UKNOW RSS

UKNOW  now has working RSS feeds. The RSS icon in my browser didn’t turn orange, but if that happens to you don’t believe it. Navigate to the listing of RSS feeds and then click on one. Subscribe in your browser, or add the individual RSS page’s URL to your favorite feedreader. Need help? Try the tutorial at Blue 2.0.

welcome back

It’s the official start to the Fall Semester at the University of Kentucky! Welcome back to those beginning classes today, and to those who have already started and have classes ongoing. A special welcome to those who are new on campus. Here are a few resources that may be helpful to you:

• The LinkBlue page, where you can link to Exchange, get instructions for changing your password, access SharePoint, and more.
• The Blackboard wiki, a help page where you will find frequently asked questions, known problems and workarounds, online training, and more.
• Need help understanding or using blogs, wikis, podcasting and other Web 2.0 tools? Check out Blue 2.0.
• The Big Blue Network is a new social networking service for UK students, where they can connect to advisers, other students, and others to find out what’s happening on and around campus.
• Campus television has programming available and schedule time available for instructional programming and student projects, as long as all rights are cleared. Both campus-only and campus-and-community channels are available. See the technology180 blog entry on the updated cable channels for more information. Mike Weikel is the contact.
• TASC has several specialty areas ready to assist and support instructors. Visit http://www.uky.edu/TASC to find out more about Educational Development, Audio Visual support, Instructional Technology, Distance Learning Programs, and Grahpics & Multimedia.
• Be sure to check the TASC calendar regularly for training and events.

first-day Bb reminders

Although there are courses already ongoing at the University of Kentucky, the official start of the semester is Wednesday. As Blackboard instructors finalize their course preparation online, here are a few reminders:

• We are using Bb 9 now. It looks different! Need a refresher? Use our Bb 101 Online course as reference (there’s even a student version now).
• Need a pre-flight checklist? Try this one from TASC.
• Help is a click away at the new Bb Wiki (help Web page):
  http://wiki.uky.edu/blackboard/. Be sure to Bookmark it/add it to Favorites!
• Need Blackboard training to get your first course shell? We have it in face-to-face sessions and an online course. Check our calendar for face-to-face dates.
• If you still need help, call UK IT’s CSC (“help desk”) at 257-1300. Complicated Bb matters will be escalated to Bb Technicians.

Have a great semester!

uknow

The University of Kentucky has launched its new news Web page – UKNOW News Network – at http://uknow.uky.edu/ (you can also get to it by the url http://www.uky.edu/uknow).

The site makes good use of various media, and it’s busy with a lot of news. Nice features: In the lower part of the page you can edit what types of stories show up in the various boxes and you can shuffle the boxes around into the order you want to view them. Each box has a + and – at the bottom that allows you to add or subtract the number of articles available in each box. It takes a little patience to figure all this out – there are not at this time any pop-up explanations when you hover over any of those items. (It’s a new page; I know from experience it takes time to figure all these things out, so do give them a break as they configure.)

The RSS feed for the page is not working yet, but that will be a major bonus when it becomes active.

The page has just launched, and for the most part just to the UK community, so I’m watching with anticipation of what comes next as it is updated and makes its official debut. It has the potential to be a terrific addition to UK’s website.

Big Blue Network

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports today on the Big Blue Network, the University of Kentucky’s social networking site for students. There are a few of us staff, faculty, and administration types on there, too. Kudos to Dr. Christopher Rice, community manager, for getting this project off the ground … and making it fly!

argument set to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5

A smile for your Friday fluff, from Sid Caesar and Nanette Fabray back in the day … set to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Imagine for me that they are talkinga bout Bb 9. Until the end. It couldn’t end that well.

web 2.0 for MCL

I’ll be meeting today with Modern and Classical Languages TAs. For those coming to the blog seeking their handout … here it is:

MCL Web 2.0 Handout

new channel lineup – and Ch. 50 has moved!

The University of Kentucky’s cable television channels have shuffled a bit. Be sure to check out Insight Communications Cable Channel 49, the new Wildcat Student TV! Formerly “Channel 50,” Wildcat Student TV made the move to Ch. 49 this summer but keeps its programming and activities intact. Be sure to click on their Program webpage to see their movie lineup. Note: Wildcat Student TV is campus-only (it is not available on Insight Channel 49 off campus).

Here’s the full channel lineup (all are located on Insight Communications’ cable system only):

• Channel 45 – campus only Deutsche Welle programming (some in German, some in English).
• Channel 48 – campus only TV5 (French, English, Spanish programming).
• Channel 49 – campus only Wildcat Student TV:  movies, student-produced programming, and a bulletin board with WRFL audio.
• Channel 69 – campus only UK Events Calendar (Bulletin Board) with WUKY audio, occasional downlinks.
• Channel  16 – campus and community “Research Channel,” Journalism’s news program and UK Bulletin Board with WUKY audio.
• Channel 219 – (Digital Tier) campus and community “Classic Arts Showcase,” Ag programming  and UK Bulletin Board.

Please note: Insight Channel 69 is newly added to the campus lineup, so you may not see it at first. If you do not see Channel 69, then go into the menu of the TV you are viewing and do the auto program setup. This will allow your TV to program all of the channels currently available. (Some may do this channel setup through an auxiliary piece of equipment, such as a DVD player.)

gearing up

I am working on a few projects that are keeping me away from daily posts this week and next, but I’ll do my best to get a few up! As the semester starts, please remember that the University of Kentucky has upgraded to Blackboard Release 9. Read all about it: http://wiki.uky.edu/blackboard/. Don’t forget we have an online training and refresher course: http://www.uky.edu/TASC/IT/bb101online.php.

John Q. Adams’ tweet

The Massachussetts Historical Society is publishing a Twitter feed for President John Quincy Adams. No kidding. Entries in Adams’ diary that were written with “staccato-like brevity” (read the article in The New York Times) are suddenly the hot tweet, with more than 4800 followers reading after only 9 hours. Read the JQAdams_MHS feed on Twitter. To “follow,” or have updates (tweets) delivered to your own Twitter page, you’ll need to create your own Twitter account.