OCTOBER 2011

Featured Story

Google Apps available for Faculty and Staff

Wesleyan migrated student email accounts to Google Apps in 2009.  Along with that comes a suite of applications under the Google Apps umbrella.  Most faculty and staff are not aware that they too have access to that suite of applications.  No faculty and staff email goes to Google and there are no immediate plans for that.  However, many people want to take advantage of the myriad features and capabilities of sharing documents and other applications that Google has to offer without having to create a gmail.com account.  As a Wesleyan employee, you can do that.

How do I gain access? Is it automatic?
Initiating your Wes Google Apps account is done through a self-serve link in EPorfolio allowing users to activate on their own.  The link is called “Wes Google Account Activation” under Tools and Links.

What if I already have documents I use in gmail.com? Why should I use my Wesleyan account?
If you are using gmail.com, or public Google, for Wesleyan related documents and collaboration, we highly advise that you start using your Wesleyan account for this purpose.  Wesleyan has a separately executed contract with Google that is far different from the standard consumer End User Agreement Google offers.  Additionally, sharing is much easier within Wesleyan’s domain since you can just type in a name and have it pop up rather than having to find out a gmail address for other users.

Does that mean Wesleyan administrators can see my documents?
No.  We do not have access or oversight to read your documents on your Google account that is any different than Wesleyan’s standard policy. http://www.wesleyan.edu/its/contacts/computer-policy.html#University Rights

Where can I find information?
Wesleyan has a blog of information about Google Apps and we plan to add more information there in the coming months.  http://googleapps.blogs.wesleyan.edu/

Tips and Tricks

Keyboard Shortcut of the Month

When using PowerPoint, if you wish to hide the screen, simply press B for black or W for white.

Software Tip of the Month

If you just want to print out a PDF, there is no need to use Adobe Acrobat Pro.  Adobe Reader will get you to your goal much faster.  If your computer is always opening PDFs in Acrobat, simply right-click (PC) or Control-click (Mac) on the PDF you wish to open and select “Open With…” to pick the speedier Reader.

Free Software Recommendation of the Month

Take notes, save webpages, organize your to-do list, keep reminders, engage in collaborations – on any computer, or on any smartphone or tablet.  Available on Mac and PC as well as iOS, Android, and Blackberry devices.

Spotlight

Spotlight on…. Prezi

What is Prezi?

Prezi is an alternative presentation software that uses a different paradigm from PowerPoint.  Whereas PowerPoint models a presentation after the traditional setup of slides in a carousel projected sequentially, Prezi takes a different approach.  The concept here is more like that of a “canvas” or poster, where any location on the presentation can be arrived at from any other.  That is, there is not necessarily a sequence; although a series of steps can be created as a guide, a presenter is free to move about the presentation to address questions as they arise or explore relationships between concepts.

How does Prezi work?

Prezi is set up to allow zooming in and out of areas around the poster.  By doing this, a presenter can easily show relationships (e.g., smaller/larger, sequential/non-sequential, circular/linear, etc.), focus in on specific ideas, focus out on broader issues, and more.  Using “frames”, the presenter can group certain concepts together, and even create connections across various concepts.  

How do I get Prezi?

You can sign up for an account to use Prezi at http://www.prezi.com. When creating your account, the EDU Enjoy account allows you to get most of the professional-level functions without cost, and is therefore the recommended option.

Watch the Official Prezi Introduction video here!

Alerts

Mahara Portfolio Tool now available

Available to the entire campus community since the beginning of the Fall semester, Mahara  (http://mahara.wesleyan.edu)  is an open source tool that allows users to create multimedia web-based electronic portfolios. Students will use Mahara to build portfolios during the Fall semester in three sections of Spanish and one section of French. Other applications of Mahara include the ability to present materials when applying for internships or jobs.