Spring 2008 - Touro College

Transcription

SPRING 2008
&
FACULTY
TECHNOLOGY
GUIDE TO TOURO COLLEGE
COMPUTING RESOURCES AND TRAINING
INSIDE...
From the Desk of the Chief Academic Computing Officer ....2
FACULTY MEMBERS:
For  or
From the Desk of the Director of Instructional Technology ..3
 requests,
Computer Lab Directory .......................................................4
please see page 21.
Faculty Support Hotline .......................................................5
Faculty Development Technology Workshops: Descriptions ..6
Faculty Development Technology Workshops: Blackboard ..10
Faculty Development Technology Workshops: General .......11
ROLL OUT!

Atomic Learning .................................................................12
What is Blackboard 7.3? ......................................................14
The Microsoft Work-at-Home Program ...............................19
Projectors ............................................................................19
Plato Learning System .........................................................20
ACADEMIC
ADEMIC
MPUTING
COMPUTING
27-33 W
West 23rd Street, Room 337
New York, NY
Y 10010
Requesting: Hardware & Software, E-mail .........................21
Windows Vista and Office 2007..........................................22
Opening Office 2007 Files Using Office 2003 ....................23
2
Faculty and Technology | Spring 2008
FROM THE DESK OF THE
CHIEF ACADEMIC COMPUTING OFFICER
Dear Touro Faculty Member,
I am pleased to report to you on several recent Academic Computing technology initiatives.
Since the launch of the Work-at-Home program last year, over 40 faculty members signed up to upgrade Windows or install a current version of MS Office
on their home PCs or laptops, free of charge. I encourage you to take advantage
of this free program; all you need to do is fill out the necessary form. (See p. 19
for further details.)
Recently, we also completed an upgrade of Blackboard hardware and software
to better meet your expanding needs. A new Blackboard server, with much
greater speed and storage capacity, was purchased and installed. Subsequently,
all course websites were transitioned from the old Blackboard 6.2 system to
the new server running Blackboard 7.3. A tremendous effort was exerted to implement the upgrade almost
seamlessly, without undue interruption in Blackboard service. Likewise, a great amount of instructor training was performed to familiarize you with the new features of Blackboard 7.3 and enable you to deliver more
effective class instruction using Blackboard.
A new initiative, going forward, is the wider rollout of Atomic Learning web-based technology tutorials for
faculty. Based on your positive feedback during and after our Summer 2007 trial period, we are expanding access to Atomic Learning and hope that you will continue to utilize it for your technology training needs. (For
further details, please see page 12.) In addition, we have a full schedule of FREE TECHNOLOGY TRAINING WORKSHOPS planned in Spring 2008 and urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to upgrade your skills.
You can also consult with the instructional technology staff for assistance with other ways of using technology to enhance your courses. For example, a great way to invigorate the courses you teach is to use the free
video clips and PowerPoint presentations provided by almost all textbook publishers.
As always, Academic Computing is available to listen to your suggestions for making our instructional technology resources and workshop offerings more responsive to your needs. Please communicate your ideas to
Mr. Phil Charach, Director of Instructional Technology ([email protected] / 212- 463-0400 x 688).
Best wishes for a successful spring semester,
Dr. Issac Herskowitz
Chief Academic Computing Officer
FROM THE DESK OF THE
DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Dear Colleague:
As I invite you to read this publication, as well as to join us at our   , to enhance your knowledge of current technology, my
mind is on a recent scientific symposium I attended, where a panel discussion was convened on the topic of where technology will bring us two decades
hence. The final conclusion, mutually agreed, was that predicting technology
development for just the next decade is impossible, let alone trying to look
ahead twenty years. To support this conclusion, one needs only to consider
the plethora of new technologies introduced or popularized in just the last few
years, such as ,  , , and .
An apt analogy likens the growth of technology to a fast-moving oncoming
train. A person standing in front of the train must jump aboard and move
forward, or else risk colliding with it. We must embrace new technologies, even
forward
if only because our competitors do so. Since students are our consumers, we must stay competitive by using,
at minimum, the same tools that our competition is using.
Thus, I am very pleased to report to you that we have successfully deployed   and  selfpaced instructional software modules for students. They are currently being used very successfully at Touro
in four areas: (1) Math Classes, (2) English Classes, (3) Math and English Tutoring, and (4) CPAT Exam
Preparation. From Summer 2006 through Summer 2007, over 165 students used Plato Math (in 11 math
classes), 90 students were tutored in math subjects using Plato Math, and several applicants used Plato to assist in CPAT preparation.
We have also extensively experimented with   software (formerly named 
), which allows us to conduct real-time remote training sessions with faculty. Recently, we used this
product to train instructors at an institution in Israel on the use of Blackboard, in preparation for academic
collaboration with Touro College. Please let me know if you are interested in learning more about PLATO or
Adobe Connect, or trying them out with your students.
Feedback from our Summer 2007 trial of   web-based technology tutorials revealed a
very high rate of satisfaction with the product. In response, we finalized a licensing agreement with Atomic
Learning to give you continued access to these anytime, anywhere, technology-training materials. For further details about getting started with Atomic Learning, please see page 12.
As always, we need your input in order to better understand your instructional technology needs and to
improve our workshop offerings. Please feel free to contact me with any suggestions or ideas, at
212.463.0400 x 688 / [email protected]
[email protected].
Looking forward to seeing you at our spring workshops,
Phil Charach
Director of Instructional Technology
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COMPUTER LAB DIRECTORY
T
he Touro College Academic Computing Department provides computer laboratory facilities for faculty
and student use, with over 1000 computers at 22 locations. Software provided at each computer lab supports courses offered on-site, with emphasis on computer science, business, mathematics, and ESL software.
Standard software at all labs includes MS Office 2003 and Internet Explorer, with headphones and high-end
laser printers also available for faculty and student use. Other hardware available to faculty members for classroom use include large-screen multimedia monitors, projectors, and VCRs. Please contact the lab technician
at your site to reserve one of these resources.
Computer labs at locations where desktop and web publishing courses are taught are equipped with scanners, color
printers, CD-RW and zip drives, and special software to support the course offerings, including QuarkXPress,
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Macintosh computers are also available at several locations. 
