Spring 2016 Academic Technology Workshop Schedule Published

Swarthmore ITS is hosting a series of lunchtime workshops on Fridays from 12:30-1:30PM during the Spring 2016 semester. The workshops are open to all members of the Swarthmore community and will be focused on introducing new technologies in an approachable, hands-on way.  Events include: Introduction to Cloud Computing with Amazon Web Services Social Media for Departments, Groups, and Clubs Command Line Basics Help! My Files Have Been Encrypted and Are Being Held for Ransom! Academic Poster Design and Printing For the full schedule, see www.swarthmore.edu/its/its-events. Continue reading Spring 2016 Academic Technology Workshop Schedule Published

Swarthmore is Going Google!

Starting today and continuing over the next 11 months, we will be transitioning away from Swatfiles (our document repository) and Zimbra (our email application) to Google Apps. The Google Apps suite includes mail, calendar, docs, spreadsheet and presentation applications and allows us to better support collaboration within our community, provides a common platform and works in multiple operating environments (e.g. Apple, Windows, and mobile devices). Feel free to visit http://www.swarthmore.edu/going-google/google-apps-frequently-asked-questions to find out more. Continue reading Swarthmore is Going Google!

What’s New in Academic Technology for Fall 2015

ITS has spent the summer improving our core services and implementing new projects to help with your teaching and research. Today, we’d like to call your attention to some of the additions and changes that you might not have heard about. Classroom A/V Updates: Media Services has updated many rooms this summer. (19 classrooms even have wireless projection capability!) For the full list see the “What’s New in Classroom AV” blog post: https://blogs.swarthmore.edu/its/blog/2015/08/26/whats-new-in-classroom-av-fall-2015/. SensusAccess: Accessibility of course materials is essential to make sure that all students can participate fully in the academic program. SensusAccess is an online service which converts … Continue reading What’s New in Academic Technology for Fall 2015

What’s New in Classroom AV (Fall 2015)

The Media Services team in ITS has been busy making improvements to classrooms this summer. In addition to our usual upgrades to projectors and lectern computers, we’re announcing a few major new services that will be of interest to many of you. AirMedia wireless projection For years, we’ve dreamed of being able to project while moving around the classroom with a tablet or laptop. Finally, the technologies to make this possible are arriving. We’ve installed AirMedia devices in 19 classrooms around campus. Not only can instructors project, they also can allow students to project from their laptops and devices too. Wireless … Continue reading What’s New in Classroom AV (Fall 2015)

New Features in Moodle for Fall 2015

Swarthmore ITS just updated our Moodle site to version 2.8 from version 2.6.  Some highlights from the upgarde include: An improved gradebook with a easier to use grader report, additional grading options, and new grade history report. A new text editor that is easier to use and includes accessibility checking functions.  In addition, the text editor auto-saves your work as you type. Easier quiz creation tools and ability for students to upload files for essay questions For more information on the new features, you can check out the release notes at Moodle.org: New features in Version 2.7 New features in Version 2.8 Continue reading New Features in Moodle for Fall 2015

ITS Recommendation for Windows 10

Microsoft released Windows 10 on July 29th, 2015 and is offering the operating system as a free upgrade to eligible Windows 7 and 8.1 installations for one year. ITS Recommendation Information Technology Services (ITS) will support personally-owned Windows 10 devices on our network and with supported College software.  ITS strongly recommends that College community members thinking of upgrading to Windows 10 adopt a “wait and see” approach, continuing to use earlier supported versions of Windows (Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8.1) until the initial bugs and compatibility issues in Windows 10 are identified and fixed. At this point … Continue reading ITS Recommendation for Windows 10