 |
|
 |
|
Bits & PCs Archives |
|
|
News Items for 2008 December Activity at the TECH center during the end-of-the-semester rush was at an all-time high last week. The center set new records for attendance in a 24-hour period, with more than 9,300 visits recorded on Monday, Dec. 8. While guests also printed a record number of documents, with the center’s duplex printing defaults—a policy implemented as part of the university’s sustainability initiative—it was not a record day for sheets of paper. Just 88,842 sheets were used to print 132,125 documents. Record an extended absence voice mail greeting Before leaving the office for the holidays, it’s a good idea to record an extended absence voice mail greeting. To record the greeting: Tip: Converting Office 2007 files to PDF Office 2007 enables you to export most files into Portable Document Format (PDF). To do this: As of January 1, 2009, SafeAssign will replace Turnitin as a tool for helping to detect possible plagiarism in student papers. SafeAssign is a product that comes fully integrated with the Blackboard system. The reports that SafeAssign produces can be viewed within the Blackboard Control Panel. For information about or assistance with using SafeAssign, please contact the Instructional Support Center (ISC) located in the TECH Center, room 110, or at 215-204-8529 (1-8529). Documentation is also available on the ISC website in the “How To” section at http://isc.temple.edu. Individuals and departments still interested in using Turnitin are free to purchase this product through the Turnitin website. Discard Paper Documents Securely A common form of identity theft starts in a trash can. Criminals literally search through the trash at landfills looking for information. This so-called “dumpster diving” is one of the major sources of the personal information that enables criminals to steal your identity. Generally, there are two types of small shredders: strip-cut and cross-cut. Of these two, cross-cut do a better job of destroying the information. A reliable cross-cut home shredder can be purchased for as little as $40, a true bargain when you consider the cost of trying to recover your good name and credit rating. TECH Center Hours Extended for Finals To better serve students who are finishing papers and preparing for finals, the TECH Center will be open around the clock from Sunday, December 7, at 11:00 a.m. to Saturday, December 20, at 7:30 p.m. For more information about the TECH Center, go to www.temple.edu/cs/techcenter. “First Fridays with Apple" Presents Creating Web Sites with iWeb On Friday, December 5, Michael Wolk, senior systems engineer at Apple, will demonstrate iWeb ’08 which is the web design application of the iLife suite. In this presentation, you will learn how to create well-designed and unique web sites with customized features such as links, Blogs, photo albums, and movies. You will also discover how easy iWeb makes publishing and managing sites. This event will take place in the TECH Center, Room 111, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and is open to students, faculty, and staff. For more information, contact Johanna Inman at jinman@temple.edu. November New e-mail systems set to replace TUmail The current TUmail system is almost six years old and has reached the end of its lifecycle. To ensure that Temple’s e-mail remains first-rate, Computer Services is in the process of upgrading this vitally important resource. We recently informed our students that they will be migrated to a new e-mail system later this month. The system is called “TUmail powered by Google.” Students will continue to log in at http://tumail.temple.edu or http://tuportal.temple.edu. Employees will be migrated to a new Microsoft Exchange e-mail system after our student migrations. Microsoft Exchange offers improved features and functionality over the current TUmail system. Migrating employee accounts, however, is a more complicated and time-consuming process, and will take significantly longer to implement. Stay tuned for more information over the next few months regarding the planned employee e-mail migration to Microsoft Exchange. Despite the new systems, students and employees will keep the same @temple.edu e-mail address (and aliases). Low-cost conference calling now available The Office of Telecommunications now offers low-cost conference call accounts for departments. The account will provide your department with a unique toll free number, which can be used by up to twenty simultaneous participants. The cost is three cents per minute, per participant. There is no monthly cost if the account is not used. For questions or to obtain an account, please send e-mail to Arlene.Kraemer@temple.edu. Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) was released on October 31. In addition to new versions of popular product bundles such as Design Premium, Master Collection and Web Standard, individual products such as Contribute, Dreamweaver and Photoshop have new CS 4 versions. Computer Services is currently testing the software for compatibility, functionality and interoperability with Temple systems. We anticipate the software will be released to the University under our Adobe Software Site Licensing program in January or February. Due to price increases from Adobe, Temple’s pricing for CS4 is higher than CS3. To view the current price list, go to www.temple.edu/cs/business. Then click on Software Procurement, and then on Adobe Systems Incorporated. For additional information about Temple’s Adobe site license program, click on the FAQs section of the Software Procurement page or contact Computer Business Services at 215-204-5000. For personal purchases of Adobe CS 4, please visit www.journeyed.com/select. Need Computer Assistance? Try TUhelp Requesting assistance from the Help Desk is now more convenient through TUhelp. With this easy to use self-service web site, you can request help with technical support issues. TUhelp enables you to:
