Lyall named associate vice provost for academic services and technology

James Lyall has accepted the position of associate vice provost for academic services and technology. He will begin this position in April. The IT units welcome Lyall to Kansas State University and central IT.

Neal to present lecture Feb. 27 on IT, library connections

"Chaos Breeds Life: Imperatives Defining the Future Relevance and Impact of the Academic Research Library" will be presented by James Neal, vice president for information services and university librarian at Columbia University, 1:30-3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, in the Hemisphere Room of Hale Library. This lecture was rescheduled from Nov. 30, 2006, due to inclement weather.

According to the lecture abstract, Neal "will highlight current and future trends defining both the malaise and the vitality of the academic research library. A series of imperatives will be outlined on the urgent and strategic roles and responsibilities for the library as it advances from legacy to infrastructure to portal to commons to enterprise." This presentation is part of the Provost Lecture Series.

Microsoft Office 2007 presentation tomorrow, Feb. 21

Representatives from Microsoft Corp. will be on campus Wednesday, Feb. 21, to present the new Office 2007. The session will be 2:30-4 p.m. in the Big 12 Room in the K-State Student Union. Refreshments will be provided. All K-Staters are welcome. (Please note the corrected start time is 2:30 p.m., not 2 p.m. as stated in last week's notice.)

Upcoming TechBytes sessions: Digital photos, IRC

"Taking Your Digital Photos from the Camera to the Web"
1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, Union 213.
Preparing digital photos for the Web can be a daunting task. Neal Wollenberg will cover the basics and how to simplify the process using several of the different photo-editing software that is available (Photoshop, Serif PhotoPlus, Picassa, and K-State Research and Extension's Content Management System Image module). He will also discuss how to properly identify, tag, and optimize photos for search engines.

Next week: "Collaborating with IRC (Internet Relay Chat)"
1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, Union 213.

TechBytes seminars are free and open to the K-State community. This series is also video streamed live for off-campus viewers and others who wish to view it from their desktop. Visit the TechBytes website for:

• handouts and resources from previous seminars
• links to the next live video
• links to archived videos

CHECK conference proposals deadline March 21

Conference on Higher Education Computing in Kansas (CHECK)
Pittsburg State University
May 23-24
www.check.gen.ks.us

Play an active role in CHECK 2007 by submitting a proposal on one of the many important IT topics in higher education. The deadline for submissions is March 21. Submit your proposal via the CHECK website. For questions about submitting proposals or to find out more about CHECK 2007, e-mail check@pittstate.edu.

IDT Roundtable Feb. 21: Wimba

Add Live Interaction using Horizon Wimba
Wednesday, Feb. 21, Union 212
10:45 a.m. registration. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. presentation

Want to include live interaction in your course? Come join us tomorrow to learn how you can add excitement to your courses with Horizon Wimba's virtual classroom. Features include two-way audio, application sharing, chat, whiteboard, polls and surveys, and archiving. Bryan Vandiviere is the presenter.

One of the challenges of teaching online courses is the limited vocal interaction. Horizon Wimba's Live Classroom addresses this issue by adding student-to-teacher interaction and student-to-student interaction to existing courses.

Faculty/staff: Podcasting presentation March 2 by Apple rep

An Apple representative will give a comprehensive presentation on podcasting 9 a.m.-noon Friday, March 2, in Bluemont 21 in conjunction with the College of Education. This Podcasting in Education session is directed toward faculty/staff. Space is limited to 40 seats, so attendees are advised to arrive early.

Topics covered in this 3-hour session include:

• The big picture of podcasting in education
• Using Garage Band to create podcasts
• Discussions on curricula and technology use

Questions about the presentation can be sent to Cliff Neuman, cneuman@apple.com.

Tell IT online forum Feb. 22: IT Security

The next Tell IT online discussion forum is 10:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, on "IT Security at K-State".

To join in the conversation, you never have to leave your desk. Just e-mail TellTuesday@k-state.edu to be added to the roster in the "Tell IT" K-State Online course. If you miss the live session, sign in to "Tell IT" in your Course Organizer in K-State Online and review the Archives.

