Category: Tips

Lynda.com, Software, Tips

How Swarthmore Uses Lynda.com

Joel F. W. Price '00

Over roughly four years, Swarthmore has used Lynda.com videos to expand our knowledge.  A quick glance through the courses completed suggests that folks use Lynda for class-related activity the most (great!) — but peeking at the long tail of courses shows that we are well-rounded and might even have fun, too (see: Ethical Hacking, YouTube for Musicians, Understanding Patents, Insights from a  Professional Songwriter, and Learn Instagram: The Basics. Let’s take a look at the historical data.  In our first year (2013-2014 — the one where we wore wigs and glasses to look like the logo), we had 739 users, 14,142 … Continue reading How Swarthmore Uses Lynda.com

Social Media, Tips

Little Ways to Make Things Easier

Joel F. W. Price '00

Here’s something you might not have known: For the past 3+ years we’ve been tweeting out little ways to make your digital life easier, especially focusing on often-used software tools here at Swarthmore.  You don’t need to be a Twitter user to see these, either — you can read them right on our ITS front page or on our @SwarthmoreITS Twitter page. On Tuesdays at noon (Eastern) we usually tweet out tips (some recent ones include a cybersecurity phishing quiz and a browser-checking tool to keep your browser(s) and plugins up-to-date easily.  On Wednesdays at noon (Eastern) we usually tweet … Continue reading Little Ways to Make Things Easier

Faculty/Staff, Help Desk, People, Software, Tips

ITS cautions against upgrading to macOS Sierra

Christina Webster

Apple has just released its newest macOS Sierra operating system, and made it available as an automatic download to customers running OS X El Capitan in order to encourage them to update. If you have a Swarthmore issued computer, do not allow Sierra to install. Upgrading the operating system can break certain features, including the ability to log in with your Swarthmore account. If you need your Mac operating system upgraded, in order to use a feature that is currently unavailable, contact the Help Desk in Beardsley 110. Customers who have auto downloads enabled will see macOS Sierra start to … Continue reading ITS cautions against upgrading to macOS Sierra

Mobile Devices, Software, Students, Tips

Free Office 365 Education for Students

Seth

Office 365 Education for Students is available for free to students enrolled at Swarthmore College.  Install Office on up to 5 PCs or Macs and on other mobile devices, including Android, iPad®, and Windows tablets. To enroll, visit Microsoft’s Office 365 page and log in with your Swarthmore email address. www.office.com/getOffice365 Continue reading Free Office 365 Education for Students

Faculty/Staff, Help Desk, Software, Students, Tips

ITS Recommendation for Windows 10

Seth

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

Faculty/Staff, Help Desk, Software, Students, Tips

Windows 10 at Swarthmore

Seth

Microsoft will release Windows 10 on July 29th, 2015 and is offering the operating system as a free upgrade to existing Windows 7 and 8.1 installations for one year. ITS Recommendation 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. After the official release is tested, Swarthmore College’s full recommendation for Windows 10 will be posted to the ITS Blog. Information … Continue reading Windows 10 at Swarthmore