To take advantage of this enhanced service, go to tuhelp.temple.edu. Euler Available for Large Computational Research Faculty and students who are engaged in large computational research may be interested in taking advantage of Euler, a high-end computer. Euler is a Linux-based, Sun Microsystems computer featuring 16 64-bit CPU cores and six terabytes of storage with over 15 data analysis programs, including SAS, S-PLUS, and Maple. This system, which is managed by Computer Services, is intended for use by any faculty member or student who needs high-end tools to perform computationally-based research or coursework. To learn about the software packages and programming languages available on the system, as well as how to obtain an account, please visit the Euler web site at: “First Fridays with Apple" Presents Troubleshooting the Mac On Friday, November 7, Michael Wolk, senior systems engineer at Apple, will be at the TECH Center to discuss tips for troubleshooting the Mac. This presentation is designed to help the typical Mac user keep their system healthy and know when it needs attention. The session will cover the basic parts of the Mac OS X system including Utilities, iApps, Pro Apps, tools, as well as basic troubleshooting steps. The class will be held in a lecture/demo format with plenty of time for discussion. This promises to be an informative and practical presentation for all Mac users. This event will take place in the TECH Center, room 111, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and is open to students, faculty, and staff. For more information, contact Johanna Inman at jinman@temple.edu. October As National Security Awareness Month comes to a close, please keep in mind the following security tips:
The new Adobe Acrobat 9 software was released to the University in early September 2008. The cost of the Acrobat 9 Pro license is $52.01, and the cost of the media is $1.75. Starting on October 13th, Computer Business Services will begin distributing free upgrades to eligible Temple license holders. To qualify, you must have purchased Acrobat Pro as a standalone product or as part of Adobe Creative Suite 3. In addition, you must have purchased the Adobe Upgrade Plan or purchased the software after June 1st, 2008. If you qualify to receive the upgrade, no action is required on your part. Computer Business Services will notify you via e-mail when the media is available for pickup. If you have any questions, please contact Computer Business Services at 215-204-5000. There will be an on-site training/demo seminar on Acrobat 9 featuring an Adobe systems engineer on October 27th. For details go to www.temple.edu/cs/training. ITUG to feature smart classrooms On Thursday, November 19th, the Instructional Technologies Users Group (ITUG) will present “Smart Classrooms: Getting the Most for your Course.” Almost half of all the classrooms on main campus are equipped with some level of smart technology. Computer Services staff will reveal what designates a classroom as "smart," what the different levels of smart classrooms mean, and how to use a smart classroom. There will be demonstrations showing the variety of ways instructors integrate the technology of a smart classroom with course materials and objectives. Attend this seminar and leave with new ideas for how to use this technology for your students' benefit. Faculty and staff are invited to attend this ITUG presentation in the TECH Center, room 111, from noon to 1:00 p.m. For additional information or to receive notifications of upcoming ITUG events, go to http://isc.temple.edu/itug. Events Planned for National Cyber Security Awareness Month October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Computer Services is teaming up with a number of universities and corporate entities throughout the country to observe this annual event. Temple’s information security team has scheduled several events on Main and HSC campuses to increase awareness about information security-related issues. At the forefront of our awareness campaign, we will be discussing phishing (pronounced fishing). Phishing is a technique in which scammers try to obtain personal information by creating and sending out e-mail messages that look like legitimate business correspondence. The e-mail messages include stolen logos and mimicked patterns of banks, credit card companies, and brokerage firms. These messages direct you to a fraudulent web site requesting that you update your personal information. Some recent scams have included Citibank, Washington Mutual, eBay, and PayPal, as well as several that appear to be coming from Temple’s own Computer Services department. To safeguard your privacy, please remember that you should NEVER give personal information over the phone to unsolicited sources, or in response to an e-mail. Also, you should NEVER open a link in an e-mail message unless you are absolutely positive that you know who the sender is. During October, we invite you to meet the Information Security staff at one of our information booths on Main Campus or at HSC. As part of our campaign, Computer Services will be displaying examples of phishing scams and will offer an online test to see how well you are able to spot a phish. We will also be handing out giveaways and informing the University community about the services we offer. For additional information about National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the information booth schedule, as well as tips on computer security, visit the Information Security web site. ITUG to Feature the Wiki Tool in Blackboard On Thursday, October 23rd, the Instructional Technologies Users Group (ITUG) will present “Extend the Classroom with Collaborative Writing Projects” to the Instructional Technologies Users Group (ITUG). This presentation will focus on using the Wiki feature in Blackboard as a tool to assist faculty in teaching students to work effectively in a group. Dr. Peter Marshall, assistant professor in the Psychology Department, is a developmental psychologist whose primary research focuses on the effect of early experience on brain development. In this ITUG meeting, Dr. Peter Marshall will share his experiences and ideas for using the Wiki tool in combination with group projects. Faculty and staff are invited to attend this ITUG presentation in the TECH Center, room 111, from noon to 1:00 p.m. To register, go to the Computer Services Training web site. For additional information or to receive notifications of upcoming ITUG events, contact Johanna Inman at: jinman@temple.edu September New wireless network debuts on Main Campus & HSC Temple now has a new wireless network for Main Campus and the Health Sciences Center called wifi4owls, providing Internet-only access. Connecting to this new network is very easy because you do not need to register or set up your computer in advance. To obtain access, you simply enter your AccessNet username and TUsecure password. The wifi4owls network is designed for general Internet wireless access. It is an unsecured network providing convenient access to the same resources that are available to you when connecting from home or from a public Wi-Fi hot spot, such as in a Starbucks. For more information, please go to www.temple.edu/cs/wireless. Take advantage of the "Ultimate Steal" Microsoft has reintroduced the “Ultimate Steal” promotion, effective through 12/31/10, which enables Temple students to purchase a copy of Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 (for Windows) for only $59.95. Included in the Microsoft Office Ultimate software suite are the following programs: Word 2007, Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, and Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager, Access 2007, Publisher 2007, OneNote 2007, Accounting Express 2008, Groove 2007, and Infopath 2007. In addition, students can purchase a copy of Visio Pro 2007 for $55.95, Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade with SP1 for $64.95 (must already have a version of Windows installed), and Office Language Packs for $9.95. To learn more about this promotion and to purchase the software, please visit www.theultimatesteal.com. Note that all purchases must be made via the Ultimate Steal web site only and that the prices are for a downloaded version of the software only; a DVD option is available at time of purchase for an additional fee. There is also a limit of one purchase per title per eligible student. Faculty and staff who are currently enrolled in at least .5 credit hours are eligible for this deal as well. For additional questions, contact Computer Business Services at 215-204-5000. Sign up for a Computer Services seminar in October Enhance your technology skills by signing up for a computer seminar. The workshops are free for Temple students, faculty and staff. During October, the following seminars will be offered: To learn more about these seminars and to register online, go to www.temple.edu/cs/seminars. “First Fridays with Apple” introduces iMovie ‘08 October’s “First Fridays with Apple” will feature an overview of iMovie ’08, a program that enables you to easily create, edit, and share simple videos. In this session you will learn how to: 1) import video files from a variety of sources and devices; 2) organize, catalog, and search your videos; and 3) add titles, scene transitions, background music, and voiceovers. The October “First Fridays with Apple” event will be held on October 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the TECH Center, room 111. Stronger Passwords Set for TUsecure The TUsecure initiative to standardize password security across Temple’s major systems is now in place. This project was a success largely because the University Community fully cooperated by creating stronger passwords and answering security questions. Now that this important framework has been established, you will be reminded every six months to change your password to continue this best security practice. Remember to always keep your password secure by not sharing it with anyone. Also, be aware that hackers will try and trick you into revealing your password through e-mail phishing scams. Temple University and any other legitimate organization will never request your password from you via an e-mail message. For more information on phishing, go to the Information Security web site. Fall ’08 "Technology at Temple" Guide Available During the summer, Computer Services made improvements in the following areas:
ITUG to Feature the New Grade Center in Blackboard On Thursday, September 18th, the Instructional Technologies Users Group (ITUG) will present “Blackboard 8 Grade Center.” The Grade Center features the ability to edit grades in a spreadsheet and filter grading views by section number, providing the opportunity to grade one section at a time. The Grade Center also offers new features for generating reports and the enhanced ability to control calculations. Faculty and staff are invited to attend this ITUG presentation in the TECH Center, room 111, from noon to 1:00 p.m. To register, go to the Computer Services Training web site. For additional information or to receive notifications of upcoming ITUG events, contact Johanna Inman at: jinman@temple.edu August The TECH (Teaching Education Collaboration and Help) Center has quickly become a major hub of activity on Temple’s Main Campus. Regarded as the largest student computing center in the nation, this facility offers a number of unique features to support the academic and social needs of students. Open 24 hours, the Center features over 600 computer workstations and loaner laptops as well as high-end printers and scanners. Specialty labs include video editing, music, language/interactive audio, graphic design, software development, audio recording booths, and a designated quiet study zone. The Help Desk, located on the first floor, offers technical support in person, by phone, and through e-mail and chat. Among the most popular resources in the TECH Center are 13 breakout rooms, which students can reserve in advance. Breakout rooms feature flat panel wall displays and computers set up for group interaction. Some of the rooms are equipped with multimedia, surround sound, a large screen, and a DVD/VCR console. In addition to providing state-of-the-art technology and round-the-clock access to technology resources, the TECH Center offers a variety of spaces for learning as well as socializing. Wireless access, flat panel displays, and convenient electrical outlets for recharging cell phones are a few of the numerous resources in the Center that support the today’s digital lifestyle. Students can watch cable TV from various plasma screens in lounge areas and from computer desktops in the labs. A unique vending machine in the Center caters to students by dispensing computer and school supplies as well as personal care items. A 24-hour Starbucks is also open on the first floor for light refreshments. For more information on Temple’s TECH Center, and to take a quick online tour, go to: Temple students can take advantage of high-speed Internet access and telephone service (including voice-mail) in University-owned residence halls. These services are amenities included with the price of the room. Straight forward procedures for setting up Internet access and using the phone service are available on a table tent card in each residence hall room. To set up high-speed Internet access, students simply: 1) connect their Ethernet cable between their computer and the red wall jack closest to their assigned bed and then, 2) go to the http://getconnected.temple.edu web site. The Get Connected web site takes students through the process of registering their computers for Internet service. To gain access to Temple's network, students also must install Temple’s Symantec Endpoint Protection software and to safeguard against viruses and other threats. The Get Connected process guides students through this procedure as well. Please note that the illegal downloading of music from peer-to-peer file sharing sites are strictly prohibited on Temple's network. Temple offers a legal alternative