Think INSIDE the Box!  Ok, Right now every student, staff or faculty member, go to www.box.iu.edu and login using your IU credentials.  I’m serious, do it now if you haven’t already, it will change your life!  You receive 50 GIGABITS for FREE from IU Box services.  You can use this service to securely store a variety of files both for personal and public use, including video, audio, presentations or Word files.  You can also, with a few clicks, embed video clips within Oncourse and your online classes.  This creates a nice player that not only represents professional quality but also is more convenient for other students and professors to view.  Also, Box makes transferring files and information from your mobile device to the web/computer, much simpler and more time efficient.  In order to upload files from your tablet or phone, you will have to set up an external login to link your IU Box with the Box.com account.   Follow these steps to do this: http://kb.iu.edu/data/bccp.html .

IU Box will bridge the gap between your mobile devices and Oncourse in a readily available, convenient manner.  Recently, I was asked to upload a video to Oncourse and I was not near a computer.  Therefore, I decided to shoot the video on my phone and upload it to my box account and then was able to share it with Oncourse.

To be honest, it seems as though Mobile technology has taken over the world.  Smart phones and tablets are rapidly becoming both students and instructors first choice as the main household technology device.  Therefore, understanding a few key aspects will help you when preparing to use your tablet or phone for Oncourse. Although they are powerful devices, MOST tablets will not give you the full capability that your computer will.  In Oncourse, you will be able to send messages, check announcements, look up next week’s assignments and do certain posts/blogs.  The biggest thing to remember, whether you are using mobile technology or not, is to always have a backup!  Technology can sometimes have a mind of its own and you do not want this to interfere with your schoolwork deadlines.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at jbhealto@indiana.edu

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Hey all my awesome online peeps, it’s that exciting time of year once again– No, not …Thanksgiving, even though the prospects of  lots of yummy food,  hanging with friends and family, and all of us having a well-deserved break is something to get excited about– did I mention the food! But no, it’s time for something just as exciting – it’s REGISTRATION TIME!!! WooHoo!!! Time to get signed up for those Spring classes – Yeah! Let’s do this! OK -so I might have perhaps had a little too much coffee!

Open registration is happening now – Yes! Right Now!  If you don’t want to lose that hot-spot in that course you need to graduate, you need to get enrolled ASAP! Now don’t freak out, I was just trying to scare you into registering EARLY, but it is true that with each day that passes, you run the chance of not getting a seat in the classes you want or need.  While it’s true you have until the end of the first week of Spring classes on January 19^th to register late, I strongly discourage waiting this long.  We don’t want anyone to have any of those OMG-anxious moments!  So let’s get registered NOW!

Here is our Spring 2013 course listing http://www.iue.edu/onlinecampus/current/courses.php#spring  we have OVER 100 SUPER-WONDERFUL-AMAZINGLY AWESOME online classes to choose from! (Sorry – I get a little carried away!)

You might be tempted to fill your schedules with all those fun titled courses like Z-201 (Intro to History of Rock n Roll-we all want to be rock-stars) or  Z-492 (Food: An American Indulgence–it’s amazing how many McDonalds there are in this world), or P-324 (Abnormal Psychology – admit it, we all want to know why we are a little abnormal).  But it’s very-very important that you schedule an appointment by phone or e-mail with your online advisors – you want to make sure you are on the right track with your degree completion progress.  Uncertain who your advisor is? If you’re like me, and have trouble remembering your own name sometimes, and just can’t remember who your advisor is (no shame in admitting this and I promise not to tell anyone), I would be happy to assist you in looking them up and getting you in touch with them.

Once your advisor has given you the green light on your plan of study –log-in to your OneStart Student Center and load up that shopping cart with your online classes.  Just be sure to finish your enrollment and not accidently leave them in your shopping cart – that would be a bummer.  If you are not sure if you have completed your registration, please call me or your advisor and we will happy to confirm your enrollment for you.

To make sure we are all good to start registering – check the Registration Checklist: http://www.iue.edu/registrar/courses/registerforclasses.php

Many of you probably know how to register, but some of you might be new to IU East Online Programs or, like me, just need a refresher.  Here is a condensed Registration Instruction Guide: http://www.iue.edu/registrar/documents/CondensedRegistrationInstructions.pdf. If you would rather call me to help walk you through the registration process, or if you have any other questions about any online courses –or if you would just like to share in the EXCITEMENT of online classes and getting registered, I am always happy to speak with online students!

