Kansas State University

search

IT News

Tag: collaboration

Connect — your personal K-State dashboard — is now available

Connect page

By Amanda Tross

Connect is K-State’s new interactive dashboard of commonly used K-State services. It allows K-Staters to quickly view highlighted details of the services available to them, which could include their webmail, calendar, eProfile, K-State Online and more.

You can access Connect by clicking the Sign In link found at the top of most K-State Web pages and then signing in with your eID and password. You can also go to http://connect.ksu.edu from your computer or mobile device.   Continue reading “Connect — your personal K-State dashboard — is now available”

K-State email aliases replaced by distribution lists

In the latter part of the spring semester, K-State email aliases were replaced with “distribution lists” by Information Technology Services. A distribution list is a K-State email address that is best used for internal group communications, and it must be requested by a faculty/staff member.  Continue reading “K-State email aliases replaced by distribution lists”

KeepandShare.com provides free work tools for group collaboration

Keepandshare.com is an online, web-based resource with free, lifetime individual accounts for group collaboration. It includes many tools used by working groups, including:

  • Online calendars
  • File management
  • To-do lists
  • Photo sharing
  • Online databases
  • and more

The site, which went live in 2004, is totally “in the cloud” — no software required, and all you need is a computer or mobile device to access the Web. The free mobile version works on iPhone, Android, iPad, and BlackBerry.

Continue reading “KeepandShare.com provides free work tools for group collaboration”

“Communication, collaboration, and publishing” demos at technology showcase March 13

(Author’s note:  This is the fourth in a series about the faculty demonstrations scheduled for K-State’s technology showcase March 13. Information is excerpted from the complete list of faculty demonstrations on the ksushowcase.wordpress.com website.)  

The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Showcase is 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, in the K-State Student Union Ballroom. All faculty/staff are invited to attend free and see demos, visit with vendors, and win prizes. Pre-registration is required at ksushowcase.wordpress.com/registration and closes March 9.


Communication, collaboration, and publishing are more important than ever in the age of technology.  These faculty demonstrations March 13 will show tools, techniques, strategies and resources to enhance information sharing and publication.

Using Digital Media for Collaborative Learning — See examples of tools and techniques for bringing the world to the classroom and the classroom to the world. Topics include writing for a global audience, new media literacy, the impact of digital media upon traditional education and the workplace, and online digital ethnographic research.

Using Flexbooks to Supplement/Replace the Traditional Textbook — Open educational resources (OER) provide free or lower cost alternatives to textbooks, where prices are increasing and students are slower to buy. This demo will show K-State’s  Human Nutrition (HN 400) Flexbook (goo.gl/vOAnR) made in Google Docs. Learn what the flexbook is, how it was developed, students’ perceptions of it, and see this recent article.

Continue reading ““Communication, collaboration, and publishing” demos at technology showcase March 13″

Ask a Librarian: IT and library equipment Q/As

The Equipment category of the “Ask a Librarian” pages has common questions (and answers) about IT equipment available in the K-State Libraries.  The Q/As often include  pointers to IT resources outside of Hale Library, including branch libraries and the Salina campus.

Current questions/answers about available technology:

  • Cameras: Can I check out cameras here?
  • Collaboration stations: What are they? How can I use them?
  • Wireless access: How can I connect my laptop to the wireless (wifi) network?
  • Computers: Where is there an open computer in Hale Library?
  • Computers: What hardware and software is available on the computers?
  • Fax machine: Do you have a fax machine?
  • Projectors: Can I check out projectors here?
  • Headphones: Can I check out headphones here?
  • Laptops: Can I check out laptops here?
  • Copier: How do I use a photocopier (copier) and how much does it cost?

For more FAQs, see the Ask a Librarian homepage that also provides a chat interface (during library service hours) plus email, phone, and texting communication channels.

Spotlight: “Learning communities” keynote Jan. 13

2011 Teaching Retreat at K-State“Leading a Community of Learners” was the theme of the Eighth Annual K-State Teaching Retreat on Jan. 13 at the Leadership Studies Building, K-State Manhattan campus. Slides are now online from the keynote speech “Involving Community in Learning: Making Connections for Your Classroom and Campus, Your Students and Colleagues” (PDF) by Milton Cox.

Cox is a leading proponent of learning communities; professor emeritus of mathematics at Miami University, Ohio; and an international expert and speaker on learning communities.

Student demand for MDC technology goes up at semester’s end

The Media Development Center in 213 Hale Library experiences a spike in demand as the end of semester nears, with few empty seats in sight and students crowding around large-screen monitors working on group projects.


Composite image of photos taken December 2010 showing students using the Media Development Center
Students doing group projects in the Media Development Center near the end of fall semester 2010


TechBytes Oct. 28: Crowdsourcing, Collaboration, and Collaboratition

Michael Wesch will present “Crowd Sourcing, Collaboration, and Collaboratition” at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, in Forum Hall, K-State Student Union. From the massive success of Wikipedia to the virtual volunteer efforts in crises around the world, “crowdsourcing” and online collaboration have proven to be an effective means of working together. Join this session to learn a wide variety of free crowdsourcing tools that are available to empower your students to collaborate and solve real problems.

Continue reading “TechBytes Oct. 28: Crowdsourcing, Collaboration, and Collaboratition”

Spotlight: New 46-inch monitors in Media Development Center

New to the Media Development Center (MDC) are two 46-inch Panasonic screens added to the video-editing area. One is connected to a PC, and one to a Mac.

4 students using a new 46-inch screen in the MDC
Student group using a new 46-inch computer screen in the MDC

This large-format screen will greatly benefit:

  • Groups working on multimedia projects
  • Users with vision challenges
  • Projects that require working across multiple computer windows

Continue reading “Spotlight: New 46-inch monitors in Media Development Center”

K-State Libraries have the tech you need to succeed

K-State Libraries logoThe librarians and staff of K-State Libraries welcome you back for another great year at K-State, and want to make sure you’re aware of all the amazing technology we have ready for you.

You may see some large, fancy-looking screens in Hale and wonder what they were, and who forgot to put them away. These, my friends, are collaboration stations. And they’re out on purpose, just for you. Plug in your laptop and park yourself in one of the comfy new booths or near our mobile whiteboards with your classmates while you tweak your presentation to perfection, show off the work you’ve done on your group paper, or have everyone plug in headphones to watch a video.

When you need help finding materials or using library resources, but don’t want to lose that great spot you’ve just set up, librarians are ready and waiting to give you a hand via IM. Continue reading “K-State Libraries have the tech you need to succeed”