News Items for 2009

March

Microsoft Software Available for Home Use

Temple full-time and part-time employees who use a computer to perform their regular job duties are entitled to install one copy of selected Microsoft software at no charge on a personally owned computer. (Student workers are not eligible.) The software must be used for work-related purposes only.

This benefit is available through the Microsoft Campus Agreement's Work-At-Home Software Distribution Program. The program includes the following software products:

• Office 2007 Enterprise and Office 2003 Professional (PC)
• Office 2008 and Office 2004 Professional (Macintosh)
• Windows XP
• Vista Home Ultimate

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 stop 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. Please bring your Temple ID and a completed copy of “MS Work at Home Agreement.” For a copy of this form, go to http://forms.temple.edu and click Computer Business Services.

Additional details about the Microsoft Work-At-Home Software Distribution Program are available on the Computer Business Services web site at: www.temple.edu/cs/business/sslp/msworkathome.htm

ITUG to Preview the Blackboard Content System

On Wednesday, March 25, the Instructional Technologies Users Group (ITUG) will present a preview of the Blackboard Content System. This new feature in Blackboard provides numerous document management and collaboration features. During this seminar, you will learn how the Content System enables you to:

• Store files.
• Upload multiple documents simultaneously to your Blackboard courses.
• Edit documents directly in your Blackboard courses.
• Link a document to multiple Blackboard courses.
• Use shared folders to write and edit collaborative documents.

Faculty and staff are invited to attend this ITUG presentation in the TECH Center, room 111, from noon to 1:00 p.m. Faculty who attend will have the option of getting advanced access to the Content System. For additional information or to receive notifications of upcoming ITUG events, go to http://isc.temple.edu/itug.

Apple Presents Final Cut Pro 6

On Friday, April 3, Michael Wolk, senior systems engineer at Apple, will demonstrate Final Cut Pro 6. This software application, developed by Apple, delivers professional non-linear editing and supports mixed video formats.

This event will take place in the TECH Center, room 111, from 10:00 a.m. to noon and is open to students, faculty, and staff. For more information, contact Johanna Inman at jinman@temple.edu.

Obtain latest antivirus software for home

You can now purchase the latest Symantec security software used on Temple’s campus for your Windows-based computer at home. The software, called Symantec Endpoint Protection, contains a suite of products combining antivirus, personal firewall, and desktop intrusion prevention software. This program will protect against viruses, worms, spyware, rootkits, keyloggers, bots, and other malware.

Current students, faculty, and staff are eligible to purchase one Symantec Endpoint Protection CD for each home computer. The cost is only $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.
If you previously purchased a copy of Symantec AntiVirus from Temple, you can download a free copy of Symantec Endpoint Protection by going to http://download.temple.edu. For minimum requirements and a list of purchase locations, go to www.temple.edu/cs/security/virusinfo.

Note for Mac Users: Symantec Endpoint Protection is not available for the Macintosh. If you own a Mac with Mac OS 10.4 or higher, you can instead purchase Temple’s Symantec Antivirus at the same  locations for the same discounted price.

Recycle old computer equipment

Temple departments can surplus University-owned computer equipment through Temple’s Computer Recycling Center (CRC). This service is provided at no charge to the University. To arrange for a pickup of your old equipment, complete the online Computer Surplus form, located at www.temple.edu/cs/crc.

For personal computer equipment, Dell and Goodwill International now offer free e-cycling through the Reconnect program. Drop off your old equipment at an area Goodwill store to have it disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. You will also receive a receipt for tax purposes. For more information and to find the location nearest you, go to www.reconnectpartnership.com.

Dell has also launched Dell Exchange, a free online trade-in system that enables you to exchange various electronics products for Dell gift cards. For more information, go to www.dell.com/tradein.

February

Need computer assistance? Try TUhelp

Help with technology-related issues is now a convenient click away with the TUhelp website. Simply go to http://tuhelp.temple.edu, enter your AccessNet username and password, click Request Help, and then enter the necessary information. After you submit your request, a Help Desk consultant will work behind the scenes to review your request and provide progress notes for you to review on the TUhelp site. TUhelp also enables you to submit questions about your request, view the history of past requests, and cancel submitted requests.

In addition to requesting technology assistance through the TUhelp web site, you can also stop by the Help Desk on Main Campus in the TECH Center, Room 106, call 215-204-8000, or send e-mail to help@temple.edu.

To learn more about Help Desk services, go to www.temple.edu/cs/helpdesk.

