Link to An Academic Technologist’s Toolbox
If You Spill Something, Say Something.
Liquid Spills on Portable Computers Spilling a liquid on your laptop can be a real problem, but accidents happen and there are a few steps you can take to minimize the damage. Most importantly, don’t try to restart the computer if it has shut down. If the computer is still running, perform a forced shutdown by pressing and holding down the power button until the computer shuts off. (Count to ten slowly while you hold down the power button). Next, the battery should be removed. If you have a Dell or almost any other brand of PC this is easy … Continue reading If You Spill Something, Say Something.
UPDATED: Protect the Data on Your iDevice (iPad, iPhone, etc.)
There are three easy actions you can take to immensely enhance the data protection capabilities of your “iDevice” and your investment in it. These are particularly important if you access any College or personal data with your device. 1) Use an alphanumeric passcode iPads and iPhones can actually encrypt the data they contain! However, to utilize this capability, a passcode has to be set. Although a four-digit passcode will minimally suffice (there’s software available to easily crack these), the best option is to enable the use of alphanumeric passcodes. This is done by going into Settings and then selecting General … Continue reading UPDATED: Protect the Data on Your iDevice (iPad, iPhone, etc.)
Windows 8 Announcement
Microsoft released Windows 8 on October 26th, 2012 and most Windows hardware vendors are now shipping systems with Windows 8 installed. ITS Recommendation Information Technology Services (ITS) will support Windows 8 for our clients, including off-campus students, on new systems that ship with Windows 8 pre-installed. ITS strongly recommends that College community members thinking of upgrading to Windows 8 adopt a “wait and see” approach, continuing to use earlier supported versions of Windows (Windows 7 SP1 and Windows XP SP3) until the initial bugs and compatibility issues in Windows 8 are identified and fixed. It is ITS policy to test … Continue reading Windows 8 Announcement
Java – The Hacker’s Best Friend
Some of you may have heard that a significant security vulnerability was disclosed recently that affects pretty much all versions of Java. Oracle (who now owns Java) seemed to be dragging their feet on providing a fix until they felt some heat from the U.S. Government. A fix was made available today but only for users of Java version 7. Java runs on all operating systems so Mac users are impacted along with PC users. Note: there won’t be a fix available for Mac users with Snow Leopard or earlier so your best option is to totally disable Java. How … Continue reading Java – The Hacker’s Best Friend
Haverford hosts “Tablets in Teaching Forum”
Our I.T. friends at Haverford College graciously welcomed all Swarthmore faculty and staff to attend their “Tablets in Teaching Forum.” A series of Haverford professors were joined by an Apple engineer to showcase a variety of classroom practices enabled by the use of tablets. Paper-free Grading and Stylus-driven Electronic Blackboards: Transitioning to an Android Tablet Casey Londergan, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Haverford College iPads, Panopto, and Styli – Better Living Through Cooperation Mark Schofield, Visiting Associate Professor of Chemistry, Haverford College iPads in the Classroom Ken Koltun-Fromm, Professor of Religion, Haverford College Transforming Education with the iPad Mike Wolk, Systems Engineer, Apple Continue reading Haverford hosts “Tablets in Teaching Forum”
ITS welcomes Joel F. W. Price ’00 to the Client Services team
The next time you visit the garden level of Beardsley, you might see an old/new face. On November 26, Joel F. W. Price ’00 returned to Swarthmore to join the Client Services team in ITS as the Technology Education Coordinator. He looks forward to helping people use technology in a way that helps them do their work better. In addition to a love of technology and emerging media, Joel is an avid musician, concertgoer, traveler, photographer (flickr/Google+), athlete, and amateur cook/canner (not always in that order). Please drop by and say hi! Continue reading ITS welcomes Joel F. W. Price ’00 to the Client Services team