Departments: Interested in Deep Freeze software?

K-State departments have expressed interest in a group purchase of Deep Freeze software (Enterprise edition), which allows computers to return to the original computer image upon each reboot. The group purchase price will include the license and one-year maintenance. It is based on the total number of copies purchased, so the more copies ordered, the lower the price per product.

Deep Freeze is a great tool for public-use computers or computers used by many people, such as computing labs, lecture-room presentation systems, and kiosks. It is generally not used on desktop and personal computers. While the computer is frozen, any changes made to the computer (installing software, saving files) will be reversed upon restart.

Through March 9, the Information Technology Assistance Center is compiling a list of departments interested in purchasing Deep Freeze through a group purchase. Those interested should complete the online survey by March 9. Questions about maintenance on existing licenses should be sent to Kathy Leonard, 785-532-4926, kantink@k-state.edu.

2007 IT award recipients

The 2007 K-State IT Retreat was held last week in Forum Hall of the Student Union. Sponsored by the vice provost for academic services and technology, the half-day event was an opportunity for IT staff to learn more about current IT projects and acknowledge the achievements of fellow employees. Congratulations to the winners of this year's K-State IT awards:

• Spirit of IT: Dave Young, Office of Mediated Education
• IT Innovator: Rick Chubb, Office of Mediated Education
• Customer Service: Jill Miller, Information and Educational Technology, K-State Research and Extension
• IT Gold: Scott Finkeldei, Office of Mediated Education
• IT Rising Star: R. E. Schenck, Computing and Telecommunications Services
• Team Gold: Axio 2.0 (several IT units)

Meritorious Achievement:

• Gerry Snyder, Information and Educational Technology, K-State Research and Extension
• John Langer, Educational Communications Center
• Sarah Silva, Information Technology Assistance Center

For detailed information about each of the IT awards and how to nominate someone next year, visit the IT Awards website.

Security tip: Be wary of numeric Web addresses

Wise users of the Internet know they should think before they click on a link in an e-mail message, an "away message" in any of the instant-messenging services, and even on a webpage. Always check the validity of the link before venturing down that Internet path.

• Check with the e-mail sender or webpage owner before you click on a link with a numeric address.
• Determine who owns an IP address or domain name by using Network Solutions' WHOIS service or any of the many other available WHOIS services.
• Use e-mail programs and web browsers that warn you if you try to click on a numeric Web address. For example, the latest version of Thunderbird pops up an "Email Scam Alert" to warn that a site is suspicious and asks if you really want to visit it.
• Search Google for the numeric Web address to see if there are any warnings about it.

In summary, do NOT click on a numeric link to "see what it does". Check the validity of a Web address by using the resources described above. Check with your IT support staff and/or SIRT representative. Or ask your local IT security officer.

IT by the numbers: ECAR study of undergrad students and IT

The EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) has provided its 2006 survey results of almost 29,000 undergraduate students (at 96 two-year and four-year institutions) on their uses and views of information technology. ECAR's primary goal is "to provide information on the technology behaviors, preferences, and satisfaction of higher education's most essential and arguably most mercurial polulation."

See the 2006 ECAR study page for the complete survey results. Below are some of the findings concerning undergraduate students and IT:

• Nearly 98 percent of undergraduate students own a personal computer.
• 66.4 percent of undergraduate students own laptops.
• More than three-fourths of freshmen from four-year institutions own laptops.
• Student use of technology is strongly influenced by academic major and class status.
• Students say convenience is the primary benefit of IT in courses.

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Managing editor
     Betsy Edwards
Associate editor
     Aimee Hagedorn
Executive editor
     Rebecca Gould

virtualization   "is a broad term that refers to the abstraction of computer resources," according to Wikipedia. See its virtualization examples.

Popular IT

IT events
and deadlines

February-April
Free, walk-in training for all K-Staters on introductions to Dreamweaver MX, InDesign, iMovie, Photoshop.
213 Hale Library

Feb. 21 (Wed)
IDT Roundtable: "Horizon Wimba". 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Union 212

Feb. 21 (Wed)
TechBytes: "Taking Your Digital Photos from the Camera to the Web".
1:30 p.m. Union 213

Feb. 21 (Wed)
Microsoft Office 2007 presentation. Open to all K-Staters.
2:30-4 p.m. Union Big 12 Room

Feb. 21 (Wed)
K-State units: Deadline for delivering magnetic tapes to Hale Library basement for secure shredding.

