IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: December 05 2005

Email users who needed to update their email client settings to accommodate Drexel's planned enhanced security environment received a temporary reprieve last Monday. Drexel's computer wizards decided the new systems required additional testing and delayed implementation to Wednesday, December 7, 2005.

So, a quick review:

If you access your Drexel email only through DrexelOne, Webmail, Exchange Outlook, or ExchangeWeb, you are already in compliance. No action is necessary.
If you use any other email clients or if you have multiple Drexel email profiles or multiple email accounts - and have not already made the one-time settings changes in response to earlier messages - see the detailed instructions at http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/support/ConfigureEmail.html.

Questions? Contact consult@drexel.edu or call 215-895-2698.

2. Legal Music Now Only $18

Now that the term is almost over the price of Drexel's MusicSelect program has dropped from $24 to $18. (MusicSelect is still free for students who live in on-campus residence halls and pay the ResNet fee!) MusicSelect membership offers students a choice of Napster or iTunes benefits for this academic year.

With iTunes, students get 21 downloads usable through August 31, 2006. Downloaded songs may be played on computers, burned to CDs or transferred to iPods, but not other brands of MP3 players. Additional songs can be purchased at the iTunes Music Store for $0.99 each.

With Napster, students get access to the entire 1.5 million track Napster catalog. Songs can be streamed or downloaded and played on your computer through August 31, 2006. For an extra $5/month, Napster To Go lets you transfer an unlimited number of songs to compatible MP3 players (iPods are not compatible). For students who prefer the pay-as-you-go approach, individual songs can be purchases for $0.99 or in packs of 15,25, or 50 songs for as little as $0.80 each.

For information about MusicSelect and to subscribe, visit http://www.drexel.edu/MusicSelect.

3. Have a Happy and Safe Computing Holiday

You're going home for term break? Remember that viruses, worms and hackers don't take breaks. At Drexel or at home, you still face the whole range of security threats, so don't let your guard down.

Here are some pointers:

Use your firewall. (Both Windows XP and Mac OS X have built-in firewalls. Make sure they're turned on.)
Keep your antivirus software up-to-date.
Be wary of emails or instant messages from people you don't know, or attachments you did not expect, even from people you do know.
Just because you're "safe at home" doesn't mean your computer is safe. Drexel does its best to filter out bad stuff. Once you're operating outside the Drexel network, you must exercise extra vigilance.

For information on how to make sure your firewall is up and how to update your operating system and antivirus software, visit http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/support/security/security_howto.html.

For questions, contact the IRT Help Desk at 215-895-2698 or consult@drexel.edu.

4. It's ResNet Registration Time Again

Remember in September? You got to your dorm room and had to register your network connection before hitting the 'net. Well, you have to do it again!

All the "residential" ports are turned off on the Monday after finals week. Since students take computers home and use them on who-knows-what network, and students move to new rooms, and since - especially at this season - some lucky students may be bringing back new gift computers, the simplest way to keep all safe is to start over.

You've done it before. Run your Windows Update and your Symantec (or Norton) LiveUpdate; then fill in the online registration form. Et voila!

Of course, if you do have a new computer, you'll need an extra step to make sure you're using (or to install) Drexel's licensed version of Symantec or Norton Antivirus, which gives you free LiveUpdates.

Questions? Call 215-895-2698 or email consult@drexel.edu.

5. New Year's Resolution: Change Your Password

Looking for a New Year's Resolution? The start of a new year leads many people to think of self-improvement. Get in shape, work harder, improve your grades. We have a suggestion that only takes a minute: Change your password.

Make sure your passwords are "strong" - that means something you can remember but neither your best friend nor a password-cracking bot can guess. Avoid names, initials, repetitive characters, keyboard patterns, and other common mnemonics. See http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/policies/email.html#password for guidelines and suggestions.
Change your passwords periodically (go to http://accounts.drexel.edu and log in using your Drexel email username and password, then click on the keys icon in the General Information section of the page). You should do this several times a year, more often if you have reason to think your password may have been compromised.
Never share your password, not even with your supervisor or your twin sister, and don't post it on a sticky note next to your computer.