for PC access to free music for students through Ruckus. For information, go to: www.temple.edu/cs/ruckus. To use the University telephone service, students must bring their own touch-tone phone and use a prepaid calling card for making off-campus calls. To set up voice mail, students use the same http://getconnected.temple.edu web site mentioned above. During the initial move in period, Computer Services consultants will be in most residence hall lobbies to answer questions, assist with connection-related problems, and distribute the Technology at Temple guide. Students can also obtain assistance by contacting the Help Desk at 215-204-8000 or 1-8000. May Over the last few weeks, Temple has been hit by been a number of phishing scams. One of the scams consisted of legitimate-looking e-mail requesting login usernames and passwords. Many people at Temple responded to the various phishing scams and provided their account information. As a result, spammers are using these e-mail accounts to send out thousands, and maybe hundreds of thousands of spam messages. Consequently, Temple was placed on numerous spam alert lists that automatically blocked our outgoing e-mail from being delivered. In response to the attacks, Computer Services is continually monitoring our systems, has implemented a junk-mail filtering for outgoing e-mail, and is trying hard to restore our good standing in the Internet community. Be aware that these types of attacks are likely to continue. To safeguard your identity, be wary of any e-mail that asks for your personal information. Always remember that Temple will never ask you to send your password in an e-mail. The only legitimate way to change your account information is by going directly to the accounts.temple.edu web site. Be aware that some of these phishing scams may also ask you to dial a phone number and give your personal information. These should be treated in the same manner as those messages that request you to e-mail your information. If you do ever fall victim to such a scam, immediately contact the Computer Services Help Desk at 215-204-8000. For more information on ways to protect yourself from phishing scams, go to: http://www.temple.edu/cs/security/phishing. Surplus computers offered at bargain prices Have you ever wondered what happens to all the surplus computers collected from Temple University departments? Did you know the University has a Computer Recycling Center? Better yet, did you know you can get a used Dell or Gateway computer with a Pentium IV processor and a 17" monitor for approximately $50? Used surplus computer equipment is available to purchase through the Computer Recycling Center's online web store only. The program is open to current Temple University faculty and staff with a valid Temple OWLcard and AccessNet account. To view a list of available equipment or to obtain more information about the program, log in to the Computer Recycling Center's web site at http://crc.temple.edu. Note that prices vary and the inventory changes daily. Before making a purchase, please read all the program rules and limitations. Finally, you must submit all purchases online; the CRC does not accept walk-ins. Macintosh support workshop to be offered On Friday, June 6, the Computer Services Instructional Support Center (ISC) will conduct a free Mac OS X support workshop for Temple University IT professionals. This workshop is designed for IT staff who are new to supporting the Mac OS or have supported earlier versions and would like to update their skills. Even someone already familiar with the Macintosh, however, may benefit from this workshop by picking up new troubleshooting techniques. The workshop will cover basic components of Mac OS X including iApps, Pro Apps, tools & utilities, dual-booting and Windows emulation, as well as basic troubleshooting steps. The workshop will be conducted in a lecture/demo format and will allow plenty of time for discussion. The ISC staff will be available after the class portion to answer questions for those who have specific needs. The workshop will take place in the TECH Center, Room 111, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. For more information, please contact the ISC at 215-204-8529. Last week, a fraudulent e-mail message was sent to many Temple e-mail accounts. The message appeared to come from an address called TEMPLE TEAM and had a subject line of “FINAL VERIFICATION OF YOUR TEMPLE EMAIL ACCOUNT.” While the message appeared legitimate, it was in fact a “phishing” scam, designed to steal personal information. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, thousands of users at over 86 college campuses have recently received these types of fraudulent e-mail messages. Unlike other such phishing scams, that appear to come from financial institutions, these attacks have been unique as they pretended to come from college computer services departments. The high volume of spam e-mail that this attack generated, overwhelmed Temple’s TUmail system and caused a major slowdown in the delivery of mail. Computer Services worked diligently to investigate these issues and resume normal e-mail delivery. To safeguard your identity, it is always a good idea to be wary of any e-mail that asks for your personal information. Temple would never contact you, for example, to request that you divulge a password, Social Security number, or credit card number. The safest bet is usually to just delete this type of message. If you do ever fall victim to such a scam, immediately contact the Computer Services Help Desk at 215-204-8000. For more information on ways to protect yourself from phishing scams, go to: http://www.temple.edu/cs/security/phishing. Academic Mac apps to be previewed On Friday, May 2, Computer Services staff will explore some of the free and low-cost Macintosh applications available for academic tasks, such as managing bibliographies, taking notes, engaging in semi-structured writing, and managing/annotating journal articles and other digital files. These Macintosh applications tend to be small and self-contained, as they are optimized for specific tasks. They do, however, work well with other applications and can easily share files. Many academic users have put together their own customized suite of applications based on their particular writing and research needs. The event will take place in the TECH Center, room 107, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and is open to students, faculty, and staff. TECH Center printing goes duplex As part of Temple’s sustainability effort, double-sided (duplex) printing will become the default option in the TECH Center. This change is scheduled begin on May 19 to coincide with the