Lab meetings: 258 Winter 2000

The lab meetings will mostly be help in Smith 415, the Geography Collaboratory. This space was designed for use of computers in groups. There are six tables, so each group may have four or five students.

Each Lab exercise will involve some group effort. There will be a list of questions to answer. The group will be responsible for answering these questions and listing the names of each member of the group on the answer sheet. Students who miss the lab event will have to submit their answer sheet individually. Lab assignments are designed to assist you in making connections, not in assessing your progress. They will simply be checked off, not graded. The grade for the WHOLE course will be X if you have not checked off each lab assignment.

Students will have access to the software used in the Labs during the regular hours that the Geography Labs are open (see schedules posted on doors). The Collaboratory space is scheduled for other classes. Smith 411 has a number of faster computers funded by your technology fee, and 401 has the Sherman Lab space (scheduled this quarter for Geog 461) and some technology fee (faster) computers near the entrance.

Geography Lab Schedule

All labs open 8AM-5PM; Extended hours:

Collaboratory (Smith 415)
Monday -- 5-6pm open; 6-7pm Extension class only (through 3/20)
Tuesday -- closed after 5pm
Wednesday -- 5-6pm open; 6-9pm Extension class only (through 3/22)
Thursday -- closed after 5pm
Friday -- closed after 5pm
Saturday -- closed
Sunday -- closed

Sherman Lab (Smith 401)
Monday -- 5-7pm open; 7-9pm Extension class only (through 3/20)
Tuesday -- 5-9pm open (through 3/21)
Wednesday -- 5-9pm open
Thursday -- 5-9pm open (through 3/16)
Friday -- closed after 5pm
Saturday -- 10am-4pm open (through 3/18)
Sunday -- closed (open 12:30-4:30pm on 3/5)

During "closed" periods, only Graduate Students, staff and faculty with
keys are authorized to use these facilities. Monitors or staff that
close the computer labs may ask to see keys as proof of authorization to
remain after hours. Reminder to those with keys: doors to these labs
and room 411 must be kept closed after hours and are to be accessed by
key only.

General Information (Please read this...)

Collaboratory (Smith 415) / Sherman Lab (Smith 401)

  • NO food or drink is permitted in the lab.
  • Use of cell phones is NOT permitted in the lab (or in lecture for that matter).
  • The computers are delicate machines: please treat them with care and respect. The Geography Department has worked hard to provide you with current equipment.
  • Use of email is not permitted during lab times [except for specific lab purposes].
  • Word processing is not permitted during lab times [except for specific lab purposes].
  • Do not load any software onto the computers in the lab.
  • Know how to save your work and protect your data from being lost.
  • Other classes and their lab sections share the Lab spaces. Please observe the lab schedule posted near the door. Lab computers may NOT be used at any time if there is a class in session, even if there are free machines. Use of the computers during 'open' hours is on a first come first serve basis.

    • Additional lab space:

    There are additional computers (paid for by your student technology fees) located in the Geography student lounge and in the entry portion of 401. These will be available for your exercise and project work. Also, the Collaboratory (Smith 415C) is available on a first come / first serve basis when there are no classes or activities in session.  Please consult the schedule on the Collab door and plan accordingly.

    Software:

    The following software will be used for the lab exercises: Windows95/NT, Netscape Navigator, and ArcView 3.1. Information on Windows95/NT and Netscape are available at UW's computer labs. CSSCR offers some free introductory no credit classes for some of this software: Check the class schedule posted at http://augustus.csscr.washington.edu/courses.html or in the basement of Savery Hall, for their schedule of classes. Please observe all UW policies that apply to the appropriate use of University provided software and use of computing labs.

    E-mail:

    Please make sure that you have an email account. E-mail is one of the best ways to pass questions or comments to your TA or to Dr. Chrisman. Also, notification of assignment changes and updates on lab/course information may be made by email. Please check your e-mail often. The TA will usually check their mail several times a day and will respond to students' e-mail questions promptly. If you do not have an email account, access 'Dante' using 'Telnet' at any computer attached to the UW computer network and type 'new' when prompted for a user name and follow the instructions that appear on the screen. More detailed instructions for establishing an email account.

    Office Hours:

    TA will be either in his office (Smith 430) or in the Sherman Lab (Smith 401); office hours Tuesday 10:30-11:20 (Collab NOT available in that period). It may be helpful to have your questions in written form before you come to office hours. If you are unable to attend these office hours then you may try making an appointment with your TA. Please remember that Dr. Chrisman also holds office hours ( F 1:30-2:30; or by email arrangement).

    Logging in to PCs in the Sherman Lab:

  • Turn the computer on. The computer 'on/off' button is on the front of the CPU below the floppy disk drive. The monitors have a separate 'on/off' switch below the lower right of your screen. Green power indicator lights will light when the computer and monitor are on.
  • When the "Type your password to log in to the server" dialogue box appears, change the Username to "geog258" (no quotes) and the domain should be set to 'geography'. For the password, **ASK YOUR TA**.
  • Click on 'OK' or press 'Return'.

    • If, when you arrive at your workstation after someone has been using it and it is already on, you should log on for your own precaution. Go to the Start button and select Shut Down. Then choose the option for closing all programs and logging on as a different user. Log on as above.

    Log out:

  • Please 'log out' when you are finished using the computer.
  • Use the following sequence: Start > Shut down and then select 'close all programs and log on as a different user'. Press 'return'.
  • If you are the last person using the machine, select 'shut down the computer?' Turn off your computer when indicated.

    • WindowsNT tutorial:

    If you have not used WindowsNT before or would like to refresh your skills, taking the 'tour' is strongly recommended.

  • To access the tour, click on the 'Start' button (lower left of screen) and select 'Help'.
  • The dialogue box that appears has three menus: Contents, Index and Find.
  • Click on "Tour: Ten minutes to using window" to take the tour/tutorial.
  • Clicking on the other items in the 'contents' menu will introduce you to other useful information on utilizing WindowsNT effectively.
  • The 'index' menu will let you search for help on a specific topic while the 'find' menu will let you search for help topics by key words.

    • ArcView 3.1 help:

    If you have not used AV3.1 before, it is advisable to explore the help function:

  • Start ArcView using the following sequence:
  • Start > Programs > Esri > ArcView GIS Version 3.1
  • Once ArcView is running, the 'Help' menu is accessed by clicking Help > Help Topics on the top menu bar. It is organized like the WindowsNT help function.

    • The "Introduction to ArcView" contains a good general description of what ArcView can do.

    Version of 30 December 1999