Microsoft Office Tip: Set Out of Office using Outlook Web Access

1. Click Options
   


2. On the left-hand navigation, select Out of Office Assistant
   


3. Select  Send Out of Office auto-replies
   


4. To limit the dates of auto-replies, select the option Send Out of Office auto-replies only during this time period and set the appropriate dates
• NOTE:  If this option is not selected, auto-replies will be sent until Do not send Out of Office auto-replies is manually selected


5. In the topmost text box, labeled  Send an auto-reply once to each sender inside my organization with the following message, enter the response you would like sent to emails from within the TWU system
   


6. Just below that text box, make sure the Send Out of Office auto-relies to External Senders box is checked
   


7. Select whether you want auto-replies sent only to senders in my Contacts list or to anyone outside my organization
   


8. In the final text box, labeled Send an auto-reply once to each sender outside my organization with the following message, enter the response you would like sent to emails that are not within the TWU system
   


9. Click on the Save button located near the top of the page

Microsoft Office Tip of the Week: Out of Office Assistant

Application: Outlook 2007

Microsoft Office Outlook’s Out of Office Assistant can be used to automatically respond to email messages in the event of an absence.  The Out of Office Assistant can respond to emails both within and outside of TWU. Out of Office replies can be used to give dates of an absence, an alternative point of contact, and a means of communication to those emailing.

Here’s how to do it:

1. In Outlook, go to the Tools menu and select Out of Office Assistant


2. Select Send Out of Office auto-replies


3. To limit the dates of auto-replies, select the option Only send during this time range and set the appropriate dates
• NOTE:  If this option is not selected, auto-replies will be sent until Do not send Out of Office auto-replies is manually selected


4. Compose a response for Inside My Organization (within TWU) and enter the information


5. Click on the Outside My Organization tab and make sure the Auto-reply to people outside my organization box is checked


6. Select whether you want auto-replies sent only to My Contacts only or Anyone outside my organization


7. Compose a response for Outside My Organization (those outside TWU) and enter the information


8. Click on OK

Blackboard Tip of the Week: Add/Remove users to the Instructor role

Tip: You can add users to the instructor role in your course as well as remove users from the instructor role from your course.

Here’s how to add users to the instructor role:

1. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Enroll User
2. Search for the instructor’s username by typing their last name and clicking on the Search button
3. Place a checkmark next to the appropriate username then click Submit
4. Return to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on List/Modify Users
5. Click the Search button then click the Properties button next to the appropriate username
6. Under Role and Availability, select the Instructor role then click Submit

Here’s how to remove users from the instructor role:

1. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on List/Modify Users
2. Click the Search button then click the Properties button next to the appropriate username
3. Under Role and Availability, select the Student role then click Submit
4. Return to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Remove Users from Course
5. Search for the instructor’s username by typing their last name and clicking on the Search button
6. Place a checkmark next to the appropriate username
7. Type Yes in the confirmation box then click Submit
   NOTE: You must type Yes, with a capital Y

Using the Add Users by Role feature:

If you know the Blackboard username of the instructor you want to add, you can use the Add Users by Role feature.

1. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Add Users by Role
2. Select the appropriate user role from the drop-down box
3. Type the Blackboard username(s) in the username box
   NOTE: You can add multiple users at once by separating each username with a comma
4. Click Submit to add the user(s)

Web 2.0 Tool of the Week: Animoto

(http://www.animoto.com)

Animoto is an online application that instantly produces videos using pictures, video, text, and sound. Animoto’s technology allows you to drag and drop pictures in the order you want to view them, select a song and the program integrates the two for a professional-looking video production. Animoto takes presentations to a new dimension!

Animoto allows you to:
• Create a picture slide show
• Upload pictures from your computer or from your account on Flickr, Facebook, Picasa, SmugMug, or Photobucket
• Incorporate music
• You are given a choice of licensed soundtracks or you can upload your own music
• Include text for captions
• Share the video
• Send to an email, blog, or website
• Export directly to YouTube
• Download to a CD or flash drive

Things to know:
• Users must create an account
• Free accounts allow users to create 30 second videos. Longer videos require a subscription at the cost of $25/year.
• Videos will be branded with Animoto’s logo at the end.
• Images must be in jpeg or gif formats.
• Apps available for the iPhone and Facebook; providing easy sharing and allowing you to create videos on the go.

