Course Content

We are all used to attaching files to emails, I am sure. But there are a couple of problems using this method of getting files to one another.

• First of all, email systems can sometimes corrupt the files being attached. This is especially true of multimedia files like videos, and programs.
• Sometimes the files are larger than what is permitted by the email system (This will be especially true of school-based email systems).
• Many times schools impose firewalls in order to prevent spam and viruses (this is particularly true of .zip files, which are infamous for causing problems. (BTW, one way around this particular problem is changing the ‘file extension’ to something innocuous and then telling the recipient to change it back once they have downloaded it).

We need an alternative way of sending files to one another. There are several methods:

• We could use Canvas, but there is an imposed 10 meg limit on bandwidth usage for entries. In case, your project is larger than that we need an alternative.
• We could use Drop Box.. this is a pretty good alternative but not all that safe/secure. I know you probably rely on this one a lot but because we are dealing with assignments here, we need something more secure
• we could utilize a free a Web-based package such as yousendit.com
• We could utilize what is known as a File Transfer Program, such as WinSCP for PCs and FETCH for Macs. This is good too but again a bit more cumbersome

You may get the idea by the time the semester is over that I am not a big fan of ‘freebie’ packages offered online. This is usually because there are either time or size limits imposed, banner ads, or that I am unsure as to the real confidentiality/security of your files. Now I am not saying you should never use these programs, but I, for some reason, have fallen into the habit of becoming self-reliant and independent of these online programs.
 
We have built a transfer app that combines the security of FTP with the ease of use of things like drop box/yousendit, etc. Our app is called Easy Uploader that does all the ftp work for you (similar to uploading to You Tube). Below are the instructions on using this feature. Note that the max file size is 100 megs. Make sure you select each drop down and select the appropriate response. Otherwise the file will be uploaded to the wrong directory on the server.