlackboardWelcomeMod.gif (5975 bytes)
      2. Login if you have already created an account, Create Account if this is your first time in BlackBoard - ever! (Forget your password?)
      3. Create Account
        Red-starred items are required, others are optional. You can go back and update this information at any time.

        After you have Completed the form, scroll down and click the appropriate button (not "CANCEL") at the bottom
    5. If you already have an account, just log in with your User name and Password (tranparency)
    6. Blackboard welcome screen - shows all of your courses, and more (transparency)
      1. There are several options for getting included in a course - Instructor option
        1. Course might be open to the public (unusual)
        2. You might self-register, as for this one (transparency × 2)
        3. You might need to request that the Instructor admit you
      2. Account status
        1. Susan is OK and I have already included her in the course
        2. Mark has two accounts and I am not quite sure what to do. Probably better for the time being if you self-enroll either today or tomorrow (self-enrollment is open for a limited period)
          babi, mark | mjbabi | mbabi@hotmail.com
          AND
          Babi, Mark Babi | mbabi | Mbabi@hotmail.com
        3. Paul - need to create an account and self-enroll today or tomorrow
        4. You will also "see" Divad Bowen - this is me coming in as a student to see how it works for you

      CLASS STOPPED HERE

    7. Welcome page for a course (transparency)
    8. Tools page (transparency) - online help (transparency)
      1. Digital Drop Box - can be used for turning in and turning back homework files
    9. Communication (transparency)
      1. Discussion Board (transparency)
      2. Viewing Threads (transparency)
      3. Replying (transparency)
      4. Threaded discussion system WebBoard BlackBoard
        Logo
        A top-level message A "Post" A "Forum" (Instructor may disallow students from starting new Forums)
        To reply to a top-level message "Reply" or "Reply/Quote" "Add New Thread"
        To reply to a lower-level message Same as above "Reply":
  4. File compatibility issues - homework is turned in via computer files
    1. Can the Instructor read your files?
    2. Can you read the Instructor's files? For example, the Instructor's comments and grades on your essays?
    3. There is a file format for this - HTML (web pages). I want to test this as a method. Which of the following WYSIWYG HTML editors do you have?
      1. Netscape Composer
      2. Word - File > Save As (HTML)
      3. Or Word File > Save As Web Page
      4. Or Works or some other word processor File > Save As > HTML or Save As Web Page
      5. Microsoft FrontPage or some other WYSIWYG HTML editor
    4. There will be an online for for this by Saturday - fill it in
  5. Managing files - this is and will be an issue in any online course. Can you find your files, in order to upload them, and can you find them once you have downloaded them?
    1. How to find your files - the path to the file, or the file path
      C:\My Documents\WebEduW02\dtbEssay1.doc
      C:\  My Documents\WebEduW02\  dtbEssay1  .doc
      C:\ The drive (A: for floppy drive, C: for hard drive, may have others also) You have no choice over the drive
      My Documents\WebEduW02\ Folders (two here, "My Documents" and "WebEduW02" You can name and rename folders. Folder names should make sense to you (describe the contents of the folder).
      dtbEssay1 File name You can name and rename file names. File names should make sense to you (describe the contents of the file).
      .doc Extension (indicates type and also determines which files will be visible when you look for files) In Windows, file extensions (technically they pare part of the name) are very important. By default, Windows hides them from you.
    2. When you save a file, almost all of the path is shown to you. 
  6. Assignments due next class (from the assignment schedule on the Syllabus - get used to reviewing that)
    1. Read Chapter 9, Starting Out
    2. Catch up on your WebBoard postings from the past
    3. (From class: no, stay on WebBoard) Do two BlackBoard postings for the next class
    4. (From class: removed from assignment) Complete the form that will be online for the WYSIWYG HTM: editors that you have access to
    5. Weekly course report
    6. Do the "File Test" to make sure that we can exchange homework files electronically.
      1. Go to the course web site and follow the link "File Test" to download the test file
      2. Save the file to your hard drive (C: for a PC)
      3. Open the file, and add your name at the bottom of the file.
      4. Save the file using "File > Save As..." and add your three initials to the beginning of the file name. For example, since my three initials are drb, I would save the file as drbTestFile.doc
      5. Email the new file to me at d.r.bowen@wayne.edu
      6. I will add a new line to the bottom of the file and email it back to you.
      7. Open the file, read the new line, and email the line to me. This will complete the test.
  7. Turning off the lab computers
    1. Click the "Start" button (if you computer has a "Windows" key you can press that instead)
    2. Point to or click on "Shut Down..."
    3. Make sure that "Shut Down" is selected
    4. Click the "OK" button or press the <Enter> key
    5. Wait until your computer turns off or displays a message that it is now OK to shut down your computer
    6. Turn off the computer and monitor using the red key under the tabletop