Computer Support Blog

Social networking, including the ability to share any aspect of our lives that we choose to with virtually anybody at any time, is one of the foremost uses of technology and continues to grow rapidly.  Most social media sites have a very broad focus, though some exist based on specific interests or groups of people.  Any communication is up to the user, though, and he or she must meet someone in person first before interacting.  Conversely, ONE is a social network designed for college students that matches them with other students nearby who share the same interests.  It relieves much of the fear of an initial social engagement from those who are not comfortable making an unprepared approach while ensuring that introductions made are more productive.  In its developers’ words, ONE brings the power of online social networking to the real world. Read more »

Reinforcing good behavior in the classroom is one of the most effective ways to get students to perform well in school.  However, creating a workable system to promote and reward positive behavior can be difficult for many teachers.  Finding a way to keep track of students’ actions over time so they can earn positive reinforcement requires a significant amount of work when teachers already have a significant amount of responsibilities.  In addition, students may get confused difficulties if every teacher in the school uses a different system, decreasing the likelihood that students will keep any sort of rewards system in mind when thinking about their actions.  Cool person in technology Matthew Rubinstein wants to fix these problems with his app LiveSchool.  LiveSchool presents teachers with a unified system for rewarding their students with the help of mobile technology.  Using a mobile device such as an iPad, teachers can easily mark when their students do something positive to earn “points”.  Rubinstein’s app keeps long-term track of every student’s points.  Kids can then use these points to cash in for rewards and incentives customized by the teachers themselves.  Any teacher who has issues while trying to use the LiveSchool app may have a broken device needing tablet computer repair. Read more »

Teachers want to give their students every tool necessary to make their education worthwhile and help them succeed.  Cool person in technology John Runkles created Bulb in order to help teachers make assignments and lessons more engaging for their students.  Bulb is an online publishing platform designed specifically for use by both teachers and students.  With Bulb, users can create elaborate reports and posts using text, images and video and post them online in a convenient easy-to-read fashion.  Using Runkles’ product, teachers can create supplemental lesson plans for online consumption using mixed media and post them online for students to see.  In response, students can create their own posts on Bulb, easily publishing assignments online as response posts with the ability to use mixed media just as their teachers do.  With Runkles’ product, students and teachers have access to one simple platform that gives them a multitude of ways to create lessons and respond to them accordingly. Students or teachers who have problems setting up free accounts with Bulb should find a computer tech support provider for help. Read more »

There are many points in life where people face important crossroads when it comes to their career and long-term life plans.  Unfortunately, despite people’s best efforts, they don’t always make the right choices.  Countless college students switch majors and fields of study when in school, which causes them to graduate late and spend more money on classes.  Many others even go on to have a short career in one area only to find out it isn’t really for them, forcing them to reassess and start from scratch.  Some people even experience this unfortunate situation more than once in their lifetimes.  Cool product in technology Latitude wants to help people avoid these issues by helping them make the right decisions earlier on in their lives.  Latitude offers to help people evaluate their abilities and personalities using psychology and aptitude testing.  Latitude tests individuals using scientific methods and produces detailed actionable reports on what subject areas, tasks and career choices are a good fit for someone.  Latitude’s hosts its testing platform online.  Any users who have trouble accessing it may have issues with their browsers and require PC tech support. Read more »

We’ve searched the web for articles, blogs, and lengthy school policies on how professors should use Facebook and created a condensed version of the multitude of those tips. Here are the Rescuecom Ten Commandments of Facebook for College Professors (violate them at your own risk):

1)   Thou shalt never, ever, send a friend request to an undergraduate student still enrolled at your institution. Almost every online resource that provides information of Facebook ethics for academics insists on this point. It’s by far the most important rule, so please abide by it.

2)   Thou shalt accept student friend requests consistently. That is to say, either accept all requests from your students or accept none. Picking and choosing is a blatant display of favoritism, not to mention an easy way to get a zero on the “Instructor is impartial” question on your evaluation. (Nota bene, this doesn’t apply to students who have graduated. Once they’re out, feel free to reject and accept as you please.)

3)   Thou shalt not comment on your students’ photos, especially embarrassing ones. Remember that you need to maintain formality, even when Facebook tries to do away with whatever formality is left.

4)   Thou shalt not poke your students. No one likes pokes. They’re annoying and awkward. Imagine how awkward they are when they come from a professor.

5)   Thou shalt be friendly and encouraging—albeit proper—when students share links with you or write on your wall.

6)   Thou shalt not post anything you wouldn’t share with your students in person. Make sure you adjust your Facebook Internet security settings to limit what students can see.

7)   Thou shalt not use your students’ profiles against them. When a student emails you with an excuse for missing class, don’t snoop around his or her profile to check the claim. That’s just creepy and cumbersome.

8)   Thou shalt maintain an academic and professional tone to your Facebook—be an example to your students.

9)   Thou shalt not post class material, syllabi, grades, or announcements on Facebook. Even if you are Facebook friends with every single one of your students, Facebook is still not a reliable way to make announcements because it lacks formality. Also, do you really want to give your students yet another excuse to be on Facebook.

10)  Thou shalt not use social network services like Facebook in place of email communication. Email correspondence, once again, is infinitely more formal than Facebook correspondence—and you want to keep communication serious and academic. Besides, email can provide you with official records of correspondence if you ever need them. Imagine how odd it would look if you were to use Facebook transcripts in a plagiarism hearing, for instance.

It may be unfair to place so many restrictions on how professors and educators use Facebook, but it’s just another job hazard. Sorry, professors.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com