Tip of the Week: Dropbox

Web 2.0 Tools Dropbox

Many people work from multiple locations or computers. Some need to access the same file from any location. Files uploaded to Dropbox can be accessed from different computers (Windows, Mac, and Linux), smartphones, or the Dropbox website.

What are the advantages?
• As files are saved in a Dropbox folder, the file is updated from every access point (multiple computers, smartphone)
• Entire folders or individual files can be shared with others
• Files are backed up on the Dropbox server
• Basic account is free with up to 2GB
• File history is kept for 30 days so earlier versions can be restored
• Unlimited undo option
• Files of any type can be stored
• Encryption for both storage and transfer of files
• When using Dropbox to collaborate with others, everyone can see changes when file is saved

Tip of the Week: Using My Site in SharePoint

Application: SharePoint

Each TWU faculty and staff has a My Site space in SharePoint. This is an internal website that can be used to store documents, keep a calendar, project tasks and more. SharePoint is available from on or off campus, making it a flexible way to store and manage information. There are two parts of My Site: My Home and My Profile.

Using My Home in SharePoint
• Personal place to store documents, calendars, surveys, tasks, and lists
• Permissions can be set by item to determine who can view or edit
• Many items can be linked to your Outlook account to view and edit through Outlook

Using My Profile in SharePoint
• Professional public profile page
• Fields to offer information about professional affiliations, skills, contact info, reporting hierarchy
• Option to display a picture

Tip of the Week: Public Folders

Applications: Microsoft Outlook

Public folders are special Outlook accounts that allow a group of people to share email. Public folders can have subfolders as well, for various departmental or project needs.

How are TWU offices using Public Folders?
Departmental email point of contact
Many TWU departments have email enabled public folders so that their department has a generic department point of contact, such as departmentname@twu.edu. These account names can be used in department literature so that several departmental people can process incoming requests.
Departmental central voicemail & fax
Many TWU departments use a public folder for their main line voicemail messages as well as faxes. This can be a time and cost savings to the department.

Tip of the Week: Charts & Tables

Web 2.0 Tools Chartle and Tabelizer

Charts and tables are ways to show data. Many tools are available to create charts and tables for uses in reports, websites, or shared through email and online sources. Several Web 2.0 tools are available to create charts or tables and give HTML code for using the charts on websites.
What are the differences?
• Chartle allows many types of charts to be created, color coded, and shared. Charts can be featured in the Chartle gallery, emailed, or shared on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, among others. With each chart, the HTML code is offered to embed the chart in a website.

• Tabelizer creates a HTML table from spreadsheet data. After the information is entered into the program, options are available to adjust the font size and style as well as the header color. The final product appears on the screen along with the HTML code for use in websites.

Tip of the Week: Speech

Web 2.0 Tools Fotobabble and iSpeech

Using speech as a special sound effect can enhance presentations, blogs, and photographs. Several Web 2.0 tools are available to add speech to photographs and to covert text to speech.

What are the differences?
• Fotobabble allows speech to be added to any photograph. Upload a photograph to the website and use a standard microphone to add audio to the photograph. This can be shared on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, among others, or emailed. Also, a URL is automatically generated for each photograph and can be used on a website or blog.
• iSpeech gives the option to cut and paste text or upload pdf, ppt, htm, xls, doc, blog, rss, txt, or rtf files and have the information converted to speech. Other options include to download it, podcast it or even embed it as an object on any webpage that supports html including: MySpace, Blogger, EBay, etc.

Tip of the Week: Document Location Command

Application: Microsoft Office 2007 Word, Excel, PowerPoint; Microsoft Office 2010 Word, Excel, PowerPoint

When working with Office files, it is important to know the location of the saved document. Files can be saved on a local computer, a storage device, a shared drive, or SharePoint. Microsoft Office has a Document Location command that can be added to the Quick Access Toolbar so that the save location is always visible.