BROOKLYN
BENSONHURST
1870-86 Stillwell Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11223
718.265.6534 ext. 1005
Sun: 9AM–2PM
Mon-Thu: 9AM–9:20PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
BRIGHTON BEACH
532 Neptune Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11224
718.449.6160 ext. 127
Fri: 9AM–2PM
BORO PARK I (SLE)
1273 53rd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11219
718.871.6187 ext. 16
Sun: 9AM–10PM
Mon-Wed: 5PM–11PM
Thu: 9AM–11PM
BORO PARK II (WOMEN)
1301 45th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11219
718.871.2130
Sun: 9AM–2PM
Mon-Thu: 5PM–10PM
BORO PARK III
Department of Nursing
5323 18th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11219
718.236.2661
Tue/Thu: 9AM–2PM
KINGS HIGHWAY II
1401 Kings Highway
Brooklyn, NY 11229
718.998.1490 ext. 606, 604
Mon-Thu: 9AM–10PM
Fri: 9AM–1PM
FLATBUSH
1602 Avenue J
Brooklyn, NY 11230
718.252.7800 ext. 208
Sun: 9AM–10PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
KINGS HIGHWAY III
946 Kings Highway
(at Coney Island Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11229
718.301.2033
Sun: 9AM–5PM
Mon-Thu: 9AM– 8:30PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
GRADUATE SPEECH PROGRAM
1610 East 19th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11229
718.787.1602 ext. 213
Mon/Tue/Thu: 1PM–9:30PM
Wed: 9AM –9:30PM
KINGS HIGHWAY I
1726 Kings Highway
Brooklyn, NY 11229
718.998.9409 ext. 114
Sun: 9AM– 4PM
Mon-Thu: 9AM–10PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
STARRETT CITY
1390 Pennsylvania Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11239
718.642.6562 ext. 15
Mon-Thu: 9PM–9:30PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
SUNSET PARK
475 53rd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11220
718.748.2776 ext. 5
Fri: 9AM–2PM
COMPUTER LAB DIRECTORY (CONTINUED)
MANHATTAN
QUEENS
HEALTH SCIENCES
MAIN CAMPUS MIDTOWN
27 W. 23rd Street, 3rd floor
New York, NY 10010
212.463.0400 ext. 240
Sun: 9AM–3:30PM
Fri: 9AM– 2PM
FOREST HILLS
71-02 113th Street
Forest Hills, NY 11375
718.520.6471
Sun: 9AM– 4PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
MAIN CAMPUS ANNEX
43 W. 23rd Street, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10010
212.463.0400 ext. 231
Mon-Thu: 5PM–9PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
FLUSHING
133-35 Roosevelt Ave.
Flushing, NY 11374
718.353.6400 ext. 114
Mon-Thu: 8:30AM–9:30PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
MAIN CAMPUS GSEP ANNEX
50 W. 23rd Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10010
212.242.4668 ext. 6002
Sun: 9AM– 4:30PM
LANDER COLLEGE FOR MEN
(KEW GARDEN HILLS)
75-31 150th Street
Kew Garden Hills, NY 11367
718.820.4893
Sun: 1PM–12AM
Mon-Thu: 12PM–12AM
Fri: 12PM–3:30PM
TAINO
240 East 123rd Street
New York, NY 10035
212.722.1575 ext. 141
Fri: 9AM–2PM
WOMEN’S DIVISION
227 West 60th Street
New York, NY 10023
212.287.3500 ext. 3535
Mon-Thu: 9AM–9PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
GRADUATE SCHOOL
OF BUSINESS
65 Broadway, Suite 200
New York, NY 10006-2552
212.742.8770 ext. 2400
BAY SHORE
1700 Union Boulevard
Bay Shore, NY 11706
631.665.1600 ext. 273
Sun: 9AM– 4PM
Mon-Thu: 9AM–10PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
MIDTOWN HEALTH SCIENCES
27 W. 23rd Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10010
212.463.0400 ext. 674
Sun: 9AM–5PM
Mon-Thu: 9AM–9PM
Fri: 9AM–2PM
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FACULTY DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS
DESCRIPTIONS
WORD PROCESSING LEVEL I
(ACD 103)
In this workshop, you will get a handson overview of the primary features
of Microsoft Word. This easy-to-learn
word processing application allows you to create,
revise, and save documents for printing and future
retrieval. You will also learn how to spell-check, print
and format MS Word documents. More advanced
features will be included as time permits.
WORD PROCESSING LEVEL II (ACD 104)
This second-level workshop is for instructors with
basic word processing skills. The workshop focuses
on more advanced document production skills, such
as creating headers and footers, tables, columns, and
other MS Word features.
SPREADSHEET (EXCEL) LEVEL I
(ACD 125)
In this workshop, you will get a handson overview of the primary features of
Microsoft Excel, a full-featured spreadsheet program. You will learn how to format cells
and create worksheets. Basic calculations and formulas will be explained, and Excel document formatting
tools will be demonstrated.
-
an outline, all in a single presentation file. This
hands-on workshop will walk you through the basic
features, commands, and capabilities of Power Point.
POWER POINT LEVEL II (ACD 131)
In this second-level workshop, you will learn advanced features of MS Power Point. You will create
an animated slide show that includes bulleted items,
clip art images, special effects, and slide transitions.
INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE
(ACCESS) LEVEL I (ACD 135)
In this workshop, you will get a handson overview of the primary features of
Microsoft Access, a database management
system. You will learn to create tables, design
queries, forms, and reports, as well as manage data.
SEARCHING AND RESEARCHING ON
THE INTERNET (ACD 120)
This workshop covers searching techniques and tools (new literacies),
formulating a search strategy, and search
strategies for professional development.
As the Internet continues to grow and expand, it
becomes essential to learn how to locate information.
This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the
different types of searches available.
SPREADSHEET (EXCEL) LEVEL II (ACD 126)
This second-level workshop is for instructors with baBLACKBOARD LEVEL I (ACD 145)
sic spreadsheet skills and will focus on using multiple
Blackboard 7 is the online course buildworksheets and referencing multiple workbooks, as
ing/management system currently used
well as using built-in functions and formulas. You will
by Touro College. It enables educators to
learn the concepts of cell and worksheet referencing,
enhance on-campus learning and deliver
as well as how to use charts, graphics and AutoFormat.
distance learning by bringing their course materials,
Other features discussed will include setting printing
class discussions, assignments and assessments to the
areas and creating hyperlinks to other documents.
Web. Starting from the perspective of a student, you
will learn how to log in to courses, read announcePOWER POINT LEVEL I (ACD 130)
ments, download course documents, check tasks
Power Point is an easy-to-learn presenand calendar events, post to discussion boards, and
tation graphics program. With Power
complete assignments and surveys. Moving on to the
Point, you can create on-screen slides,
perspective of the instructor, you will be taught to set
speaker’s notes, student handouts, and
up your course according to Touro College guide-
(CONTINUED)
lines, add your own materials to the course web-site,
incorporate web-based components into your courses,
and use technology to enhance your teaching.
