Hardware  

All of our readings will be done online, so what you need is a computer and fast, reliable access to the Internet.

What is fast and reliable? Not dial-up, not the computers at the public library. Some kind of high speed access is going to serve you best, whether it be cable, DSL, or city-wide wireless.

Software

First, go to http://D2L.minneapolis.edu and click the "Click here to do a system check" link in the middle of the page. This will run a diagnostic on your computer to let you know if you have the current software necessary to run D2L efficiently.

You will also need the following:

Adobe Reader:allows you to view PDF documents

Microsoft Word Viewer (if Microsoft Word isn't your word processor)

Mozilla Firefox browser: a standards-based browser which will often function better with web applications than Internet Explorer

Web Applications

We will also use several web applications. Some of these you just need to know about; for others you will need to download a piece of the application or request access to the application.

D2L: the course management system used by MCTC; you will need to login to D2L to access the main page for the course

Diigo: I use Diigo to provide you with lists of webpages to read; these pages include the primary stories and poems we will read as well as background material. Diigo is a social bookmarking service which we can also use to share comments and questions about the webpages we read if you join Diigo and download the Diigotoolbar add-on for Firefox and install it in Firefox. Joining Diigo is NOT required; you can access the lists of readings without joining.

Wordpress: I use a blog to provide information about which lists to read in Diigo and which assignments to do in D2L as well as additional course information; updated multiple times each week.

PBwiki: a wiki (this one) where we will be posting assignments to share with each other and the web; you must request access to the wiki to post on it. The wiki is open to the public, so please be aware of the implications and responsibilities of public writing as you post on it.

Other required stuff:

You're going to need time; in fact, you are going to need more time than you currently think you will need. It takes more time to write than to talk. Everything takes more time in an online course. The only benefit of an online course in terms of time is that you have more flexibility to decide when to do things, but whenever you do them, it will take more time.