technologyrequirements

 =Technology Requirements=

Introduction Specific Technologies for this Course University Assistance Helpful Technology Points Purchasing Technology

Introduction
Please take the time to look around your place of work and your local public library, community center, churches, or schools to see what computer facilities are available before purchasing additional equipment or personal copies of software. (If you do want to purchase equipment or software, look at the area below for Purchasing Technology at reduced prices.) Also, remember that the Training Center in the USC College of Education in Columbia (Room 274 Wardlaw Building, 820 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29208) has these technologies that you may use whenever the center is open. Call the Training Center at 803-777-4475 for hours of operation and to make an appointment with a trainer, if necessary.

(top)

This following link includes information about the required equipment, software programs, viewer plug-ins and conversion tools needed for this course. There are comments and links to additional information for these items. Technology for EDET 603 Technology for EDEX 523

(top)

The University Technology Services (UTS) help line is 803-777-1800. The folks at UTS can help you with specific technology questions about the University network, Blackboard,, iTunes U, University E-Mail, and Trend Micro (virus protection). These are the people to contact if you think Blackboard may be down. (Be sure to read the Blackboard log-in screen for announcements about maintenance events or other planned outages.) For general information about technology services and support at USC, go to the [|University Technology Services (UTS)] site at www.uts.sc.edu/

The website for [|Support Services for Distributed Learning] (formerly Distance Education) at the University can be found at www.sc.edu/dl/ They can be reached by phone at 803-777-7210 or 800-922-2577 or by e-mail at dlquest@mailbox.sc.edu The folks at Distributed Learning can help you with questions about taking courses through distributed learning models. They can also help with technical questions related to certain courses, such as accessing satellite feeds and getting access to streamed materials

Information about [|Student Disabilities Services] at the University can be found at www.sa.sc.edu/sds/ If you have a documented disability, please contact them at 803-777-6142 (Fax: 803-777-6741 or TDD: 803-777-6744) or sasds@mailbox.sc.edu You will want to work with them prior to the beginning of a semester.

(top)

Helpful Technology Points
You need to have reliable technology available throughout the semester. My ‘words of wisdom’ about technology as you decide if you want to take this course include the following:
 * Save your work on a thumb drive, rewritable CD, external hard drive, diskette or other storage device so you have a backup copy of your work and so you can move your work to an alternative computer if necessary.
 * Have a back up plan for when you experience technical problems (which are bound to happen at some point in the semester!) Before class starts, identify another computer you can use to access the class web site and your e-mail account or to finish a project if you have any technical problems with your primary computer.
 * Not being able to access Blackboard is not an acceptable excuse for the late submission of an assignment. The exception is when the University has a documented problem with Blackboard at the time an assignment is due. In that case, an adjustment to the due date/time may be made. (Please note that I get notices of university-wide outages, so I know when it has been down.) My advice is to read the messages on the Blackboard log-in screen for scheduled maintenance announcements, which are usually scheduled for Sunday mornings and holidays, and then anticipate busy usage times such as the first and last weeks of the semester. Finally, do not wait until the last minute to submit your work!
 * Find someone locally to be your technology troubleshooter. It is really good if this person is familiar with the e-mail system you use because neither the instructor nor University Technology Services (UTS) can help you with a problem you are having with your personal e-mail service (unless you use University E-Mail.) NOTE: Do not be embarrassed if the person you find as your troubleshooter is a neighborhood child who is much younger than you!
 * Make sure your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is reliable. Your ISP is the company through which you get internet access, such as Earthlink, AOL, BellSouth, etc. If you are getting access to the internet through a public school or local library, you will want to identify the person in charge of the network at that location so you can contact him or her for assistance if necessary.
 * Be aware that some networks and e-mail systems are set up with certain security restrictions that may impact the way you access information from the instructor or classmates. Examples include networks that do not allow you to download certain types of files or an e-mail system that puts messages from unknown people into a ‘junk’ mailbox. Sometimes these are settings you have control over; sometimes they are not. Again, it is a good idea to identify the network person you will need to contact if necessary. (Suggestion: Get in the habit of looking in your junk mail file in your e-mail system. I frequently find messages from students in mine - and I know it is not a reflection of the sender!)
 * Make sure you have up-to-date virus protection on any computer you use to access course materials - and update it regularly throughout the semester. The University provides free virus protection for faculty, staff and students to put on their home computers. Look in the How To… area of this site for information about getting this free virus protection software, which is called Trend Micro. The direct link to the [|USC Virus Information Center] site is http://uts.sc.edu/itsecurity/antivirus.shtml
 * Please be aware that not all file types can be read when submitted via Blackboard or by some people’s e-mail systems. Files that are saved as Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx) tend to work best in Blackboard. Depending on the conversion tools available on the computer the instructor (or a classmate) uses to read your file, he or she may or may not be able to read files from other programs. If you use a word processing program other than Microsoft Word, such as Microsoft Works or Word Perfect, there are some options for saving your files in different formats before you attach it within Blackboard. Note that the formatting of your document (centering, italics, etc) may be lost when it is converted from one program to another. Please see Posting Documents in Blackboard in the How To… area of this site for information about file formats.(The direct link fort his page is Blackboard How to...)
 * To learn more about the tools used in Blackboard and other technologies you will need in this course, go to the How To… area of this site. If you still want to learn more about any of these programs, go to the College of Education’s How To Guides web page which is currently available at http://gamecockwardlaw.wikispaces.com/Technology+Tools The new site will be at http://coesupportservices.wikispaces.com/techtools to find links to additional instructions. - SWQ

(top)

Purchasing Technology
If you want to purchase equipment or software for your personal use as you take courses at USC, begin by asking at your place of work - especially if you work in an educational or government institution - to see if they have discounted purchasing programs for personal purchases. As a student at the University of South Carolina, you may make purchases of some technologies at state or university contract prices. Compare prices. Sometimes you can simply ask for an educational/student discount at local stores and receive a discount!

For **computer equipment**, go to:

[|UTS Computer Purchase] uts.sc.edu/computerpurchase/index.shtml "Educational discounts are available to USC students, faculty and staff from several vendors". They are Dell, Apple, IBM, and Gateway.

For **software**, there are two places to look:

USC Software Distribution: [|Software for Personal Student Purchase]  /www.uts.sc.edu/softwarepurchase/

“Students, faculty and staff now have the option to purchase select Microsoft software online through VIP using their CarolinaCard. This software is for personal use on your personal computer.”

[|Compusult, Inc]www.compusult.com Click on //Students and Educators// in the Links box in the menu on the left side of the screen to purchase software for personal use. This company offers special state pricing for students and educators in South Carolina. You will be asked for verification that you are a current student or educator. They also sell equipment and other products, so don’t hesitate to contact their customer support:

Toll Free: 1-800-992-6058 Local: 1-843-722-0002 E-mail: ask@compusult.com

(top)