BLACKBOARD LEVEL II (ACD 146)
This workshop covers some advanced features of
Blackboard. Blackboard 7 enables educators to enhance in-class instruction by providing Web access
to course materials, along with a variety of tools to
ease course management. Blackboard also enables
faculty to engage students online through the use of
discussion boards and chat rooms. In this advanced
course, you will learn how to build a Blackboard
course site by uploading course documents, creating discussion forums, posting assignments, creating
quizzes and managing your gradebook.
BLACKBOARD LEVEL III (ACD 147)
In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn
how to use the features available in the Test and Survey Managers to create tests and surveys; and in the
Pool Manager, the area where instructors can store
standard questions to be used and reused. Participants will also learn to use features available within
Blackboard’s Course Options area, as well as Course
Statistics and other tools.
BLACKBOARD LEVEL IV—
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN (ACD 148)
Designed mainly for online faculty, this training
workshop will cover the following topics in online
instructional design: content assessment and modification into appropriate presentation format, course
objective development, alternative assessment methods, assessment and objective matching, learning
style/teaching style evaluation, and technology integration. The workshop will also demonstrate various
successful online teaching strategies that are essential
to a faculty member’s success. Exemplary Blackboard
courses will be also presented to the workshop attendees.
USING SOUND AND VIDEO IN POWER POINT
(ACD 180)
In this workshop, you will learn how to create Power
Point presentations with multimedia effects using
sound, video and digital images. You will learn how
to capture images/videos using a digital camera and
how to insert them into a Power Point presentation.
You will also learn how to download various types
of sound files from the web and include them in presentations. Basic features of video and sound-editing
software will be introduced.
VIDEO IN THE CLASSROOM (ACD 185)
In this workshop, you will practice creating live
streaming video and audio, as well as the procedures
for using and installing RealProducer and Windows
Movie Maker 2 to record video and audio. Finished
3-4 minute sample video productions will be produced
by each participant, with the option of taking home
a personal CD onto which this presentation has been
copied. Online tutorials and references for further
independent practice and reinforcement of the procedures learned in this workshop will also be posted on
the Web and printed out for participants to take home.
PHOTOSHOP CS2: BASIC IMAGE
ENHANCEMENT (ACD 177)
In this workshop, you will learn to use
tools for selecting parts of an image, and
to move, duplicate, and resize images.
You will learn to use layers and to apply layer effects
and filters to create special effects, including lighting and texture effects. Additionally, you will use
painting tools and blending modes to create shading
effects, and to perform adjustments to contrast and
color balance. Finally, you will learn how to save images in formats for print and Web use.
INTRODUCTION TO MACROMEDIA
FLASH (ACD 189)
This workshop introduces Macromedia
Flash to the first-time user. Since Flash
is in part a drawing program, you will be
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(CONTINUED)
introduced to Flash’s painting and drawing tools, including creation of custom colors, gradients, and line
styles. Once you’ve created objects using these tools,
learning how objects (and their lines and “fills”)
interact on the Flash “stage” is essential. We will end
the workshop by creating a simple animation and
learning the basics of “publishing” your Flash movie
for the web.
GOOGLE TOOLS WORKSHOP (ACD 121)
Did you know that Google offers many free office
applications and tools which provide an affordable and attractive alternative to Microsoft Office?
Because the programs are Web-based, you can access
your work from any computer, and there’s no need
to carry around disks or USB drives. Another benefit
is the simultaneous editing feature, which makes it
possible for four people in different locations to work
on the same document, at the same time, and immediately view the changes. A selection of the following
Google Tools will be covered in this workshop:
• Google Docs & Spreadsheets: a Web-based
word-processing and spreadsheets application
• Calendar: a Web-based calendar application
• Analytics: a Web site metrics collection and
analysis program
• Directory: a service that allows you to browse
the Internet by topic
• Earth: a combination of satellite imagery and
mapping applications—a “3D interface to the
planet”
• Groups: a convenient mailing list service
• Images: a picture-specific search service
• Page Creator: a Web-design application
• Picasa: a photo-editing and sharing application
• SketchUp: a 3D modeling application
• Translate: a Web-based language translation service.
BLOGS AND RSS FEEDS (ACD 122)
The number of Blogs (web logs) has been growing
exponentially, and currently, there are blogs
covering just about every topic imaginable. This
workshop will cover several topics related to blogs
and blogging. You will learn about navigating and
searching the blogosphere, how blogs are being used
in higher education, as well as how to use RSS feeds
to keep track of them and create your own blog.
USING PLATO IN THE CLASSROOM
(ACD 210)
This introductory workshop on the
Plato Web Learning Network demonstrates the vast functionality of this
learning tool. Plato facilitates traditional learning by
providing students with self-paced instruction via a
web interface, which makes learning more interesting. It is a great aid to math courses ranging from
elementary mathematics up to calculus; it can even
be used in other disciplines, such as physics and
economics. Outside the classroom, students can use
this tool to prepare for examinations and get indepth knowledge of the material. This workshop is
intended for faculty who wish to add Plato to their
Math or English courses.
WHAT’S NEW IN OFFICE 2007
(ACD 211)
This workshop will cover the new Office 2007 interface and introduce many
of the new features in Word, PowerPoint and Excel. You will learn about the various
file formats and compatibility issues; how to apply
quick styles; how to use SmartArt, and how to use
the Ribbon--the new feature that makes Office
2007 easier to use than ever before. We will also
explore some of the new features in Excel 2007, such
as improved formula writing and tables, as well as
applying animation effects to SmartArt Graphics in
PowerPoint slides.
Participants should already be able to:
• Perform commands from the Office 2003 menu
bar and toolbars
• Enter and edit text
• Save and print a document
(CONTINUED)
DREAMWEAVER (ACD 221)
This workshop will teach you how to
create web sites with Dreamweaver
and Fireworks, the most popular web
development package among web design
professionals. This two-hour workshop will walk you
through the building of a site from scratch. Fireworks will be used to create the necessary graphics
for the site. With the pieces created and assembled,
participants will then use Dreamweaver MX to build
a quality, manageable site.
ADOBE ACROBAT (ACD 222)
This workshop will teach you how to
use Adobe Acrobat software to convert
your document into a searchable, media-rich Adobe PDF file that will help
you preserve your important work in a
format that any authorized person can view. You will
also learn how to send and receive comments back
in the form of sticky notes, text, sound files, stamps,
attached files, drawing markups, and text markups.
MICROSOFT PUBLISHER LEVEL I (ACD 223)
Create dynamic publications on your desktop
computer. This workshop will introduce you to
Publisher, Microsoft’s easy-to-use desktop publishing
program, demonstrating how to create print publications such as brochures, newsletters, and more. You’ll
also learn how to import text documents for formatting in Publisher; change layout and color schemes;
and use basic information sets across publications.
