Keeping the campus connected to technology...
Welcome to the @NUInfoServices newsletter, offered as a service by Information Services (IS) to keep Northeastern faculty and staff connected to technology. This newsletter is distributed to all faculty and staff on a monthly basis and provides insight into technology trends, new service offerings and helpful tips and tricks for using technology.
If you have any suggestions for future articles you'd like covered, feel free to contact us at isnewsletter@neu.edu.
FEBRUARY 2010
new & noteworthy :
techUpdates :
service spotlight :
tips & tricks :
Software Availability for Faculty, Staff and Students
Northeastern University has a very generous "home use" software offering for its students, faculty, and staff. Our Service Desk often receives questions about how to get access to software and how to request new software packages.
Information Services offers software in three categories: software that is free, discounted software, and software that's delivered from MyApps. Information Services Software Website provides a detailed listing of what software is available in each of these categories. It offers a page that allows you to search by department, category (i.e. graphics, statistical, productivity, etc), software title (Office, Stata, etc.), Platform (Macintosh, Windows, Unix, Linux), and Availability (NUnet Employee, myNEU Download, MyApps, MacApps, etc.). Information Services is continuing to refine the site and the interface to simplify the search capabilities, which should be available before Fall 2010.
There is also an email address to send requests for new software that is currently unavailable. Why is this important? We have an expert software licensing specialist who can help you negotiate with software vendors - leveraging the power of the institution and ensuring that we get all of the services necessary to deliver the software - whether it's by Information Services or by the department.
Information Services encourages you to peruse the site and provide your feedback. If you have any questions about the site, please contact Mark Staples at m.staples@neu.edu.
Blackboard Upgrade Coming to Northeastern
Planned for Fall semester of 2010 is a much needed upgrade to a very old looking Blackboard (blackboard.neu.edu). The new version, Blackboard 9.1, will put a new face on the system, but also provides new features and functions that will improve the overall workflow for both students and faculty. The upgrade will offer more of a web 2.0 interface and enhanced visibility, collaboration tools and support for online learning.
Over the next few months, Information Services will be providing more information about the upgrade including training, our Summer Session 1 pilot, project time line, etc. Watch this newsletter for updates!
Apple Introduces the iPad
On January 27th, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, announced the upcoming launch of the company's newest innovation- the iPad. The iPad tablet offers a large, Multi-Touch screen with a backlit display, making it ideal for web browsing and multimedia viewing. The device is smaller than a laptop (weighing 1.5 pounds and .5 inches thin) with a reported 10 hour battery life and a fast processor. Apple has already partnered with application providers to ensure over 140,000 applications (including the iWork suite) will be available when it is launched.
The iPad is expected to be available for sale by the end of March (non-3G models only) with prices varying from $499 (for a 16 GB Wi-fi equipped model) to $829 (for a 64 GB Wi-fi/3G equipped model). Those wishing to take advantage of the 3G capability will be required to purchase a data plan through AT&T.
Industry experts believe the iPad has the potential to have meaningful impact on the education industry. They point to the device's mobility, relatively low price point, and the convergence of applications into one device (eReaders, web productivity tools, content creation, etc.) as making the device attractive to higher education. Textbook publishers are expected to be interested in Apple's newly launched bookstore, iBooks. Others point to some of the device's limitations including: the inability to multitask, no camera, Flash incompatibility, and the touch type keyboard (although a keyboard dock is available as an accessory). For more information about the iPad and its features, visit the Apple's iPad webpage.
The Horizon Report - 2010
About the Report
The Horizon Report 2010 was released this past January 15. If you are unfamiliar with this annual Report, it is the result of the New Media Consortium Horizon Project - a qualitative research project started in 2002 and is a collaborative effort between the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) and the New Media Consortium (NMC). First published in 2004, it identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years.
The Next Year
This year's report identifies the following technologies that will have a significant impact on higher education within the next year:
- Mobile Computing: While it doesn't take much of a prognosticator to predict the impact of mobile computing - what this should do for any institution is to evaluate the delivery of all types of content through mobile technology. Some content that could be delivered through a mobile interface are: course scheduling, the class schedule with notifications of cancellations or delays, access to assignments with due dates, view grades, integrated communications; these along with a campus directory and campus maps would be helpful for most students.
- Open Content: This much more controversial topic is where faculty, programs, and/or colleges makes their course content available free of charge. MIT started this over a decade ago. In theory, a student could get an MIT education without the degree. Some may argue this point, but as more content is made available, students will begin comparing programs based on what they see online.
Two to Three Years
Electronic books are one of the technologies highlighted in the Horizon Report, which is believed will have a significant impact on higher education within the next two to three years. Download the full report to read about all of the technologies.
- Electronic Books: This past holiday season saw a significant rise in the sale of e-books. Apple just announced its iPad that will compete with the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader, and others. This iPhone-like interface will once again have a major impact in this space. In order for electronic books to make an impact on the classroom, there are two primary changes that need to take place: 1) Publishers will need to modify their business model to incent readers to purchase electronic books. 2) They will also need to make it easy for self-publishers (i.e. faculty and students) to easily make content available to the class. Apple's entry into this market begins to impact delivery through media like iTunesU.
