Completion of each assignment by the due date serves as one class
   attendance. Assignments may also represent a "Daily" or "Major Exam"
   grade. The due date is 12:00 midnight on latest date in the left column next
   to each assignment. Review each week's assignments at the beginning of
   the week and PLAN AHEAD. Assignment preparation times vary.

          You may find it helpful to print this page, & mark each check box
   when you complete an item.

          Keep this Web browser window open, because the underlined
  items are "hot links" that take you to other important information. The
  new information will open in a separate Web window. Close each of the
  additional Web windows after you read it, but leave this one open until
  you finish the Class Orientation.

 Read THIS  FIRST - BEFORE the first day of the semester.

  1. Read the Orientation Pages
           Read the orientation on the remainder of this page.  The onine
           orientation information should provide adequate information for you.
           If you have further questions, email me at cwolf@accd.edu or call me
           at 210-733-2189.

  2. Internet courses are NOT for all students!
          Click here to read about what is required in an Internet course.

  3. BEFORE you enroll,
           click here to evaluate your readiness to take an Internet class,
           or go to  http://www.accd.edu/sac/itic/reading/test.cfm

  4.  As soon as you enroll in this course it is URGENT that you send me an
            email message informing me that you will be taking Reading 0303 Online.
            There is NO other way to establish your class presence.

           Click her to send me an email message or type my email address,
           cwolf@accd.edu, into your email program.

           Include the following information:

              a. In the subject line, write
                  Enrolled in Reading 0303 Internet Class.

              b. In the message window write the following

                    (1) Your full name

                    (2) Your telephone numbers: Home, Work, and Cell telephone numbers.
                          (If these changes, please let me know)

                    (3) Your home address

                    (4) Your email address

          After you have begun the course, contact me ONLY through the WebCT
          email. You will learn how to use WebCT during the Week #1 assignments.

  5. Click on this link and immediately read the course syllabus, then return
            to this page to finish your Class Orientation

  6. After reading the syllabus to see which book to purchase. BUY it NOW.    
           Don't Wait!!  (If you do not have your book by Week #1, you will fall behind.
            in the class and quickly fail.)

           Important, remember the "Bridging the Gap" ISBN: number Print the
           page at this link, and refer to the number when you buy your book.

              a. Do NOT get a USED "Bridging the Gap" workbook or one with a
                  different ISBN#. Only NEW books with this special ISBN# will have
                  a FREE access code card to enter the Online MyReadingLab.

              b. See the course syllabus for suggestions on where to get the book.

              c. When opening the plastic cover of your NEW "Bridging the Gap"
                  BOOK, carefully preserve the following items.

                        "MyReadingLab Reading Road Trip" access code.You will
                         need this code to access the web site to do the online lab work.

  7. Reading On-line Lab
            To learn how to complete your Reading Road Trip lab for this class, go
            to the "Lab tab" at the top of this page or click here to link to it.

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  8. Class Interaction: A traditional class held on-campus is about interacting
            in a classroom with people face-to-face. In an Internet course, the class
            members conduct this interaction through words read and entered on the
            computer screen in the online classroom.

  9. The Internet Skills Center is available if you need assistance with skills to
            take this Internet course. They offer online and onsite training modules to
            increase students' basic computer skills and Web research abilities. By  
            working with these skills, students will be well-prepared for an Internet course
            and make a connection for on-going assistance as the semester continues.
            Click here to see what is available in the Internet Skills Center.
             http://www.accd.edu/sac/online/html/isc/isc.htm

  10. Computer Security

              a. Virus Protection is a top priority. Take care of this first. 

                    (1) Be sure you have an up-to-date virus protection program.
                               Norton Anti virus is the one I use. It can be obtained for about
                               $15 to $39 from many stores including the following sites.

                               e. g. (WalMart or many other stores
                               have these programs for about $29 - 39.)

                    (2) Perform the live, online, update of virus definitions at least once
                         each week to protect yourself and others you email (including me).

              b. For more information on viruses:

                        Torbus.com                         Cybercrime

              c. Backup your data files each week on a  floppy or zip disks.

                        In other words, keep other copies of your important files backed up
                        or stored in another place other than your computer hard drive. These
                        might be all the files you have created with other programs. e.g. word
                        processing, spreadsheet, email files, bookmarks/favorites, databases.

