IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: Tuesday, October 23, 2007

1. Feather by Earthlink: Extending Dragonfly
You can access Drexel's Dragonfly wireless network from just about anywhere on campus, inside and out. But what about sitting in the park? Or waiting for a bus? Or ... ?

To extend the reach of Dragonfly beyond the three Drexel campuses and their immediate environs, Drexel University and EarthLink have concluded an agreement that enables Drexel students, faculty and staff to access Drexel services and browse the Internet over the Feather by Earthlink Wi-Fi network. This is part of Earthlink's project to build one of the nation's largest citywide wireless networks, Wireless Philadelphia.

This first-of-its-kind agreement between a major university and a network service provider works wherever there is Feather by Earthlink service in Philadelphia. Outside Philadelphia and when traveling, Dragonfly users are able to access EarthLink wireless in other cities as well.

The one-year trial went into effect earlier this month. Dragonfly users can access up to five free hours of Feather by Earthlink service each month. Additional time can be purchased.

This is not intended to replace Dragonfly (which can be up to 15 times faster) or your home ISP. It is a supplemental resource that adds convenience for the Drexel community.

For more information about this Drexel first, go to AskDrexel (http://ask.drexel.edu) and search for EarthLink.

2. Technology for Instruction? Go Play in Our Sandbox
Over the past academic year, Drexel's Computing Advisory Committee has engaged in a lively discussion about the role of new technologies in academic programs and ways to balance innovation with sound pedagogical approaches.
In response, IRT has set up a technology Sandbox where faculty and students alike can access new technologies, "kick the tires", and see what value they have for the teaching and learning mission.

The Sandbox (go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/sandbox/) has a Moodle and Sakai site to test, as well as direct access to the Drexel Island in Second Life.
All of these resources and more are for experimentation, so play to your heart's content. They are not Drexel "production" sites, however. Since they are not hosted at Drexel, IRT cannot guarantee reliability or remedy any instability. A number of the sites include an "instruction" link, but again, remember that they are not supported by IRT.

The tools included may change throughout the year, depending on changes in the landscape and your expressed interests. Use the "Feedback" button to send us your comments.

Please, come play in our Sandbox.

3. Pharos Printing in BYOL
IRT is instituting Pharos printing services, an automatic charging system to pay for printing in the Korman Computing Center. This is the same service used in the Drexel Library.

Starting this week, all printing in the BYOL (Bring Your Own Laptop) Lab in Korman can be paid for using your Dragoncard and a touch screen terminal. All labs in the Korman Computing Center will use the Pharos system beginning in winter term.

When sending jobs to the printer, be careful that you only send the pages that are necessary and in the format you intended. It's a good idea to check Print Preview before sending your pages to the printer. You will be charged for all pages you release from the print station.

Dragoncard refill stations can be found in the library and in the Creese Student Center. IRT will continue its longstanding practice of allowing students to print class schedules during Week 1 of the term at no charge. For the transition period through the end of fall term, students may also pay in cash for printing at $0.10 per B/W page or $0.50 per color page.

Note: If you have a very old Drexel ID card, you may need a trip to the Dragoncard office before it will work with the Pharos printing system.

4. Technology Showcase to Be Held on November 16
The next Technology Showcase will be held on Friday, November 16, 2007, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Living Arts Lounge, next to the Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut Streets).

The event is held in conjunction with National Distance Learning Week (November 12-16) to "generate greater awareness and appreciation for distance learning, including K-12, Higher Education, Corporate and Military, while recognizing leaders and practices in the field."

The Technology Showcase features faculty and administrators who are delivering content via a wide array of web-based, video conferencing, and other technologies, demonstrating their work to other members of the Drexel community who are looking to use technology in innovative ways.

A very few slots still remain for presenters. If you are interested, email olt@drexel.edu with your topic, the kinds of technologies you plan to showcase, and the format of the presentation. Also email olt@drexel.edu to register to attend the Showcase.

5. MusicSelect - Legal Music Now Is Available
Looking for a way to keep a legal music library on your computer, to listen to whenever you wish? Drexel's MusicSelect lets you select tunes from Napster to stream, download and manage for your personal enjoyment. It's very low cost; in some cases, it's even free.

Some of you may have noticed that MusicSelect had not been accepting new subscriptions for this term. The good news is that Drexel has now concluded negotiations with Napster to offer this online music program for the current academic year. The even better news is that this system now works with Windows and with MacOS and Linux.

