TRAINING AND CONSULTING

The following guidelines provide information for the question "What laptop should I purchase [for my student] to use at IU Kokomo?"  This question relates to hardware guidelines - system requirements - and are independent of brand.  The specific laptop chosen is a combination of these "system requirements" plus personal preferences related to things like (1) a Windows laptop versus an Apple Macbook laptop, (2) the "feel" of the keyboard, (3) the "size" of the screen, (4) the "weight" of the laptop - consider carrying it around to classes all day, and (5) what is the "best deal" for price and support.  One purchasing a laptop must consider all of these questions when making a decision. 

There are two important considerations:  Hardware and Software. 

First of all, do not purchase any software.  Currently enrolled students of Indiana University - including IU Kokomo - may download at NO CHARGE all of the software needed for most classes.  Do not purchase any software until checking IUware at http://iuware.iu.edu.  IUware benefits to students, faculty, and staff represents a savings of hundreds of dollars (e.g. Microsoft Office) to thousands of dollars (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite).  Antivirus software is also available at NO CHARGE.  Do not purchase any software until checking IUware.

And for hardware - laptops and workstations - the hardware system requirements are the same at all IU campuses.  The following IU Knowledge Base articles may be helpful:

http://computerguide.iu.edu “Computer Guide” for IU Students
http://kb.iu.edu/data/antj.html “Computer Guide: Deals by Vendor”… discounts on computer hardware
http://kb.iu.edu/data/afrn.html “At IU, where can I find information about buying computer hardware and software?”
http://kb.iu.edu/data/antk.html “Computer Guide: Recommendations and common questions” (System Requirements are in this document)
http://kb.iu.edu/data/aclo.html “At IU, how can I get university-distributed software?”… Software at NO CHARGE for IU students!

It should be noted that the discounts available to students through manufacturer Web sites/online stores (e.g. HP, Dell, Apple, and Sony) are specifically through those online stores.  In general, those discounts cannot be combined with a product purchase through physical stores.  One purchasing a laptop must comparison shop the pricing deals online versus deals in the local store.

When choosing a laptop, consider purchasing the extended warranty.  Occasionally, equipment fails.  IU Kokomo does not have any hardware repair service.  Students with failed laptops must work through the store from which the equipment was purchased - online versus local store.  Having a warranty for the equipment could avoid hundreds of dollars in repair costs.

The choice between a Windows-based laptop and an Apple Macbook is either (1) personal preference, or (2) related to whether the user is heavy into graphics and music, which is the general decision point for Windows-based computers versus Mac computers.  The average general user will be just fine with a Windows-based computer, while the user with professional graphics/music needs may lean towards Mac computers.  Again, cost will be a factor in this decision.

Back to software... IU Kokomo provides a "Get your Laptop Set Up for Classes at IU Kokomo" service to students.  The cost of the procedure is NO CHARGE.  You can read about it in the expandable topic section of this Web page directly below this topic.  This is an important service for students.  Without this procedure, students risk getting to class and finding out that they do not have a particular software tool to do an assignment.  Or, they may find that they have out-dated software, or their laptop is in need of updates and service packs.  Coming to IT Training to have this procedure performed eliminates all of this worry... with the procedure done, students simply go to class, turn on their laptop and get to work!  We recommend having this procedure performed during the two-week period prior to beginning of classes to ensure the latest software is installed!  Appointments are strongly recommended, because of the volume of students requesting this procedure. 

For all questions about student laptops and software, and also for making an appointment for getting your [student's] laptop set up for classes, contact IT Training at (765) 455-9425, option 2!  The IT Support Center is in the IU Kokomo Library, 2nd floor, Room KA-221, and is open Monday-Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm.  Appointments can be made to accomodate a student's availability and needs.

The college experience today employs a robust set of technology resources:  Most assignments require research papers formatted properly to MLA, APA, Chicago, or Turabian style!  Presentations are expected to be of professional quality and include graphics, and possibly embedded audio narrations, videos, and timed slide transitions!  Most IU courses are transitioning to the use of eTexts!  Online courses are totally online!  At IU Kokomo, student class projects require full-size posters, 36" x 48" printed on a wide-format printer!  At IU Kokomo, students now have the ability to "instant message" their instructors and IT Training!