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  11. Computer Maintenance you should consider doing occasionally.

              a. ScanDisk and Defrag your computer hard drive
                   to detect and repair disk errors. This increases speed and performance.

                            (1) In Microsoft Windows Operating system, open "My Computer"

                            (2) Click once on the local disk you want to check  (usually drive C)

                            (3) Click on the "File" menu in the upper left corner of the screen

                            (4) Select "Properties."

                            (5) Click the "Tools" tab.

                                    - Under Error-checking, click "Check Now."
                                                Under Check disk options Select the Scan for and
                                                attempt recovery of bad sectors check box (This process
                                                will check for errors or bad sectors on your computer. All
                                                files should be closed for this process to run properly.)

                                    - Under Defragmentation, click "Defragment Now." Click
                                                "Defragment" this may take a while. "Disk Defragmenter
                                                rearranges files, programs, and unused space on your
                                                computer's hard disk, so that programs run faster and
                                                files open more quickly. Ref. Microsoft Corporation 2000

                                                Disk Defragmenter will not hurt any files or programs.

              b. Windows Updates
                  If you are using Microsoft Windows, you should frequently check the free
                  Microsoft Web  (http://microsoft.com) site for recent updates and patches.
                  These protect you agains new viruses and spy ware.

  12. Use a Current Version of Internet Browser

              These current browser versions can be downloaded free: 
               It is a good idea to have both browsers available on your computer.
               Sometimes one works better than the other.

                         a. Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser 6.0.2:
                             Microsoft Corporation at http://www.microsoft.com . 

                         b. Netscape Communicator 7.1, http://netscape.com
                             You may use Netscape, BUT the chapter overview presentations
                             do not show well in Netscape.

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 13. Clearing Cache or Temporary Internet Files

              Because the cache or temporary Internet files hold the contents of all the
              pages that one has visited during an online session, it can get full quickly.
              Clearing the cache or temporary internet files regularly can 

                        - Help the browser work faster and 
                        - Bring up the most current version of a page. 

              It is best to clear the browser cache files when the connections to an Internet
              page start to feel slow, usually a few hours into a work session. These
              instructions are for recent versions of the two most popular browsers,
              Netscape and Explorer and a link to help for older versions.

              a. Netscape Communicator:
                  To increase Netscape performance,

                            (1) At the top of the screen, open the Edit menu and from the bottom
                                  of the list, choose Preferences

                            (2) In the window that opens, Cache.

                            (3) Click the Memory Cache button and click OK and then the

                            (4) Clear Disk Cache button and OK. 

                            (5) Click OK again.

              b. Internet Explorer:
                  To get the most current pages and create space on your computer:

                            (1) On the Tools menu in Internet Explorer, click Internet Options. 

                            (2) On the "General" tab, go down to the "Delete Files"
                                  section in the middle of the window. After clicking on this
                                  button, a box will come up. Put a check mark in the box
                                  beside "Delete all off-line content."

                            (3) Click on Delete Files. This will create more space on your computer.

                            (4) Also, click the "Clear History" button to allow you to get the
                                 most current version of an Internet file.  

                            (6) Click on Apply, and then on OK to activate the changes and exit.

              c. Older Browser Versions:

                            Webnovice has instructions for clearing older browser versions .

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14. Bookmarks (Netscape) or Favorites (Internet Explorer)                             

            Bookmarking or adding Favorites that link to a site saves time and typing
            errors. For Netscape or Explorer, first go to the Web page you want. Then,

              a. "Netscape" as your browser

                            (1) While on the Internet, go to a Web site you want to remember.

                            (2) Click on the word "Bookmark" next to the "Location" field near
                                 the top left side of the screen.

                            (3) Click on Add to Bookmarks

                            (4) If a dialogue box pops up, answer it in a way that best fits you.

              b. "Internet Explorer" as your browser

                            (1) Click on the word Favorites the top of the screen

                            (2) Click on Add to Bookmarks

                            (3) If a dialogue box pops up, answer it in a way that best fits you.

                            (4) You may make folders to hold Favorites in certain categories.

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  15. To Copy a Web Address (or Text) & Avoid Typing Errors

            To copy an address (or text) from the Web and avoid typing errors, it is
            necessary to have the capability to have both a word processing file and the
            site open, with the understanding, of course, that one is behind the other or
            minimized. Once both are open, go to the site.

              a. Place the cursor up in the top in the Address or Location field and click
                  to select it. (To copy text, use the mouse to select the sentences and/or
                  paragraphs you want to copy and follow the steps below.)

              b. In the top row, click on the Copy icon or place the cursor on Edit.

              c. From the pull down menu, select Copy and click on it. 