How to add the Document Location command in Office 2007
1. In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, go to the Office button.
2. Click on Word Options, Excel Options or PowerPoint Options.
3. Select Customize.
4. In the drop down box Choose Commands from, select All Commands.
5. Scroll down to find Document Location, then click Add.
6. Click OK.

How to add the Document Location command in Office 2010
1. In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint go to the File tab.
2. Go to Options.
3. Select Quick Access Toolbar.
4. In the drop down box Choose Commands from, select All Commands.
5. Scroll down to find Document Location, then click Add.
6. Click OK.

Tip #80: Known Issues

Tip: As with most new software, Blackboard 9 has a few bugs. In order to track these and help faculty be aware of potential problem areas, we have created a known issues list.

The complete known issues list can be found at http://www.twu.edu/blackboard/13251.asp

The following known issues are pervasive issues across campus which many users have experienced.

Blogs, Journals, and Wikis

Some users receive error messages and experience intermittent access when attempting to connect to blogs, journals, and wikis. Blackboard has applied a patch which has resolved the issue. If you continue to receive an error message, this issue can be resolved by clearing your browser cache.

To do so:
Close all browser instances then launch a single instance.

For IE8: Tools >> Internet Options >> Browsing History… >> Delete >> check Temporary Internet files, Cookies, and History >> uncheck Preserve Favorites website data >> Delete

For Firefox 3.5 or greater: Tools >> Clear Recent History >> set Time range to Everything >> check Cookies and Cache >> Clear Now

For IE7: Tools >> Internet Options >> Browsing History… >> Delete >> Delete files… >> Delete cookies… >> Delete history…

Safari: Tools >> Reset Safari >> check Empty the cache and Remove all cookies >> Reset

Exit and then re-launch the browser.

For other browser directions, see: http://www.bnl.gov/itd/webapps/browserCache.asp

If, after following these steps, the 404 error continues to occur, send an email to blackboard@twu.edu to let us know.

Discussion Board Attachments

Students are unable to view files that instructors have attached, and instructors are unable to view files that students have attached using the Visual Text Box Editor.

• Instructors should use the "Attach File" icon on the Visual Text Box Editor toolbar.
  
  
• Students should use the "Browse My Computer" button in the Attachments section below the Visual Text Box Editor.

HTML

Inserting HTML in areas of the course where HTML is not expected can cause parts of the course to be inaccessible or to not function. We suggest that HTML only be incorporated in text areas that have a related Visual Text Box Editor available.

Announcement, Assessment, Assignment, Discussion Board

If an item is setup with a start date but no end date or with an end date but no start date, the item cannot be modified.

For this reason, it is important to either set both a start date and an end date (even if the end date is dated far in the future) or set neither. Also, do not use both availability dates and adaptive release.

Know of other issues?
If you know of an issue that is not currently on the complete known issues list, please let us know at blackboard@twu.edu.

Tip of the Week: Virtual Posters

Web 2.0 Tools: Glogster & Wallwisher
Poster presentations are popular in many arenas of higher education. Faculty present research, staff present projects, and students present both research and projects. Presenting a poster virtually allows greater sharing of the information.

What tools are available?

• Glogster is a digital poster board web 2.0 tool that allows creators to add links to websites, include pictures, choose background theme, shapes and characters from the gallery, text, and embed audio and video files. For class settings, an instructor can create an account for the class and give each student a space to create their own poster. When posters are shared with others, they can “rate” the posters. The creator has the option to make the poster public or private.
  
  
• Wallwisher is web 2.0 tool designed to create bulletin boards with such items as images, videos, audio links, websites to be uploaded, as well as background or theme choices. When sharing the bulletin board with others, they can give feedback. During the creation of the bulletin board, choices are given about who can view, who can post sticky notes or feedback, and the URL for the site. Those giving feedback can also include web links, audio or video files, images, and text. Creators also have an option to “approve” any feedback before it is posted.

Web 2.0 tools are available to anyone with internet access. Each Web 2.0 tool website offers information about that tool including support options, if available.