First Summer Session. In a recent survey, 88% of Temple students supported duplex printing as the default setting. Not only will double-sided printing save paper, it will maximize student printing quotas, as a double-sided printout counts as only one sheet. Students will still have the option, however, to choose single-sided printing, if desired. To learn more about the student print quota, go to www.temple.edu/cs/policies/printingpolicy.pdf. April Update your voice mail for vacation If you are going on vacation, you may want to record an extended absence voice mail to let callers know that you are out of the office. To record the greeting: 1. Dial “1-9595” (on campus) or “215-204-9595” (off campus) to enter the voice mail system. To remove the extended absence greeting, follow the first three steps. You will then hear a message reminding you that you have an active extended absence greeting. Press “2” to delete the message and restore your standard message. Let TUmail reply to your e-mail while you’re away When you go on vacation, consider adding an automatic e-mail reply. An automatic e-mail reply, sometimes known as vacation message, is a short message that notifies anyone who sends you e-mail that you are not available to reply. In the message, for example, you can list the dates you will be away and, if you wish, name a backup contact person. To create an automatic reply message in TUmail: 1. Click “Options” on the left of the TUmail window and select “Automatic Reply.” Now, when e-mail is sent to your account, the sender will automatically receive your reply. If you want, you can check that this option is working by sending yourself a test message. You will see that the test message will arrive in your Inbox as well as your automatic reply. Note that if a sender sends multiple messages to your account during a seven-day period, he or she will receive only one automatic reply. To stop the automatic reply option, follow the first two steps and then click “Stop.” TECH Center open 24 hours a day for final exams To accommodate students finishing end-of-semester projects and studying for exams, the TECH Center will be open 24 hours a day, including Saturday and Sunday, starting on Sunday, April 27, at 11:00 a.m. and continuing through Wednesday, May 14, at 9:30 p.m. Starting May 15, intersession hours will take effect. For more information about the TECH Center, go to the TECH Center web site. Microsoft software available for home Through the Microsoft Campus Agreement's Work-At-Home Software Distribution Program, eligible Temple University faculty and staff can install one copy of selected Microsoft software at no charge on a personally-owned computer, for work-related purposes only. The program pertains to the following software products:
Students and employees who work in departments where a computer is not necessary to perform their regular job duties are ineligible to participate in this program. In addition, employees who leave the University must cease using the software and remove it from their home PC. The software is distributed by Computer Business Services, University Services Building, 1601 N. Broad St, Room 402, every Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., excluding holidays. You must come in person, with your Temple ID and one completed copy of the Work at Home license agreement. To print out the agreement and get more details, please visit Computer Business Services Microsoft Work-At-Home Software Distribution Program web page at www.temple.edu/cs/business/sslp/msworkathome.htm. Students can purchase “clickers” online TurningPoint is a classroom performance system that enables instructors to obtain immediate feedback from their students. By using a response pad, also referred to as a "clicker," students can answer questions, respond to surveys, take opinion polls, and much more. Instructors can also use this technology to take attendance. Tip: Quickly capture and crop a screen shot If you are creating a Word or PowerPoint 2007 document and you need to quickly include a screen shot, follow these instructions: ITUG to feature a preview of Blackboard 8 On Thursday, April 17, the Instructional Technologies Users Group (ITUG) will present “Preview of Blackboard 8.” Blackboard 8 includes a redesigned Grade Book, called the Grade Center, that provides the ability to edit grades in a spreadsheet, filter grades by section number, and generate reports. Additional enhancements to Blackboard will also be discussed, such as SafeAssign, a new plagiarism detection feature, and Blackboard Scholar. Faculty and staff are invited to attend the ITUG presentation in the TECH Center, room 111, from noon to 1:00 p.m. For more information, visit the ITUG web site. For additional information or to receive notifications of upcoming ITUG events, contact Johanna Inman at: jinman@temple.edu When you first get a new PC, it boots up instantly and pops up screens almost immediately. As you use your computer, however, certain characteristics inherent to the Windows operating system cause your system to slow down. Fortunately, you can help reverse the process by tuning up your PC. The hard drive on your computer stores the operating system, programs, and documents as well as a number of temporary files used by Windows, web browsers, and other applications. Some of these temporary files are deleted, some are kept for future use, and some unnecessary files remain on your computer. To improve system performance, you should periodically delete temporary files from the hard drive. In addition, you should also run the Disk Defragmenter. The Disk Defragmenter utility rearranges files which have become scattered on your hard drive and makes them contiguous again. To delete temporary files:
To run the Disk Defragmenter:
