Technology Resources . . .

The Technical and Professional Communication concentration at East Carolina University is geared toward providing its graduate students with rhetorical, theoretical, and practical knowledge of technical and professional communication. While our TPC classes teach you about the influence of emerging technologies, techniques, and processes on communication, they do not teach software application instruction per se. You, as a TPC student, have to research and teach yourself the fundamentals of recommended computer programs.

Review "Research skills requirement " on the web page at  http://core.ecu.edu/engl/tpc/tekkom/forms.htm#research . Use the links below to increase your technology abilities.

Resources provided by ECU and for ECU technologies

You will note that ECU technology resources are scattered around on the ECU website. When accessing these resources, you may encounter a menu box requiring your userid and password.

• You can find a listing of computer labs and software available on ECU campus at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-itcs/studentcomputerlabs/index.cfm

• You can find many resources, both ones concerning technology and other ones needed by students, from the "Options for Adult Learners," using the "current students" link at http://author.ecu.edu/cs-acad/options/index.cfm

• Orientation information for new students including tutorials on Blackboard (course management system), ECU Piratemail, OneStop, and other online course technology resources is available from http://author.ecu.edu/cs-acad/options/tutorials.cfm

• From the IT help desk page, you can access additional technology resources: http://www.ecu.edu/9866/

Software Instruction

• Word 2003 tutorials at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/CR061958171033.aspx?StartAt=1

• General resource [self-paced online resources] by Goodwill Foundation for MicroSoft Office suite, including software such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel is provided at these websites (in English & Spanish) http://www.gcflearnfree.org/  and http://www.gcfaprendagratis.org/   You must join to be able to participate in the free tutorials and online classes.

• Microsoft Office: creating templates and styles at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/results.aspx?Scope=RC&Query=templates

• Word (MicroSoft):   Creating styles and templates   |  Introduction to styles in Microsoft Word  |  Troubleshooting "comments" function  |    

• Powerpoint:  Speech supplement vs "stand alone" presentations.

• WinZip: This software is no longer free; however, normally you can download an earlier version from your OneStop [tools to personal section to software downloads to desktop category and finally you are on a page where at the bottom, you can download an earlier version of WinZip]. To have the most current version, you will have to purchase it; however, for most class purposes, the earlier version will do fine.
  

• Page Composer (Netscape): Creating basic web pages

• Acrobat (Adobe): Portable Document Format: Navigating from PageMaker to PDF 
  

• FrameMaker (Adobe): Creating a memo

Other Technology Instruction

• A variety of training is sponsored by the Society for Technical Communication (STC) Carolina Chapter:  http://www.stc-carolina.org/training/  

• Digital photography: Kodak site at www.kodak.com/US/en/nav/takingPics.shtml

• Instant messaging: AOL-IM

• Internet tutorials available online:  Webteacher   |  Learn the Net  |  Show and Tell  

Other Resources

•  This website provides free web graphics. Just read the icon. Click on icon to access website.

• You'll find additional free graphics. PLEASE read the terms of use by going to the FAQs and abide by them. Click on icon to access website.

• Free Graphics at http://www.freegraphics.com/

• GRSites.com provides free graphics at http://www.grsites.com/

• A variety of resources, including shareware and freeware plus website hosting: Tucows at http://tucows.com/ 
  

• ComponentOne Doc-To-Helpzine Newsletter at http://D2Helpzine.ComponentOne.com   In addition, to the obvious information about Doc-To-Help product line, you'll find resources for writers and information about a wide range of professional organizations. [This entry does not indicate support of the Doc-To-Help product line.]

• Don't know a term. Use a glossery such as Webopedia (billed as "the only online dictionary and search engine you need for computer and Internet technology") at http://www.webopedia.com/   And, of course, if that glossary doesn't provide information, then search the internet using search engines such as google.com or vivisimo.com ("clusters" the documents by categories, so that you don't simply have a long list of thousands of "hits").

• Paper for printing color documents, such as websites, brochures, and Powerpoint presentations: click here .