Since the server-side security enhancements will go into effect this week (see item 1 above), you can maximize your security by changing your password shortly after December 7th. That way, if your old password had perchance been compromised by insecure transmission, your new password - and your personal information - will now be safe.

6. Apple Releases Firmware Update for G5

Apple released a firmware update for late-2004 model G5 Power Macs in mid-November.

The update "improves the reliability of your Power Mac G5, especially after it has been inactive for two hours." IRT has received several reports of sleep-related problems from Mac users. Faculty members who have already installed the update report significant improvements in stability and reliability.

Many Apple G5s manufactured in 2004 were distributed through the 2005 Faculty Computer Upgrade program. We strongly recommend users of these computers to install this update soon.

There are two firmware updates: for G5s running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or Mac OS X 10.4.3. To install, run Software Update from the Apple menu in the top right corner of the screen. The application will download and install all applicable software and firmware updates.

For help, contact the IRT Help Desk at consult@drexel.edu or call 215-895-2698.

WebCT Vista News

7. Get Ready for Winter Term

The holidays are just around the corner and January 9th will be here before we know it. Now is the perfect time to get your WebCT course ready for winter term.

If you have an old WebCT Campus Edition course that you want us to move over to WebCT Vista, just let us know. Send us an email at webct@drexel.edu and we'll take it from there. We need the course name and number, the term in which it ran, and the CRN.

8. Training for WebCT Vista

IRT offers faculty members two kinds of training - Boot Camps for new users and Workshops for current users. As sessions fill up, more may be added, so watch for schedule updates on the IRT Web site at http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/services/workshops/index.html.

* For New Users: WebCT Vista Boot Camps
WebCT Vista Boot Camps, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room 116 of the Korman Computing Center, provide an introduction to the most essential WebCT tools for novice users. Boot Camps are scheduled for the following dates:

Friday, December 16
Friday, January 13
Friday, January 27
Friday, February 24

Laptops are provided as well as lunch. Reserve your slot at webct@drexel.edu.

* For Current Users: WebCT Vista Workshops
These are four-hour workshops to enhance your knowledge in selected areas, for experienced users of WebCT Vista. These workshops will be held in Room 116 Korman Center from noon-4 p.m. on the following:

Friday, December 9
Thursday, January 19
Thursday, February 16

To sign up, email webct@drexel.edu.

* Departmental Training
If you would prefer to have a WebCT Vista Workshop or Boot Camp just for your department, let us know. We'll provide the same information at a time convenient for your group. We can, if you wish, break it into shorter segments spread over several days. We can do it in Korman or in your own lab. Contact us at webct@drexel.edu.

9. Brown Bag Lunch Sessions

Bring your lunch, share your experiences, and learn more about WebCT Vista and other academic technologies in informal sessions with fellow faculty members.

Brown Bag Lunches for faculty and staff are scheduled for noon-1 p.m. in Korman room 116 as follows:

Tuesday, December 13 - Capturing and Archiving Your Lectures
Tuesday, January 31 - TBA
Wednesday, February 22 - TBA

To reserve a spot, complete with a soda and a dessert, send email to webct@drexel.edu.

Topics are invited. Use the same email address to suggest topics for future brown baggers.

10. Tips for This Month

* Do you have suggestions how WebCT Vista could be improved? You can send your recommendations directly to WebCT corporate. Visit http://www.webct.com/suggestions and complete the online form. Much of what WebCT Vista is today is due to your input!

* Keep your Home Page for information and critical items for your students. Avoid filling it up with navigation to separate course materials or elements. Use the Organizer Pages or Learning Modules to lead your students to multiple links to those course materials.

* A new feature in WebCT Vista is a description area for almost every link you create. When designing your course, use this feature to describe the link, provide students with instructions, or set expectations for individual course elements.

* Once you are comfortable with WebCT Vista, try using the Power View tab. This provides a tree structure view of your course elements. It also gives access to features and functions of WebCT Vista that you will not find elsewhere.

To read previous issues of the IRT Technology Update, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/

To manage your subscription options to the IRT Technology Update and other Drexel Announcements, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/subscriptions. If you prefer to receive a plain text version, please email your request to mailreq@drexel.edu.

Modified: October 3, 2008

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