Here’s a tidbit about SFU’s network infrastructure that I bet will be news to most of you: SFU has an instant messaging server.
Just fire up your favourite open source, multi-protocol IM client: Pidgin for Linux or Windows or Adium for OSX. Create an account with these settings:
- Protocol: XMPP/Jabber/Google Talk (whatever your client calls it)
- Host/server/domain: jabber.sfu.ca
- User/screen name: your regular SFU userid (possibly with “@jabber.sfu.ca”)
- Password: your regular SFU password
- Port: 5223
- Encryption: SSL/TLS. “Force old SSL” in Pidgin. (No, I don’t know why it matters.)
I don’t know for sure that students can use this, but it’s worth a shot.
Maybe this is a good excuse to finally do some kind of “student questions by IM” thing in my classes. What was always stopping me was not wanting to pollute my regular IM accounts with non-fun things. A separate account would let me turn it on when working and off the rest of the time.
I’m still not really sure what IM with my students buys me though. Slight coolness, in exchange for even more hasty, poorly thought out questions than email. I sense fail.
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Yeah, I don’t see IMing with students going well – especially since you don’t like them to use IM language in correspondence with you.
Student: Greg, can u help me?
Greg: No, you obviously haven’t read my email/IM rules.
Student: wtf?
Greg *head desk*