This summer, Media Services replaced classroom computers with dual-platform MacPro computers that support either the PC or Mac platform. The new computers provide greater processing power and flexibility, and replace five-year-old computers that were beginning to fail.

The login process for the MacPro computers is different from last year.

We hope you find time to review the following instructions prior to your first class.

Login Instructions

1. Once you have turned on the tower and the initial screen has booted up, you will see a window with instructions and the choice between using the Mac or PC (Windows) platform.
2. Click on the platform you wish to utilize.
3. If you select the PC side, wait for the screen to clear and the system to reboot to the familiar Windows XP login screen. (Occasionally a Mac login will appear on your screen for a few seconds. Wait for the screen to clear and the Windows login screen to appear.) Proceed as you would normally using your ONID or department shared drive to log into the classroom computer.

Windows XP login

 

1. USER NAME = Your ONID or Dept. User Name
2. PASSWORD = Your ONID or Dept. Password
3. LOG ON TO = Scroll to Your Drive (i.e. ONID, Science, etc.)

 

4. If you choose the Mac side, you will be prompted to login. Login using your ONID or department shared drive.

 

Mac OS X login(requires your network drives to be mapped)

1. USER NAME = Your ONID or Dept. User Name
2. PASSWORD = Your ONID or Dept. Password

Once you login, the computer will function like a PC or Mac, depending on your selection.

Hardware differences:

1. Power button is the silver button above the USB ports on the front of the computer
2. The Mac mouse as only one button. To right-click, simply click on the far right side of large button, and for left click, click the far left side.
3. The number pad does not work in Windows (PC side). Please use the numbers at the top of the keyboard.
4. To eject a CD or DVD from the computer when in Windows (PC side) , go to MY COMPUTER and RIGHT CLICK on the drive. Select “EJECT”

If you would like a demonstration of the new system and a chance to ask questions before the term begins, please feel free to visit the Media Services office in Kidder 109. They have a fully equipped enhanced station in the office and they will be happy to walk you through and answer any questions or concerns you may have. No appointment is necessary, the Media Services office is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m-5:00 p.m.

Have you heard about Qwizdom or seen those little red clickers around campus that look like TV remote controls? Qwizdom is an audience response tool which allows presenters to gather feedback from the audience. An increasing number of instructors at OSU use Qwizdom to enhance their lectures, track student attendance, encourage 100% audience participation, give and grade in-class quizzes, and all of the collected data can easily upload to BlackBoard or into an Excel spreadsheet.

The Details

Qwizdom created software called ActionPoint (free for the OSU community!) which loads into Microsoft Office’s PowerPoint as an extra toolbar. You can use your existing PowerPoint presentations with ActionPoint. Instructor kits are available for free (from TAC) and include a host, an instructor remote, and some student remotes. Students purchase new or used remotes from the OSU bookstore. There is no extra registration cost per course, and one clicker can be used in any course that utilizes Qwizdom.

Support

TAC offers workshops and one-on-one introductions to the Qwizdom system. Also, we have extensive documentation and GEM tutorials available. We promise to show up to your first Qwizdom-enhanced lecture to make sure the technology runs smoothly!

 Get Started Today

Visit the Qwizdom Section of our website to get started!

One way to actively engage student participation is by employing the drama of competition. While students may generally groan at the announcement of a quiz, the phenomena of the quiz game show on television is ever popular as entertainment. TAC has modeled two types of quiz-games in PowerPoint for use in your class:

1. Jeopardy style: Like the popular game-show, the quiz questions are set up in categorized columns of increasing value. Selecting a value on the matrix links to a quiz slide. Like the game show, the quiz slides are given in affirmative answer form, to which students provide solutions in question form. With the TAC PowerPoint template, all you need do is enter the categories, answers, and questions, to prepare the game for class use. Suggestions for conducting the game are in the template. Note that Blackboard tests include a jeopardy-style question type so that you may combine these two tools to maximize involvement and impact.

Download the Jeopardy Game Template [version 1.0.0]

Download an updated (11-17-2008) version  Jeopardy Game Template [version 1.2.0] Note: this is a .pps powerpoint presentation file. If you double-click it to launch it it will display as a Powerpoint show. To edit it, launch PowerPoint, and "Open" the file.

Do you ever feel anxious at the prospect of speaking in front of a group? Have you ever found your hands shaking or your mouth dry as you begin speaking? You aren't alone. Studies and surveys show that the fear of public speaking ranks right up there with the fear of heights-even with the fear of death.

It's not only beginners who experience presentation fear. Experienced presenters often find that they feel some tension in the days and weeks before an important presentation. Even people who feel confident when they walk into the presentation room sometimes discover themselves unexpectedly nervous when they stand up to speak.

 Effective Presentation Techniques discusses some things that you should keep in mind when presenting using powerpoint.

Blackboard is a content management system (CMS) specifically designed for education. OSU licenses Blackboard Learning System, Community System, and Content System from Blackboard Inc. Enterprise Computing Systems (ECS) maintains the OSU Blackboard system.

The program is a database with web interface. Instructors and students may access OSU Blackboard from any place they can access the web. The Blackboard database is populated by the OSU Registrar's Banner database. Every course listed in the OSU General Catalog has a corresponding Blackboard course site. All course sites are unavailable to students by default, so that instructors may choose whether and when to make use of them.

Talking GEM!  We have incorporated voice (narration) to our GEMS (online tutorials) making them more lively. Please have a look at our gem "How do I take a Blackboard survey?"  present in Student Blackboard Gems page, along with other GEMs.

 We are most interested in your feedback and suggestions. Let TAC know of skills areas in which you would like to see GEMS produced.

Send your comments and ideas to:
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