CLICKERS IN THE CLASSROOM
(ACD 225)
Are you tired of blank stares in your
classroom when you ask, “Do you
have any questions?” Clickers, or
personal response systems, can help
you make your class more exciting
for students raised on video games. In this interactive workshop, we will review clicker fundamentals
including strategies and best practices for using clickers in the classroom. We will demonstrate how to set
up a class grouping and have students join in, and
how to use clickers to take attendance, gauge student
interest and understanding, and improve class participation. You will also learn how to export student
response data for analysis and grading.
BLACKBOARD NEW FEATURES WORKSHOPS
(ACD 226)
Touro’s new Blackboard 7 system has many new features that you will find useful, especially if you are
teaching courses online. Come to this workshop to
find out about the new tools available in Blackboard
7, such as Messages (internal e-mail), SafeAssign
(plagiarism detection), the Performance Dashboard
and Adaptive Release (release assignments based
on criteria), the Early Warning System (for student
remediation), and the new and improved Discussion
Board.
!
ATTENTION
!
•
Pre-registration is required for all faculty
development workshops.
•
T register, please call 212.463.0400 ext. 674 or
To
fill out the online registration form at:
http://www.touro.edu/faculty/workshops/
•
If you are unable to attend a workshop for
which you are registered, please be considerate
and call 212.463.0400 ext. 674 to cancel your
registration.
•
Please call our phone  
at 212.463.0400 ext. 428 to hear the latest
workshop status.
•
Please direct suggestions regarding future
workshops to Phil Charach 212.463.0400 ext.
688/[email protected]. 
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SCHEDULE - BLACKBOARD
CALL: 212.463.0400 EXT. 674 OR VISIT: HTTP://WWW.TOURO.EDU/FACULTY/WORKSHOPS
#
COURSE
LOCATION
DAY
DATE
TIME
1
BB Level I
43 W 23 St - Library (NYC)
Monday
2/4/2008
3PM  5PM
2
BB7 Discussion Board
27 W 23 St (NYC)
Thursday
2/7/2008
4PM  5PM
3
BB Level I
946 Kings Hwy (Brooklyn)
Friday
2/8/2008
11PM  1PM
4
BB Level II
Monday
2/11/2008
3PM  5PM
5
BB7 Email
27 W 23 St (NYC)
Thursday
2/14/2008
4PM  5PM
6
BB Level II
Friday
2/15/2008
11AM  1PM
7
BB Level III
Monday
2/18/2008
3PM  5PM
8
BB7 SafeAssign
27 W 23 St (NYC)
Thursday
2/21/2008
4PM  5PM
9
BB Level III
Friday
2/22/2008
11AM  1PM
10
BB Level IV
Monday
2/25/2008
3PM  5PM
11
BB7 New Quizzes
27 W 23 St (NYC)
Thursday
3/6/2008
4PM  5PM
12
Friday
3/7/2008
11AM  12PM
13
BB7 Email
Friday
3/14/2008
11AM  12PM
14
BB7 SafeAssign
Friday
3/28/2008
11AM  12PM
15
BB7 Perf. Dashboard
Friday
4/4/2008
11AM  12PM
16
BB Level I
1401 Kings Hwy - Brooklyn
Sunday
4/6/2008
12PM  2PM
17
BB Level I
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Monday
4/7/2008
12PM  2PM
18
BB7 New Quizzes
Friday
4/11/2008
11AM  12PM
19
BB Level II
Sunday
4/13/2008
12PM  2PM
20
BB Level II
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Monday
4/14/2008
12PM  2PM
21
BB Level III
Thursday
4/17/2008
12PM  2PM
22
BB Level III
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Monday
4/28/2008
12PM  2PM
23
BB Level I
Friday
5/2/2008
11PM  1PM
24
BB7 Perf. Dashboard
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Thursday
5/15/2008
12PM  2PM
25
BB Level II
Friday
5/16/2008
11AM  1PM
26
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Tuesday
5/20/2008
12PM  1PM
27
BB7 Email/Messages
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Wednesday
5/21/2008
12PM  1PM
28
BB7 SafeAssign
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Thursday
5/22/2008
12PM  1PM
29
BB7 New Quizzes
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Monday
5/26/2008
11AM  1PM
30
BB Level III
Friday
5/30/2008
11PM  1PM
11
SCHEDULE - GENERAL
SEE BELOW FOR IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING GENERAL (NON-BLACKBOARD) WORKSHOPS
#
COURSE
LOCATION
DAY
DATE
TIME
31
Word Processing I
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Wednesday
3/12/2008
1PM  3PM
32
Excel Level I
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Thursday
3/13/2008
1PM  3PM
33
PowerPoint (PP) Level I
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Monday
3/17/2008
1PM  3PM
34
Word Processing II
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Wednesday
3/19/2008
1PM  3PM
35
Access Level I
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Monday
3/24/2008
1PM  3PM
36
Excel Level II
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Tuesday
3/25/2008
1PM  3PM
37
Dreamweaver
Wednesday
3/26/2008
1PM  3PM
38
PowerPoint Level II
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Thursday
3/27/2008
1PM  3PM
39
Photoshop Level I
Thursday
3/27/2008
1PM  3PM
40
Searching the Internet
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Wednesday
4/2/2008
1PM  3PM
41
Publisher Level I
Thursday
4/3/2008
1PM  3PM
42
Sound/Video in PP
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Tuesday
4/8/2008
1PM  3PM
43
Video in Classroom
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Wednesday
4/9/2008
1PM  3PM
44
Flash Level I
Tuesday
4/15/2008
1PM  3PM
45
Google Tools
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Monday
3/31/2008
1PM  3PM
46
Blogs and RSS Feeds
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Tuesday
4/1/2008
1PM  3PM
47
Clickers in Classroom
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Thursday
4/10/2008
1PM  3PM
48
Using PLATO (Math )
1602 Ave J (Brooklyn)
Wednesday
4/16/2008
1PM  3PM
49
Using PLATO (English)
1602 Ave J (Brooklyn)
Thursday
4/10/2008
1PM  3PM
50 New Office 2007 Features
43 W 23 St. (NYC)
Wednesday
4/23/08
1PM  3PM
Friday
4/25/08
11AM  1PM
43 W 23 St (NYC)
Monday
4/28/08
1PM  3PM
THE WORKSHOPS ON THIS PAGE WILL RUN AS SCHEDULED REGARDLESS OF CLASS SIZE.
DROP-INS ARE WELCOME. HOWEVER, IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND A SPECIFIC WORKSHOP,
REGISTER ANYWAY, TO RECEIVE A REMINDER PHONECALL.
ADVANCED LEVELS OF ANY WORKSHOP ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST...