All IU Kokomo students must be technology literate to be successful in class.  They must have the proper computer skils to make effective use of computers, university web services, basic software applications, and technology appropriate to their disciplines or fields.  Future employers of IU Kokomo graduates expect them to come prepared with the technology skills to do their job effectively and efficiently. 

Faculty and staff must also maintain their skills to be proficient in their job environment and work assisgnments.

Are your computer skills up to date?  Do you need training?  UITS-Kokomo IT Training can help!

The first step is to assess your skills.  Take the following computer skills assessment.  If you feel you fall short of being able to perform most, if not all, of the skills in this assessment, please come to IT Training!  We can help!  We will set up a tutoring plan to enable your competitiveness in today's computer skill-demanding class environment!

Take the self-assessment:  Computer Skills Checklist

Be honest with yourself during this assessment!  If you can't *demonstrate* the skill, then IT Training can help! 

Students may bring their laptop to IT Training in the IT Support Center and get it set up properly for your classes.  IT Training works one-on-one with students to make sure their laptop has all of the proper software and is properly configured for classes on the IU Kokomo campus... all at NO CHARGE!  Our "setup" checklist provides:

• Easy connection to the campus wireless network (IU Secure),
• Properly installed antivirus that is up-to-date and configured to regularly scan for malware,
• Installation of the current version of Adobe "free" applications (Adobe Reader, Flash, and Shockwave),
• Installation/update for Java,
• Installation of recommended Web browsers (Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox),
• Ability for students to print from their laptop to campus printers (IU Printer Finder and GoPrint),
• Proper installation of Audacity plus MP3 encoder,
• Installation and configuration of Microsoft Lync for instant messaging faculty and IT Training support,
• Installation of Microsoft Office and properly updating of Word's Citation & Bibliography tool for MLA/APA research papers (required).

All installed software is available at NO CHARGE to students.  NOTE:  This setup process does take from two to three hours and students must stay with their computer during the procedure.  Please bring the laptop battery charging cable.  This procedure is performed by IT Training staff in the IT Support Center.  We recommend having this procedure performed during the two-week period prior to beginning of classes to ensure the latest software is installed! 

The IT Support Center is in the IU Kokomo Library, 2nd floor, Room KA-221, and is open Monday-Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm.  Contact IT Training at (765) 455-9425, option 2 for an appointment to get your laptop set up!

Reminder to students: DO NOT purchase any software until you check IUware at http://iuware.iu.edu.  Except for a very few specialized applications, all of the software needed for classes at Indiana University is available to students at NO CHARGE!

OneStart Tutorials (online) ... This online document is a great place to start learning how to use OneStart!
OneStart Tutorial (interactive)

Oncourse Tutorials (online) ... This online document is a great place to start learning how to use Oncourse!
Oncourse Features (online) ... multimedia videos about *all* Oncourse features!

Whether you write research papers in APA style, MLA style, Chicago style, or even Harvard or Turabian styles, you can save 90% of the time normally you normally spend adding the bibliography page and in-text citations to research papers!  Don't add the bibliography and citations in "old school" typewriter style - character-by-character!  Let Microsoft Word do the drudge work for you!  Let IT Training show you how!

How to... Configure a Word 2010 document for either APA or MLA style  (Log in required)
How to... Use the Citation & Bibliography tool in Word 2010 (SP1)  (Log in required)

IT Training is only an “instant message” away!  Install Microsoft Lync (which powers the campus phone system at IU Kokomo) onto your laptop and your cell phone so that you have the ability to connect with IT Training via instant messaging!  Then... you can ask your question to IT Training and get a quick answer to your technical issue.  We encourage students to add their course instructors along with the IT Training resources, and then use Lync to be able to instant message those resources for assistance.

"How to" use Lync? ... here are some specific tutorial documents from Microsoft for Lync 2010 that will show you how!!