Adobe CS4 software products released

On February 2, Computer Business Services received approval to release the Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) software product line for on-campus use by faculty and staff. All current and new Adobe software orders will be filled with CS4 software. All Creative Suite 3 (CS3) software orders that included the Adobe Upgrade Plan as well as orders that were processed and filled after October 2, 2008 will automatically receive free upgrades to CS4 products in the coming weeks.

Additional information about Adobe products is available on the Computer Business Services website at www.temple.edu/cs/business/sslp/adobe.htm. If you have any questions, please contact Computer Business Services at 215-204-5000 (1-5000).

Respondus site license due to expire on July 31

The current site license for Respondus will expire on July 31, 2009. Respondus is a software application that enables instructors to create and manage assessments and surveys offline that can be printed or published to Blackboard.

Instructors who wish to use Respondus after that date can purchase this product directly from the company website at www.respondus.com.  Individuals who do not plan to renew their Respondus license must upload exams and question pools to their Blackboard course(s) before the site license expires.

TUmarketplace Resources Expanded

TUmarketplace Beta is Temple's new online one-stop shopping site where authorized staff members can browse, buy, and take advantage of automatic payment for departmental purchases up to $5,000. This innovative resource enables authorized Temple staff to conveniently browse through items offered by some University-contracted vendors and quickly place orders.

TUmarketplace was recently updated to include Alpha Office Supplies and Dupli Graphics. Authorized staff should now use TUmarketplace whenever making departmental purchases from these vendors.

In addition, TUmarketplace was updated to assign "punch-out" status to Fisher Scientific.  Punch-out status enables staff to obtain quotes from Fisher and use these quotes when submitting orders. See your Fisher representative for information on their "MY QUOTES" system feature.

To learn how to access TUmarketplace, go to www.temple.edu/purchasing/tumarketplace. The site also includes a link to online training modules and a list of vendors available in TUmarketplace.

Locate Campus Buildings in TUportal

Log in to TUportal and you will see a Temple Buildings section listing building codes, a link to their corresponding name, and a Google Maps satellite photo showing their exact location. Simply click on the building code link to access the name and location information. New building locations have recently been added and you can now list the buildings by building code or by name. To access TUportal, go to http://tuportal.temple.edu.

ITUG to feature "Integrating the Library into Blackboard"

On Wednesday, February 11th, the Instructional Technologies Users Group
(ITUG) will present "Integrating the Library into Blackboard."

Fred Rowland, Reference Librarian at Paley Library, will present a series of methods to integrate library resources into Blackboard. Topics will include: Blackboard SafeAssign and Preventing Plagiarism, Blackboard initiatives at Temple Libraries, Library Express Options, Blackboard Content Packages, and Blackboard Course Guides.

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.

Apple presents iTunes U

On Friday, February 13, Michael Wolk, senior systems engineer at Apple, will demonstrate iTunes U. Apple's iTunes U is a part of the iTunes Store featuring free lectures, language lessons, audiobooks, and more, that you can enjoy on your personal computer, iPod, or even post to Blackboard. In iTunes U students and professors can explore over 100,000 educational audio and video files from top universities, museums, and public media organizations from around the world. 

This event will take place in the TECH Center, Room 111, from 10:00 a.m.
to 12:00 noon and is open to students, faculty, and staff. For more information, contact Johanna Inman at jinman@temple.edu.

January

Spring ‘09 "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
summary of popular classroom tools, information on getting connected to Temple's technology resources, and much more. To review the guide, go to: www.temple.edu/cs/TechnologyAtTemple.pdf

Student e-mail migrated to new system

In late fall, Computer Services worked on migrating student e-mail accounts to a new e-mail system called “TUmail powered by Google.” The migration of more than 37,000 active student e-mail accounts has been completed.

“TUmail powered by Google” offers students a number of enhancements to Temple's old TUmail system including:
• Over 7GB of storage space—which is more than 100 times the current student TUmail quota.
• Useful collaboration tools such as Google Docs and Sites.
• Shared calendars with a variety of event reminder options.
• Familiar, powerful Google search engine with advanced features to find messages quickly.

For more details about this project, go to www.temple.edu/cs/students/email.

Take advantage of software discounts

If you are planning on purchasing software for your personal use, don’t forget to take advantage of educational software discounts. The substantially discounted prices, available to students as well as faculty and staff, are possible through a partnership that Temple has with a number of vendors. In order to qualify for the reduced prices, you may have to fax a copy of your Temple ID card to the company to confirm your University status.

For additional information and a list of vendors, go to the Computer Business Services web site at www.temple.edu/cs/business and click on Personal Purchase at the bottom of the left menu.

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, visit the Euler web site at.