If you take on-line courses you are using advanced technology. The Internet, your web browser, and the course management system did not exist 20 years ago. And much to the dismay of some, this relentless march of technology is ongoing and accelerating. The technology of distance education continues to advance and, as a distance student, you will regularly encounter the use of new technologies. Sometimes it gets to be a little overwhelming.
The How To Guides provided here are designed to help. Our approach is provide what we call “working knowledge.” In many cases, to make effective use of a technology you need a little bit of context and a few key points. Sure there’s usually a lot more to know, but if all you want to do is make something go, you need working knowledge. We keep this distinction in mind in these guides and we stick to the point.
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| Books Online: Tips for Easy Reading | Improve your on-line reading experience – and efficiency – by mastering page navigation. Tips on using the ESC on-line library e-Brary reader. |
| Creating a Screen Capture | Everything you need to know to create a screen capture and save it to a file |
| Digital Image File Formats | GIF, JPEG, PNG: What are these image file formats and the criteria you should use when selecting among them |
| Drawing Diagrams Using Your Word Processor | You don’t need a fancy drawing package to create diagrams to help you turn data into information |
| Flash, Java, and Media Players: Making them Work | Help with some of the technologies you’ll find in on-line learning resources |
| Free Open Source Software for Students | Need a word processor? A spreadsheet? A drawing tool? You don’t need to buy expensive software. Open source software is free and can meet all your needs. |
| Make Your Own Web Page | Sometimes you need a web page. The very basics to help you get started. |
| Web 2.0: Mashups, Wikis, and Social Networking | An introduction to the new technologies that are transforming the Internet. |