Note: These instructions tell you how to copy your work into Serf when you are answering a Web Query Assignment given on the Serf Syllabus. Some Internet classes will be submitting research reports and some will be submitting essays or some other kind of written work. The instructions are the same when you are responding to a Web Query Assignment no matter what kind of written work you are submitting.
WRITE YOUR WORK WITH A WORD PROCESSOR
- In your word processor create a file called "Essays" or "Reports" or use any other name that indicates kind of writing you are doing. You should put all of your work in this one file. This is easier than making a new file for each new Web Query Assignment.
- Type the title of the assignment that you are going to write about at the top of the screen and beneath it write your essay or report.
- Save your file to your floppy disk in A:\ and to your hard drive if you are working from your computer at home.
- When you are ready to respond to the next Web Query Assignment, start at the end of your file and type the title of the next response. If you are responding to a question about a reading assignment, then use the title of the essay or story, or whatever, as the title of your response.
- Repeat this process each time you write a essay. You will be adding to the end of your file each time.
PREPARING TO COPY AND PASTE
When you are ready to copy your work into Serf, follow these steps:
- Open your word processor from your desk top and open your file.
- Minimize your word processor by clicking your mouse on the minimize button in the upper right hand corner of your screen. The minimize button has a symbol that looks like a hyphen.
- Open your web browser from your desk top. Type the URL for the Serf home page in the location box:
- http://164.106.182.10:276
- There are other ways to get to Serf. You can also go to the SVCC home page and click on "Academics" and then click on "Serf." Or you can go to my home page and click on "Serf."
- When you get to Serf, logon by typing in your Serf name and password and clicking on the "Logon" button.
- Scroll down to see the control panel at the bottom of your screen. Look at the box on the left called "Syllabus." This gives you several options for viewing your syllabus. Choose either the "Detailed Index" or the "View Complete" option.
- Locate the Web Query Assignment that you want to answer. Each Web Query Assignment is identified by a blue question mark beside it. The topic of the question will be indicated on the left, and the question will be on the right of your screen. When you are ready to paste your answer into Serf, click on the word "submit" which will be in blue.
- When you click on "sbumit," Serf will open a dialogue box. The question for you to answer will appear above this box. Activate the dialogue box by clicking your left mouse button. You will see the cursor flashing.
SWITCHING BETWEEN PROGRAMS
You will now have two programs open: your word processor and your web browser which has taken you to Serf. To move back and forth between these programs while you copy your work from your word processor and paste it into Serf, use your Alt + Tab keys.
COPYING AND PASTING YOUR WORK
- From Serf, use the Alt + Tab key to return to your word processor. Select the first essay or report that you want to copy. Do this by placing the cursor at the beginning of the portion of text you want to copy and holding down the "Shift" key and the Down Arrow key until the entire section of text shows the black background which indicates that it has been selected.
- Copy the selected text by using the "Control" key and the "C" key (Crtl + C).
- When you have selected and copied your work, use your Alt + Tab keys to go back to the Serf dialogue box.
- Check to make sure the cursor is still flashing in the dialogue box. If it is not, activate the box by placing your cursor in it and clicking the left mouse button. When the box is activated, use Ctrl + V to paste your work.
- Finally, click on the "Submit" button below the dialogue box. Serf will send your response to the server. When you click on the submit button, you will see the following message:
"Serf submitted your assignment. You may continue working on the class
containing this assignment, or you can scroll down for other options."
- Repeat this procedure for each essay or report you want to transfer from your word processor into Serf.
As the old saying goes, "There is more than one way to skin a cat." And there is usually more than one procedure which will accomplish a given task on the computer. You may discover a quicker way to copy your work into Serf. Use whatever method that works for you. I offer these instructions for students who may not have much experience in copying and pasting using Windows programs. I know that they will work.
A WORD ABOUT FILE TYPES IF YOU ARE USING THE SVCC LAB COMPUTERS
If the word processing program you use at home is the same version as the Microsoft Word or the WordPefect programs used at SVCC, there should be no problem in creating a file at one place and opening it at the other. However, if you have trouble transferring files from one place to another, try the following technique: Wherever you are working, use the "Save As..." option and save your file with a "Rich Text Format" (rtf) file extension. For safety, you can also save it as plain text, "ASCII (DOS) Generic Word Processor," (txt) file extension. One or the other of these should open in any word processor.
Also, any file with a txt extension can be read by Windows Wordpad. If your word processor at home is different from the ones at SVCC, just use Wordpad to write your work and save the file with the txt extension. When you get to the labs at SVCC, open it with Wordpad and follow the same steps as given above for copying your work into Serf. Do not be concerned with formatting your work. When you copy and paste it, all of the formatting will be lost anyway.