This means that while it is currently not available through the network, you can bring the file in a Flash drive or memory stick to Nannette or other work-study or ETC staff in the English Department and they can print it out for you. It will be available during the hours the English Department is open, and while the workstation is staffed. Daly doesn’t have access to the printer at this time.

Given the heavy usage this limited resource received during its time in the ETC, the use of the printer will be limited to 100 pages per Faculty member and 50 per Teaching Assistant, until the end of the semester. We are no longer be able to print student papers.

I will keep you all posted with developments on the printer situation. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Leo Flores

ETC Coordinator

Stay posted for new printing instructions in the ETC and English Department blogs.

For Windows Computers:

1. The easiest solution is to upgrade to Office 2007. It’s available at the ETC free of charge. You can either borrow a DVD with the program it at the ETC and install it yourself, or schedule an installation with our helpful staff

2. There are a number of HP desktop computers which do not have DVD players. I have requested Office 2007 in CD format, which needs to be ordered from Computos, which means delays. But no worries, there is a document converter patch offered by Microsoft. To obtain it, all you have to do is download and install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack.

1.5. Before you do that, you should update your operating system (I’m assuming most people have Windows XP). You may have noticed that the automatic updates haven’t been installing lately. That is because of a couple of programs that Microsoft needs installed before the new patches can be implemented. In order to do this, you need to:

A. Go to the Start Menu.

B. Select “All Programs”

C. Select “Windows Update.” and allow everything it asks for and say yes to everything it wants.

I recommend running Windows Update several times, until it runs out of updates. Feel free to go have lunch while the updates download and install.

4. Okay, now you can install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack.

For Macintosh Computers:

1. Office 2008 for Macs hasn’t arrived yet at the Colegio. I will notify you when it does.

2. In the meantime, you can download and install the Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac.

3. That’s it.

The Blog at a Glance:

Upon arrival, you’ll note that the blog is organized in a header and three columns: a wide one on the left-hand side and two narrower ones to its right.

• The header with the Blog title is a link that will return you to the main blog page. There is also a link to the contact form, which will send an e-mail to the ETC staff who can post something for you. Feedback, suggestions, and so on are also welcome.
• The wide column on the left margin contains the latest postings to the blog, organized from most recent to oldest.
• The center column is the navigation column: it provides categories by which each posting is classified, and which will generate a blog page focused on that topic. For example, clicking on instructions, will provide blog entries classified as “instructions” (from most recent to oldest) and will leave out the other ones. Some postings may belong to more than one category. To return to the main blog page (in which all postings appear), just click on the blog title in the header. The center column also contains a brief title listing of the five latest postings, the five most recent comments (you can comment on any postings), blog archives organized by month, and a search engine for the blog.
• The right hand column provides a welcoming message (with a link to information on posting), a listing of links relevant to the English Department, and a listing titled “Meta,” which allows you to login to make postings (once you’ve created an account), create a live bookmark or subscribe to the blog and/or its comments.

Accessing the Blog on a Regular Basis

A great option this blog offers is the ability to generate RSS feeds, that is generate files which become automatically updated whenever there is a new posting and/or comment. This means that you have several options to access the blog and its information in convenient ways:

• You can create what is known as a live bookmark. It is a bookmark that when you click over it will list the titles of the latest 20 or 30 postings to the blog, and allow you to go directly to any posting. I recommend placing it in the favorites/bookmarks toolbar in your browser. Just click on Entries RSS and you’ll get the option to do this.
• You can use a feed reader, such as Google Reader or Yahoo! Bloglines, to subscribe to the RSS feed for this and many other blogs (if you are so inclined). Just click on Entries RSS and you’ll get the option to do this.
• You can use an e-mail program such as Outlook Express or Mail to subscribe to the feed, in which case you’ll receive an e-mail for each posting. This is especially good for people who like to just check their e-mail. Follow the instructions provided by your e-mail program.
• You can always bookmark the blog and visit it regularly. This will organize the postings better and allow you to navigate the archives more effectively than any of the previous options. I recommend combining this option with one or more of the options mentioned above.

Posting to the Blog

If you need anything posted on the blog, use the Contact Us link on the top right corner of the header, it will take you to a form which will allow you to send a message directly to the ETC staff, who will cut and paste the content of your message to a new posting. Please provide a title and category for the posting; otherwise our Grad Assistants will come up with something relevant. You can also contact Gayle Griggs, Betsy Morales, or Leonardo Flores, who can post to the blog.