12
ATOMIC LEARNING: WEB-BASED TECHNOLOGY TRAINING
“PROVIDING ONLINE LEARNING ONE ATOM AT A TIME”
By: Phil Charach, Director of Instructional Technology
A
tomic Learning
offers Web-based
software tutorials for
over 100 applications
commonly used in
higher education, ranging from Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Access,
and Blackboard to
Microsoft Project and
Adobe Dreamweaver,
and much more.
Atomic Learning currently offers over 25,000 software
training movies, and adds 500 new tutorials every 45
days.
How many times, after technology training, have
you gone back to your office and asked yourself
“How did I do that again?” With Atomic Learn-
ing, you can view software training movies at your
leisure, and then go back and review what you have
learned, as many times as you wish.
Atomic Learning also clearly states how long it will
take for you to review each module, in order for you
to maximize your training time.
IN ORDER TO START USING ATOMIC LEARNING:
• You need a computer with Internet access.
• You need the Apple QuickTime Player or Adobe
Flash Player installed.
• You need to contact us to get a license for
Atomic Learning.
For further details, please visit our Web site at
http://www.touro.edu/academic/atomiclearning
or contact our faculty support hotline at
[email protected] or
212.463.0400 x 467
467.
The following are just a few samples of Atomic Learning modules:
Topic
Duration
•
•
Creating a list in Excel
Filtering and sorting in an Excel list
2 min : 29 sec
1 min : 09 sec
Word
•
•
•
Working with symbols
Using AutoFormat
Converting text to table
1 min : 32 sec
1 min : 53 sec
1 min : 56 sec
PowerPoint
•
•
How to display and format the chart legend in PowerPoint
Creating a chart in a presentation
0 min : 39 sec
0 min : 58 sec
Access
•
•
•
Creating and using an input mask
Enforcing referential integrity in table relationships
Formatting number data types
2 min : 35 sec
1 min : 15 sec
1 min : 53 sec
Blackboard
•
•
•
Adding a content area
Attaching a file in the text box
Adding Flash or Shockwave file
1 min : 23 sec
2 min : 09 sec
1 min : 42 sec
Excel
13
ATOMIC LEARNING BETA: SURVEY RESULTS
Strongly Agree
Agree
I was able to learn something new through Atomic Learning tutorials.
Neutral
69%
Disagree
25%
6%
I found answers to my computer-related questions much faster with Atomic Learning.
56%
44%
The modules were a valuable use of my time.
38%
38%
24%
It will be easy to apply the knowledge I received.
50%
0%
10%
20%
30%
50%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
100%
SATISFACTION!
14
WHAT IS BLACKBOARD
7.3?
by Irina Berman, Instructional Technology Specialist
A
s you may have noticed, the Touro
College Blackboard Online Course
Management System has was upgraded to version 7.3 on Monday, August
27, 2007, prior to the Fall 2007
semester.
Blackboard 7.3 is the latest
release from Blackboard. This
upgrade resolves a significant number of issues in
the previous version (6.2)
while expanding the capabilities of the system.
Version 7.3 features a
wide variety of new capabilities that enhance teaching and
learning.
These changes will significantly impact
course design, test management, and
NEW AND COOL IN BLACKBOARD 7.3!
•
BRAND NEW Discussion Board including Searching, Rating, Draft Messages,
Thread and Forum Grading
•
Performance Dashboard (At-a-Glance
View of: Last Login, Discussion Board
Postings, Grades)
•
Cross-Platform WYSIWYG Editor
•
Ability to Turn Off Gradebook Averages
•
Multiple Language Settings with 10
Languages
•
9 New Assessment Question Types, including Calculated & Numeric Questions
•
Track Multiple Assessment Attempts
•
Export and Import Tests directly in Test
Manager
•
Marked Review Capability with Adaptive
Release of Content
student support for instructors utilizing
the Blackboard system. If you are an
instructor, and you missed the Blackboard 7 Update presentations in the
Fall, updated manuals are available by
contacting facultysupport.academic@
touro.edu. The Instructional Technology team will also be providing a variety
of Blackboard workshops this semester
for various knowledge levels. (See p. 10.)
The new Quick Tutorials in Blackboard
are also very helpful in demonstrating many new and previously available
features of Blackboard.
PLEASE NOTE THESE MOST
SIGNIFICANT AREAS THAT RELATE
TO BB 7.3:
NEW DISCUSSION BOARD
The single most noteworthy visual
change to Blackboard is the new Discussion Board. Several enhancements
to Discussion Board screens have been
added, including the ability to search
for posts in a specific date range without having other text to search for.
The Thread Detail page may also be
switched from the top or bottom of the
page for easier navigation of threads.
Discussion Board Grading – Grades
based on the Discussion Board can now
be easily managed from a new discussion board grading interface.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
An extra checkbox now appears on the
Add Announcement page, which lets
faculty choose to send an email to all
course users about the new announcement. This vastly simplifies the send of
an email to all students when posting an
announcement.
WHAT IS BLACKBOARD
(CONTINUED)
EMAIL AND
BLACKBOARD MESSAGES
There are now two messaging functions within Blackboard: Email and
Messages.
While the functionality of the Email
tool is largely the same, users will note
that file attachments are easier and a
spell-checker and Visual Text Editor is
available for email messages.
The second tool, Messages, is not
really email: it is an internal mailing
program. It gives each course a private
and secure system for communication
that functions like email. The main
difference is that when using Messages, the mail cannot be sent or received
outside of the users in the course. The
messages are kept inside Blackboard,
and users have to login to Blackboard
in order to send and receive these messages.
EXPORT/ARCHIVE MANAGER
The Export Course page and the Archive Course page now have a single
view. The page contains a button to
Export the Course and a button to Archive the Course. As before, the difference between these two functions is in
the user data: Export Course exports
only instructor-added material and
leaves out user data (e.g., Discussion
board messages, quiz attempts, etc.).
Archive Course archives both instructor- and student-created data. Any
previously-created Export or Archive
packages appear in a list on the page.
Packages can be downloaded from
this list after creation. As before, you
can “import a package,” to load an
Exported or Archived *.zip file; however, this method will NOT restore
7.3?
student data. In order to do that, you
will need to send [email protected] your course archive
[email protected]
to restore this data to active use.
THE VISUAL TEXT BOX EDITOR
The Visual Text Box Editor provides
a rich text-editing interface, including
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What
You Get) and Spell Check, to create
effective learning content. Instructors
can also import content created in MS
Word or any other authoring tool.
ADAPTIVE RELEASE
Course content does not always apply
to all users in the course. Using Adaptive Release, instructors can display
content to certain users for a limited
period of time, or only after users
meet (or fail to meet) predetermined
requirements.
