http://its.psu.edu/news/ TechNews, a summary of news about information technology at Penn State, is provided periodically as a service of Information Technology Services (ITS). en-us ©2009 The Pennsylvania State UniversitySat, 07 Nov 2009 06:41:01 -0500 http://its.psu.edu/news/story-1145 On Sunday, November 15, 2009, from 5:00 until 11:00 a.m., Information Technology Services (ITS) will upgrade the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server, which supports Penn State Directory Services, to Tivoli Directory Server version 6.2. The upgrade is being performed to enhance the performance and stability of the directory server. During this timeframe, several of the directory server's update-oriented services will be disabled; however, users will still be able to perform directory lookups via http://www.psu.edu/directory/. In addition, other directory-dependent services such as e-mail services, Penn State Access Account Storage Space (PASS), calendaring, and a variety of University-wide Web services will not be affected by this outage. The directory-related services that will be disabled during the upgrade timeframe include: *Directory entry and e-mail forwarding updates via the ITS Secure Server, https://www.work.psu.edu/ *Group creation via the User Managed Groups (UMGs) interface, https://umg.its.psu.edu/ *The Automatic E-mail Reply Message Utility (the "vacation" service) via https://www.work.psu.edu/vacation/ *The Student Organizations Server Administrative interface, https://www.clubs.psu.edu/ Information and requests for assistance may be directed to ITS Help Desk staff at helpdesk@psu.edu. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:34:20 EST http://its.psu.edu/news/story-1146 On Wednesday, November 11, 2009, during the regularly scheduled maintenance window (5:00-7:00 a.m.), Information Technology Services (ITS) will perform a hardware upgrade to the MySQL cluster systems that supports several University-wide services. Though this maintenance is being performed during the established maintenance window, several widely-used services may experience intermittent outages during this time. Services include: *The Penn State Book Exchange, https://bookexchange.psu.edu/ *ITS News (administrative and public interfaces), https://news.its.psu.edu/admin/ and http://news.its.psu.edu/ *ITS Alerts (administrative and public interfaces), https://alerts.its.psu.edu/admin/ and http://alerts.its.psu.edu/ *ITS Downloads, https://downloads.its.psu.edu/ *The Blogs @ Penn State, https://blogs.psu.edu/ (Moveable Type system that supports The Blogs @ Penn State service) *Chat services via Jabber (beta), chat.psu.edu *Report Hate, https://reporthate.equity.psu.edu/ It is very likely that any outage time for services of this type will be very brief, perhaps only a few minutes, and the upgrade itself is expected to only take a few minutes. However, additional time has been allotted for any maintenance-related troubleshooting that may need to occur, and because the services noted above are widely used. Inquiries and request for assistance should be directed to ITS Help Desk staff at helpdesk@psu.edu. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:32:58 EST http://its.psu.edu/news/story-1142 To meet the growing national trend toward team-based learning, Information Technology Services (ITS) has been installing collaborative learning spaces equipped with the latest technologies throughout the University Park campus. The new learning spaces, many of which are available around the clock, are helping faculty test the limits of team learning by making it easy for students to collaborate on activities and course projects. Collaborative learning spaces at Penn State are popular with students, said Mary Ramsey, manager, learning spaces, because they make group project assignments easier to complete. “It’s nice for students to be able to work together in the same location as opposed to say being in different residence halls,” Ramsey said. "Having a place where you can go and work together helps expedite the project.” Along with supplying these spaces with comfortable furniture that students can arrange to meet their group needs, ITS has installed technologies designed to assist students with team projects. Ramsey said there are several technologies that are available to students. In addition, wireless is available, if students opt to bring their own laptop. Below are several popular collaborative spaces currently available at University Park: TeamSpot Two "TeamSpot" locations In 201 Pollock enhance students’ ability to collaborate on group projects via technology, allowing them to transfer files, collaboratively edit documents, and share individual computer screens on a large, central monitor. “In this area, we have a very large screen with a couple of computers around it. It’s great for collaboration,” Ramsey said. “For example, someone can be working on an intro to a project paper while somebody else is working on the analysis part, the final report, the appendix, and so on. Thus, you can have different