                  If using the mouse does not copy the text: select it again and on the
                  keyboard, press the "Ctrl" key and the letter "C" at the same time, and
                  then let them go.

              d. Go to the word processing file. To "minimize" the Web if you need to,
                  go to the square in the top right corner of the screen that has a "line" at
                  the bottom. It looks like this image "," and click on it.

              e. In the word processing file, place the cursor at the place in the document
                  where you want the Web address (or text) to appear.

              f. You can paste the information in one of three ways.

                            (1) Click on the Paste icon or, on the top row, place the cursor on
                                  Edit and then click on Paste.

                            (2) From the pull down menu, select Paste.

                            (3) Press the "Ctrl" key and the letter "V" at  the same time, and
                                  let them go.

                            (4) The address (or text) will appear in the word processing file.

              g. Save the word processing file.

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  16. Save an Image or Picture found on the Web

              a. Click the image with your "Right" mouse button.

              b. Select the option to "Save Image" or "Save Picture As"

              c. Make note of the image file name.

              d. Save it to your computer folder and remember where you saved it.

  17. To Attach a File to an Email or Bulletin Message in WebCT

              a. Log into WebCT as described in the "Online Classroom."
              b. Click on the "Mail" or
                  "Bulletin" button depending on what your assignment requires.

                  IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:
                             - "Bulletin" messages will be read by the whole class
                             - On "Mail" messages, you select who gets them.

              c. Decide which you should do:
                             - Send a NEW message:  Click "compose message."
                             - REPLY to a Mail or Bulletin message sent by someone else.
                               Click "reply."

              d. The window you get should look about the same and similar to this one.

              e. Click on the "Browse" button as shown above, and find the file to attach.

               f. Select the file you want, and click "open" button as shown below.

              g. Now you should see the file name in the space next to the "Browse" button.

               h. If it is the file you want, click the "Attach file" button.

               i. If the file has been successfully attached, it will show in the circled area.

               j. Complete your message and preview it and the image to verify them.

               k. If the message or attachment does not look just right, edit them.

               l. Please send all email to me in the WebCT email system unless
                  you are unable to log into WebCT. In that event contact me at my
                  regular email address until the problem has been corrected.

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  18. To Becoming Comfortable with the Web

              a. SAC librarian John Deosdade's overview provides an excellent place
                  to start for students who need to work a little at getting used to the web. 

              b. Basic information is also available at these sites

                  Learn the Net site

                  Netforbeginners

                  Webopedia has a comprehensive glossary

              c. Netscape Communicator: Those who use Netscape Communicator
                  can find its orientation here. Netscape Communicator is a software
                  package that includes Navigator, a browser; Messenger, an email and
                  newsgroup program; and Composer, a web page editing program.

              d. Internet Explorer: Microsoft offers a tutorial for Internet Explorer.

  19. Accessing Technical Support Numbers & hours available may vary.

              a. ACCD - Support Central Help Desk
                  220-1619 - Alamo Community College District - Support Central

                                    Monday through Friday - 8:00 a.m. - midnight
                                    Saturday and Sunday - noon - 5:00 p.m.

                                    If there's time, send an email to Helpdesk@accd.edu

              b. SAC - Technology Center Help Desk
                  733-2169 - San Antonio College Technology Center - Help Desk. 

                                    Monday through Friday - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

              c. SAC - Internet Skill Center Lab
                  The Internet Skills Center is located at SAC in MLC 4

              d. SAC - Student Learning Assistance Center
                  The SLAC provides Computers and Tutoring. It is located on the SAC
                  campus in Moody Learning Center on the 7th floor, room 726.

  20. Be sure you have read and understood this Class Orientation. It is information
             that will make your Internet course easier, and there may be a quiz
             over the Orientation information.

             IMPORTANT:
             When you have completed this orientation and understand it, Email me
             in WebCT telling me you have read it and understand the information.

  21. Strategies for Success - for Online Learners

             Go to the following web site to find out how to be a better online learner.

              http://www.accd.edu/sac/history/keller/accdit/SSOindex.htm

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