Back To School - Online Style
Posted by J.M. Striegel on August 15th, 2008
School is just around the corner, and that means it’s time to make sure you have your greatest online tool, your computer, ready to assist you in all your online educational needs.
Let’s be realistic, if you computer isn’t running with enough memory, at least 1 gig, you might run into some issues with saving documents, running programs, using collaborative software, and general memory swapping issues. Shop around, make certain your new components will work with your current system and make the changes you know you’ve needed to address. A computer crash in the middle of working to meet a deadline is not a productive educational challenge you need to face.
Take a day to remove any old programs you no longer need, clear your cache, clean out the recycle bin, and tidy up your on-screen desktop. Get ahead of the game and start labeling your online folders and begin to organize where your new semester items will be contained. A little organization and tidiness now will pay off later.
Are your programs current? Are you running the latest version of Adobe Acrobat, iTunes, and RealPlayer? These are just a few programs you may need for your online classes. Others include online communication tools like Yahoo Instant Messenger or AOL Instant Messenger. Having the latest updates will make sure your communication gets through accordingly. What about the latest version of your internet browser? Email program? Adobe Flash? Virus protection? Windows updates? Deal with these issues now before they prohibit you from getting your work done. Don’t forget to check if your school offers educational discounts or free programs!
When I see kids shopping for new school supplies, I’m always a little envious. I loved shopping for new notebooks, folders, boxes of crayons, and new pens and pencils. While you may not need all of the items in the “back to school” aisle, don’t forget you need printer paper, printer ink or toner, maybe a flash drive (for both portability and backing up your work), and any new software/hardware you need to help you get the most out of your educational experience. It’s okay if you can’t stop yourself from picking up a few highlighters, sticky notes, and pens.
While you’re at, just like in the days of old, why not get your eyes checked? You’ll be looking at a computer screen a lot this semester, and it never hurts to make sure your eyes are ready for the computer hours you are about to log.
