Author: John Schneider

Backing up your Firefox Profile

Backing up your Firefox Profile

By | | Comments 0 Comment

1X1If you have personal settings, bookmarks and extensions added on to your Firefox Web browser, it is helpful to know how to back-up your profile folder that contains all of this information.   If you are backing up your computer system or you would like to add your Firefox profile to another computer, follow these instructions to locate and restore your profile:

Locating your Firefox Profile Folder

Windows and Mac: Firefox 3.6

(For older versions of Firefox, click here for instructions)

  • 1.  Click on the Help menu at the top of the Firefox browser and select Troubleshooting Information….

firefox_troubleshooting

  • 2.  Under Application Basics, click Open Containing Folder. This will open your profile folder in a new window.

Backing up your Profile

  • 1. Locate your profile as noted above.
  • 2. Close the Firefox browser but leave the profile window open.
  • 3. Go one level above your profile folder.

firefox_up_level

  • 4. For a PC, right-click on the folder and select Copy.
    For a Mac, control-click on the folder and select Copy.
  • 5. Paste the folder to the appropriate location where you store  your back-up files, such as a USB stick, external harddrive or CD/DVD.Restoring your Profile

     

  • 1. Locate your profile as noted above.
  • 2. Close the Firefox browser but leave the profile window open.
  • 3. If your existing profile folder and profile backup folder have the same name, simply replace the existing profile folder with the profile backup, then start up Firefox.
    Note: The file names must match exactly for this to work. If they have a different name or you are saving to a different location, you can find additional instructions here.
News in Pictures

News in Pictures

By | | Comments 0 Comment

1X1With the increasing amount of information available on the Internet, means for consuming online resources are constantly evolving and becoming more image driven.  Many sites use images to represent news from around the world. Seeing an interesting picture  may expose you to a topic that you wouldn’t have otherwise noticed.

BBC News posts a daily slideshow in the Day in Pictures section.

bbcnews

Google News offers the option to put the top news stories into an image view.

googlenews

Visit the  News in Pictures website to see a comprehensive  listing of websites that feature pictorial news.

Quote the Web with Kwout

Quote the Web with Kwout

By | | Comments 0 Comment

With Kwout, a Firefox Add-on, you can take screen shots of any Web page that you’d like to display as an image.  The distinguishing feature of Kwout is the use of an image map, which allows hyperlinks within the screen shot to remain active and clickable. The image above is an example of a screen shot taken using Kwout; notice that the links are active within the image.

To start using Kwout, you will need to first install the Kwout Firefox Add-on.   Users can easily share an image that includes an image map on a blog or social networking site, using the embed code that Kwout provides. There is also the option to post directly to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and other sites.

Patch Tuesday, Software Patches and Updates

Patch Tuesday, Software Patches and Updates

By | | Comments 0 Comment

In order to keep your computer’s operating system running safely and efficiently, it is important that you regularly install the latest software patches and updates.  In this week’s Tech Tip, the Loyola University Information Security Office provides information and resources to help you keep your software up-to-date.

What is Patch Tuesday?
Patch Tuesday refers to the second Tuesday of each month when Microsoft releases fixes for known issues in its operating systems and other products. These fixes are called patches or updates and are available for free download from the Microsoft website for any legally licensed copy of Microsoft Software.

What do patches do?
After software gets released to the public and it is being used with a greater frequency, people may begin to notice small problems that were not found during testing. Also, old software may have compatibility issues with newer hardware and new software might not run properly on older hardware. After gathering this data, these patches are released to fix these problems.

Why should I care about patches?
Software patches and updates don’t just fix small problems; they can also fix serious security issues within specific software programs. Malicious users can exploit vulnerabilities in software to gain access to part or all of your system. By keeping your software up to date, you are making it harder for someone to gain unauthorized access to your system.

How can I keep my software up to date?
The best way to keep software up to date is to regularly check and install updates from the software company. Microsoft has an update feature built into its operating systems and software which, when turned on, will automatically check with Microsoft for updates. Here at Loyola, computers in the labs, classrooms, as well as faculty/staff desktop PCs, are monitored by network software. Updates are sent to them from a main server once the update has been tested and approved by our Desktop Services team. Students who bring their own computers to campus are required the keep their operating system and antivirus solution up to date. Otherwise, they will not be able to gain access to the Loyola network.

It is also important to keep your other applications up to date. They can have security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious users to gain access to your system. Some applications may have options to turn on automatic updates, but if not, it is important that you check for updates regularly. Here is list of popular software and links to the update site:

Windows:   http://update.microsoft.com
OS X:  http://www.apple.com/support/osfamily
PC Office:  http://office.microsoft.com/officeupdate              
Mac Office:   http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx
iPhone/iPod:  http://www.apple.com/support
Adobe:   http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/new.jsp
Firefox:  http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/upgrade.html
Safari:   http://www.apple.com/safari/download
Opera:  http://www.opera.com/download
Norton:  http://www.symantec.com/norton/downloads/index.jsp
McAfee:  http://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads

Google Wave

Google Wave

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Google Wave is a new online tool that provides a platform for real-time collaboration and communication. Google has combined features of instant messaging, wikis, email and word processing so that users can work together to create and edit documents called “waves.”  These waves allow any participant to edit any part of the document and there is an option to add pictures, maps or graphics to the document. This tool could be useful for collaborating on group projects, brainstorming, class notes or even planning an event.

Initially Google Wave only released in a limited preview to a select number of participants, but now you can follow this  link to request an invite from Google. It still may take a few days to get a confirmation email though. For more information about Google Wave visit their website or watch a short video from some of the Google developers.

As of August 2010, Google Wave has been shut down.

Blackboard Tip for Faculty: Course Availability

Blackboard Tip for Faculty: Course Availability

By | | Comments 0 Comment

How to Make Your Course Available to Students

Remember that students cannot see their course titles in Blackboard, even if they are registered for the course and their name appears on the roster, unless instructors make the course available.  You must manually make the course available in the Course Options settings in the Control Panel; complete instructions are at http://www.luc.edu/itrs/teachingwithtechnology/blackboard/course_available.shtml.

For more Blackboard instructions check out the, Blackboard@Loyola Help Resources page.

Record PDF Audio Comments

Record PDF Audio Comments

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Adding audio comments provides a method for instructors to give verbal feedback when grading electronic documents.  The embedded audio features in Adobe Acrobat Professional allow users to record comments directly into a PDF document.  Instructors would need a license of Adobe Acrobat Professional and a computer microphone to convert files to PDF and record audio.  Students would only need the free version of Acrobat Reader to access the commented files.  For more information about purchasing Adobe Acrobat Professional visit ITS’ Technology Purchases page.

 

 

Resources:
NIU – Using Audio Feedback to Promote Teaching Presence

Customize your Gmail Page with Google Gadgets

Customize your Gmail Page with Google Gadgets

By | | Comments 0 Comment

1X1If you use Gmail, there is a handy new feature that will enable you to add Google Gadgets to your Gmail page.  Google Gadgets are interactive mini-applications that you can display on your Web page, such as weather, personalized news and more.  When you add a Gadget, it will always appear on the sidebar of your email. Even though the sidebar is small, it is a convenient way to have resources readily available.

How to Insert Gadgets:

  • 1. In your Gmail account, click on Settings.
  • 2. Under the Labs tab, you can find different features to add to your Gmail. To add custom gadgets, go to Add any Gadget by URL and click Enable.

gadget-url1

  • 3. Then go to the Gadgets tab (within Settings) and you can enter any Gadgets’ URL, which is an XML page.  To get the URL, click on the gadget you want from the Gadgets page.  Click on the View Source link on the bottom of the page, then copy the URL from the URL window. 

Here a few URLs for popular Gadgets (copy and paste in the Gadget URL box to activate):

Get Organized with Remember the Milk.com

Get Organized with Remember the Milk.com

By | | Comments 0 Comment

1X1

Remember the Milk
Remember the Milk

As the fall semester comes to end and the holidays are fast-approaching, keeping track of holiday shopping and long to-do lists seems inevitable. If you still are relying on sticky notes and writing your reminders on bits of paper, you may want to try out the helpful Web task management tool, Rememberthemilk.com. Remember the Milk is a free Web-based application that can help you simplify and organize all of your tasks in one place.  This software allows you to create categorized task lists and send out reminders via text message, email, Twitter or even instant messages.

A few highlights of the Remember the Milk include:

rtm-gmail

  • – Locate your task. Easily assign locations to a task to help plan the best way to get things done.
  • – Add tasks from a mobile device. Just send an email with one task per line to your Remember the Milk import email address and it will add the items to your task list.
  • – Print out your weekly check lists.
Technology Videos: In Plain English

Technology Videos: In Plain English

By | | Comments 0 Comment

As online tools such as blogs, Twitter and RSS feeds are becoming more widely used to share information, it’s helpful to know about resources that explain how these tools work, while still remaining interesting.  Common Craft’s In Plain English series provides fun and simple tutorials on several areas, including technology, money, society and the environment.  Each video features paper cut-outs and narration; some technology topics include podcasting, RSS and Wikis.  Even though these videos are lighthearted, they are very well-made and informative and definitely worth sharing with colleagues or in the classroom.    

 Video Source:  http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs