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ITS Coffee Break for Mon., Aug. 7, 2006

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Ken and Courtney give a rundown of changes to Novell Native File Access on the Mac and the upcoming ITS scheduled outage, and then talk about the new “Deleting Online Predators Act” approved by the House of Representatives. They also give a report on the recent “LVAIC Technology in the Classroom” presentation held at Cedar Crest College, and offer their thoughts on some of technologies demoed, including using green screens for instructional video, Unreal Tournament for teaching, and wireless “clickers” for classroom participation. My Odeo Channel (odeo/0e3ec7f46b37aade)

Getting the Podcast

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Show Notes

ITS News

  • Mac Users who now login using the Native File Access will see their personal space labeled U_Drive now instead of StudentHome.
    • If you have never used the NFA shortcuts or if you’re using older shortcuts, the updated version is available on the software download page of the ITS website.
  • Scheduled outage
    • Wednesday, August 9, from 12AM to 7AM.
    • All Internet traffic and network services will be affected for all or part of the maintenance period.

Tech News

  • Congress targets social network sites: Deleting Online Predators Act, or DOPA
    • Actually part of a poll-driven effort as a topic important to suburban voters
    • Federal law to require most schools and libraries to render MySpace, Facebook, LiveJournal Web sites inaccessible to minors
    • (Shameless plug for the MySpace/Facebook workshop on August 10 from 10-12)
    • CNET Story: Chat rooms could face expulsion
      http://news.com.com/Chat+rooms+could+face+expulsion/2100-1028_3-6099414.html
  • LVAIC Technology in the Classroom report
    • Using Video for excel competency programs at Lehigh
      • Used croma-key (green screen) so that instructor is visible along with presentation.
      • Made us want to get a green screen
    • Using wireless response systems
      • Create questions in PowerPoint that can be answered using a keypad.
      • Results are immediate and usually anonymous
      • Increase engagement
      • Set the librarians use may get hijacked for experimentation.
    • Gaming in English? No Way!
      • http://edufrag.blogspot.com
      • Instructor uses the no-shooter version of UnReal Tournament 2004 to create grammar mazes.
      • Good for test review, etc.
      • Makes us want to do an ITS version of Unreal Tournament and a game night

Help News

  • Blackboard
    • Course sites can be requested using the online form on the ITS website
    • Workshop on Tuesdays, Aug 15 and Aug 22 from 10-noon (register online)
    • Offer Blackboard quick training for students?
  • Orientation to the smart classrooms being scheduled. Check the site for the addition.

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ITS Coffee Break for Mon, July 31, 2006

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The ITS Coffee Break crew takes a look at the new Parallels virtualization software that allows you to easily run Windows, Linux and other operating system under Mac OS X. Courtney and Ken then launch into a discussion of video blogs, explaining what they are, offering a few technology/web culture/geek centric examples, and speculate on possible roles for vlogs in academia.

Getting the Podcast

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Show Notes

ITS News

Tech News

  • Vlogs/Vidcasts
    • I've been looking for some good (albeit geeky) video podcasts, and I've finally found them.
      • commandN
      • Diggnation
      • GeekBrief TV
      • Geek Entertainment
        • Irregularly published vlog covering geek culture, including robot fights, nerd salons, and new web sites. Lots of man-on-the-street interviews.
        • http://www.geekentertainment.tv

Help News

ITS Coffee Break for Tue., July 25, 2006

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The podcast begins with a recap of last week's email server problems, and then announces the creation of the new ITS Network Redsign blog on Soapbox. Tech news focuses on the trend of corporations attempting to make their own social networking web sites to cash in on the success of MySpace … with less than stellar results. Finally, Help Topics looks at upcoming workshops, including one that focuses on “MySpace and Facebook” and another that looks at what learning objects are available for use by faculty.

Getting the Podcast

There are several ways to get the podcast:

Show Notes

ITS News

  • Email Server Problems
    • The e-mail server died last week when it didn't shut down properly during the electrical storm that knocked out power to College Hill.
    • It's running again, but there were problems restoring some accounts. If you're having trouble logging in, have missing folders, or any other e-mail problems, please contact the Help Desk:
  • Lafayette Network Redesign Project
    • Lafayette is redesigning its campus network. Have suggestions for the new network? Want to know what's happening with the project? Then join the project group on Soapbox or post your thoughts to one of it's blog entries.
    • http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~soapbox/networkredesign

Tech News

Help News

  • Upcoming Workshops:
    • Facebook & MySpace: You've probably heard about Facebook and MySpace, but you may not have had an opportunity to look at these social networking web sites and learn why they're so popular with students. Join us for an exploration of Facebook and MySpace as well as a discussion of the reasons for their popularity and the implications of their use on campus.
    •  Learning Objects: An overview of what learning objects are, where to find them, and how to incorporate them in your teaching.
    • View the full workshop schedule:
    • Register for a workshop:

Contacting the Hosts

  • To contact the hosts, login to Soapbox using your Network ID and password to post comments to this show notes page, or e-mail us directly at itsblog@lafayette.edu.