See http://www.musicselect.org for more information. All members of the Drexel community are eligible for Napster through MusicSelect.

6. Drexel's Growth Challenges Phone Numbering
It's no secret that Drexel is growing by leaps and bounds. While that is exciting and presents many opportunities, it also presents challenges, particularly to our phone system.

Drexel is rapidly using up the numbers that it owns in the 895 exchange and must now tap in to the underused numbers in the 571 exchange. These numbers had been reserved for residence hall students phones. Now, however, students increasingly use their own cell phones and do not take advantage of residence hall phones. We have therefore reclaimed these numbers for administrative use.

The Law School was the first to take advantage of this new exchange. All of its numbers begin with the 571 exchange. Soon, any new numbers requested on campus will do so as well. If you have new employees or are expanding and need new phone numbers, the numbers assigned will begin with 571. Fortunately, we will be able to continue 4-digit dialing even with the new exchange.

Meanwhile, if your department has unused 895 numbers, please let us know. Call Marjory McCoy at 215-895-4969 to free them for re-use and to save your department some money.

Questions, contact Jan Biros at 215-895-2667.

7. Gone Phishin'? Been Phished? You Don' Wanna!
How many times a week do you get a communication from a financial institution, demanding that you update your personal information? Most often you know it's a fraud, because you have no account with that putative bank. In fact, it is always a fraud because reputable banks know better than to ask for sensitive information via email.

This is a ploy called - in computer lingo - "phishing". Its purpose is to get access to your personal data so as to steal your identity and cause you no end of trouble. The last one of these we bothered to track led us to an IP address in Thailand. Russia is also a prime location for phishing expeditions. Not many of us have accounts there, either.

Short answer: You're neither a fish nor a phish. Don't take the bait.

8. New Offerings on IRT's Software Server
Several new software offerings have been added to IRT's download page. These include:

• Cisco VPN clients for Windows Vista and Mac OS.

• Matlab, 32bit and 64bit version for PC (Windows). Be sure to copy and read the Matlab 2007b_Installation_readme.txt file).

• Microstation V8 XM. (For the updated license key for the last version, see About_MSV8_lic_file.txt inside the Bentley Microstation V8 2004 Edition directory).

Please be sure to copy any readme.txt and/or license.dat files to your computer desktop before you attempt to download software. The readme and license files are important for succssful installation. They contain special instructions and, often, the essential piece of information: the license key code.

The software download option is found under Computer Marketplace on the IRT web page (http://www.drexel.edu/irt).

Advance notice: Regarding SPSS 16 for Macintosh, IRT has received word from the publisher that version 16.0.1 is now expected to ship by the end of November. We had expected that this version, which is compatible for Mac, would be available in October. We'll let you know when it comes in.

9. Creating a New Web Page on Dunx1? Check for Streamlined Procedure
IRT has recently streamlined its procedure for setting up a new Dunx1 account for web page hosting. For the updated instructions, see http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/webits/publish/ssh_index.html.

10. Voicemail Tip for This Month
Traveling? Here are some voicemail functions you may find useful.
* Forward your phone directly to voicemail so neither your callers nor your co-workers have to listen to all that ringing. Without lifting the handset, press "Forward", dial 4900, and confirm (on some phone models press "Done" to confirm; on others press "Forward" again). When you return, press "Forward" once to turn off the forwarding.

* Set an out-of-office greeting. Log in to your mailbox, press 3 for "phone manager functions" and then press 6 to record the greeting. Once this is set up, your callers will hear "[your name] is out of the office," followed by the message you record. When you next check your voicemail, the system will alert you that the out-of-office greeting is turned on; you'll have the choice to turn it off or leave it in place. (When you return and turn off the out-of-office notice, your regular greeting is in place with no need to re-record.)

* Check your voicemail from off campus. Dial 215-895-4900. When prompted, enter your five-digit mailbox number. (The number 3 followed by your four-digit extension. For example, for x2020, enter 32020.) The you'll be in the voicemail system as usual.

For more voicemail help, visit http://www.drexel.edu/irt/voicemail or call 215-895-2020.

11. It's Time for a Change
Remember the glitches last spring when daylight saving time came in a few weeks early, and there was a mad scramble to make sure your software was timed correctly?