Feel free to e-mail me: ambmclar@iue.edu / eaonline@iue.edu or call me anytime (765)973-8300.

Amber Clark

IU East’s Online Student Support Services Super Excited “Highly Caffeinated” Cheerleader!

Don’t you love these ‘first ever’ blog posts? It’s hard to know how to start off. Am I being boring? Silly? Do I sound as stupid as I think I do? It’s like those classroom intros – ‘Hi, my name is Gretchen, and I’m taking this class because….’

Hmm. Now that I think about it, those classroom introductions sort of work, at least for this kind of first-time intro thing. So here goes:

Hi! J My name is Gretchen DeHart, and I’m the Student Technology Trainer here at IU East. Being the student trainer means it’s my job to help students – be they online or on-campus – with learning the software and computer systems they need to know to be successful at IU East. Basically that just a fancy way of saying that if you need to know something about a program – from what happened to the page numbers tool in Word (they always move that thing), or how to work a Wiki in Oncourse – I’m the person to talk to!

Speaking of Oncourse, and awkward introductions…

We are trying something new this semester: The Online Prep Course! The Online Prep Course is an Oncourse Site that offers students a chance to explore and get to know Oncourse tools, so that they can be better prepared for taking online classes. It has five modules, that talk about things like where to find information, student services for Online students, and student perks (like iuware!). Each module ends with a ‘task’ which lets you experience a few of the most common things students need to do in Oncourse to complete class work.

Since many Online students will never come to campus, they might never learn that they have access to things like tutorial services, or free software. The Online Prep course attempts to remedy this by introducing some of the programs, services, and opportunities that all students – no matter where they live – have available through IU East.

If you would like to participate in the Online Prep Course, just go here: www.iue.edu/onlinecampus/prep and fill out the form. It’s free, and won’t affect your grades, I promise.

If you need any help with registering for the Prep Course – or with anything else, please feel free to contact me. My email is dehartg@iue.edu.

Thanks for reading, and if are any computer-type things you’d like to talk about, feel free to reply to this blog.

It’s good to ‘meet’ you all!

Gretchen

I know it has been a long time since I’ve posted but trust me when I say that there is a good reason. Over the past few months we have been working very hard to reorganize our support structure for online students to be able to best serve you; the student. There will be much more information coming in the future but for now allow me to explain what changes have occurred. The Institute for Online Undergraduate Programs has been created which brings both student academic support and technology support along with support for faculty teaching online classes and testing services all under one roof. We are now a staff of eight full time professionals dedicated to providing the best online experience for students. Another excting change is that we all will be contributing to this blog! Over the next few months each of us will be introducing ourselves and letting you know what we do and how we can help you be a successful online student. We are also working on a website which will integrate all of the information you need in a more concise and friendly way. Finally…we have moved. Our suite of offices is now in Springwood Hall room 202. You can still each me at thavery@iue.edu or 765-973-8312. As always, please feel free to let me know what you think and also contact me if you need anything. Until next time…good luck in all you do!

Tom

Today’s thoughts were inspired by a talk I attended earlier this week by student affairs and social media expert Eric Stoller. He raised the point we all have a “digital identity” that we both need to build and protect. How many folks reading this are on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or have a blog? If you are, ask yourself these questions. What do you use it for; sharing information, keeping in touch with friends and family, communicating with classmates, networking professionally, playing games? What type of information do post for others to see; pictures, links, opinions and thoughts? Who are your friends and followers? What do you allow them to post on your timelines?

The reason I have you ask yourself these questions is to have you think strategically about building your digital identity. Is what you are putting out on social media the true identity that you wish to have? What you choose to say and show becomes a part of this identity for better or worse. There is an old saying that you can tell a lot about a person by who their friends are. The same goes for your “digital” person. Who you choose to have as friends and who you choose to follow says a lot about you. Social media is wonderful tool for making connections and sharing your life and interests with others but it can be a double-edged sword. As long as you keep in mind that what you choose to share and who you choose to associate with automatically becomes part of who you are for the world to see, it can be a powerful tool allowing you to connect with people and things and build your identity in a way not possible just ten years ago.

