Tech Tips

Copying Course Content

mpstenson — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:50:21 +0000

This tutorial will show you how to copy course content from one WebCT section to another.

Photo Editing Online

mpstenson — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:28:26 +0000

Adobe made a big splash yesterday with its announcement of Adobe Photoshop Express. This Flex based application allows users to touch up their photos online without having to install any software. It also integrates with popular photo sharing sites such as photobucket and picassa.

When I gave the application a test-drive this morning I will have to admit that I was underwhelmed. I had previously used an application called Picnik which runs on the same Flex technology. The Adobe product when compared to Picnik has a clunky interface and not as many features. For example when editing the contrast of a photo Adobe Photoshop Express gave me a clunky single slider and no histagram or other options. Picnik on the other hand gives me a histogram, highlight and shadow adjustments, exposure and contrast and autofix.

Editing a photo in Picnik.

Editing a photo in Photoshop Express

Adobe is definitely going to have to pick up the pace of their development if they expect to compete in the online photo editing market.

What I’m Reading

mpstenson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:04:44 +0000

You may have noticed I’ve attached a “What I’m Reading” section to the left hand column of the blog. In this section I will be attaching articles that I have found interesting from around the web. I am using Google reader for this functionality (it is also my daily RSS reader.) If you would like to try Google reader yourself out you can access it a http://reader.google.com. �

Onepage Cheat Sheets on Web 2.0

mpstenson — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:06:23 +0000

Want to learn more about Web 2.0 technologies? Tim Davies has put together a number of one page tip sheets that you may find helpful. Topics include online mapping, wikis, online polls and reading blogs. Click here to check them out.

How to Save a Word 2007 Document as a Word 97-2003 Document

mpstenson — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:21:27 +0000

Open the Word Document you have saved in Microsoft Word 2007.
Click on the Microsoft Office Icon in the top left hand corner of Microsoft Word 2007 and you will see this menu.
Select the Save As option and you will open the Save As submenu. Click on Word 97-2003 Document.
A save box will popup, designate what folder you would like to save the document into and you can rename the document if you want.
Click on the Save button at the bottom of this dialogue box and the file will be saved as a Microsoft Word 97-2003 document (.doc).

Removing a column from the gradebook in WebCT

mpstenson — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:56:09 +0000

Often times it is nessesary to remove a gradebook column that is no longer in use. Here is a quick tutorial that shows you how to do this. How to Delete a Column in the Grade Book PDF

Make sure you have selected the Teach tab at the top of WebCT.
Open up your Grade Book by selecting Grade Book from the left hand column menu labeled Instructor Tools.

With Grade Book open select the Grade Book Options button on the top of the screen.
After you click the Grade Book Options button a drop down menu will appear. Select Column Settings from the menu.
Now you will see the Column Settings window. At the top of each column in the table there is a checkbox. Select a checkbox in the same column you want to delete.
Click the Delete button at the bottom of the table.
You will see this dialogue box confirming the removal of the column(s) selected

Click OK and the column will be removed.

ItunesU Expanded to Include Other Content

mpstenson — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:51:03 +0000

ItunesU is now hosting content from other educational institutions such as Smithsonian Global Sound and the Museum of Modern art. Here is a link to the full article.

Universal Design Seminar

mpstenson — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:06:10 +0000

This seminar was hosted by the IDC and presented by the staff of the Learning Resource Center. They give a brief overview of universal design and some practical ideas for how to use universal design in the classroom.

Click Here for Video

Installing PDF Creator

mpstenson — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:28:52 +0000

PDF Creator is a free, easy to use PDF creation utility that allows you to create pdfs in the same way that you would print a document. It is a great alternative for those who do not have access to Adobe Acrobat Writer. The following video tutorial and document will walk you through the steps of installing and printing your first PDF.

Lunch and Learn: What is the IDC?

mpstenson — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:20:50 +0000

I just got the What is the IDC? lunch and learn posted on our video streaming server. This is a great intro for people wondering what the IDC is. Here’s the link

http://www.cuw.edu/videoserver/fullplayer.cfm?movieid=833

About

mpstenson — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:44:07 +0000

Hello! My name is Matt Stenson and I’m the instructional technologist for Concordia University Wisconsin. This blog is intended to be a resource for Concordia faculty on instructional technology issues. It will feature HowTo’s, case studies, podcasts and much more. I hope that this is a helpful resource to you.

~ Matthew Stenson