people working on various aspects of the same document and when it is pulled up on the large screen, everyone can see it, share it, and modify it.” Each TeamSpot station features Windows computers, with either a 37" or a 40" shared LCD HD monitor, tables for 2-6 students, wireless access, and a semi-private location. Ramsey said that it may take a while for students to fully comprehend how all this equipment can help them. “TeamSpot is a good collaborative tool, but it is a little more complex to use and to understand its concept,” Ramsey said. “Students may walk in and wonder ‘why do we have these computers around here, and what do we do with the big screen’?” To resolve the confusion, an instructional video on using TeamSpot is in development, she added. The video will not only include how to use the tools, but summarize why students might want to use each of the elements in the system. CopyCam Another collaborative technology available for students is the CopyCam, located in 107 Warnock and 102 Wagner, which enables students to write on a regular whiteboard and then electronically save and share notes, drawings, etc. “It’s a whiteboard with a big camera that captures what is written on the board. You write on the whiteboard like you normally would without CopyCam,” Ramsey said. “Instead of taking time to copy down the notes that were on the board, you simply press a button and save it to your flash drive. CopyCam is not extremely complicated, so it doesn’t require any training.” MIDI Keyboard In addition, students can create music with the collaborative tool available to them in 107 Warnock. In this location, a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) keyboard with a microphone is installed on a Windows computer. A MIDI keyboard is also installed on an Apple computer in 201 Pollock. Students use the technology by playing and composing with the keyboard similar to a piano. Along with the MIDI keyboard, there is a microphone for vocal input as well as software to help students record and edit music. “It’s not a collaborative tool like TeamSpot where you are working on a document collectively, but instead you are writing music,” Ramsey said. “We put the MIDI keyboard in Warnock because so many music students live in North Halls and it gives them easy access to it.” ITS also offers music students a variety of software for use with the MIDI keyboard. Among the types of software available are programs that offer students “virtual musicians” for accompaniment, produce sheet music, teach piano, produce dance music, provide music editing and production, and more. To see a complete list, go to http://clc.its.psu.edu/Labs/Windows/Software/music_software/musicworkstation.aspx . Electronic Whiteboard Another tool available in Pollock is the Interwrite electronic whiteboard. The e-whiteboard enables students to interact and write on the board using dry erase markers, then have their work save electronically to a file. This allows more efficient use of time because students do not have to copy the information on the whiteboard to a notebook, they can merely save it. To learn more about collaborative learning spaces and available technologies, go to http://tlt.its.psu.edu/learningspaces/. This site will be updated later in the fall, so check back soon for the latest information. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:30:56 EST http://its.psu.edu/news/story-1147 The University launched its sixth annual Take Control security awareness campaign and contest last week in an effort to increase student, faculty, and staff awareness of computer security dangers. This fall, the contest will take the form of a treasure hunt featuring the ITS squirrel - who will make appearances at the HUB, computer labs and other buildings throughout Penn State, sporting armor and a sword. All students, faculty and staff can register to win an Eee PC Netbook prize during the campaign by participating in the Take Control contest at http://its.psu.edu/takecontrol/. According to Kathy Kimball, senior director of ITS Security Operations and Services at Penn State, Web-based attacks have become an extremely virulent form of breach that Internet users need to be aware of today. "Web-based applications are becoming a critical means of attack," Kimball stated, "criminal hackers and malware makers abound, phishers seek passwords and they steal identities. Users may be victimized by simply visiting an infected Web site," she added. "When you visit a Web site, be sure your antivirus and antispyware software is up to date and never click on random pop-up ads. Likewise, if you use social networking sites, make sure you set the privacy settings at the highest possible level." Even these methods are becoming insufficient, however, Kimball warns -- emphasizing that all students, faculty and staff should become vigilant about removing or encrypting any sensitive information they have on their computers, such as social security and credit card numbers. "You should also request that the technical staff in your area create a 'general user