If you need assistance with this process, contact the Help Desk at 215-204-8000 or help@temple.edu. On Friday, April 4, Michael Wolk, senior systems engineer at Apple, will be at the TECH Center to demonstrate iPhoto. iPhoto automatically organizes your photo library and makes editing as easy as clicking your mouse, so you can get the most out of even the biggest collection. Using iPhoto, you can create and share albums via e-mail or create web pages, cards, and calendars. The event will take place in the TECH Center, room 109, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and is open to students, faculty, and staff. Take advantage of the “Ultimate Steal” Through a new Microsoft promotion called the “Ultimate Steal,” Temple students can now purchase a copy of Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for only $59.95. Included in the Microsoft Office Ultimate software suite are the following programs: Word 2007, Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager, Access 2007, Publisher 2007, OneNote 2007, Accounting Express 2007, Groove 2007, and Infopath 2007. The “Ultimate Steal” ends on April 30, 2008. To learn more about this exciting promotion and to purchase the software, please visit www.theultimatesteal.com. Note that the $59 price is for a downloaded version of the software only; a DVD option is available at time of purchase for an additional fee. There is also a limit of one purchase per eligible student. TUportal offers tools for employees TUportal offers employees a single sign-on gateway to multiple administrative applications and systems. By clicking on the Staff Tools tab, employees can access and complete interactive forms online, view current leave balances, and view organizational hierarchy information. In addition, there are direct links to Official University Class Lists, Employee Self Service, Effort Reporting, Org Chart, Performance Development System, SIMS, Time Collection, and Workflow. To access TUportal, go to tuportal.temple.edu. Increase your TUmail viewing space You can easily increase the number of messages displayed on the TUmail screen. The default option is 20 messages, but you can increase the number to a maximum of 500 messages. To change the number of messages that appear on each page of your message list, click on the Preferences option on the left of the TUmail window. In the Message Count box, enter the number of messages and then click on OK. March Be aware of Temple's file-sharing policy It is important for students, faculty, and staff to remain in compliance with Temple's peer-to-peer file-sharing policy. The policy states that it is strictly prohibited to use "Temple University's computer network to illegally download or share copyrighted materials, including music, games, and videos." The peer-to-peer file-sharing policy is available online at www.temple.edu/cs/policies. If your computer has illegally downloaded files or file-sharing programs, such as Limewire or Ares, please remove them. Computer Services will not provide support for computers with peer-to-peer file-sharing software. Free up space in your TUmail account With the change of season, it’s a good time to do some spring cleaning on your TUmail account. The easiest way to create additional space in your TUmail account is by deleting the largest messages. These messages typically contain attachments such as Word and PowerPoint files, as well as .jpg files. To remove large attachments from your e-mail account: 1. Click on “Size” to sort your messages. If the largest messages do not display, click on “Size” again. Delete the messages that you no longer need, especially the large ones. Then, delete the messages from your Inbox. If there are attachments you wish to keep, save them to your computer so they do not take up space in your TUmail account. Don’t forget that you can also store files using the mybackpack.temple.edu web site. If you have any questions about using TUmail, contact the Help Desk at help@temple.edu or 215-204-8000. Tip: Remove headers and footers on web printouts Did you know you can remove the headers and footers when you print web pages? To remove the headers and footers in Internet Explorer 7: 1. If the menu bar is displayed, you can skip this step. If you don’t see the menu bar, click on “Tools” and then select “Menu Bar.” To remove the headers and footers in Mozilla Firefox: 1. Click on “File” and then “Page Setup.” Through a new initiative from Microsoft called DreamSpark, Temple students can now download a suite of professional Microsoft software developer and design tools at no charge. These tools include Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, Expression Studio, Windows Server 2003, and XNA Game Studio 2.0. Students can obtain this software from a special page on the Journey Ed web site (www.journeyed.com/itemDetail.asp?ItmNo=11111726). On this web page, click on the Add to Cart link and then click on Checkout. You will then be prompted through a check out process and will verify that you are a current student. When the Checkout process is completed, you will receive an e-mail with a link and access code that directs you to the Microsoft DreamSpark download site. For more information about the exciting new DreamSpark program, including a list of all available products, go to the following Microsoft web site: https://downloads.channel8.msdn.com. Note: Students should not attempt to order from the Microsoft web site, but only through the Journey Ed web site. Don't Get Hooked by Phishing Scams Along with spam and viruses, a new online danger called phishing has emerged. The term phishing (pronounced fishing) is used because scammers try to reel you in to take their bait. “Phishers” present themselves as familiar, legitimate businesses in order to first gain your trust and then acquire your personal information. Phishers send out e-mail messages that look official because they use the stolen logos and mimicked patterns of banks, credit card companies, and brokerage firms in an attempt to direct you to their web site. For example, the messages may appear to come from banks such as Mellon, Washington Mutual, or Citibank or businesses such as PayPal or e-Bay. Often, the messages request that you update your information by clicking on a link. Once you go to the bogus site that looks legitimate, you will be asked to enter passwords, credit card, bank, or Social Security Numbers, or other personal information. If you enter this information, scammers will have access to illegally use your account. For more information on phishing and ways to protect yourself from this scam technique, please go to www.temple.edu/cs/security/phishing. Take the fast lane to web sites If you use Internet Explorer or Firefox, you can get to a .com web site quickly by minimizing the web address that you enter in the location box. To go to a .com site, you need only type the domain name, such as cnn or staples, and then press the Ctrl + Enter keys. The browser automatically enters the full address and takes you directly to the web site. Temple network upgrade continues Computer Services continues to work on the multi-year project to upgrade the entire Temple University network—TUnet. The goals of this project are to increase bandwidth and eliminate any single point of failure, resulting in a network with increased performance and reliability. It is vital to our mission to ensure that the telecommunications infrastructure functions reliably, stays up-to-date, and remains capable of supporting the rapid growth in technological advances. Throughout the upgrade, the Office of Telecommunications has been keeping the University informed about areas affected by the scheduled work. During February, the following upgrades took place:
