Davidson Tech Basics
Weekly outline
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Welcome to our introductory skills and information course for students!
This course has:
- Information about how to use common tools and services offered by Davidson.
- Lots of info on using Moodle, our Learning Management System (LMS), including demos of common activities your instructors may use.
Note: While some activities do have grades, it's only to simulate what it'd be like to receive a grade through that activity. Nothing in this course will actually impact your grades. Also, be aware that this course is very rarely monitored, so think of it more as a sandbox where you can test what it's like to upload an assignment, take a quiz, or post in a forum without having to worry about losing points in a course. - Tips for organizing your data.
- Ways to stay safe and secure online.
- How to get support for any technology questions that aren't answered here.
Course Objectives:
- Practice using Moodle course features and activities your instructor(s) may use.
- Use Moodle resources like links, files, and embedded audio and video files to see how they display in your browser and on your device.
- Check your ability to use common activities, such as forums, quizzes, and assignments.
- Learn about Davidson's technology tools and services.
This course will remain available for you to refer back to if you need a refresher on how an activity or resource works.
To begin, read about the Moodle announcement forum below.
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Moodle's Announcements forum is where your instructor may post general news and announcements (not all do). Only instructors can post in this forum, and any posts made here will also be delivered to your Davidson email address.
If you feel you're receiving too many emails about forum posts, try switching to a daily digest instead. This sends you one email a day with all of your notifications instead of an email for every single notification. To do this:
- Click your name in the top-right corner
- Select "Preferences"
- Select "Forum Preferences" (under User Account)
- Set your Email Digest Type to either Complete or Subjects
- Click the "Save Changes" button
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Three ways to get tech help when you have trouble.
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Basic security tools and methods to help you stay safe online.
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Please watch the welcome video below and then begin reviewing the materials in this course. Practice viewing and interacting with each of the resources linked in each section before continuing to the next.
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Always enter this URL -- don't search it up.
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Fresh and feature-packed, TinyMCE is our default text editor for Moodle.
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A quick look at the site.
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This book contains answers to many of the most commonly asked questions.
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This glossary contains definitions of terms you may see or hear as a student.
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Your instructors will likely ask you to download or view different types of files, such as a syllabus, course readings, links, or media (this is an example of an embedded audio file you may see in your courses. Collectively, these items are called resources. Think of them as things (and information) used to make other things.
Since every browser is different, and you may be using browser extensions (like an adblocker) that can impact how content loads on your site, we strongly encourage you to click on the links below to see how each resource type displays on your device.
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View
Click here to see how a PDF displays for you. Typically you will get a document preview, which you can download and save, print, etc.
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View
Click here to see how a Word document displays for you. Typically, you will be asked to download the file and save it on your device.
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View
Click here to open Wikipedia in a new window. URLs are internet addresses that point (usually) to resources on the Web and outside the LMS.
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Though the assignment is a relatively straightforward activity, your instructor may configure it with specific requirements like a due date or a timer. Please review the content below, then try creating a practice assignment submission of your own.
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This brief, 3.5 minute video covers everything you'd need to know to successfully submit your work in an assignment activity.
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View Make a submission
Click here to practice submitting an Assignment. You may submit using the method of your choice.
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Your instructor may use the forum activity to prompt you to post your opinion on a topic, respond to a course reading, or introduce yourself to the class.
Hybrid and fully online courses usually have a discussion forum requirement. The video demo linked below will walk you through how to post in a forum.
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Please watch this video in order to unlock the practice forums.
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Make forum posts: 1
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Before attempting the demo quiz below, watch a 75 second video about what to expect.
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View Receive a grade Receive a passing grade
Now that you've reviewed the video about quizzes, let's try a practice run.
This quiz has ten (10) questions, and a time limit of one hour. The timer will scroll with you as you move up and down each page. Earn a score of 80% or better to complete this quiz. You can take the quiz as many times as you need to earn the required score.
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We can encourage all participants to download and use the Open LMS mobile app
- Download from the App Store (iOS)
- Download from Google Play (Android)
You can use the mobile app to:
- Easily access course content
- Connect with other course participants
- Receive instant notifications about course events
- Submit assignments
- Track your completion progress
- Complete activities anywhere, anytime... and more!
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Follow this link for more information about our printing solution, called PawPrint, which allows you to send your documents to a central queue and then print them at any of many available locations on campus.
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Microsoft Outlook, our supported email application, is available as part of the Office 365 package. Follow this link to learn more about how to access and install this software.
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You may also use Outlook as part of Office 365 on the web. Follow this link, and log in with your Davidson single sign-on credentials.
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Follow this link to install Outlook your iOS device.
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Davidson One is a web and mobile application designed for the Davidson community. With Davidson One, you can easily access resources across Davidson in one spot. Learn more and get installation links here.
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Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Learner Orientation course. If your site administrator has set up badges within your course, and you have successfully completed all required items, you will earn a badge. This badge will display in your user profile as evidence of your success.