Adaptive Release can allow an instructor to give remedial materials
to students who demonstrate a poor
grade on a test, to set conditional
progress in the course (e.g., you cannot enter a discussion board until you
fill out a course survey or read an essay), or to allow different materials to
go to different groups of students -- all
easily managed right at the level of the
individual content item.
Adaptive Release also allows an
instructor to create custom learning
paths through course content and
activities. Content items, discussions,
assessments, assignments, or other
activities can be released to students
based on a set of criteria including:
date and time, specific users, group
membership, grades or attempts on a
particular test or assignment, or Re-
Come to our
“BLACKBOARD
NEW FEATURES
WORKSHOPS”
to find out how to take
advantage of these new
capabilities!
15
16
WHAT IS BLACKBOARD
(CONTINUED)
7.3?
view Status of another item in the course. Instructors
create and modify Adaptive Release rules from the
new Manage button available on all content items.
REVIEW STATUS
If Review is enabled for a content item, users see a
Mark Reviewed icon from the course view. When
users have completed their review of the item, they
click the Mark Reviewed button. The item then
displays a Reviewed icon. You can then view student
progress from the Performance Dashboard or the
User Progress page in the Control Panel. You can
enable and disable review from the new Manage
page available on all content items. Review status is
particularly helpful for determining Adaptive Release conditions, where certain content, quizzes, or
assignments would not be available until the review
status of a particular document is selected.
PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD
The Performance Dashboard is a course tool that
allows Instructors to see key information and outcomes for all course users. It displays the last time
users logged in, their course role, content availability
by user based on Adaptive Release criteria, Review
Status for content items, Discussion Board statistics
for each user, and a direct link to the Gradebook
User Grade List page for individual users.
The Dashboard shows a list of each student, with
columns for name, role, last course access (including
days elapsed), review status, adaptive release rules,
discussion board posts, and view grades. The last
four columns are selectable.
If you choose “Review Status,” the number indicates
the number of items that the user has self-identified
as “reviewed,” and once clicked, it will list all course
items with review status, showing whether this user
has viewed it or not, and whether this user is able to
view it or not.
Clicking on the icon in the “Adaptive Release”
column will show you a course map view of all items
that can have Adaptive Release rules applied. Next
to each item, another icon will show whether this
item is able to be viewed by the particular user you
selected or not, and whether that user has indicated
that they have viewed the item or not.
The “Discussion Board” column displays the total
number of posts by a user. Clicking on the number
will display options for statistics on total number of
posts, date of last post, average post length, minimum and maximum post lengths, and average post
position within a thread. The grade for a discussion
board can be entered through this interface as well.
WHAT IS BLACKBOARD
(CONTINUED)
7.3?
Finally, the last column will allow the instructor to
go directly to the gradebook entries for a particular
student, right from the Dashboard.
BLACKBOARD QUIZ
Blackboard has a completely revamped online quiz
implementation:
– Short Response
– Either / Or and
– Quiz Bowl
•
Instructors have the option to randomize the answers in multiple choice questions. The answers are
randomized for each assessment attempt, which
helps prevent student cheating.
•
Partial credit for partially correct answers is now
a possibility on many question types including
fill-in-the-blank, multiple answers, and jumbled
sentence questions.
C Q -- This question type allows the instructor to enter in a numerical question
prompt (e.g., “What is the area of a square whose
side is [x] inches long?”) The instructor can then
determine the correct formula for the answer (e.g.
side multiply by side) and input a range of possible
variables that “X” can be, either randomly generated
or entered by hand. In this way, Student A will see
“What is the area of a square whose side is 2 inches
long?” while Student B might see “What is the area of
a square whose side is 18 inches long?” This enables
further randomization of questions for each student.
•
When creating a test, questions may now be
marked as extra credit only. This means that the
points possible for the entire test will not include
the points possible for that question. If the question is answered correctly, the question points will
be added to the points correct, but if the question
is answered incorrectly, there is no score penalty.
NUMERIC RESPONSE QUESTIONS -- This question
is created especially for questions requiring numeric
answers. While this functionality used to be met with
a “fill-in-the-blank” type of question, now Numeric
Response questions allow for an acceptable threshold
of acceptable answers (e.g. 2 +/- 0.5) and can require a
certain number of places after the decimal.
•
The enhanced submission report for assessments
now includes the following user information:
First Name, Last Name, Course Name, Username, Course ID, name of the Assessment, and
date/time of submission. This may be used as
verification by the student that they have indeed
submitted the assessment. Some instructors may
want to require students to print this as a permanent record of the activity.
F R Q -- This question type
allows the student to upload a file in response to the
question.
•
When creating Assessments in the Blackboard
Learning System 7.3, instructors may choose
from ten additional types of questions:
– Calculated Questions
– Numeric Response
– File Response
– Hot Spot
– Multiple Fill-in-the-Blank
– Jumbled Sentence
– Opinion Scale
H S Q -- This question type allows
you to upload an image file. Then, a rectangular
“hotspot” can be defined that represents the correct
answer region of the image. For example, you could
ask students to identify a certain cell structure, an
artistic technique, or a geographical feature on a
map, by clicking on the right place in the image.
M F---B Q -- You
can now set up either a single or multiple blank
question. It is also much easier to create acceptable
variations on “correct” answers in the blanks.
J S Q -- This question
type allows you to create a sentence with one or more
drop-down menus in the body of the sentence. The
17
18
WHAT IS BLACKBOARD
(CONTINUED)
7.3?
student chooses the correct values from the dropdowns to create a correct sentence.
OPINION SCALE QUESTIONS -- These questions are
basic questions, with various options for how many
levels and what types of prompts an instructor can
use to determine an opinion level.
S R Q -- Short Responses,
like Essay questions, require the instructor to grade
the answers manually. Short Responses, as opposed
to Essay questions, can be limited in length by the
instructor.
EITHER/OR QUESTIONS -- This question type is
similar to a “True/False” question, except that more
options are available for the answers: either/or, yes/
no, true/false.
Q B Q -- This question type is like a
question from Jeapardy!, where the answer has to be in
the form of a question. The student chooses the question word (e.g. Who, What, Where, When, etc.) from
a drop-down and then types in an answer prompt. The
instructor determines certain “key words” that must be
in the answer phrase. Partial credit can be given if the
incorrect question word is chosen.
GRADEBOOK
For the most part, the gradebook functions just like
the old gradebook. However, one main enhancement
has greatly increased the Gradebook’s accuracy of
displayed grades to students. This is the addition of
a “Null Grade” option for calculating the final score
for the class.
In previous versions of Blackboard, when calculating
the final score for a class, incomplete assignments
and tests were counted as worth zero points. Especially in weighted grade situations, these zeroes could
often misrepresent the student’s estimated average in
the course.