access account' for you to use whenever possible (rather than using a higher level 'administrator access account'). Using the lower privilege 'general account' can eliminate a large portion of vulnerabilities and keep you significantly more secure." As we move into the holiday season, security experts caution that risk for Internet fraud will increase sharply, with over 10 million identity thefts occurring each year in the U.S. alone. "It is in our staff, faculty, and students' best interests to become (and remain) aware about the dangers, and what they can do to protect themselves and others. This campaign is designed to help do that, and make known the tools that can help," said Kevin Morooney, Vice Provost for Information Technology. "Be sure to protect yourself and your computer by following the tips outlined below..." Watch Out for Phishing Scams Keeping your data secure involves more than virus detection, it also means keeping personal data out of the hands of con artists. Phishing criminals send out millions of fraudulent e-mails everyday mimicking the legitimate names and logos of banks, institutions and corporations to fool you into revealing sensitive data such as your password or credit card number. Never disclose personal information and passwords via e-mail, no matter who requests it. Use Social Media Cautiously Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking Web sites are an easy way to meet new people, but forming relationships indiscriminately online can lead to digital theft or fraud. In addition, the materials you post on these sites may cause harm to your reputation. Some individuals have been disciplined by their employers, lost job offers and more, due to the pictures or statements they posted via social networking. Social media sites typically create an illusion of intimacy, but they are not private. They are easily accessible -- not only to school administrators, potential employers, and law enforcement officials -- but to scam artists and criminals. Protect Your Personal Data People who have experienced identity theft know how much this event has interfered with their lives and daily activities - creating high levels of personal stress, fraudulent expenses, and sometimes ruining credit ratings for years to come. Protect your personal data by eliminating social security numbers and other kinds of sensitive information on your computer, using encryption and downloading anti-spyware software. Watch Out For Web-based Attacks Automated attack tools are always seeking ways to break into and take over your system. Severe attacks may delete important data, crash your system, spawn new attacks, or even steal personal data. Be careful to set the most secure settings in your browser and firewall software and to run as a "general user" (see definition in third paragraph above) whenever possible. If you believe your computer has been compromised, contact security@psu.edu immediately. For more about firewalls, antispyware, antivirus software, and the other topics discussed above, visit Penn State's Take Control site at: http://its.psu.edu/takecontrol/. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:15:26 EST http://its.psu.edu/news/story-1143 Graduate students are invited to attend a free overview workshop on the Teaching with Technology Certificate program on either November 23 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. or November 24 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. in 169 Willard Building, University Park. The Teaching with Technology Certificate program enables graduate students to strengthen their educational technology capabilities. Through the free certificate program, participants apply existing technology skills, acquire new skills, and develop a philosophy about teaching with technology. They then assemble an online portfolio highlighting their knowledge and skills, under the guidance of departmental representatives. Upon approval of this portfolio, students receive a certificate from The Graduate School. The workshop will discuss the flexible structure of this portfolio program and highlight the benefits to students wishing to showcase both their teaching and their technology skills in a competitive job market. The Teaching with Technology Certificate program is sponsored by The Graduate School and Information Technology Services. To register for the workshop, visit the ITS Training Services Web site at http://its.psu.edu/training/ and select the "Register for training" link. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:44:19 EST http://its.psu.edu/news/story-1144 Registration is open for the free workshops offered by ITS Training Services that are designed to meet the needs of graduate students at Penn State. Many of these workshops are available over the fall break, including SPSS, Scientific Computing, Refworks, Penn State Thesis Template, and more. Visit the ITS Training Services Web site to register for any of these sessions at http://its.psu.edu/training/. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:43:54 EST