Presentation Schedule posted

Click on the "Handy Things "link on the blog, or surf over to
http://csc125.blogspot.com/2008/09/group-presentation-list-schedule-040909.html

Microsoft Office 2007 vs 2010????????

Had a few minutes this afternoon to do some research, and have confirmed that Office 07 really isn't available [well, it's probably available on eBay or Craigslist......]

So, what to do?

1. Use Office 2010 for Windows- we'll have to "finagle" some of the capstones, I'm sure - so we'll have to have some conversations about the differences between them. I doubt you'll be able to use 2010 for the Grader projects, but it might be interesting to try it out. [The Grader projects are computer-graded, and since computers are stupid......!]
2. Use a Lab computer on-campus - the Library, Room 101 in the Computer Science Building (a.k.a. CSB)

Click here for the Office purchase through Mercer's online store.

If you have friends at other schools - they can pickup Office for $80 here.

Macs: some basic info

You HAVE to use Windows/Internet Explorer for myITlab access, and Windows Office 2007 for the Capstones. Office for Mac does indeed do everything that Office for Windows does (and IMHO does it better) - however, that's how the class is setup. I won't bore you with the details on why.

Staying with the Windows side to get your work done will be MUCH less mentally stressful as well - less switching back and forth.

So here are your options:
1) The cheapest is to not use your Mac at all. There are machines in the Library labs available - you would save your work to your flash/thumb drive. Computer Science Lab Room 101 will be open nights.

2) Use your Mac for myItlab access, and lab computer for the capstones/Office 2007.
For this you will need to install Windows on your Mac - and you have 2 options for this path! First - swing by the Computer Science Department and pick up a copy of Windows for $25.

1. Using Boot camp - you'll need the Windows disc PLUS a burnable CD or DVD (Boot camp will tell you which). Boot Camp is either in the Applications folder, or in Applications-->Utilities.  This way you can choose which one to startup with - Mac or Windows - and you'll be able to do the myITlab training and exams.
   
2. Use emulator software to run Windows. Without getting too technical here, you purchase a copy of Parallels or VM Fusion. With this you startup the Mac as normal - then startup an application called Parallels - which then cranks up Windows. The advantage: you can easily switch back and forth between the two operating systems, and you don't have to muck around with the hard drive.. Disadvantage: more complex to deal with, and the somewhat higher cost.

3) Use your Mac for everything. For this you do the stuff in option 2, PLUS pick up a copy of Office for Windows. It's available here at Mercer online for $69 download / $80 box - sadly, only the 2010 version [still workable for the class]. You'd get setup for Windows - startup Windows, and then install Office. This whole process does take a while - allow for the time!

I can help with this. As of January 2011 Mercer Tech support is little help for Macs - a grand source of frustration for me as well!

The big tradeoffs are cost versus convenience. If you are good at scheduling things, and working ahead, you really CAN get by without having a computer at all in this class - it just isn't as convenient as having your laptop and pulling it out in your room.

Boot Camp / installing Windows etc.
Here is some basic info about Boot Camp, installing Windows, etc.

1. A stash for some Boot Camp website URLs and a pdf of instructions
2. Boot Camp 3 FAQ
3. Boot Camp Guide
4. Boot Camp - Windows 7 FAQ
5. Boot Camp: Keyboard Mapping - shows the differences between the Mac kybd and a standard Windows keyboard. Scan down this article and find YOUR keyboard - there's a link to additional info specific to your keyboard.
6. SERIOUSLY detailed instructions on installing Windows 7 on your Mac.
7. Another Guy wrote some instructions - scan down to the Mar 06 2010 entry. It's more of a synopsis, but may be helpful.

MS Office Add-ins you should look at {article}

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/msoffice/?p=3626&tag=nl.e064

Lists several Office add-ins that might be useful.

So-Called "Digital Natives" Not Media Savvy, New Study Shows

This article explains why I teach search engine stuff as part of the class.

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A new study coming out of Northwestern University, discovered that college students have a decided lack of Web savvy, especially when it comes to search engines and the ability to determine the credibility of search results. Apparently, the students favor search engine rankings above all other factors. The only thing that matters is that something is the top search result, not that it's legit.

"I Googled It"

During the study, one of the researchers asked a study participant, "What is this website?" The student answered, "Oh, I don't know. The first thing that came up."
That exchange sums up the overall results from this study: many students trusted in rankings above all else. In fact, a quarter of the students, when assigned information-seeking tasks, said they chose a website because - and only because - it was the first search result.
Only 10% of the students made mention of the site's author or that author's credentials while completing tasks. However, in reviewing the screen-capture footage of those respondents, the researchers found that even in this supposedly savvy minority, none actually followed through to verify the identification or qualifications of the site's authors.

Start Fall 2010

START FALL 2010

Why you should be careful what you post online

From a Huffington post article "Fired Over Twitter". These people lost their jobs because of something they posted... so be careful!