Information Management Newsletter for Block 8, 2006 |
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| The Information Management Newsletter is a periodic publication during the academic year to keep the community informed about developments in information technology on campus.
We will announce publication of a new issue via divisional listservs and campus digests. If you aren't subscribed to one of these lists and would like to receive an e-mail notifying you when a new issue is published, please send your request to mbrenceaustin@coloradocollege.edu Related Links |
In this Issue:
Farewell, CC Modem Pool The CC modem pool will retire on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 – the day after commencement. We know that most members of the campus community have long since moved on to better and faster Internet alternatives at home, and we also recognize that some colleagues are very sad to see this service retire, but the 56K dial-up modems are an outdated and failing technology, and we no longer need them for on-campus networking solutions. We are very grateful that the CC modem pool “hung on” during this 2005-06 year, but it will be deactivated during the afternoon of May 23. Computer Equipment for 2006-07 Spring has sprung, and with the chirping birds and blossoming trees come thoughts of new computers and technologies! We have been fielding many inquiries about the status of capital equipment requests for 2006-07, including whether or not the College can accelerate purchases before the new fiscal year starts on July 1, 2006. This year we will not be in a position to consult with departments and accelerate computers and other equipment, as that requires much more lead time. The Budget Office notified departments about the status of capital equipment requests on May 17 – check the “Budget 2006-07” public folder for the detailed spreadsheet. Once departments review which requested items were funded and which were not, and at what level of funding, then IT consultants can meet to discuss final computer specifications and the timing of orders. If you are eager to plan your department’s computer orders, and particularly if you’ll be away for part of the summer, please contact your IT consultant* as soon as possible to set up a time to meet about your capital equipment requests. Your consultant will work with you to finalize specifications, orders, priorities, and estimated timelines for deployment. Please bear with us as we anticipate a busy summer with a more compressed work window (July-September instead of April-September), but we’ll do everything that we can to meet your department’s needs. If you can confirm your department’s funded computer specifications and budget codes, then we can place equipment orders promptly on July 1 and outline a realistic deployment timeline from there. *IT consultants: Network Maintenance Days for 2006-2007 We know that there is never an "ideal" time to take the network down, but we know that unanticipated network or server outages are even less desirable. With that in mind, we schedule some time slots for performing crucial maintenance on network components and servers. This allows us to upgrade, patch, and secure the hardware and software that we all rely upon as a campus community (e.g., email, Web, and c3po/Banner databases). Are you planning to be away from your office this summer? For all or even part of it (e.g., summer vacation or conference travel)? Don't want to change the standard voicemail greeting that took you hours to perfect? We have a solution! Did you know that CC's CallPilot voicemail system allows you to create a temporary greeting in addition to your standard “internal” (on-campus) and “external” (off-campus) greetings? Follow these simple steps to create a temporary greeting to use for the time you will be away from the office.
This is a great way to manage your voicemail while out of the office but still save the masterpiece greeting you created to use during the regular school year. Your temporary greeting will be played for all incoming calls (on- or off-campus) until the expiry date, when your standard internal and external greetings resume their use. Consider using a temporary greeting to alert colleagues, friends, and students that you are away, perhaps redirecting them to your department's main office for assistance in the meantime. Three-Day Digital Video Workshop in June Digital video has come to the masses, making a whole new means of expression available to the average person. If you've wondered how this technology might fit into classes you teach, join the Academic Technology Services team for our Digital Video Faculty Institute on June 7-9! We'll be exploring digital video for teaching and for student assignments. Become acquainted with the basics of video production (e.g., using a camera and tripod; getting good quality sound and lighting), learn how to create digital videos using iMovie to edit together photos, screen captures and/or video clips, and explore different ways of using digital video projects for student assignments. Lunch will be provided all three days, and faculty attendees will receive a $200 stipend and other goodies. If you would like to sign up, please RSVP by May 19 to Millie Brence-Austin at x6250 or mbrenceaustin@coloradocollege.edu Antivirus and Windows Updates Regarding the topic of computer security, most College-owned computers running Windows are configured to download and install updates from Microsoft automatically. This has been a great feature until a recent patch (also known as a hotfix) caused a great deal of problems for a small number of users. Problems related to update “KB908531” include not being able to go to web addresses typed in Internet Explorer and Office applications locking up when trying to save documents or open ones from the browser. If you find your machine afflicted with these problems, you can give the Help Desk a call at x6449 to have them remove “KB908531” via remote control or in person. This is a known issue for Microsoft, and they'll be patching it in the near future, but in the meantime its removal won't cause any harm. As the 2005-06 academic year comes to a close, it's time to return all items you have borrowed from Audio Visual Services. Classroom setups will be picked up by the AV staff, but individual items (e.g., VCRs, data projectors, or hard drives) must be returned to Armstrong Room 18. Charges will be assessed to replace any outstanding items. We use the short time period between Block 8 and Summer Session to repair and re-inventory equipment before it is returned to vital circulation. Many thanks! These students today- they require us To give access that's virtually tireless. Doped up on hot latte All night, it's a part-ay As they surf on a network that's wireless ! |