How do keep textbook cost affordable?
How do I "capture" my computer screen?
How do I create a whitelist in Gmail and Outlook to accept emails from Edu-Gen.com, rjerz.com, and Moodle?
What are the most important navigation keystrokes in Excel?
How (and why) do I clear my browser's cache? How do I enable macros in Excel?
Moodle not working?
Tell me about this "Moodle" product that is used in your courses.
Cannot log into Moodle
How do I show a picture of myself in Moodle?
Videos don't play
Test Internet speed
Which computer media player?
Due Dates
What to print?
Email to cell phones
Consider the following scenario: A university course textbook is available for purchase at the campus bookstore for $325. However, the same textbook can be purchased brand new on Amazon for $220, used for about $185, or rented for $50. If the student chooses to buy a used textbook and then resells it on Amazon after the course has ended, it is estimated that the net cost of the textbook should be less than $20. Ultimately, the decision is up to the student. These are just some examples to help with the decision-making process.
I have used the product "Techsmith Snagit" for many years, and it seems to provide me all the features that I need (and more) in a screen capture utility. It is available for PC's and Mac's, but you must buy it. I maintain a license to the Camtasia Studio Suite, which includes both Snagit and Camtasia. Camtasia is a video screen capture utility. There are many "free" screen capture utilities, but I have been using the Techsmith products successfully for many years and like them.
Both PCs and Macs have internal screen capture methods. On the PC, you can capture your screen to the clipboard by using the PrtScn key, or capture any window with the Alt-PrtScn combination keystroke. MS Windows offers a snipping tool in the Accessories. On the Mac, you can capture your screen to the clipboard by using the shift-Command-3 keystroke (shift-Command-5 Mojave,) or a portion of the screen with the shift-Command-4 keystroke. In Mojave, screenshots are now quite a bit enhanced.
Watch this video for Gmail. (MP4, 1 minute)
Open your web version of Gmail and go to Settings. Click on "See all settings" and go to "Filters and Blocked Addresses". Create a new filter by clicking on "Create a new filter". Type "@edu-gen.com" in the "From" field of the filter settings. Click on "Create filter". Select "Never send it to Spam" and click on "Create filter".
Watch this video for MS Outlook. (MP4, 1 minute)
Open your web version of Outlook and go to Settings. Click on "Junk email" and go to "Safe senders and domains". Create a new filter by clicking on "Add". Type "edu-gen.com" in the textbox. Hit your “Enter” key. Click “Save.”
Navigation in the various versions of Excel can be a little challenging. I created this spreadsheet showing some of the most important keystrokes for navigation, and a few more, for Excel 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2016. Also, if you are using VMware, I have included information on the keystrokes for running Excel 2010 and 2013 in a virtual PC.
There are times when you might be trying to log into a system (such as Moodle), you put in your correct username and password, but you can't get logged in. The problem might be that your browser's cache (its memory) is taking control and putting in either the wrong username and/or password. If this happens to you, you can try a different browser, or a different computer, or you can clear your browser's cache. You can find information on the Internet about how to clear your browser's cache. I found three good resources (one, two, three).
On the PC, go to the File Ribbon, Options, Trust Center, Trust Center Settings, Macros, Enable Macros, OK, Ok, Ok.
On the Mac, go to Excel, Preferences, Security, Macro Security, Enable all Macros.
Usually, you should enable macros before opening the file. If these short instructions do not suffice, search Google for "How to enable macros in Excel ..."
If your Internet works, but Moodle or the website is not working, contact Rick Jerz. Do not contact your school's IT department because they do not have access to managing these resources.
If you are having problems logging into Moodle, remember that there is a button on the login page for "Forgotten your username or password?". Click on the button and follow the directions. The problem might also be that you need to clear your browser's cache.
I have made a series of videos about how I use Moodle in my courses. My moodle videos can be viewed on this webpage.
I have recently transitioned from Flash to html5 video players. With most modern browsers, a video player is built into the browser. If you are having problems, try a different browser, or make sure that your browser is updated to the current version. This is true for tablets and smartphones.
On some of my webpages, you might still find links to my Flash videos. If these do not play, try a different browser or make sure that Flash is updated for your browser. Flash videos do not play on iPhones or iPads.
To stream videos, you need a relatively fast Internet connection, one that provides around 3Mbps speed (DSL is typically fine.)
The easiest way to play my podcasts is by using iTunes or Podcast Republic (for Android devices).
Go to https://www.speedtest.net. Download speed needs to be greater than 400 Kb/s for my streaming videos.
All modern video players can play my videos, which are H.264 encoded mp4s.
When in Moodle, click on your login name (upper right-hand corner). This will get you to your profile. Edit your profile and you will see a section titled "Picture of". Use the browse button to upload your digital picture. Ideally, your picture should be around 100x100 pixels. If your picture is larger, you can crop and size it in a program such as Photoshop. There are many other programs that can crop photos. If you don't size your picture, Moodle will do its best. You can always swap a better picture of yourself in Moodle whenever you desire.
In Moodle, visit your Dashboard. Then explore Upcoming Events, Timeline, and Calendar.
1) With your mouse, hover any colored date on the Calendar.
2) Right under the calendar, look at the "Upcoming Events". This shows what is due within the next 10 days.
3) Click on the Calendar month title (e.g., January 2017).
4) In the Upcoming Events block, click on "Go to calendar".
You don't have to print anything as all my materials are available online and can be accessed anytime. However, if you prefer to have hard copies, I suggest printing the lecture PowerPoints in a 3-per-page view and using them to take notes during class.
I use the site http://www.email-unlimited.com/stuff/send-email-to-phone.htm that helps me configure the proper email address form for your cell phone provider. Here are some examples:
Verizon: 5551234567@vtext.com
AT&T: 5551234567@txt.att.net
U.S. Cellular: 6305551212@email.uscc.net
iWireless: 15555555555.iws@iwspcs.net