There are a lot of clever ways to keep from losing those little USB drives, but they invariably end up missing or damaged or you just have too many to keep track of them all. Now you can forget about those flash or thumb drives and try a “cloud drive” instead, which you can access with most internet enabled devices with a browser. Clark eLearning support techs have tested such free services and although there are many with great usefulness, we prefer one called Dropbox for its ease of use, student-centric features, and compatibility with Blackboard. There is some risk of confusion between the Digital Dropbox within Blackboard and the Dropbox in the cloud, but once you experience both, the differences should be clear. We only have this warning… View Full Article »
Category: Resources
Although Smart Penguin provides the solutions to, or the prevention of, most technical issues that Clark College Blackboard users may experience, things may still go awry. To help you get back to your online coursework more quickly, the tech support team in the eLearning Department now provides a new system, called Tech Ticket, which can be used to submit the details of a technical issue. In a series of short questions about your computing environment, you can quickly convey some of the important keys needed for an accurate diagnosis, which helps speed resolution. You can find the link to file a Tech Ticket in the sidebar here on Smart Penguin’s main post page, among our links at the bottom of the page, or just click the underlined link above or the name image below.
Clark College will no longer be communicating with students via paper mail, but will be using free Google Gmail for correspondence instead. So that you don’t miss out on important registration notices and other information, be sure to activate your pre-assigned Clark student email account using the link below. If you prefer to get your email at another address, just go ahead and activate your Clark Gmail account (which will look like: yourusername@students.clark.edu) and set it to forward to your preferred address. eLearning at Clark doesn’t set up email accounts, so if you need help you should contact the people in IT Services who do by either visiting the library computer lab technicians (in the upstairs lab) or emailing Gmail Support. The website linked to below also has a support phone number you may use, plus tutorials and instructions.
A low-tech penciled test can be stressful enough, but when you add technology to the mix, it’s even more important to be well prepared. Check out our Blackboard Test Taking Tips page to make sure technology is a neutral force when you show what you know!
There are many students new to Blackboard who are augmenting their education by developing important computer skills. Knowing how to open, create and submit appropriate file types for various documents can be a marketable asset worth learning. Instructors will usually specify what file types they can accept, which you must adhere to when submitting your work. Some common file examples for documents would be .doc or .docx, .pdf, and .rtf.
Using the right program is the first key to achieving the correct file type… The second key is clicking File and Save As (not Save) and selecting the specified file type before naming your file. View Full Article »
Just a quick shout-out to the Clark College Math Department… If you’ve signed up, or are thinking about signing up, for an online math class at Clark, be sure to check out their website for some information that’s essential for your success, as well as tips for writing math notation in Blackboard and much more. You’ll also find their link in our Blogroll below.
How would you like to give a test instead of taking one? Even if you have blazing fast internet service, wouldn’t it be nice to know just how fast your connection is to our Blackboard servers in Washington, DC? The truth is, Blackboard can be troublesome for users on dial-up and nearly impossible for those with internet service via satellite provider. For those with satellite service, the latency created by the distance between the earth and your host’s satellite (~23,000 miles) causes the problem, and much like its issue with online gaming, there is no consistent solution. Dial-up can create an issue with Blackboard because of slow response time, as well. Some have reported success by waiting until off peak hours to access their class. Others might travel closer to town where they can find a faster connection, such as their local library, college computer lab, or other public locations. Whatever your resources, you may find this speed checker helpful…
As the Clark College eLearning Systems Administrator, I often come across interesting and useful information, ideas, and resources that may assist you in your elearning endeavors. I will use this site to post my discoveries so check back now and then, feel free to comment or ask questions about Blackboard, and sign up for the rss feed or email subscription.