Feb. 27 (Tue)
Provost's lecture: "Chaos Breeds Life: Imperatives Defining the Future Relevance and Impact of the Academic Research Library" by James Neal, vice president for information services and university librarian at Columbia University. 1:30-3 p.m. Hemisphere Room, Hale Library

Feb. 28 (Wed)
TechBytes: "Collaborating with IRC (Internet Relay Chat)".
1:15 p.m. Union 213

March 7 (Wed)
TechBytes: "Creating Community with a Community Blog".
1:15 p.m. Union 213

March 9 (Fri)
SIRT Roundtable: "Trend Micro license key renewal". Open to all K-Staters. 9:15-10:30 a.m. Union Staterooms 1 and 2.

March 15 (Wed)
TechBytes: "Record, Edit and Share with Camtasia Studio".
1:15 p.m. Union 213

March 28 (Wed)
IDT Roundtable: "Podcasting and RSS from within K-State Online!" 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Union 212

March 28 (Wed)
TechBytes: "Transitioning from the PC to the Mac".
1:15 p.m. Union 213

April 6 (Fri)
SIRT Roundtable: "Encryption on mobile devices (recommendations from SIRT committee)". Open to all K-Staters. 9:15-10:30 a.m. Union 213.

April 19 (Thu)
IDT Roundtable: "Creating and Using Digital Learning Objects (LOs)". 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Union 212

Fall 2007
Masters students will be required to submit theses and reports electronically.

Student View Preferences. This tab in the Gradebook allows you to control what students see on their Gradebook.

You can turn the Gradebook off entirely if you need to, and you can put an announcement on everyone's Gradebook to give them information. For example, "Exam 1 grades will be posted next Monday" or "Assignment #3 has been extended to next week".

You can also see each student's individual Gradebook by going to the Instructor Gradebook and clicking the magnifying-glass icon to the right of their names.

How to add date/time on Thunderbird quoted replies

How can I add a date/timestamp on quoted replies in Thunderbird e-mail?

In your Thunderbird e-mail program:

1. Go to Tools, then Options.
2. On the Advanced tab, click the Config Editor button.
3. In the "about:config" window, type reply in the Filter box.
4. Find and double-click on mailnews.reply_header_type.
5. In the "Enter integer value" window, change 1 to 2 and click OK.
6. Close out the open windows, and restart Thunderbird.

Roger Trenary, a champion of learning using technology

Roger Trenary died Feb. 13 from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). The IT staff dedicate this week's spotlight to Trenary for his extraordinary teaching skills and his ability to use technology to enhance his teaching and the learning of more than 26,000 students he taught during a career that spanned almost 30 years.

Trenary masterfully used the K-State cable channel as a means to review principles of economics; economic theory; supply and demand; and much, much more. Manhattanites would often comment, "I saw you on TV last night." Trenary also was an early adopter of K-State Online and served as one of the first members of the K-State Online Advisory Committee.

Rob Caffey, director of the Office of Mediated Education, took macroeconomics as an undergraduate student and commented, "Roger had a way of explaining things by putting them in context that almost made the topic fun. I found myself years later channel surfing, and I would stop on his televised review sessions to brush up on economic concepts." More recently, as part of the updating process, Trenary helped vision the new K-State Online Assessment Suite. He was a tireless advocate for building a reliable, easy-to-use system.

Early work with Trenary and other faculty like him set the tone for K-State Online and other IT projects. Ask what is needed, develop that, and then ask again -- the cycle continues to this day. Students and faculty will be reaping the benefits of Trenary's work on K-State Online for years to come.

For those of us who had the opportunity to learn from him, Roger was the quintessential teacher. Whether that learning was in the classroom or the conference room, all of us are among the lucky ones to have known him, to have learned from his teaching style, and to have benefited from his insight.