Sign in to and out of Lync 1010 ... come to IT Training in the IT Support Center (KA-221 in the Library) to get connected! 
Add a contact ... be sure to add your IU Kokomo IT Training resources ...  Gregory Ogle and Mike Lynch
Manage your contacts and Contact list
Create and send an instant message
Change your presence status
FAQ about presence, contacts, and instant messaging

Contacts, presence, and instant messaging ... this is a group of training topics on Lync 2010.

Create terrific PowerPoint presentations for course projects that incorporate audio narrative clips, music clips, videos, timed slides, and all PowerPoint graphic effects into presentations that run as stand-alone multimedia presentation!  Terrific for course projects!

How to... Create a multimedia presentation with embedded autio clips and timed slide transitions  (Log in required)

Print course project and symposium posters (typically 36" x 48") in beautiful color!  Use Microsoft PowerPoint to create the posters and then print the posters on the HP DesignJet 4520 Multi-function printer in the Library Learning Commons!  Printing the posters is very cost competitive compared to printing them at local commercial businesses!

How to... Create a large format poster in PowerPoint and print it on INDIGO!  (Log in required)

Need assistance?  Get with IT Training!  We will help you GET IT RIGHT the first time!

Adding annotations to PDF documents in Adobe Reader X ... Turn on your speakers to listen to this tutorial!  (Adobe Acrobat User Community)

Indiana University, and IU Kokomo, are rapidly transitioning to the use of eTexts.  eTexts are course textbooks accessed online.  The cost of eTexts to students is a very cost effective alternative to traditional hardcopy textbooks.  UITS IT-Training provides one-on-oe support and assistance to students as they make the transition to the new eText format.  Here are some informative links to get started:

What is Courseload?
Getting started with Courseload
Using Courseload with eTexts
Courseload: Help contents
Using Courseload offline
At IU, how can I use Internet Explorer to access Courseload?

The IU Kokomo Library provides access to online E-books from a variety of providers, both subscription-based and free.  All of these E-books are accessible via standard Web browsers (e.g. IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.).  If you have questions about how to find, read, and/or download E-books from our Library databases, please contact a Librarian at our Ask a Librarian services desk. 

Some course eTexts are made available through Barnes & Noble and their NOOK facility.  Here are some links that might be helpful...

How to... Print to NOOK Study
How to... Marking, Highlighting and Note-Taking
How to... Search
How to... Study on the Go
How to... Write a Paper

Learn how to record voice narratives and trim/clip music files, save them as MP3 files, and then embed the files into multimedia PowerPoint presentations.

Tutorial: TBD.

About the IU Island in Second Life (IU Knowledge Base Article)
Second Life Quickstart (Second Life Knowledge Base Article)
Second Life KNOWLEDGE BASE (All the information you'll ever need about the Second Life virtual environment!)

Lear how to make professional-quality tri-folds and brochures using Microsoft Publisher.  These "handout" products are great for advertising products and services, and for making handouts for end of semester projects in class or for research symposiums!

Tutorial: TBD... coming soon!

1. Open a Web browser and go to http://itaccounts.iu.edu.
2. On the “Welcome to the Account Management Service at Indiana University” page, click on the Manage my IU computing accounts link.
3. Log in using your credentials (IU Kokomo computing account username and passphrase).
4. On the next page, click on the create more accounts: link.
5. On the next page, scroll down and select the Mypage/Mercury option.
6. Click the Create Account button.

Note: It may take up to 24 hours for your Mercury account to be created. You will not have access to the Mypage/Mercury server until your account has been created. If you are experiencing trouble creating and accessing your Mypage/Mercury account, please contact IU Kokomo IT support Center for assistance at (765) 455-9315 or by e-mail at kohelp@iuk.edu. The IT Support Center is located in the Library in Room KA-221 (2nd floor).

Reference documents on the IU Knowledge Base:
"At IU, what is Mercury?"
"At IU, what is Mypage, and how can I publish a Web page there?"
"At IU, how do I remove my personal Web page?"

"At IU, what is the policy for information on personal web pages?

For more information about creating Web pages on the Mypage/Mercury server, go to the Indiana University UITS (University Information Technology Services) Knowledge Base and search for the keywords mypage and mercury.

On campus workstations, the AnyClient FTP client is installed in both the Windows environment and the Mac OS environment. 

