Extra Tips for Students in the Computer Classroom:

(1) Being surrounded by glittering computer monitors can be a seductive distraction in the classroom. Do not give in to your urge to surf the web, check your e-mail, or play Halo during class. When we aren't using the computers, turn off the monitor and swivel your chair around so that you can participate.

(2) There are multiple computer labs here on campus. Make a list of them, including their hours each term and what programs or computer systems (MacIntosh or IBM) they have available. It is better to know in advance rather than discover too late that they don't carry a compatible program you need to finish that wordprocessing file.

(3) If you seek to transfer materials to a computer at home, or vice-versa, experiment beforehand with what formats are compatible. In the past, students have had the most success by saving their papers as "RTF" (Rich Text Format) or "Text Only" files, which can be easily translated from IBMs to Macs. We have had particular difficulty with Clarisworks.

(4) Put your name, e-mail address, phone number, or mailing address on your computer disks. Literally hundreds of unclaimed computer disks are left in computer labs on campus each month that cannot be easily returned because the student didn't bother to put a label on the disk with this information.

(5) Be wary of on-line research. Review survival tip #2 for writing research papers.

(6) In my eleven years of teaching in computerized classrooms, I have not had a single student destroy a computer by spilling food or beverages on the machines. If you are the first student to destroy one of the school's computers in this manner, it will be a source of great shame. Do not bring food or drink within striking range of our computers.