Asking Questions/Finding Answers

Are you seeking help?

Can’t meet up with anyone to resolve your issue?

Is your professor or manager not providing you with enough information to succeed?

Fret not Hornets! Where there's a will, there's always a way! We're going to help you find the solutions and online platforms, where you can find all the answers to your important questions.

Schoolwork:

• Many courses have discussion boards on Canvas! This is available for you to ask and answer course related material. If you don’t understand something, ask for help.
   
• Schedule a Zoom meeting with your classmates! Zoom is probably your best option, because you can share your screen and showcase what you are trying to figure out. Zoom also has the functionality for remote control access. This allows the person who is trying to help, control your machine until the issue is resolved.
   
• If you're still having trouble understanding the material, don’t forget that you can email / virtually meet with your professor on Zoom, to clarify your questions and get a better understanding on the material. Professors are here to help you succeed!

• You can always check the ESU Learn Anywhere site for campus resources or reach out to us and we'll help direct you to the person who can answer your question.

Job tasks:

• The best option when it comes to finding a solution to your work related question, is to communicate with your team on the established communication channels.  Is that email?  Teams? SharePoint? Perhaps now is the ideal time to establish that channel!
   
• Schedule a meeting with a manager or coworker(s). This will give you an opportunity to ask all your questions and get the answers. Make a list of questions before the meeting so you don't miss anything.
   
• If no one is available--that's not a problem! You have the greatest invention known to us, GOOGLE.  Ask Google any question you have, and you are most likely to get an answer. Use it with caution!

It's important to realize that these are unprecedented times for all of us! So, don’t be scared to ask for help!

Anton Levanovich
Student Web Developer

Web & Digital Strategies

New Apple Products

In the midst of this crisis, Apple managed to release the new iPad Pro. One could argue that there couldn't be a better time due to many educational institutions moving their classes to an online platform. iPads are becoming more and more similar to your traditional laptops with enhancements that allow you to do most things that you could do on a Windows or Mac laptop. The new iPad Pro boasts an A12Z bionic chip, which is slightly better than the A12X chip included in the last version of the iPad Pro. This means that this iPad will run all of the software you would need for school flawlessly.

Along with the introduction of the new iPad, Apple released a new 'Magic Keyboard' to go hand-in-hand with it. The Magic Keyboard seems magic, because your iPad magnetically connects to the stand and 'floats' while being able to type. Along with this cool feature, the Magic Keyboard also includes a trackpad, making the iPad seem like a traditional laptop.



Sam Derksen
Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies

Group Collaboration

Is it your first time taking an online class? Are you stressed about not being able to communicate with your group mates? Don't worry, we've got your back. In this post, we'll cover what you need to know about virtually collaborating with your groups.

Sometimes collaborating with your group gets complicated; and bad communication can result in bad grades (and a bad mood.)    

We are here to help make collaborating online simple. All you need is a good internet connection and a reliable device. (A Windows laptop, a MacBook, an iPad, or even a smartphone.)

Need a new way to collaborate with your group on projects, assignments, and studying? 
Zoom is a great video chat software that allows you to not only chat, but also share your screen and give your group-mates control of your computer. Zoom is free and unlimited to all ESU students and employees.

Looking for a software that allows you and your groupmates to share and edit documents?
Google products such as Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides. They are simple to use and convenient when everyone in the group must work on the same file. 

Do you not like video or audio chatting?
Text-based chat using messengers like Apple Messages, GroupMe, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp, may be more to your liking. You can also chat on Canvas under the “chat” tab. If none of those sound good to you, then emailing your groupmates is the always an option. 
(Just remember that all group members need to be diligent in checking and responding to messages!)

Are you trying to find a safe place for storing your files online where your group-mates can also access them?
OneDrive and Google Drive are your best options in this situation. Upload your document and share it with people you want to have access to the document. You can allow them to only view the document or both view and edit it; it’s totally up to you.  

Working on an individual project?

Emporia State University offers free access to all the Office365 products. Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and more. All ready for you to use free of charge as a student. You can download them at hornet365.com. 

Having online classes might be stressful at first, but services we all have access to make our lives much easier. Check back weekly for more useful tips, and more! Stay safe, stay healthy and stay inside.

Tyler Parker
Social Media & Marketing Student Assistant

Web & Digital Strategies

Tips For Online Collaboration

Are you all ready for all of your classes to be transitioned to an online setting? Hopefully your years of exposure to technology has you feeling confident, but if not, no need to worry! The Information Technology department at ESU has been putting together resources to simplify this situation as much as possible. Follow this link to the 'Learn Anywhere' site to view all of the resources that we have gathered for you.

While the 'Learn Anywhere' site has a lot of information, I personally wanted to give you some opinions on how to best collaborate with fellow students on group assignments or projects. Two of my favorite options are...

• Google Meet
• This is one of the most popular video communication tools used in the world. It integrates with your Student G Suite account, making it easy to search and invite classmates to your call. It also allows users to dial-in to the call with their personal phone! This makes it one of the most accessible platforms to use for collaboration.
• Zoom
• A world-wide favorite, Zoom is used for video conferencing and meetings. During this situation, Zoom has allowed all users to have unlimited time usage for their calls. This means that you are no longer limited by the 40 minute 'lite version'. This ensures that you and your classmates can collaborate for as long as it takes to finish the assignment!

Most importantly... Communicate!

Communicate with your classmates and figure out what works best for you all! This is an excellent opportunity to learn different methods of collaborating virtually. Make the best of the situation!

If you still having any questions or concerns, please visit the ESU Coronavirus Information page.

Sam Derksen
Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies