Title: Computer and Technology Resources
Course: Stefanie Rocco Sandbox

This page contains links to technology resources at Penn State.

Studying at Penn State

Canvas

You're already here!: http://canvas.psu.edu

Turnitin

Turnitin is the system Penn State uses to check for plagiarism in written work. However, you can also, as a student, check your papers to be sure you didn't inadvertently plagiarize prior to turning them in. Information on Turnitin can be found at http://turnitin.psu.edu. Information for instructors is at http://turnitin.psu.edu/bestpractices/

LionPath

Connect to https://lionpath.psu.edu to search for and schedule courses and view your tuition bill. Pro Tip: Do NOT count on the "usually offered" schedule in LionPath. It's not accurate.

LionPath Tips

This post from Squadeep on Reddit contains some helpful tips:

A lot of people are either confused or having problems with LionPATH, so I figured I'd make a little post about the most common problems I get.

Students: Can't see your bill - To see your bill you go to self service -> Student Center -> Manage My Account/Make a Payment. This is blocked by a pop-up blocker in both chrome and safari consistently, because it uses a third party vendor (CashNet) so you will need to allow pop-ups.

In chrome: There is a square with an x in the address bar next to the favorites star.

In safari: You will need to disable the entire pop-up blocker by going to the safari menu at the top and going into preferences. From the, select security and there will be Block Pop Ups with a check box. Uncheck that box.

My financial aid hasn't applied to my account - You need to accept/decline your award in LionPATH. This is found in Self Service -> Campus Finances -> Accept/Decline Awards It takes a few days to process after accepting. Bills aren't sure until the 29th so you should be okay.

I can't schedule any courses - you likely have a hold on your account. This can be found in your student center under self service. If you have a financial responsibility hold, but no pre-registration activity guide in your to-do list, contract the IT Service Desk at itservicedesk.psu.edu or call (814) 865-4357 so they can put in a ticket to give you your activity guide back.

LionPATH gives me a Friend of Penn State error - You are logging in with the wrong account. You used an FPS account to apply for Penn State and we're given an Access Account when you were accepted. They typically have the same user ID so they get mixed up a lot. I would change your FPS password to gibberish at fps.psu.edu and then try to login again. If you still can't login, change your actual password at work.psu.edu/password by selecting I forgot my password" (https://www.reddit.com/r/PennStateUniversity/comments/4xtk6o/help_with_lionpath/)

Connecting to PSU

Wireless

To connect via a laptop or mobile device, connect to the access point pennstate and then go to https://wireless.psu.edu. You will not be able to go to other websites from this access point, but you can connect to get the instructions for connecting to psu as a network.

VPN

Virtual Private Network (VPN) software exists to allow you to connect to Penn State while off-campus. VPN will allow you to access your network drives, should you need to. Download the Cisco AnyConnect client at https://downloads.its.psu.edu Click on "Connecting to Penn State."

Your PSU Account

Forward your email, change your PSU Access Account Password, create an email alias, and configure away messages at https://www.work.psu.edu

Software

Free Software: https://downloads.its.psu.edu

Software Purchases: https://software.psu.edu

More Software: https://imagine.microsoft.com/en-us/Institutions/Access Search for Earth and Mineral Sciences, then go to our "webstore" to see the selection of software available to you.

Storage

Box

Box is the University's document storage and sharing platform. It also allows collaborative editing using Microsoft Office online.  https://box.psu.edu

Network Drive

As a Penn State student, you have been allocated disk storage space that is available to you via the campus network. It is 500 Megabytes.

Information about this virtual drive can be found at http://clc.its.psu.edu/DiskSpace/Udrive/

On a PC, choose Computer from the Start Menu Look for U: and V: drives. They will be listed as network drives. Notice that you have a V: drive connected which contains web browser preferences, email settings, desktop icons, your My Documents folder and a bunch of space. Any time that you log onto a Penn State ITS lab machine, the V: drive will have your information and the applications (IM, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) will look there for it. You can save files on this drive. To use this drive in your dorm room (any non-lab computer on campus) follow the instructions here: http://clc.its.psu.edu/diskspace/udrive/remote

To use this drive from off-campus (via cable modem, etc.) install the VPN client first, then proceed as above.

Services

Zoom

Zoom is good for online video conferencing and webinars. To configure your account, go to https://psu.zoom.us and log in with your PSU access account user ID and password.

Click on Profile, and you'll see your personal meeting room. Pro Tip: You can change your meeting ID. I recommend changing it to your phone number--then you'll never forget it!

Add an image to your profile, and when you turn off video, that image will show up. You can also chat with anyone at Penn State using Zoom if you are logged in.

Websites/Blogging

Sites at Penn State

Penn State's blogging platform is Wordpress, and is known as Sites at Penn State (https://sites.psu.edu). You can set up a site easily using this platform, add other users, and easily create your own online presence. When you graduate, you can export your site and host it externally using any hosting platform that supports Wordpress, or even using wordpress.com

PASS Space

You need to apply and pass a quiz, but then can have your web site functioning within minutes. http://www.personal.psu.edu

Click the link to Apply for a web account. Take the quiz until you pass it. When your web space is activated, you will see a www folder alongside your mail folder in your PASS space (X: drive). The www folder contains your personal web site, which will initially be a simple page (index.html) that contains your directory information. You can control access to your website by using the wizard at https://protected.personal.psu.edu/

PASS Explorer

PASS Explorer is the web interface for connecting to your PASS space: https://explorer.pass.psu.edu/

Or, download a free FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client at https://downloads.its.psu.edu Click on File Transfer to find these.

SSH is a good one for Windows, and Cyberduck is good for those on a Mac.

Training

Tutorials on major software packages, Business applications, and even programming languages are available through Lynda.com (http://lynda.psu.edu). You can create a playlist of training for yourself, or go through one of the many available learning paths.