COLI has produced several video tutorials for students on how to use Gmail.

The first tutorial shows students how to create a signature in Gmail, which can be viewed by clicking on this link. Faculty and staff know the importance of an Email signature but sometimes students do not. As such, this video quickly explains why an Email signature is important and some of the information that should go into an appropriate Email signature.

Next up, we also have a video on how students can quickly organize their Gmail by using Labels. Click this link to watch it. This can help students quickly find course emails and other important emails.

These videos and more can be found on the Google Apps for Education – Student Resources wiki page.

Submitted by: Tyler Kron-Piatek, instructional designer, COLI

Periodically, COLI staff members will be offering workshops on Canisius College technology resources.

These workshops include D2L Essentials. This quick primer on D2L can be useful if you are brand new or just want a refresher before the semester starts in earnest. We also offer workshops on individual D2L tools, like the Dropbox, Grading toolset, and Quizzes.

Other workshops include a brief tutorial in video recording and editing, using Panopto to host videos for your classes, and using Hypothes.is, a collaborative annotation tool.

Finally, you can also sign up for COLI’s Online Faculty Development Course. This 5-week course will introduce you to various forms of pedagogy and help you familiarize yourself with the tools available to you. Those that finish the OFDC course will be eligible for a certificate of completion.

If any of these sound useful to you, click here to sign up for a workshop. For a full description of workshops and training events, click here.

If a session time does not work for you, sign-up for a one-on-one consultation with COLI staff members here.

Have a session you would like to see? Email coli@canisius.edu with your recommendations.

Stay tuned to the COLI blog and the Dome for more development opportunities and workshops!

Submitted by: Tyler Kron-Piatek, instructional designer, COLI

It’s always a good idea to perform software updates on any of your productivity applications installed on your laptop (or desktop) PC. With Zoom, you need to update your desktop app, and we find Zoom must be kept fairly close to the latest version to work properly. In November, Zoom is beginning a policy of only allowing a few of the latest versions to operate with web meetings. If your app falls behind this rolling minimum version, you will be obliged to update it before joining a meeting. For example, on November 5th, Zoom users must have version 5.8.6 or later.

Updating is easy to do on your laptop (or desktop) computer. When logged into the app, click your account icon in the upper right. On the dropdown menu, you’ll see Check for Updates. Here’s a tutorial showing what to expect, but it’s a pretty simple and usually fairly quick operation.

We recommend checking for Zoom updates at the beginning of semesters, before any important upcoming Zoom event, and perhaps any time you happen to be in the app to schedule or manage meetings. If you teach with Zoom, put it into your schedule to update it every week, perhaps as a routine during scheduled office hours.

Submitted by: Tyler Kron-Piatek, instructional designer, COLI