How to Get the Full Report
Information Services has provided a high level summary of portions of the report. To download this year's Horizon Report and others, click on the links below:
- Horizon Report-2010 (pdf)
- Horizon Report-2009 (pdf)
- Horizon Report-2008 (pdf)
- Horizon Report-2007 (pdf)
- Horizon Report-2006 (pdf)
- Horizon Report-2005 (pdf)
- Horizon Report-2004 (pdf)
EDUCAUSE Series: 7 Things to Know About Twitter, and 7 Things to Know About Google Wave
Each month, EDUCAUSE (the professional association for technology in higher education) publishes a series titled "7 Things to Know About xxxx". These features are helpful overviews that allow you to get a quick grasp of a specific technology and the potential impact on higher education. This month, Information Services has chosen to highlight two of these entries: Twitter and Google Wave.
7 Things to Know About Twitter
With many organizations embracing the use of Twitter, it helpful to understand what this technology is and how it can be used in higher education. Here are 7 things you should know about Twitter:
- Twitter is part blog, part social network. It offers users the opportunity to participate in the "Twitterverse" by posting short (140 character maximum) messages called "tweets".
- Tweets can be made public (open) or locked down
- A Twitter profile is not necessarily an individual; many events and groups have Twitter accounts.
- Twitter provides opportunities for back and forth collaboration and "retweets". It is more than just pushing information; Twitter provides opportunities for communities of interest to engage in conversations.
- Twitter's popularity stems from its easy use with mobile devices and SMS clients, allowing users to tweet from anywhere.
- Twitter publishes an API which means there are several applications available that extend the functionality available on its website. An example of one of these applications is TweetDeck, which aggregates multiple social networks (Twitter, Facebook, mySpace and LinkedIn) in one desktop interface.
- Twitter has potential to be used as an active learning tool in the classroom and provide opportunities for metacognition (reflection on learning). Students can continue their in class conversations outside of class using Twitter.
For additional information about Twitter, please visit the Twitter Resources page on the EDUCAUSE website.
Information Services also offers a free class titled "Using Twitter in the Classroom". Please contact IS training at x5858 for more information.
7 Things to Know About Google Wave
Launched by Google via invite only, Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. Here are 7 things you should know about Google Wave:
- Google Wave is both a conversation and a document. Users create "waves", which are online spaces that aggregate multiple messages and formats in real-time with "live" content.
- "Waves" are shared among collaborators. Content by default is available to all participants in a shared space, however, you can still send private "wavelets" to selected participants. Participants can reply to the original message and new participants can be added at any time.
- Wave offers a "playback" features which helps participants review all the activities that have taken place in the wave.
- Wave allows participants to add rich media and widgets to the wave. For example, groups could use this space to plan a trip, adding maps, interactive polls, publish a weather report and pictures from the trip.
- This technology is different from emails as it removes traditional linear boundaries of email inboxes and having to search across messages to follow a conversation. Because it interoperates with many mechanisms of communication, it has potential to revolutionize communication and collaboration.
- Wave can be a great tool for group collaboration on shared documents and analysis.
- Wave has potential to enhance teaching and learning by offering opportunities for multimedia composition of course assignments (vs. traditional text only assignments) and offers a new mechanism for group based critiques of student work.
For more info, read the full article from EDUCAUSE about Google Wave (pdf) .
For more information about Google Wave's capabilities and online tutorials, visit the Wave website.
202/203 Snell Library Computing Labs
This past fall two new labs were opened on the second floor of Snell Library. These labs broke the mold on how traditional labs have been implemented - epitomizing collaboration between colleges and service providers. The College of Professional Studies funded the hardware and software; the Library provided the space; the College of Arts and Sciences provided design expertise, and Information Services provided the technology implementation and support.
The two labs house high-end Mac Pro computers with high resolution monitors, specialized software to support art & graphic design and creative development- as well as special room lighting to support accurate creation and viewing of digital art.
While the space is currently restricted to those enrolled in the programs that these labs were designed to support, the way the labs were implemented has provided a model for providing centralized, agile, and adaptable lab support throughout campus.
This new model has already been extended to provide centralized support for the Library Digital Media and Design Studio (DMDS) - adjacent to the two labs. This centralized management enables them to focus on the students and faculty they support. They no longer concern themselves with system maintenance, the operating system, and software updates.
Information Services is actively working with the lab managers in Ryder to provide the same kind of support - planned for this summer. Once these labs are completed, those that provide support will no longer be isolated. They'll receive the same benefits of the DMDS. In addition, this will create consistency in all six labs; Arts & Sciences and the College of Professional Studies students using any of the Macintosh labs in the Library and Ryder will have a similar experience; spreading out computer resources and providing better services for the students.
