If your home computer is a Windows machine, then you can use ARSC (Automatic Remote Secure Connections) to put the same desktop on your home computer as you would have if you were working in the computer lab.
ARSC allows you to fire up an X-windows session, running on storm or erdos, that appears on your home desktop. Hence you can use all the X-windows goodies (mouse, graphics, etc.) available on the Unix host from your home computer. It is not necessary to install X-windows software on your home computer; you only need ARSC.
You can download ARSC from http://storm.cis.fordham.edu/arsc. (It's free.) Simply follow the installation instructions on this web page. Note that the page has a Frequently Asked Questions link, which you may wish to consult.
You can make an ARSC-based X-windows connection to storm or erdos simply by double-clicking the ARSC desktop icon. Please make sure that you choose the proper login host (storm or erdos) before making the connection. Also, note that the default pause time (3000 milliseconds) may be too small for all but the fastest connections; if you get a timeout error, you should increase this value.
Note that ARSC has built-in help, which you should consult for any additional information you may need.