Computer Services is aware of the critical nature of the network and thus performs the majority of work in the middle of the night. We will continue to do everything possible to minimize interruption in network service. We apologize for any inconvenience that you may experience and will continue to keep you informed of our progress and notify you in advance of scheduled work and maintenance periods. ISC to present technology symposium During spring break, the Instructional Support Center (ISC) will sponsor “Teaching with Technology Symposium 2008: Tools and Techniques to Deliver and Manage Instruction.” This event will take place on Tuesday, March 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Tech Center, room 111 The Teaching with Technology Symposium is designed to encourage and help faculty find new ways to incorporate technology into their courses. This session will explore a variety of topics such as podcasting, blogs, wikis, online library resources, classroom response systems, online assessment tools, and other tools and tips to broaden the learning experience for students. For additional information or to register for this event, visit the Computer Services Training web site or contact the ISC at 215-204-0789. Employee Self Service hours extended The hours that you can access the Employee Self Service (ESS) web site have been extended. Through the ESS web site, employees can view their pay stubs, check current leave balances, enroll in and manage direct deposit, and more. To access ESS, go to http://ess.temple.edu and log in with your AccessNet username and password. You can also access ESS through TUportal. The new hours are as follows:
February Upgrade to Microsoft Office 2007 Microsoft Office 2007 contains many new enhancements. If you haven’t yet upgraded, now is a good time to consider doing so. To start, verify that your current system meets the requirements to run Office 2007 by going to www.microsoft.com/office/products. Faculty and staff can obtain Office 2007 Enterprise for their work computers at no charge by submitting a request to http://tuhelp.temple.edu. Eligible faculty and staff are also entitled to a copy of Office 2007 Enterprise for their home computer for work-related purposes. For more information, go to www.temple.edu/cs/business/sslp/msworkathome.htm. Students can obtain Office 2007 at a significant academic discount from Journey Ed (www.journeyed.com/select). Before upgrading to Office 2007, please keep the following items in mind:
Sharing Microsoft Office 2007 files If you can’t upgrade to Office 2007 at this time, you can obtain a free converter for Office 2003 and XP that will enable you to open and save files in the new Office 2007 format. This converter is called “Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats.” To download it, go to www.microsoft.com/downloads and click on the link under “Popular Downloads.” If you use Office 2007 and are sharing files with someone using an older version of Office who does not have the free converter, you can specify that files be saved in an earlier format. To save a file in an earlier version of Office:
To specify that all files be saved, by default, in an older format:
Recycle old University-owned computer equipment There's a home for all of your old computer equipment — the Computer Recycling Center (CRC). All departments with a budget code are eligible to submit surplus computer equipment to the CRC. To recycle equipment, complete the online Computer Surplus Form and the CRC will pick up your University-owned equipment. The surplus form as well as information about recycling personal equipment is available on the CRC web site. For additional information, contact the CRC at 215-204-4749 or crc@temple.edu. ITUG to feature TurningPoint On Thursday, February 28, the Instructional Technologies Users Group (ITUG) will present: "Classroom Response Systems: Encouraging Student Interactivity." This ITUG seminar will highlight TurningPoint which enables instructors to display questions, surveys, opinion polls, and complex problems through a PowerPoint presentation. Using a response pad, also called "clicker," students can answer questions, respond to surveys, take opinion polls, and much more. The responses are then tallied and displayed on the screen. Faculty and staff are invited to attend the ITUG presentation in the TECH Center, room 111, from noon to 1:00 p.m. During this time, a webcast of the event will be presented on the HSC campus in Kresge Hall, classroom D. A webcast of the ITUG seminars will also be available at: http://breeze.temple.edu/itug For more information, visit the ITUG web site. ITUG is a forum for Temple faculty to learn about and share their experiences using the latest computer technologies in an educational environment. These forums, which take place on Main Campus during the fall and spring semesters, are typically held on the third Thursday of each month from noon to 1:00 p.m. For additional information or to receive notifications of upcoming ITUG events, contact Johanna Inman at: jinman@temple.edu Tip: Converting Office 2007 files to PDF Office 2007 enables you to export most files into Portable Document Format (PDF). To do this: 1. Click on the Office 2007 logo in the upper left portion of the screen. ITUG event to focus on Podcasts On Thursday, February 21, the Instructional Technology Users Group (ITUG) will present its first event of 2008: “Finding Podcasts to Enhance Course Content.” ITUG is a forum for Temple faculty members to learn about and share their experiences using the latest computer technologies in an educational environment. Podcasts are a great way to enhance learning and expand course content. However finding relevant and effective sources for this technology can seem daunting. This ITUG session will explore a variety of places to find podcasts as well as tips for integrating this media with course content. Topics include: definition of a podcast, finding high quality podcasts to enhance course content, how to use podcasts in a course, why podcasts can be a valuable learning tool, and licensing/copyright considerations. Faculty and staff are invited to attend the ITUG presentation in the TECH Center, room 111, from noon to 1:00 p.m. The event will be presented by Paul Muller, Senior Technical Support Specialist & Independent Media Producer. For more information, visit the ITUG web site at isc.temple.edu/itug. TECHminutes debut at the TECH Center Interested in learning about a computer-related topic during lunch? Then stop by the TECH Center for TECHminutes, a new Computer Services event where you can get a 15-minute demonstration of technology topics, such as:
