Technology
The following is an overview of the various technologies used by the OER Design Studio on a regular basis:
Technology – Asana
Asana is a web and mobile work management platform designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. We use Asana to assign tasks, communicate with employees, a oversee project management functions. In short, Asana is a tool we use to help with organization. You will receive an invite link to join Asana.
Training Links:
Technology – Teams (Messaging)
Microsoft Teams is a proprietary business communication platform developed by Microsoft, as part of the Microsoft 365 family of products. Teams primarily competes with the similar service Slack, offering workspace chat and videoconferencing, file storage, and application integration. You will receive an invite link to join Microsoft Teams.
Training Link:
Technology – Google Docs/Drive
Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service developed by Google. Google Drive allows users to store files in the cloud, synchronize files across devices, and share files. We use Google Drive to collaborate on projects and share our work with others.
Training Link:
Technology – Pressbooks
Pressbooks is an open-source content management system designed for creating books. It is based on WordPress and can export content in many formats for e-books, webbooks or print. We Use Pressbooks to create and design textbooks and other OER material. The Pressbooks guide below provides instructions on how to access Pressbooks.
Training Link:
Technology – Zoom
To access Zoom at Fanshawe, go to https://fanshawec-ca.zoom.us/. You can join or host a meeting or configure your account by using your fanshawec.ca email and password.
Training Link:
Technology – Grammarly
What is Grammarly?
Grammarly is an automated revision tool that helps you identify ways to improve your writing skills. Using in-text editing, Grammarly checks your work and provides suggestions on proper word choice, grammar, punctuation, and writing style.
At Fanshawe, we have a Grammarly Premium account, which provides enhanced features, such as checking for grammatical mistakes, providing vocabulary enhancement suggestions, suggestions for revising for tone and clarity, and offering citation suggestions.
Setting Up Grammarly
When you gain access to Grammarly, follow the email instructions on how to log into your Grammarly account. Once you are logged into your account, you’ll want to navigate to the “APPS” section and consider installing the “Grammarly for Windows” app, which will install Grammarly as a program on your desktop as well as the “Grammarly for Chrome Extension,” which will enable you to use Grammarly while working on the web — you’ll need this turned on so that you can use Grammarly within Pressbooks.
Training Link:
Grammarly Suggestions Explained
The Grammarly Editor provides writing feedback in four categories: correctness, clarity, engagement, and delivery. Each suggestion is colour-coded according to the category it belongs to, allowing you to see at a glance where and how the writing can be improved:
- Red underlines provide suggestions about spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
- Blue underlines provide suggestions for making your writing easier to understand, such as clarity and conciseness improvements.
- Green underlines mark suggestions to make writing more engaging to read, such as word choice improvements.
- Purple underlines indicate suggestions that help strike the right balance of politeness, formality, tone and attitude.
Using Grammarly in Pressbooks: Tips
When completing quality assurance (QA) for chapters in Pressbooks, we typically use the suggestions in Red (grammar, spelling and punctuation) to quickly scan for any additional errors that may have been missed in the writing process. Suggestions in Blue, Green, and Purple can also be considered, but they should be used sparingly and if appropriate for the context.
NB: it is important to review the suggestions within the context of the writing – do not blindly accept the changes without ensuring they are correct. Grammarly uses AI and can make certain suggestions which may be incorrect or may not reflect subject-matter-specific language or conventions.
List of Words to Avoid if Suggested
- Coming Soon
Accessibility
We must consider accessibility in all of the work done in the studio. Please see the Accessibility Toolkit for more information. A checklist form the Toolkit can be found below. Also, review the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) and How to Make a Textbook Accessible.
Training Links:
Shared Drive (Graphic Design & Photography
You should have access to the shared drive – after following these steps , please let the studio know if you still cannot access it.
- Install connection to VPN: https://connected.fanshawec.ca/globalprotect/
- Connect to VPN
- Map the shared drives below:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/map-a-network-drive-in-windows-29ce55d1-34e3-a7e2-4801-131475f9557d
Graphic Design Share:
- \fcstorage.fanshawec.caOER_Graphics$
Photography Share:
- \fcstorage.fanshawec.caOER_Photography$
Additional Training
LinkedIn Learning is an online educational platform that helps you discover and develop business, technology-related, and creative skills through expert-led course videos. With more than 5,000 courses and personalized recommendations, you can discover, complete, and track courses related to your field and interests.
Once you have gained access to the Fanshawe Learns website, you can view the LinkedIn Learning catalogue. Just type LinkedIn Learning in the search bar of the Fanshawe Learns website.
H5P is a free, open-source tool that allows users to create web-based interactive learning activities. It is a plug-in that allows users to create interactive content in an existing authoring platform (WordPress, Pressbooks or through an LTI with a Learning Management System- FOL). H5P stands for HTML5 Package, the latest version of the standard markup language used to structure and present content on the web.
- Guide: How to Find H5P Interactives
- Guide: Creating H5P Interactives
