Technology

Students: Technology tips for the start of the semester

Filed under Technology Announcements
Posted by Technology, September 09, 2006
View all posts for September 2006

Simmons students: Technology at Simmons College welcomes you to campus! Here is some information to help you start your semester smoothly.

Disinfect and Protect your computer
If your computer is overtaken by adware, spyware, viruses or worms, it will be impossible for you to get anything done, and, if attached to the Simmons network, your computer may infect others on campus. Go to http://my.simmons.edu/disinfect-protect and follow all of the steps on the web site, including installing free antivirus software.

Self-Help Clinics
Is your computer or laptop behaving poorly? Take it to a Self-Help Clinic. Help Desk technicians will be available to guide you through fixing your own computer or laptop. Clinics will be available Monday to Friday from Wednesday, September 6 to Friday, September 15 from 3-5 pm at the following locations:

  • P310: Monday, Wednesday and Friday
  • Simmons Hall Lab: Tuesday and Thursday

Printing
All students receive 350 free printouts and 50 bonus pages for misprints for the semester. Please be aware of the number of printouts you have remaining on your print quota. You can see how much you have left by looking at the print screen on the bottom left-hand side of the monitor after you swipe your card. Avoid getting stuck with no money on your card! Once you have only $7 left in your account, we recommend that you add money to cover the cost of printing for the rest of the semester. For more information, please go to http://my.simmons.edu/printing.

WebCT Vista
To access your classes via WebCT Vista, go to http://my.simmons.edu/elearning. Before you use WebCT Vista, please make sure your personal computer is WebCT compliant by clicking the "Check Browser" link on the top of the page. Need help with WebCT? Simply log in to WebCT, and click on the "Student Resource Center - Fall 2006" for step-by-step instructions. You can also sign up online for a WebCT workshop at http://ptrc.simmons.edu (click on the "calendar" link for the list of workshops).

WebCT workshop dates and times:

  • September 13: 10-11 am, and 1-2 pm
  • September 14: 11 am - noon, and 3-4 pm
  • September 15: 10-11 am, and 1-2 pm
  • September 20: 10-11 am
  • September 21: 1-2 pm

Saving and transporting files
Don't save files on the "desktop" or hard drives of Simmons general access or lab computers. On restart all changes (including saving of files) made to general access and lab computers are erased. Instead save to:

  • your personal folder on the file server (y:). You can access these files remotely from any computer with an Internet connection by going to http://remote.simmons.edu
  • a USB flash storage device (a.k.a. USB key)
  • a CD-RW

Information Commons Technology Desk
If you haven't already, be sure to visit the Library Information Commons. Stop by the Technology Desk on the 1st floor if you need assistance with logging onto Simmons computers, accessing WebMail or WebCT, saving and transporting files, or using Simmons software. You can also check out a wireless laptop to use in the Library or in one of the technology-enhanced study group rooms.

Good luck this semester!

« previous post | next post »