Monthly publication - August 2000 Issue

IN THIS ISSUE:

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Welcome to LCN

Welcome to the August issue of the Learning Center Newsletter.  We have some very exciting news to share with you this issue.  Frank Christ, Visiting Scholar at the University of Arizona, has volunteered to write a regular column for the LCN.   In his column Frank will focus on management strategies for learning support center administrators and staff.  The column is called "Management Strategies and Tips", and you can read the first article right here in this month's issue.  Frank has extensive experience in the learning support arena, and I'm sure his articles will be of great benefit to everyone.  For more info about Frank, check out the "Person of the Month" column in the May issue of the LCN.

Also this month, we are premiering a new logo for the LCN.  Let us know how you like it.

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Management Strategies & Tips

By Frank L. Christ 

Tip #1: Using ROI for professional conferences. 

ROI, as most managers know, is an acronym for “Return on Investment.” And most learning centers make a substantial investment in registration fees, travel, per diem costs, and time when they send one or more of their staff to a professional conference, symposium, or institute. Today, many administrators are asking how justifiable are these expenditures unless they result in a visibly more efficient and effective learning center? Since too often, there is little or no feedback to an institution regarding new and useful ideas that conference participants are exposed to, ROI can be achieved  if one or more of the following actions are implemented upon the return of participants from professional meetings:

Maintain a file of all conferences that staff has attended along with their reports and include these reports in your annual report.

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Tip #2: Maintain a Learning Center Scrapbook. 

Using a 14 " x 21 inch scrapbook that you can purchase at most office supply stores, you can build an archival record, week-by-week and semester-by-semester, of any printed matter that mentions your center, its programs, its staff.  Items include dated clippings of all printed news releases, brochures, flyers, campus catalogue pages, bookmarks -- any item that mentions your  center. For you, your staff, campus colleagues and administrators, and visiting VIP's, this scrapbook can be proof of your visibility and value to the campus and academic community.

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First Annual Learning Center Awards

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Internet Resource of the Month

Study Guides and Strategies

ISS-Learning Center, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota

This web site has two parts:

1) Study Guides and Strategies section prepared by the ISS.  Includes sections on Preparing to learn, Participating in Classrooms, Studying, Reading Skills, Preparing for Tests, Taking Tests, Writing Skills, Writing Essays, and Math Testing.

2) An large assortments of links to related learning sites including sites on Learning Styles, learning and study skills, 200+ language dictionary, Foreign Languages for Travelers, Internet Translator, AllExperts (volunteer experts to answer your questions), Classrooms of the Future, and more. 

One of the nice features about this site is that it is translated to twelve languages, including Arabic, French, Russian, and Chinese.  The site was created by Joe Landsberger, supervisor of the ISS/Learning Center.  To visit, click on this link:

http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides

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Win Me!

Microsoft is giving away 50 copies a day of a limited-edition version of Windows ME before it's available in stores.  Windows ME (Millennium Edition) is the successor to Windows 98.  

In addition, you could win a Grand Prize, a VIP trip to visit the "Digital Home of the Future" at Microsoft and a digital camera to capture your visit.

To enter the sweepstakes, simply fill-in the entry form, and don't forget to UNCHECK the two checkboxes at the bottom of the entry form, unless of course you want to get email from Microsoft and others!  You can enter once everyday until August 30, 2000. 

Visit the following site to enter, and don't forget to let us know if you win :)

http://www.winmesweeps.com/

Software Pick

iMarkup

iMarup is an add-on to MS Explorere that allows you to highlight and underline  text, hand draw, and add Sticky Notes on your web pages.  All your customizations and notations are remembered the next time you open the same page.  You can even E-mail or print the web page with your notes and markups.  Email recipients will need to install a free plug-in to view the markings.

iMarkup requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or higher, and runs on Windows 95/98 or NT/2000. You can try it free for 30 days.  Registration fee is $39.95.  For more info or to download, visit this web site:

http://www.imarkup.com/

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Conferences

TRIO Annual Conference
September 17-20, 2000
Washington, DC

The 19th Annual Conference of The Council for Opportunity in Education will be held in the Hilton Washington and Towers September 17-20.  For more info visit the conference web site at:

    http://www.trioprograms.org/council/mas_cf_00ac.html

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NCLCA Fifteenth Annual Conference 
October 4-6, 2000 
Minneapolis, Minnesota

The National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA), founded in 1985, is a
professional organization dedicated to promoting excellence among learning assistance professionals. The association has membership throughout the United States and Canada, and welcomes anyone interested in assisting college and university students along the road to academic success. 

The Featured Speakers of this year's conference, "Guiding Success:  Learning Center Strategies for a New Age", are Martha Casazza & Sharon Silverman. 

For more information browse this web site:

    http://www.eiu.edu/~lrnasst/nclca/

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NACADA National Conference
October 5-8, 2000 
Orlando, Florida

The theme of the 24th national conference of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) is "Advising in the 21st Century: radition, Innovation, and Vision".   Keynote speakers are Dr. Susan Komives and Dr. Wes Habley.  For detailed information visit the conference web site at:

        http://www.ksu.edu/nacada/Confs/links.htm    

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National Conference on Retaining Students of Color: A Higher Education Initiative 
October 26-28, 2000 
Charlotte, NC

This conference will take place in the Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte, North Carolina.  For more information, contact Mike Thomas at 313-845-9690.

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NWCA 5th National Conference 
November 2-4, 2000 
Baltimore, MD 

The National Writing Centers Association (NWCA) conference’s goal is to provide a setting where all those who work in writing centers can exchange ideas and information.  For more information visit the conference web site at: 

    http://www.english.udel.edu/wc/mawca/nwcacon.html

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CRLA 33rd Annual Conference 
November 8-11, 20000
Reno, Nevada 

The College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) conference, "Research, Practice, Reflection for a new generation" key note speaker is Gary Soto.  Luncheon Speaker-Robert Sherfield.

    http://www.crla.net/2000_Conference.htm

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Windows Tips of the Month

Email Attachments

There are several ways to include a file with your email message:

1) [Slow] By using the email program menu command.  For example, in MS Outlook, select Insert-File, and then select the file via the browse window.  In Netscape Messenger, select File-Attach-File, and then select via the browse window.

2) [Fast] By using the "Attach" button on the tool bar. The button has an image of a paper clip on both Outlook and Messenger.

3) [Fast and neat] Via drag and drop.  Minimize your message window, then drag the file (from your windows desktop or from a Windows Explorer Window) and hold the mouse pointer for a couple of seconds over the minimized message button in the Windows Task Bar. The email program will open, and you will be able to simply drop the file inside. Windows tells you where you can drop the file by showing a plus "+" sign in the mouse pointer when it is over the appropriate area.  In Outlook, you drop the file into the message area, while in Messenger, you drop it in the message header area.  Note that you can use this technique to drag and drop more than one file at the same time.

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Accessing the Device Manager

There are several ways to access Windows Device Manager:

1. [Slow]: From the Windows Start button, click on "Settings" then "Control Panel".   In the Control Panel, double click on the "System" icon, then click the Device Manager tab. 

 

2. [Faster]: Hold down the Alt key as you double-click "My Computer" folder to the desktop, then click the Device Manager tab. 

 

3. [Very fast via Windows Shortcut]: Create a shortcut to the Device Manager.  Right click on the desktop and select New, then Shortcut.  In the " Command Line" text box type the following line (or copy it): 

C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL.EXE Sysdm.cpl, System,1 

Click on Next then give the shortcut a name such as "Device Manager" and click on "Finish".  Now all you have to do is double click on this shortcut and you're there.


4. [Fast via Keyboard shortcut]: Hold down the "Windows icon" key and press the "Pause/Break" button on your keyboard, and click on the Device Manager tab.

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On the Lighter Side

The following is a partial list of actual written excuses given to teachers in the Albuquerque public school system by parents of students:

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Quotes

"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody is watching."  
Mark Twain

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"I will prepare and some day my chance will come."
Abraham Lincoln

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"Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure."  
Benjamin Disraeli

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"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try."
Beverly Sills

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"The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly."
Jim Rohn

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"The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it."
Samuel Johnson

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"Universities are full of knowledge; the freshmen bring a little in and the seniors take none away, and knowledge accumulates."
Abbott Lowell

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Call for Submissions

Get involved in the learning-assistance community via The Learning Center Newsletter by:

Submitting your article will make you more famous and will help your colleagues worldwide!  E-mail your submissions to:

        newsletter@attendance-tracking.com

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Feedback

We certainly hope you find this newsletter useful and entertaining.  We welcome your suggestions and improvements ideas.  Also if you enjoy reading this newsletter, let us know.  We would like to hear from you, so e-mail us your feedback by clicking here.

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About the Authors

This newsletter is produced by Mon Nasser from Engineerica Systems, Inc.  My thanks to Frank Christ for heavily contributing to this issue.

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Last Month Issue

The July issue of the Learning Center Newsletter featured:

To view the July issue, click here.

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Subscribe / Unsubscribe Info

Subscription to The Learning Center Newsletter is free for learning centers professionals.  To subscribe simply fill-in the quick subscription form at this web site:

        http://www.attendance-tracking.com/learning_center_newsletter.htm

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Last Modified: January 13, 2004 10:22:39 AM