Well, daylight saving time will end this fall a week later than usual (on the first Sunday in November rather than the last Sunday in October).

We think the software vendors' patches have updated their operating systems to accommodate this change. Indeed, the newest operating systems - Windows Vista and MacOS 10.4.5, 10.4.6 - were developed after Congress enacted the new DST legislation, so they should incorporate the new schedule. But ....

We recommend that you check for yourself the first time you log in to your computer after 2 a.m. on Sunday, October 28, and again on Sunday, November 4. Check the right-hand-corner of your desktop (upper for Mac, lower for PC) after you log in to make sure it is showing the correct time.

Also, if you use Outlook calendars through Exchange, you might want to type the time into the entry line for appointments during that critical week-in-between. Microsoft assures us that all is copacetic, but a small amount of effort now can forestall confusion later.

If you need help, call 215-895-2020 or email consult@drexel.edu.

12. IRT Gives Technical Support for the Big Debate
Drexel is thrilled to enjoy its day in the sun as host of the next Democratic Primary Candidate Debate on Tuesday, October 30, 2007.

As the eight candidates, their staff and security people, and some 300 media staff and personalities descend on the campus, IRT is among the departments that are busy preparing for them to make their stay comfortable and a credit to Drexel.
All of these guests need wireless access, phone service, and help connecting their PCs. IRT, and particularly the user services, telecom and networking technicians, are actively involved in supporting our guests to ensure a successful event.

Hosting such a high profile event does much to promote Drexel and its nationwide reputation, but it will be a challenge to everyone involved. IRT will be conducting business as usual during the coming week, but understandably the debate will take a significant share of our time. Everyone, please, be patient if it takes a few more rings to answer our telephones.

We'll do our best to meet everyone's needs.

News & Notes on Online Learning

13. Training Sessions for Online Learning

• Blackboard Vista 4, full-day workshops - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Korman 116
• Friday, October 26
• Friday, November 30
• Thursday, December 13
• Blackboard Vista 4, refresher workshops - in Korman 116
• Tuesday, October 23, 9 a.m. - noon
• Tuesday, November 27, 9 a.m. - noon
• Tuesday, December 11, 1-4 p.m.
• Brown Bag Lunch Sessions - noon to 1 p.m. in Korman 116
• Wednesday, October 24 - Respondus
• Thursday, November 15 - EndNote
• Friday, December 7 - Office 2007 Introduction
• Friday, December 14 - PowerPoint 2007
• Dreamweaver Sessions - 2-4 p.m. in Korman 116
• Tuesday, November 6 - Basic Dreamweaver
• Tuesday, November 20 - Intermediate Dreamweaver
• Tuesday, December 4 - Advanced Dreamweaver

To reserve a spot in one or more of these sessions, email olt@drexel.edu.

14. Upgrades: News for Emerging Technologies
* Impatica for Powerpoint: Drexel will soon have a site license in place for students, a first for higher education institutions. Impatica is a simple-to-use application that turns voice-annotated PowerPoint files into smaller html files that are easily shared via email.

* Blackboard Vista was upgraded on Sunday, October 14, from version 4.2 to version 4.2.2 This puts several "fixes" and enhancements in place.

* Camtasia Studio 5 has just been released. Those who attended Camtasia training and installed Camtasia Studio 4 software can upgrade to version 5. Contact the Online Learning Team for details: olt@drexel.edu.

15. Have Us Migrate Your Old Courses to Blackboard Vista
If you are going to use Blackboard Vista to augment classes or teach online classes in winter or any future term, you will need our help to migrate your files. We decommissioned Vista 3 at the beginning of fall term, so you no longer have access to courses in Vista 3. Ask the Online Learning Team to copy the best version of your courses or templates into Bb Vista 4.

Use the form below to make up to six separate migration requests:
https://surveys.drexel.edu/TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=6M3864MH3621G
For help, contact the Online Learning Team at olt@drexel.edu.

16. Pop-up Windows Essential in Blackboard Vista
Blackboard Vista relies heavily on the use of pop-up windows to deliver content. Therefore you must turn off any pop-up blockers before using Vista.
For help turning off the pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/sp2_popups_vista.html#iepop.

For help turning off the pop-up blocker in your Google Toolbar, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/Bbvista/faq/google.html

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: February 25, 2008

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