| Volume 2, Number 1 | February, 1997 |
| In This Issue | This issue of The Learning Line highlights the services that are now operational in the Technology in Learning Center. The mission of the TLC is to support faculty use of technology across the curriculum by providing a workplace with specialized technology tools. It is also a place where support personnel such as Doug Smith, Academic Technology Specialist, can provide assistance in this endeavor. The TLC is located on the lower level of the Davis Library, near the computer lab. On February 28th we will host an open house in the TLC. Please come by to see what is available and talk to us about how we can serve you. The TLC can be reached by telephone at extension 4045 (414-4045 from off-campus). Detailed information is available on the TLC web page at http://www.samford.edu/TLC/. |
| APLR Notes TLC Highlights Library News Samford List Server Laboratory Updates |
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| Alan D. Hargrave, Associate Provost for Learning Resources |
February 28 - 10:00 A.M. through 3 P.M.
Regular demonstrations throughout the day. - Refreshments will be served!
| Powerful Desktop Computers | The TLC is home to two powerful computers that sport a variety of software. The first computer is a Windows 95 PC with a 166 MHz Pentium processor and 128 MB of memory. The second computer is a Power Macintosh 8500 with a 180 MHz PowerPC processor and 160 MB of memory. Both computers contain Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and graphics applications such as Adobe Photoshop. Word Perfect and Lotus are also installed on the PC. |
| Color Laser Printer | The Apple Color LaserWriter 12/600 color laser printer produces high-quality color output (600 dots per inch) on paper sizes up to 8.5" x 14" (legal size) and is very compatible with both PCs and Macintoshes. Transparencies also can be produced which makes this printer a great choice for creating overheads from programs such as PowerPoint. |
| 35-mm Color Film Printer | Even in this era of high-tech presentations, there is occasionally the need to produce 35-mm slides for use in the classroom or when making presentations at professional meetings. The 35-mm color film printer allows anything created on the computer (such as a PowerPoint presentation) to be "printed" to 35-mm film. Any standard 35-mm film can be used so one may choose to produce slides or prints. |
| Portable Projector | The TLC is the checkout point for a lightweight, portable video/data projector that is available for use in classrooms and for presentations. The projector handles standard video (such as from a VCR) as well as computer video from either a PC or a Macintosh. It produces an image that is significantly brighter than similar devices that we have used in the past. Please call the TLC if you wish to reserve it. |
| Laptop Computers | A Compaq Presario and a Macintosh PowerBook are available for use in making presentations with the portable projector mentioned above. Both computers are powerful enough to handle demanding multimedia presentations and have PowerPoint already installed on them. At present, we ask that requests to borrow these be limited to presentation and classroom use. |
| Flatbed Color Image Scanner | A Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 4 provides high resolution scanning of both images and text. Adobe Photoshop, a very powerful image processing program, is installed on both the PC and the Macintosh to support the scanner. Optical character recognition (OCR) software is available to convert scanned images into text that can easily be moved into your favorite word processing program. |
| Optical Mark Reader | An Opscan 5 optical mark reader makes quick work of scoring exams or processing survey data. Exams may contain a variety of question styles such as multiple-choice or true/false questions. Scoring software installed on a computer dedicated to the scanner produces scores and basic exam statistics. Survey software allows one to both create and analyze a survey. |
Renovation Update - As was announced last fall, plans are being made for a
complete renovation to the older portion of the Harwell G. Davis Library. This process is
well underway and tentative plans have been presented to various groups on campus. We do
not have a timetable to report yet but we are looking forward to the first hammer being
raised soon. Once the project begins, it is anticipated to take about one year to
complete. During this time, there will be the inevitable inconveniences that go with a
project of this magnitude. We ask and thank you in advance for your patience. As we move
closer to actual construction, more detailed updates will be provided to the entire campus
community.
InfoTrac On the Campus Network - One of the more popular services offered by the library is the InfoTrac SearchBank. This contains current abstracts for a wide variety of journals as well as full text for some of them. Previously available from only a limited number of CD-ROM equipped PCs in the library, this service is now available using the World Wide Web from anywhere on the campus network. (The vendor from whom we purchase this service is not able to handle requests from outside our campus network at this time.) From the Samford home page, simply select "Library", then select the InfoTrac link that appears on the Library page.
Thanks to the staff of Computer and Telecommunication Services, Samford now has a list server for automatic distribution of electronic mail. Essentially, a list server is a subscription and distribution agent for e-mail. Individuals subscribe to one or more lists (the list server can keep up with many lists at once) and e-mail directed to a list automatically is sent to every subscriber on that list. The list server can be particularly useful for class discussion groups or to allow an instructor to communicate easily with an entire class. For more information, please consult the Samford List Server page.
SPSS and Minitab Changes - As everyone is aware, the speed, power and ease of
use of desktop computers have increased tremendously in recent years. One benefit of this
is that many programs that traditionally required large mainframe computers now can be
used on desktop computers. Such is the case with both the Minitab and SPSS statistics
programs. Samford has taken advantage of this trend by converting our licenses for these
programs from the mainframe to the desktop. Copies of both programs are installed in the
general access computing labs and are available for installation in faculty offices.
Mathematica Upgrade - The copies of Mathematica in the Brooks computer lab
recently were upgraded to version 3.0. Copies are also available for installation in
faculty offices.
Please contact Eric Williamson at extension 2108 for more information or to request a faculty copy of one of these programs.
The Learning Line is produced for distribution to faculty and staff
of Samford University
by the Office of the Associate Provost for Learning Resources.
The URL for this and other issues is: http://www.samford.edu/lrweb/LearningLine/