TECHminutes takes place during the first Tuesday and third Wednesday of each month on the 2nd floor lobby of the TECH Center during the fall and spring semesters. There are four sessions between 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. Each session includes a door prize giveaway, so don’t miss out. For more information about TECHminutes, to sign up for automatic e-mail reminders, and to suggest future topics, go to www.temple.edu/cs/training/techminutes. Security Tip: Purchase Symantec AntiVirus for Home Temple University is offering Symantec AntiVirus software to Temple students, faculty, and staff for home use at a minimal cost. Under Temple's current agreement, you are eligible to use this software and obtain virus definition updates through June 30, 2009. Current students, faculty, and staff are eligible to purchase one Symantec Antivirus Software CD for each home computer. The cost is $8 per CD payable by employee payroll deduction or added to students' tuition bill. Note that you must present a valid Temple OWLcard at the time of purchase and also sign a form acknowledging purchase. For more information and a list of purchase locations, go to www.temple.edu/cs/security/virusinfo/antiviruscd.htm. Spring '08 "Technology at Temple" guide available For an overview of the University’s computer resources, explore the current edition of the “Technology at Temple” guide. The guide offers a snapshot of TUportal features, a Checklist available for a smooth move If you are planning a move to another office, you will probably need to relocate a number of resources, such as your computer and telephone. In addition, you may have to change your personnel data and information in the Cherry & White pages, as well as your parking lot assignment. Computer Services has compiled a Checklist for Relocating Resources to help you coordinate the changes affected by moving to another office. This list includes service departments, charges, and time frames for completing requests as well as links to forms that you can download or submit online. Creating a mailing group in TUmail If you frequently send the same message to more than one individual, consider taking advantage of the group feature in TUmail. When you create a group, you create a name for the group and select the addresses from your TUmail address book. To create a group: To send mail to a group: For more information on using TUmail features, go to www.temple.edu/cs/tumail. January
Now that Temple has selected SunGard’s Banner as the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the project is quickly moving forward. This $38 million initiative, now called “Enterprise,” will have a major impact on all aspects of the university and will streamline and enhance Temple’s administrative functions. An Executive Steering Committee comprised of high-level and senior Temple management has been meeting on a regular basis to provide direction for the project and make major decisions. Full-time project managers for Temple and SunGard have also been appointed. Working project teams representing academic and administrative units throughout the university are also in place. Project Enterprise team members have attended training sessions on analyzing and diagramming business processes. Members of the finance, human resources, and the student project teams are now in the process evaluating and documenting current business processes in their functional areas. Space on the 4th floor of the TECH Center will be available soon to allow dedicated project members to focus and collaborate. The space includes a thirty-seat training room for training project team members, as well as the Temple community, on using the Banner system. Over the winter break, the computer hardware was installed, including approximately 60 Dell Windows and Linux servers. The project will be implemented in a series of major modules (such as finance, human resources, and student) and will take four to five years to complete. A high-level overall project plan is being developed and will be released in February. The first application planned for launch is “fsaAtlas,” which will be used to store information about international students. Computer Services will continue to keep you informed of the status and major milestones of the Enterprise project. A Project Enterprise web site is under development and will be announced soon. Update Your Emergency Contact Information Last semester, Temple implemented an emergency notification system, called MIR3. This system is designed to quickly broadcast alerts to the campus community via e-mail, text messaging, TDD/TTY, land lines, and cell phones. If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment to enter your information by following the instructions below. If you are a faculty member, please encourage your students to update their information. Faculty and Staff: Students: Special Adobe Discounts Available for Faculty and Staff For a limited time, Temple faculty and staff can take advantage of discounted prices on selected Adobe software for personal use. The offer is comparable to student prices with savings up to 85% off commercial prices. For example, Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, and Acrobat), which lists for $1,799, is available for only $309.98. Typical educational pricing ranges from $590–$640. This special offer is scheduled to end on March 15, 2008. To view the available Adobe products and to place an order, go to the JourneyEd web site. If you have any questions, contact Journey Ed at 800-874-9001 or Computer Business Services at 215-204-5000 (1-5000). Blackboard and TurningPoint Upgraded During the winter recess, the Blackboard system was upgraded to version 7.3 and the TurningPoint (clicker) software was upgraded to version 2008. The new version of Blackboard improves the Discussion Board interface and resolves an issue related to the appearance of Discussion Board posts. This upgrade also provides customized enhancements to the following tools:
The TurningPoint upgrade ensures compatibility with Office 2007 and also offers enhancements such as plug and play hardware setup, expanded reporting options, and multiple language support. TurningPoint 2008 is available as a free download from the Help Desk web site. Note that electronic user manuals are included with the downloaded software. Additional information about Blackboard and TurningPoint is available on the “How-To” page of the Instructional Support Center (ISC) web site. You can also contact the ISC at the following locations: Main Campus, TECH Center, room 110 (215-204-8529)
|
|