Now, you can set the final grade column in your
gradebooks to ignore incomplete assignments when
calculating weighted and final totals. This should
greatly increase the accuracy of the grade display in
Blackboard. To do this, click on the column title on
the final column of your gradebook. Choose “Item
Information,” and answer “Yes” to “Exempt items that
have not been graded.” The default “No”, in contrast,
yields a final total with all scores included and with
missing scores calculated as zeroes.
BLACKBOARD QUICK TUTORIALS
These are new animated tutorials integrated into the
Bb system on important content creation and student management techniques.
OTHER TOOLS AND FEATURES
The Early Warning System tool has been added into
course Control Panels. This tool, although originally
designed for K-12 institutions, may be of use in identifying trends (both positive and negative) in student performance. Similar to grade-based Adaptive
Release, Early Warning rules are established which
allow instructors to receive lists of students meeting
the rule criteria, with tools to easily email students
listed for any desired follow-up contact.
WHAT DOES THIS UPGRADE MEAN FOR
STUDENTS?
Other than adjusting to a few small cosmetic
changes, students should be able to seamlessly move
from version 6.2 to 7.3 without any additional
training. In order to ensure a successful adjustment
to the new version, a short Blackboard overview
should be given by each instructor at the beginning
of their classes and should focus on the most
significant areas of change, such as the Discussion
Board functionality. 
THE MICROSOFT WORK-AT-HOME PROGRAM
By: Albert Bina, Academic Computing Technical Support Manager
A
s part of Touro’s Microsoft Campus Agreement for 2006-07, we
have acquired Work at Home rights for College faculty and staff.
This means that you can install MS Office or an upgraded version of
Windows, on your home PC or laptop, for free.*
More details about the Microsoft “Work at Home” program,
including usage restrictions and how to enroll, are available on the
program Web site at:
http://www.touro.edu/academic/workathome/
Should you have any questions regarding the program,
please contact:
A M
212.463.0400 ext. 240
[email protected]
S B
212.463.0400 ext. 240
[email protected]
* Currently there is no charge for the installation media. However, in the future,
we may begin to charge a nominal fee to cover the cost of the media.
PROJECTORS
T
ouro College
encourages
faculty members
to make use of
technology in the
classroom and beyond. In the classroom, you can use
large-screen monitors
or projectors to display
Power Point presentations, connect to the Internet,
or use software to demonstrate course concepts to
your students.
Large-screen monitors, projectors, and/or VCRs are
available for reservation (on a first-come, first-served
basis) from the computer laboratory at your location. If you plan on using the Internet, please check
with the lab technician in advance, as not all Touro
classrooms currently have network access. Faculty
members who are having problems reserving projectors or large screen monitors at a particular site should
contact Mr. Phil Charach, Director of Instructional
Technology, at 212.463.0400 ext. 688, or via e-mail
at [email protected].
In addition, for extending learning outside the classroom, Touro College can provide you with a Blackboard account, so you can communicate with your
students and post assignments and announcements
on your own class web site. 
19
20
PLATO LEARNING SYSTEM
By: Frada Harel, Resource Center Coordinator, Neptune Avenue
T
ouro College is proud
to announce that the
PLATO English Language
Arts Learning System is now
available to all students. Plato
is a self-paced, engaging,
interactive computer program
designed to let you learn, review, or polish your grammar, vocabulary, andreading and writing skills.
The PLATO English program provides tutorials and mastery tests in a
wide variety of areas. You can review sentence
skills, mechanics, and grammar trouble spots
such as:
Subject/Verb Agreement
Parallel Structure
Run-Ons
Fragments
Punctuation
WAIT - THERE’S MORE!!!
If you feel that these are the usual topics
covered in any English Software program, be
aware that PLATO provides much more. PLATO will guide you through all writing skills,
such as how to: create an interesting introduction to your essay, write strong topics sentences
that support your thesis, develop a paragraph
with supporting evidence, and wrap up your
essay with a strong conclusion. In addition, you
can learn reading comprehension strategies,
train yourself to understand literary works,
and expand your vocabulary. Are you having trouble understanding the jargon in your
Human Services or communication courses?
Specially designed selections will explain terms
in these fields. There are even modules to help
you master history and science!
WRITING IN THE WORKPLACE is another
valuable component of the PLATO program.
Sixty-three learning objectives include writing
notes and memos, business letters, and reports.
A full thirty-eight hours of instruction will
help you prepare for success in your career!
WHY SHOULD YOU ENROLL IN THE PLATO
PROGRAM?
Whether studying for an AA/AS or a BA/BS,
PLATO can help you succeed. Study after study
proves the efficacy of completer-aided instruction. Lessons cover limited objectives so they
are easily mastered and retained. Best of all, you
can work in complete privacy when and where
it is comfortable for you! PLATO is a high-tech,
proven solution for your busy life-style.
HOW CAN YOU ENROLL IN PLATO?
Contact your site’s Resource Center Coordinator or Frada Harel at 718/449-6160 ext.130,
[email protected]. You will be given instructions for establishing a user name and password
that will allow you to access the program. Feel
free to discuss your strengths and weaknesses
with your writing instructor so that a learning
plan can be customized to fit your needs.
ATTENTION INSTRUCTORS!!!
   
GLL007 GLL110, GLL121 AND GLL122 feaGLL007,
ture PLATO units. Course assignments have
been chosen according to the level guidelines
established by Professor Edna Davis together
with Dean Mira Felder and the English Department. Students with limited time will now
be able to do the PLATO component of their
assignments at home.
WE WANT YOU!!
We are currently inviting English instructors to
participate in a trial program integrating PLATO
into their curriculum. If you are interested in
learning how to tailor PLATO modules to your
students’ needs, and integrate it into your course
outline, please contact Resource Center DirectorRosalind Frank at 718/295-6534 ext. 1023 or
Frada Harel at 718/449-6160 ext. 130. 
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE PURCHASE REQUESTS
S
ome of the best ideas for new hardware and
software at Touro have come from faculty
members like you.
If you feel that a specific hardware or software
tool will help you be a more effective instructor,
speak to your department chair. After chairperson budgetary approval, you can get the items
you need by simply submitting the appropriate
request form to Academic Computing.
To download and print the hardware or
software purchase request forms,
please visit:
HTTP://WWW.TOURO.EDU/ACADEMIC/FORMS
REQUESTING A TOURO.EDU E-MAIL ACCOUNT
T
•
•
•
•
he following applies to Touro College Faculty
and Administration employees:
•
To obtain a Touro College e-mail address, complete an e-mail account request form, located at
http://it.touro.edu/ under “Service Request
Forms.”
Many options
are available
under Webmail,
including message filters, junk
mail control,
forwarding, vacation messages,
changing the
password, etc.