Ready to explore Animoto?
View a sample video and sign up for an account.

Blackboard Tip of the Week: Grading Discussion Board forums or threads

Tip: You can grade Discussion Board forums or threads.

Here’s how to enable grading:

1. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Discussion Board
2. Choose the specific Discussion Board containing the Forum you would like to grade
3. Click the Modify button for the Forum you would like to grade
4. Under Forum Settings, select Grade Forum or Grade Threads
• Grade Forum will allow you to assign grades for students’ posts to that forum
• Grade Threads will allow you to assign grades for students’ replies to each thread in a forum

Here’s how to grade:

1. Click the Grade icon next to the forum or thread you would like to grade
2. Click the Grade button next to a student’s name
• The student’s posts to the forum or thread will display
• You can filter, sort, and print the student’s posts
3. Type a grade in the Grade box and click the Submit button

Discussion grading and the gradebook:

It is important to note that when you enable grading for a forum or thread, columns for those forums or threads are automatically generated in the gradebook.

• When you enable grading by forum, a column for that forum is created in the gradebook
• When you enable grading by thread, a column for each thread in a forum is created in the gradebook

Keep this in mind when choosing whether to grade by forum or thread. Gradebook management can become cumbersome if you choose to grade a large number of threads.

Voicemail Tip of the Week: Tips for Navigating

TWU has a new voicemail system for all permanent faculty and staff. The new system integrates voicemail with e-mail, delivering all messages to both telephone and e-mail. To request an account on the new system, e-mail voicemail@twu.edu and include your name, campus, and telephone extension.

Tips for navigating in the new voicemail system

The new voicemail system is programmed with the # key as the speed up/ bypass key.

• When accessing voicemail by phone, type # at the end of entering keystrokes (such as your mailbox number or security code) to hurry the system along.
• When calling someone, press # to bypass their greeting.

Disconnecting from voicemail when transferring calls

When transferring a caller to another extension, it is important to stay on the line to be certain the call goes through. If voicemail answers on the destination extension and the caller does not want to leave a message press * several times until voicemail disconnects. You will then be reconnected with the original caller.

Voicemail is available for all permanent faculty and staff. To request an account, e-mail voicemail@twu.edu from your TWU e-mail account and include name, campus and telephone extension.

Tip #52: Embedding YouTube videos

You can embed YouTube videos in your Blackboard course.

Recommended use:
Due to copyright terms and YouTube’s Terms of Service requirements, we strongly recommend you only embed videos that you have created and uploaded to YouTube.

Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the YouTube page containing the video you would like to use, and copy the Embed code

• This is located in the video information to the right of the video
• If you click in the Embed field, it will highlight all of the code for you to copy

2. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on the Content Area where you would like to place the video

3. Click the Add Item button

4. Click the Toggle HTML Source Mode button on the WYSIWIG text editor

5. Paste the Embed code into the Blackboard text editor

• If you toggle your view back to normal mode, the content area will appear to be blank but the video will appear when you look at it in the Content Area

6. Fill in any other information as you normally would then click on Submit

Microsoft Office Tip of the Week: Track Changes

Applications: Word 2007

Track Changes is a Microsoft Office feature that is useful when collaborating with coworkers on documents. Track changes can show deletions, comments, formatting changes, and content that has moved.

Turn change tracking on or off

• On the Review tab, in the Tracking group, click the Track Changes image. When change tracking is active, the icon will be orange. To turn off this function, click the Track Changes image again.


• To add a Track Changes Indicator to the status bar, right-click the status bar and click Track Changes. Click the Track Changes Indicator on the status bar to turn change tracking on or off.

Track changes while you edit
1. Open the document that you want to revise.
2. On the Review tab, in the Tracking group, click the Track Changes image.
3. Make the changes that you want by inserting, deleting, moving, or formatting text or graphics. You can also add comments.

After you are finished editing
After you’ve finished editing your document, use the Document Inspector to find and remove any hidden data stored by the Track Changes tool. To learn more about it, visit our past tip about the Document Inspector.