To download the AnyClient FTP client to personal laptops, students can click this link <AnyClient> and download/install the client from IUware.

Here is a tutorial for using the AnyClient FTP client: How to... Use the AnyClient FTP client to upload Web content to the IU "Mypage" (Mercury) Web server

Enterprise Box is a FREE online content storage, sharing, and collaboration service available to all Indiana University students, faculty, and staff. Enterprise Box is online "cloud" storage, and so is always available 24/7/365... from your mobile device, your laptop, or your home computer anywhere in the world!

Individual Enterprise Box accounts at Indiana University provide 50GB of online storage.  As a comparison, personal storage in Oncourse My Workspace provides only 1GB. 

Consider Box as an alternative to carrying around a USB Flash drive that can get lost, fail, or be damaged.  Keeping your important files on a USB Flash drive puts your important files at risk of being lost or damaged if the USB Flash drive fails. 

Here are some important informational documents for IU Enterprise Box:

http://kb.iu.edu/data/bbox.html ... About enterprise Box accounts
http://kb.iu.edu/data/bbqt.html ... How do I log into my enterprise Box account?
http://kb.iu.edu/data/bbya.html ... How do I securely set up my enterprise Box account?
http://kb.iu.edu/data/bbyn.html ... What kinds of tasks can I accomplish with my Box account?
http://kb.iu.edu/data/bbro.html ... Enterprise Box help menu

For more information, use the IU Knowledge Base at http://kb.iu.edu and enter the keyword 'Box' and click Search!

The mission statement of UITS-Kokomo IT Training is: Remove technology roadblocks to enable academic and work-related student success!

Tutoring services are available for any of the IT Training initiatives listed above plus Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook.  Tutoring is also available for Visual Studio tools (Visual Basic and Visual C), Podcasting and Vodcasting (video podcasts), HTML/XHTML and CSS.  Tutoring is available for specific tasks including printing large format posters, research papers, and multimedia PowerPoint presentations.  Support is available for either Windows-based computers or Mac computers.

 UITS-Kokomo IT Training provides many options for students to receive technical assistance with their computer questions and needs:

• One-on-One Tutoring is available in two ways, either by appointment (preferred) or walk-in.
  • Tutoring sessions are up to 90 minute sessions (maximum per session).
  • Tutoring sessions are conducted in the Library Study Rooms Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. 
    
    • Students needing sessions after 5:00pm meet with IT Training any time the Library is open and are by appointment only. 
  • Tutoring sessions for staff and faculty can be conducted in their office (on campus), by request.

• Request assistance via Microsoft Lync "instant message" with IT Training.  
• Downloadable online tutorials from this IT Training and Consulting Web site.
• Send questions via email to IT Training at kotrain@iuk.edu and receive support via email.
• Ask questions via phone to IT Training at (765) 455-9425, option 2.
• Faculty can invite IT Training to their classes to give training to their students in the classroom.

To make appointments...
- Call (765) 455-9425, option 2.  Please leave your name, a phone number, and your question!
- Email kotrain@iuk.edu and leave your name, a phone number, and your question!
- Visit IT Training in the IT Support Center, in the Library (2nd floor, Room KA-221)

Meet the UITS-Kokomo IT Training team...  Gregory Ogle and Mike Lynch.

The mission statement of UITS-Kokomo IT Training is: Remove technology roadblocks to enable academic and work-related student success!

Links for IU Kokomo Students...
Indiana University Kokomo - Home page
Student portal - OneStart Home page
Oncourse - Oncourse Home page
IU Kokomo IT Training and Consulting Services - IT Training Home page
IU Kokomo Information Technology - IT Web site
IU Kokomo Student Success Center - Student Success Center Home page

Links for Purdue Students...
Purdue University - Home page
Student portal - OnePurdue Home page
Purdue University Blackboard - Purdue Blackboard Home page
Purdue University Information Technology - ITAP Web site

Links for Ivy Tech Students transferring to IU Kokomo...
Ivy Tech - Home page
Student portal - Campus Connect Home page
Ivy Tech Blackboard - ITCC Blackboard Home page
Ivy Tech Helpdesk - ITCC Helpdesk Home page