TOURO COLLEGE
Office of Information Technology
http://it.touro.edu
EMAIL ACCOUNT REQUEST FORM
New e-mail account
Remove all access
Employee:
Department:
Location:
Phone: ( ) Extension:
Current e-mail:
  :
Print name:
Signature:
Send completed form to:
Office of Information Technology
27-33 West 23rd Street,
New York, NY 10010
via interoffice mail, or fax to 212.242.0451. You will be contacted by an OIT technician
when the e-mail account is ready. For additional information contact the OIT Helpline at:
212.463.0400 ext. 444.
Server disk space for storing messages is limited
to 50MB. Additional space is available by using
Microsoft’s Outlook Express and moving messages to Local Folders.
•
When setting up Outlook Express, use the following server settings: IMAP server.
Incoming mail (IMAP): mail. touro.edu
Outgoing mail (SMTP): mail.touro.edu
For help using
the Webmail
interface, click on the help link after logging in
to Webmail.
•
Additional assistance is also available by calling
the Office of Information Technology Helpline
Mon-Thu: 8AM–7PM  / Fri: 8AM–2PM 
at: 212-463-0400 ext. 444 
Access to your e-mail account is also available via
the Internet using Webmail at:
https://mail.touro.edu/
FOR OIT USE ONLY
Date Received: / /
Date Completed: / /
Approved by:
Administered by:
Comments:
21
22
WINDOWS VISTA & OFFICE 2007
By Slava Khaitov, Instructional Technology
T
Specialist
N
ine months
have passed
since Windows
Vista was officially
released. What
are the results?
While Vista has
not yet reached the
projected number
of consumers, it
slowly but surely
is making its way
to more end users.
New, more powerful hardware at affordable prices, and updated thirdparty software that have no compatibility issues with
Vista, attract more and more people to Microsoft’s
new Operating System. By now, the percentage of
computers running Windows Vista is about 10%.
Since, we strongly believe that Vista’s popularity and
use will only increase in the future, it is time for us
to provide some useful tips for current and prospective users of the new OS.
The new “Aero” interface is definitely “eye candy”,
but it comes at the expense of computer performance
and, according to some experts, makes you feel
uncomfortable after a while. If you or your computer
suffers from “Aero”, just turn it off by going to Start
Menu - Control Panel - Themes and choose “Windows Classic.” After you apply the setting, Vista will
look much like Windows XP, but you will still benefit from the increase in performance and the ease of
interacting with the Vista system.
Computer users often need to keep track of different
times in multiple time zones. In the pre-Vista world,
this was accomplished via third party applications
that did not always integrate well with Windows and
created unnecessary clutter on the desktop. Windows
Vista provides the “Additional Clocks” feature that
eliminates the need to install any extra plug-ins. Just
go to Control Panel and open the “Date and Time”
setting. Then, click on the “Additional Clocks” tab.
Finally, add a couple of extra clocks and set up their
time zones. Next, move your mouse over the clock in
the System Tray (lower right corner on your screen)
and wait for about a second or so– Windows will
display all the times in the tooltip menu.
Windows Vista was not the only “big news” from
Microsoft in 2007. Another product delivered this
year is Office 2007. The new Office suite represents a
significant improvement over its predecessor, Office
2003, with a completely redesigned interface that
matches the look and style of Windows Vista. For
example, Word 2007 provides a much better “Styles”
feature, and creating pivot tables with Excel 2007 is
a snap.
The major change that all users of the new Office Suite have to keep in mind is that Microsoft
completely changed the file formats in each major
application – something that has not happened since
the release of Office 97. For instance, the documents created in Word 2007 now carry the “.docx”
extension instead of the familiar “.doc” The new file
formats are not supported by older versions of the
Office suite. However, the problem can be easily
overcome by saving the document in “.doc” format
or by installing the “Office Compatibility Pack” that
will allow previous versions of MS Office to open
files created in Office 2007. The compatibility pack
is available for free from Microsoft’s web site. (See
article on next page.)
As a final thought, we would like to emphasize that
Microsoft did a great job in terms of Windows/Office compatibility. What this means to all of us is
that we can use our old Office 2003 on Windows
Vista computers, and yes, Office 2007 will run flawlessly on a Windows XP machine.
As always, the end-user is the best evaluator of any
new technology. So, learn it well and use it to its full
potential. As a rule of a thumb, the better you know
a product, the more enjoyable your user experience
will be. 
OPENING OFFICE 2007 FILES USING OFFICE 2003
By Irina Berman, Instructional Technology
T
Specialist
M
icrosoft Office 2007 contains the latest version of the popular PowerPoint, Word, and Excel programs, along with other productivity
tools. While the college hasn’t yet deployed this new version, some students may already be using it to complete assignments, since Office 2007
is preinstalled on many newly-purchased computers. As students begin
to use Office 2007, a few tips can help in your document exchange with
them.
One key difference from earlier versions is that Office 2007 saves new files,
by default, into a new format that is XML-based and is not readable by
earlier versions of Microsoft Office. Documents in the new formats will
have an added “x” in the file extension (i.e., “.docx” for Word, “.xlsx” for
Excel, and “.pptx” for PowerPoint). Because of the new default file format,
faculty and staff using a PC, a Macintosh, or a PDA will not be able to
read Office 2007 files without some preparation.
STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAVING OFFICE 2007 FILES
IN OFFICE 2003 FORMAT
The easiest solution to the incompatibility of the Office file formats is to ask 
who are using Office 2007 to save their files in the Office 2003 file format, following
the steps outlined below:
1. Open file in Office 2007 > Choose the File menu > Choose Save As
2. In the Save as type: dialog box, click the drop-down box and select -  specific file extension (e.g., “.doc”, “.xls”, or “.ppt”). Students can also set their preferences so that the default file format is compatible with Office 2003 software.
3. Save the file and then send it to your instructor.
FACULTY INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLING THE OFFICE 2003
COMPATIBILITY PACK
If you need to open files already received from students in the new Office format, you
will need to download and install a software update for Office 2003 .
1. Go to the following URL: http://tinyurl.com/3xr4tt
2. Download the software
3. Follow the instructions to install the compatibility pack.
A similar tool for Macintosh users will be provided by Microsoft sometime next year,
after the release of Office 2008 for the Mac. 
23
SPRING 2008
&
FACULTY
TECHNOLOGY
GUIDE TO TOURO COLLEGE
COMPUTING RESOURCES AND TRAINING
FACULTY TECHNOLOGY
HELPLINE
212.463.0400 EXT. 467
[email protected]
NEW!
For help with Plato Math,
Math, contact:
[email protected]
&
For help with Plato English,
English, contact:
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Spring 2008 - Touro College

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