If you wish to be able to post directly to the blog follow these steps:

1. Create a Wordpress account by going to http://blogs.uprm.edu/wp-signup.php

2. Check your e-mail for a response with your account password.

3. Contact Leonardo Flores with your Wordpress username, so he can add you as a contributor to the blog.

Commenting on Postings

You do not need an account to post a comment to any of the postings in the blog. This can be a powerful tool for furthering dialogue, instantly correcting or adding information to a posting, RSVP for activities, or asking questions about the information posted. Feel free to comment! To read comments, click on the title of the posting, or on the items under “Recent Comments” in the center column. You can also subscribe to comments, in the same way as for the postings.

Blogs, Blogs, and more Blogs

Our blog is able to subscribe to other blogs. This posting was written and posted in the ETC Blog, but it will show in the English Department Blog as soon as it’s posted. If you or your committee have a blog and wish to set this up, talk to Leonardo Flores, your friendly ETC Coodinator and Administrator of the English Department Blog.

That’s all for now. Any questions?

Windows:

1. From the Start menu, select “My Computer.” A Windows Explorer window will open.
2. On the Address bar select “My Computer” (by double clicking or highlighting the text).
3. Type (or cut and paste) the following: \\etc_print_serve
4. Click “Go” or hit the Enter key.
5. A window will open and ask you to enter a username and password. It is the same as before: if you don’t remember, swing by the ETC or ask Leo, Betsy, Gayle or Daly. My contact information is available on this page.

By the way, if you have a laptop physically connected to the network, you can do the same, and will need to do so each time you leave and reconnect. I am trying to figure out how to do it from a wireless connection.

You will have access to the computer as administrators, which means you can download and install whatever programs you need. I do urge you to be judicious in the installation of software that can be aggressive in its use of the system, such as Messenger and other chat programs. We don’t want to burden other users with closing windows and applications that open automatically when they’re trying to get their presentations and/or classes started up. In the course of your classes, especially when there are presentations, you may also need to have students download presentations onto the computer or you may copy your own onto the desktop. This is fine and necessary, but clean up after yourself–that is, delete everything in order to leave a clean, uncluttered desktop on the computers. Do not use these computers for storage of important data. The ETC staff will be doing routine maintenance on these computers from time to time, which means we will be deleting files and uninstalling aggressive or undesirable applications.

As with any new equipment and setup, there may be glitches, questions, or troubleshooting to be done. Don’t hesitate to contact the ETC staff or myself for help, or at least report the problem (by e-mail or in person) so we can address the issue as soon as we can.

Enjoy!

Phase 1: Update information and correct inaccuracies (and yes, we’re looking for an image for the front page).
Phase 2: Update the site’s stylesheet and begin to add content.
Phase 3: Redesign the Web site to expand its services, make it easier to update, and improve the interface.

We are completing Phase 1 and beginning Phase 2, for which I will need your help with the following:
1. Check out the page we’ve created for you with your office hours and other information: http://www.uprm.edu/english/facul.html. E-mail us ( etc@uprm.edu) with any corrections, revisions, suggestions, or additional information, such as a link to your own Web page. This page will be maintained by the English Department on a semester-by-semester basis to provide official information on its faculty.
2. The information for TAs and Part-Time faculty will be provided in a single page, for ease of updating, particularly since the composition may vary significantly from semester to semester. Please check what has been entered for you and provide us with links to a personal Web site you may wish to refer your students to. Here’s the link: http://www.uprm.edu/english/parttime_assitant.html
3. Those of you who run organizations or other initiatives related to the English Department (such as the Writing Center, Pastiche, the Film Certificate, and others) please e -mail us (etc@uprm.edu) the following information so we can design a page for you: description, mission statement, hours of operation, images, public files, and so on– whatever’s relevant. We can also meet and really work on tweaking the page so it can better meet your needs and represents your group well.
4. One of the goals for phase 3 is to create a page for each department committee, which would provide information on its membership, functions, and documentation, such as yearly reports, officially approved minutes, agendas, forms, announcements, and other non-confidential information that would be useful for the populations it serves. I request all committees to discuss what information they would like to present in a page and contact me ( flores@uprm.edu) with whatever information is relevant for the page. I would be happy to attend your committee meetings and discuss this matter in more detail.

We will appreciate your prompt help with this matter.

This Web page and blog will serve several functions:

• To provide information, policies, procedures, and technical assistance on the equipment and facilities managed by the ETC.
• To provide up-to-date information on the status of English Department technology matters.
• It will be a pilot and example for a new tool available to committees, sectors, and other English Department groups to have a useful Web site to do their work and publish it to the Department and University.

I welcome comments, suggestions, and other feedback via e-mail, in person, or using the comment tool at the end of each posting and page in this blog.

Sincerely,

Leonardo Flores

ETC Coordinator