Campus organizations specializing in technology came together at the Memorial Union to take part in the Student Technology Expo Tuesday to share information about the newest technological changes at UND.

While the event was the first of its kind at UND, Director of the Center for Institutional and Learning Technologies Lori Swinney said it was a success for both the students and the faculty.

“I saw some faculty and staff coming in to learn about the tools to help support the students,” Swinney said. “When I talked to the people and the venders, they said it was very successful, because they had students asking good questions, and they were able to help solve their problems.”

Students interact

Students attending the expo were able to get face time with campus tech employees.

Michelle Rakoczy of the Student Affairs Technology/ResNet spent her time speaking with students about how they could get assistance with technology in the residence halls.

“I have been talking with students today about their wireless in residence halls, and if they are having any problem with that at all,” Rakoczy said. “We kind of help them through answering those types of questions.”

ResNet offers students help with managing network connections and computer viruses.

One of the biggest topics of the afternoon seemed to be the newest additions to Blackboard, including a series of video tutorials on how to use the website.

Industrial design and technology major Jacob Many came across the short videos on Blackboard at one of the booths and plans to take advantage of them.

“There are a lot of tools out there provided by the UND for students to have better chances, and it is a good idea to check it all out,” Many said. “You never know when you will need it.”

Freshman Elisabeth Bender was very pleased with what she saw.

“I learned the most today about the Apple computers and iPads, and how you can use them in classes,” she said. “The iPad has a new technology where you can take notes on it and transfer it to any computer or iPad, and I find that extremely useful.”

Beyond the event

Adrienne Salentiny of CICT said she hopes more students come and ask questions in the future.

“Especially during the beginning of the semester, we often will get the same question from different students over and over,” Salentiny said. “But they are very normal questions, and we are always ready to answer those.”

Students are encouraged to call the UND Tech Support Services to find assistance on any tech-related questions. Students can also chat with a support officer online.

“We also do a lot with student classes where the instructor will bring the students over to our office to learn the new technology,” Salentiny said. “We have workshops pretty much every other day of the week.”

Mathew McKay is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]