To sum it up..no one says you can’t have fun, be opinionated, or just downright silly. You are telling your unique story to the world. But, think of it this way when posting to a social media site. Is what I’m putting here something I would like my employer to see in 25 years? Is it something I want my grandkids to see in 50 years?

I hope each and every one of you is excited about beginning a new semester at Indiana University East. Our Spring semester enrollment in online courses is the largest it has ever been and I know we have students taking their very first online courses. I apologize to those who read my blogs regularly who have read what I’m about to say before but I truly believe it is so important to success in online learning that I need to reiterate it each semester, so here it goes. The first weeks of classes can be overwhelming with getting used to a new class schedule, buying books, and meeting new instructors. This is true both for in person and online classes. As a student, I often heard fellow students say that the first few weeks of classes really wasn’t that important because instructors generally just introduced the class material and really did not get into the heart of the class material. This could NOT be further from the truth! In any class, but especially for online classes, the first couple weeks of class is essential to your success in the entire class. Allow me to explain.

 If you have read my updates in the past, you will know that having good time management and being self-disciplined are essential qualities of successful distance learners. The first weeks of class will be when you lay the foundation of these qualities for the rest of the semester. During the first week of class, you should have received the syllabus and schedule for the course. These may be the most important documents you will ever receive in an online course because they contain the due dates for all of your assignments and the dates for quizzes and tests. They will be your road map for the class. Since you will not be meeting weekly in a classroom, you not have someone constantly reminding you of these dates. The responsibility is yours!

 In the online classes that I have taken in the past, a simple strategy has allowed me to manage the schedule of the class and also be proactive about due dates. I purchased an inexpensive weekly planner (one that you can lay open and see an entire week on the two pages that are open). When I got the schedule for the course that I was taking, I immediately wrote in all the assignments, and the quizzes and tests, in red ink on the dates that they were due. I then went through the planner and made a note one week prior to the due date about assignment or test. For example, if there was an exam scheduled for September 27, I noted that on September 20. This I wrote in blue ink and then highlighted to make sure it got my attention. I kept this planner, open to the current week, next to my computer for the duration of the class. In this way, every time that I got on my computer I had a visual reminder of the important dates for that week and also reminded of the assignments that were approaching for the following week.

 You may choose to use my low-tech system of scheduling for the course, use an electronic planner or program on your phone or computer, or come up with something else that works for you, but the important thing is to have a system in place for keeping yourself on schedule in the class. If you do this the first weeks of class, as soon as you have you syllabus and schedule, you will have laid a solid foundation for managing your course for the rest of the semester.

Today I thought I’d address an issue that always seems to trip up a few students each semester and that is not reading the syllabus for their class closely or not following announcements posted by their instructors in regard to assignments, exams, and other issues that affect how the course will be conducted. This is particularly important for students in IU East online classes as we allow our instructors the freedom to structure their courses in ways that fit their teaching style and subject matter. A student will take an online class and then make the assumption that all others will be structured similarly and fail to read the syllabus closely and miss important information specific to the course they are currently taking. Sometimes they will speak with a friend who took the class in a previous semester and based on this assume the instructor is conducting the course exactly the same this time. Often times, instructors will even find the need to modify their schedule or assignments after the class begins.

It is important to keep in mind that instructors modify their classes to help ensure the best learning experience for the students enrolled in their courses and not to trip students up or cause them inconvenience. As a student it is your responsibility to read the course announcements and syllabus closely to ensure you know what is expected and then, if you have questions and concerns to communicate them to your instructor as soon as possible. Please let me know if you have any questions about your online classes or email your instructor or advisor.

Attend the online informational meeting on this wonderful opportunity to learn about Spanish culture (SPAN-S229), earn 3 credits towards your foreign language requirement, and travel through Spain for 11 days in May. Please note that you do NOT need to speak Spanish to participate in this program.

 Date: Wednesday, Oct 19

Time: 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Place: ONLINE

- Go to breeze.iu.edu/spain2012 

- Click on ‘Enter as a Guest’

- Write your name

- Click on ‘Enter Room’

 For those who cannot attend, the recording of the meeting will be available at http://www.iue.edu/hss/foreignlanguage/spain2012/

 For more information, please contact Prof. Julien Simon at jjsimon@iue.edu.

Tom