The Real Cost of Insecurity....Expressed in Term$ We All Understand
Edited and Printed with Permission of the Ponemon Institute
By: Glenn C. Hill, CISSP, IAM, CPP
Director, Information Security and Identity Services
Data breaches have wide-ranging effects; some of which we understand and appreciate, and some we don't. When breaches occur, many focus on the breach itself and the mechanics of how it happened. These parts of the story are often positioned as the most important and informative. Few however consider the direct dollar costs of breaches, which are an essential indicator of security risk and consequence. In a recent study published by the Ponemon Institute, an independent research organization, the costs associated with selected US data breaches studied in 2009 rose $100k from '08 to '09, escalating the total costs of all breaches in the studied organizations from $6.65 to $6.75 million. These figures are based on 45 reported breaches of sensitive customer data in 2009 at companies willing to discuss the incidents. The study divided breaches into three main causes: negligence (40% of incidents), system "glitches" (36% of incidents), and malicious attacks (24% of incidents). The average cost per compromised data record in 2009 was $204, an increase of $66 over costs studied in 2004. The components of costs analyzed in the study included cost of notification, legal fees, consulting, consulting, and remediation. Among the lessons to be learned are that security isn't free, and the more we understand the real cost of insecurity, the easier it becomes to justify time and effort spent in careful handling of information, and fact-based investments in protection.
March ISCS - Training Workshops
The March ISCS - Training schedule is now posted on the ISCS website. We've been offering a lot of Excel classes, which have been popular with CBA students; if you are interested in improving your Excel skills, register early! Other upcoming classes include:
- 3/12 - Introduction to Microsoft Project
- 3/22 - Introduction to Microsoft Access
- 3/24 - Microsoft Outlook - Advanced Features and Tips
- 3/26 - Creating Websites Using Dreamweaver
- 3/31 - Mail & Email Merges Using Outlook Contacts
If you are interested in registering for any of these sessions, visit the ISCS website - and click on the Register for Classes icon and login with your myNEU credentials. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 617-373-5858 or training@neu.edu.
Professional PowerPoint Presentations with your Smartphone
You're a dynamic presenter - you don't want to stand by the computer, clicking 'next' each time the slide needs to change. But you don't have a wireless presentation mouse. Add some software to the electronic device you already carry everywhere, you won't be leashed to the desk anymore.
Apps available for platforms like the iPhone and BlackBerry link your computer to your smartphone so you can advance and reverse your slides - some have more features like full computer control so you can browse the web and change the volume. Some have free trials, but the full version for each one is under $10.
For the iPhone, the app I-Clickr requires you to install some software on your Mac or PC laptop. Connect to NUWAVE, type some numbers into your iPhone, and your presentation is underway Another application, mbPointer, has more features like full mouse control so you can control more than just PowerPoint. Both apps work with the iPod Touch, too.
If your BlackBerry and laptop both have Bluetooth, you can use bluCTRL to control your PC with your handheld's keyboard and trackball, and it is free. MobiMouse has a lot of extra features, like being able to to connect over WiFi, but isn't free.
Resources:
Got a hot tip about cool tech that you want to share? Have you tried the presentation tool for a Droid phone? Email us at help@neu.edu and join the conversation.
Reserving Rooms in Outlook
You can now reserve a room when you create a meeting invitation within Outlook. Just follow these easy steps:
- Create new Meeting Request
- Enter meeting information and click on the Rooms button
- Find a meeting room in the list that pops-up (shown below), and double click to select
-
The meeting request will be sent to the room in question and if the room is available you will receive a 'request accepted' email.
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Otherwise, if the room is unavailable, you will receive a 'request declined' message.
Password Protect your Blackberry and iPhone
According to statistics gathered by the Home Office in the UK, approximately 100,000 mobile phones are lost and stolen every month. If your Blackberry or iPhone is lost or stolen and you do not have password protection enabled on your device, your email, calendar and all your contacts are available to whomever is holding your phone.
A simple protection plan is to set a password on your device. In both of the methods listed below, if the password fails to be entered correctly within 10 attempts, the device will automatically perform a Security Wipe protecting all of your content. (On the iPhone, you may also choose to set up the password protect without the data erase feature; just skip the last step.)
How to password protect your Blackberry
- Go to Settings
- Go to Options
- Go to Security
- Go to General Settings
- Go to Content Protection
- A popup message will show: To enable content protection the device password must be set. Would you like to enable the device password?
- Select Yes and you will return to the Security settings
- Save the settings by either escaping out of the options and selecting Save, or clicking on the Menu button and selecting Save.
- You will then be prompted to enter a new password, and then a second time for confirmation.
- Each time your Blackberry goes into PowerSave mode, or the screen is locked, you will need to enter the password
How to password protect your iPhone
- Go to Settings
- Go to General
- Go to Passcode Lock
- Tap on Turn Passcode On
- Passcode Options include:
- Change Passcode (old passcode will be required first)
- Require Passcode
- Immediately
- After 1 minute
- After 5 minutes
- After 15 minutes
- Erase Data
- On
- Off
If you have any questions about any of the topics in this month's articles, please feel free to contact the IS Service Desk at 617-373-HELP (4357) or help@neu.edu. For 24x7 access to technology help, visit myKnowledge, the knowledgebase service on myNEU.