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Technology Tips: Index

Each week you can do one Technology Tip assignment for extra credit. You may choose whichever assignment looks most interesting and/or valuable to you. Because there is no specific week-by-week assignment, you need to keep track of which Technology Tips you have completed so that you will know which Tips are left for you to complete as the semester goes by.

For each assignment you will have a technology task to complete, including an email to the instructor, and after submitting the email you will be able to do the Gradebook Declaration for the extra credit point.

If you have already done these tips in a previous class with me (or in another class, for that matter), you can repeat the tip again for credit this semester - just don't repeat the same tip in the same semester for the same class! For those of you who took a class with me last semester, I've marked the tips that are new this semester so that you can find them easily.

If you are enrolled in two classes with me this semester, you can count the Tip for both classes (except for the D2L Image Tip); send me just one email, but make sure you both Declarations.

OU-Related

• OU Library Homepage: Learn how to customize your OU Library homepage so that the Library references and services you use the most are just one click away.
• OU Library Tutorial: Watch one of the Library's video tutorials and learn how to navigate the Library website, search the catalog, or use the online database. There are many tutorials to choose from.
• Desire2Learn Font Size: Learn how to choose the font size you prefer when working with Desire2Learn (this is especially useful if you would like the font to be bigger).
• Desire2Learn Profile: You can create a simple profile to share with all the students and teachers in all the Desire2Learn classes you are enrolled in.
• Desire2Learn Image: Learn to insert images and links into your Desire2Learn discussion board posts - and share a film recommendation with everybody at the same time! (This is a really great tip if you are in other classes that use the D2L Discussion Board more than we do in this class.)
• OU Homepage. Take this opportunity to edit your OU Homepage to make sure it shows off your accomplishments here as an OU student. (Please wait until after Week 6 before you do this tip, unless you were already in a class with me previously.)

Cool Online Tools

• Resize Images: Learn how to take giant-sized images and make them smaller, for use in your webpages, blog posts, etc.
• Bloglines: RSS Feeds. Use Bloglines to subscribe to the Online Course Announcements for this class and to the OU Daily newspaper!
• Bloglines: More Feeds. You can use Bloglines to subscribe to all kinds of daily news feeds, new Library book acquisitions, an dmore.
• Del.icio.us: Access your bookmarks from any computer, plus you can share your bookmarks with others (there's even a special Del.icio-us application for sharing via Facebook).
• PollDaddy: Add a dynamic, interactive poll to your blog or webpage for free, using PollDaddy.com.
• TinyURL: Learn how to convert long, awkward webpage addresses into short little addresses using the TinyURL website.

Firefox

• Firefox. Firefox is a great browser for BOTH Windows AND Mac, so I highly recommend it. Even if you already use another browser already, having multiple browsers on your computer can be handy!
• Firefox Google Toolbar: Extend the power of your Firefox browser by adding the nifty Google Toolbar.
• Foxmarks: Access your bookmarks from any computer via the Internet, and synchronize booksmarks if you own more than computer.

Google Services

• Gmail Account: Create a Gmail account - either in order to use Google Mail now, or to have "in reserve" for future use.
• iGoogle Homepage: Create a personalized Google search pagewith information, games, services, etc. Instead of just viewing a plain page at google.com, you can create your own personalized Google search page.
• Google Documents: Learn how to use Google Documents to create online documents and spreadsheets that you can access from any computer and share with others.
• Google Presentation: Learn how to use Google Documents to create an online presentation (like Powerpoint) that you can access from any computer and share with others.
• Google Translation: Learn how to use Google to translate foreign webpages into English.
• Google Pages: Use Google to create a simple webpage for free, with all kinds of templates and other formatting options.
• Blogger.com: Learn how to use Google's Blogger.com blogging service to create your own blog(s) for personal and/or professional use.

Here is the text of the Gradebook Declaration you will complete for extra credit: