The Changing Face of Facebook

On March 9, our Spring 2011 Technology on Your Own Terms workshops will continue with The Changing Face of Facebook, to be held from 1pm-2pm in WML305.

If you are a Facebook user, you have probably asked yourself at least once, “Why does Facebook make so many changes to its site?” In this session, librarian Donna Mazziotti will present an overview of the latest wave of changes made to the Facebook user interface. She will also offer a rationale for why Facebook is an ever-evolving tool, as well as reasons why users should embrace Facebook’s mission to always improve its product. After this session, attendees will grow from passive to proactive Facebook users, able to educate themselves about changes made to Facebook as the changes occur. A light lunch will be provided during the discussion.

All faculty and staff members are welcome, but seats are limited, so please register at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration (under Technology On Your Own Terms).

Insider’s Guide to Smartphones

On February 16, our Spring 2011 Technology on Your Own Terms workshops will begin with The Insider’s Guide to Smartphones, to be held from 12pm-1pm in WML305.

In this workshop, digital services librarian Kristen Yarmey and technology services analyst Diane Jachimowicz will discuss some of the technology behind smartphones like iPhones, Androids, and Blackberries.  We’ll talk about what terms like 3G, 4G, tethering, and jailbreaking mean in plain English, what sensors like accelerometers and compasses mean for average users, how operating systems like iOS and Android differ, and what phone features to look out for in 2011 and beyond.  A light lunch will be provided during the discussion.

All faculty and staff members are welcome, but seats are limited, so please register at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration (under Technology On Your Own Terms).

Google World

If you are enjoying the Technology On Your Own Terms series this fall or if you just want to learn more about Google, you can view the DVD Google World, a new addition to the Media Resources Collection. This film scrutinizes Google’s  history, corporate culture, business practices and ambitions.  Check for its availability by searching our Library catalog at http://wml.scranton.edu/search.

Google Voice Workshop

We’ve had a lot of good times in our Technology On Your Own Terms series this fall.   Bonnie taught us how Google search works; Tim showed us how we could make collaborative drawings in Docs.  We even made our own custom maps in Google Maps.  But before the Fall 2010 series to comes to an end, you still have one more chance to learn a little more about Google products and services.

On Thursday, November 4 from 12pm-1pm, CTLE’s Eugeniu Grigorescu will teach our last Fall workshop, titled Does Google Give You A Voice? He’ll guide you through an exploration of Google Voice, a recently-made-public service of the search giant.  Google Voice offers one central phone number, which can be setup to call your other phones based on caller, time of day, etc.  Other features of the service include visual voicemail, personalized greetings, voicemail transcription, international calling, and a lot more.  It is easy to set up… Learn how!

As usual, we’ll be in WML 306. Remember, all faculty and staff members are welcome, but seats are limited – so please register for sessions you plan to attend at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration (select Special Event).

Get Where You’re Going with Google Maps


Image courtesy of Lars Ploughmann, under a Creative Commons license

Our Technology On Your Own Terms series continues on Tuesday, October 12 from 12pm – 1pm in WML306 with a workshop titled Get Where You’re Going with Google Maps, taught by digital services librarian Kristen Yarmey:

Many people know that you can use Google Maps to get driving directions from one place to another. But did you know that you can also use Maps to scope out a vacation destination, find the closest Italian restaurant, or make a custom map for a friend or a project?  In this workshop, you’ll explore specialized features and tools available in Google Maps to help you get where you want to go.

Remember, all faculty and staff members are welcome, but seats are limited, so if you plan to attend, please register at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration (select Special Event). Hope to see you there!

Google Docs

Our Technology on Your Own Terms series continues on Friday, October 1 from 12pm – 1pm in WML306 with a workshop on Google Docs: An Excellent Way to Create, Collaborate on, and Securely Store Documents, taught by Tim Cannon, Professor in the Psychology Department and Director of the Neuroscience Program.

This workshop will introduce you to Google Docs, a service that allows you to create documents that parallel Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. It also allows for the creation of online surveys and the storage of any type of document in a very secure environment. Google Docs offers excellent collaborative opportunities for working on any supported document type with both peers and students, meaning that the tool can be used for course paper submissions, faculty feedback, collaborative student projects, club, or research purposes.



Remember, all faculty and staff members are welcome, but seats are limited, so please register for sessions you plan to attend at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration (select Special Event). Hope to see you there!

Just Google It

Our Technology on Your Own Terms series continues on Tuesday, September 14 from 12pm – 1pm in WML306 with Just Google It!, a workshop on Google search taught by our own Bonnie Oldham:

One billion results in 0.27 seconds! When you need information, chances are you use Google™ to find it. In this workshop, you will learn how Google’s Web search engine works. You will also learn some tips to help you improve your search experience as well as some of Google’s special features, such as Google Books and Google Scholar.

Remember, all faculty and staff members are welcome, but seats are limited, so please register for sessions you plan to attend at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration (select Special Event).  Hope to see you there!

Technology on Your Own Terms Fall 2010

Each semester, the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence (CTLE) offer a faculty and staff advancement series called Technology on Your Own Terms. The series introduces University faculty and staff to emerging technologies in a hands-on environment, in order to encourage innovation in the workplace and in the classroom. We’re continuing the series in Fall 2010 with a theme of “Get to Know Google,” featuring workshops on four different Google services. All workshops take place in Rm. 306 of the Library.

Just Google It!
Tuesday, September 14 from 12pm – 1pm

One billion results in 0.27 seconds! When you need information, chances are you use Google™ to find it.  In this workshop, you will learn how Google’s Web search engine works.  You will also learn some tips to help you improve your search experience as well as some of Google’s special features, such as Google Books and Google Scholar. (Taught by Bonnie Oldham, Weinberg Memorial Library)

Google Docs: An Excellent Way to Create, Collaborate on, and Securely Store Documents
Friday, October 1 from 12pm – 1pm

This workshop will introduce you to Google Docs, a service that allows you to create documents that parallel Microsoft Office:  Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. It also allows for the creation of online surveys and the storage of any type of document in a very secure environment. Google Docs offers excellent collaborative opportunities for working on any supported document type with both peers and students, meaning that the tool can be used for course paper submissions, faculty feedback, collaborative student projects, club, or research purposes. (Taught by Dr. Tim Cannon, Psychology/Neuroscience)

Get Where You’re Going with Google Maps
Tuesday, October 12 from 12pm – 1pm

Many people know that you can use Google Maps to get driving directions from one place to another. But did you know that you can also use Maps to scope out a vacation destination, find the closest Italian restaurant, or make a custom map for a friend or a project?  In this workshop, you’ll explore specialized features and tools available in Google Maps to help you get where you want to go.  (Taught by Kristen Yarmey, Weinberg Memorial Library)

Does Google Give You A Voice?
Thursday, November 4 from 12pm – 1pm

In this workshop, we will explore Google Voice, a recently-made-public service of the search giant.  Google Voice offers one central phone number, which can be setup to call your other phones based on caller, time of day, etc.  Other features of the service include visual voicemail, personalized greetings, voicemail transcription, international calling, and a lot more.  It is easy to set up… Learn how! (Taught by Eugeniu Grigorescu, CTLE)

All faculty and staff members are welcome, but seats are limited, so please register for sessions you plan to attend at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration (select Special Event).

Wiki Wiki WHAT!?: A Very Wiki Workshop

This semester in the Technology On Your Own Terms series, we’ve had some great discussions about digital photography, photo sharing, and privacy settings in Facebook.  We’ll be wrapping up the spring series next Wednesday with one last workshop for our University of Scranton faculty and staff.

Most people have heard the word wiki (even just in reference to Wikipedia), but not everyone knows what it means.  In a workshop titled  “Wiki Wiki WHAT?!: What You Need to Know to Understand, Create, and Maintain Wikis,” public services librarian George Aulisio will help participants understand not just what the word wiki means but why wikis are useful tools.  In this session, George will help attendees set up a wiki account and add content to a wiki page.

The workshop will be held Wednesday, April 28th in Weinberg Memorial Library room 306 from 12pm-1pm.  If you’d like to attend, please register at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration.

Image courtesy of Flickr user nojhan under a Creative Commons license

Share with Surety: Facebook Privacy Settings Workshop

Take a second to Google the phrase “facebook privacy” and you will probably come across a few anxiety-provoking results.  You might see links to articles with headlines like “Facebook’s Privacy Changes: When Will it Go Too Far (and will you even notice)?”, “Facebook’s New Privacy Changes: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”, and even “Facebook’s Zuckerberg Says the Age of Privacy is Over.”

For experienced Facebook users, these concerns might be old hat.  But if you’re a relatively new Facebook user and you’re not sure how to tweak your profile to account for all of these changes, we’ve got a workshop for you.

Next Wednesday, April 7 from 12pm-1pm in WML306, Public Services librarian Donna Mazziotti will teach a Technology on Your Own Terms workshop that she’s titled “Share With Surety: Facebook Privacy Settings for the Casual Facebook User.” During the session, Donna will walk participants through customizing their own Facebook Privacy Settings and will help attendees understand what each setting means.

The workshop is open to University of Scranton faculty and staff members, so if you’re interested, please let us know by registering at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration.  The workshop will be hands-on, and we’re assuming that attendees already have a Facebook account.  If you plan to participate, make sure that you’ll be able to remember your account information when you arrive at the workshop.  Hope to see you there!