Registration Opens for Web 2008 Conference (5/8/08)
Penn State's Web 2008 will be held on June 9, 2008 at the Penn Stater Conference Center. In addition, a full day of post-conference workshops will take place in the Business Building on June 10. This year's Web Conference features Steve Krug (author, usability expert, and consultant) as the keynote speaker - along with twenty-four conference sessions on a variety of Web topics. The day will begin at 8:00 a.m. with a book signing by Krug; poster and vendor sessions; and includes continental breakfast and lunch. At the close of the day, Kevin Morooney, vice provost for Information Technology at Penn State, will moderate a Town Meeting comprised of invited colleagues and peers from other higher education institutions. To learn more and to register, visit the conference Web site at: http://webconference.psu.edu/.

Penn State WebMail2 scheduled to be decommissioned May 13 (5/8/08)
On Tuesday, May 13, Information Technology Services (ITS) will fully decommission Penn State WebMail2, during the regularly scheduled maintenance window from 5 to 7 a.m. After this time, WebMail2 will no longer be available for use and will be fully replaced by the final version of Webmail software, now simply referred to as "Penn State WebMail." University plans related to WebMail were originally outlined at http://live.psu.edu/story/25592, along with subsequent announcements made throughout fall 2007 and early spring 2008. As part of the replacement procedure, several updates will be made to WebMail to address any concerns reported during its test phase earlier this year. It should be noted that users will not experience any data or e-mail loss, and access to WebMail will be available through the WebMail splash screen (https://webmail.psu.edu/) as usual. According to ITS staff, WebMail users will now be able to enjoy many new user-specific options, such as a tabbed interface and the ability to download mailboxes — allowing them to flexibly choose between a feature-rich client or "bare bones" client. For information and the complete list of updates, visit the WebMail splash screen and click "Latest Updates to WebMail" link. Additional inquiries and requests for assistance should be directed to ITS Help Desk staff at helpdesk@psu.edu.

Registration is now open for Summer-Fest technology training (4/21/08)
Faculty and teaching assistants are invited to sign up for free technology workshops during Summer-Fest 2008, a weeklong training session conveniently offered during the break in the academic schedule, May 12-16. Popular topics include Using Clickers in the Classroom, EndNote, e-Portfolio, Videoconferencing for Instruction, Excel, SPSS, Office 2007, Penn State Thesis Template, Photoshop, Using Adobe Connect in the Classroom, and many more. Please visit the online catalog for a complete list of training sessions, and log in to register for training at http://its.psu.edu/training/ .

Call To Participate in PASS Open Beta Test (3/21/08)
Information Technology Services (ITS) would like to invite members of the Penn State community to participate in testing the new technology that will fully support Penn State Access Account Storage Space (PASS), as of summer 2008. The new file system will be deployed the first weekend in July, and all data for every customer currently using PASS space will be moved over to the new system in preparation for the fall 2008 semester. Once all of the data is moved, access to the former PASS systems will no longer exist. Therefore, ITS is strongly encouraging all of its current PASS users to enroll in the open beta testing period before the mandatory move takes place. The new file system is considerably faster and more stable than its predecessor. While users will still be able to enjoy the long-standing benefits and services PASS provides (including Personal Web space and blogging capabilities, file storage, secure file transfer, departmental, course, and student organizations' space, and a variety of PASS management tools), there will be some fundamental changes that need to occur with these services and tools, in order for them to perform and function properly. Participation in the open beta test will provide PASS users with the opportunity to provide feedback and the time to become familiar with the new changes, therefore helping ITS staff to ensure a smooth transition during the July migration. The open beta testing period begins on March 17 and will continue until the first weekend in July. To enroll in the PASS open beta test, please visit https://secureappsbeta.pass.psu.edu/secureapps/signup/. Links to instructions and other pertinent information are available on the enrollment form page. Requests for assistance should be directed to ITS Help Desk Staff at helpdesk@psu.edu.

Noted Author, Steve Krug, to Keynote at Penn State's Web 2008 Conference (3/6/08)
Steve Krug, author, usability expert, and consultant is this year's keynote speaker for Penn State's Web 2008 Conference. His very popular book, "Don't Make Me Think," the second edition of which sold over 80,000 copies, provides a common sense approach to making Web sites easy to use and navigate. Because his usability workshops have been in such high demand across the country, Krug was prompted to write a new book that will be available this summer. For more information about Krug, please visit his Web usability consulting Web site, Advanced Common Sense, at http://www.sensible.com/. Web 2008 will be held on June 9, 2008 at the Penn Stater Conference Center. A full day of post-conference workshops will take place in the Business Building on June 10. The planning committee has some new experiences in store for you this year. To learn more, visit the conference Web site at http://webconference.psu.edu/. Program sessions and the conference schedule will be available on the Web site shortly. You may also get a less formal view of Web Conference happenings by following the conference chair's blog at http://www.personal.psu.edu/paf119/blogs/Wishful-Thinking/.

Free Microsoft Software, DreamSpark, Now Available to Students (3/6/08)
Microsoft's DreamSpark, a new program designed to provide free development and design software to students around the world, is now available to Penn State students. The program was unveiled on Feb. 19 by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates at Stanford University — and is part of a company-wide effort to provide future technology workers with a head start in the competitive job market. According to Jeff Kuhns, associate vice provost for Information Technology, Penn State is well positioned to support DreamSpark, because of the University's leadership in federated technologies and its membership in the InCommon Federation. "Penn State's use of collaborative partnerships and tools (such as InCommon and Shibboleth) foster a 'trust environment' at the University, that enables our community members to securely access resources beyond our network domain - while simultaneously preserving individual privacy," he stated. "Having these technologies in place makes it possible for us to provide programs like DreamSpark, and will enable us to provide additional collaborative programs in the future." Some of the software that will be available to students through the DreamSpark program includes "Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition" and the Web and graphic design toolset, the "Expression Studio" - as well as XNA Game Studio 2.0, SQL Server Developer Edition, Windows Server Standard Edition, and other resources. To learn more about the DreamSpark initiative and to get started with downloading program software, follow the Knowledge Base instructions at: http://kb.its.psu.edu/psu-all/hd/dreamspark/?searchterm=dreamspark.

Penn State Access Account Passwords Expire Annually (2/25/08)
Penn State requires all Penn State Access Account owners to change their passwords annually. This requirement was instituted last year to increase the personal security of Penn State community members and to help protect business, research and academic resources throughout the University. Although all students, faculty, and staff must change their Access Account passwords annually, passwords can be changed more frequently, and at any time, for higher security. Users can check their respective password expiration dates for the upcoming year at https://www.work.psu.edu/. Prior to an individual's password expiration, he/she will receive an e-mail notification, with the subject, "Your Penn State Access Account Password Will Soon Expire," that includes password expiration time line information, instructions for changing passwords, and pointers to helpful documentation. ITS strongly encourages Access Account holders to change passwords before they expire, in order to avoid any disruption with access to University systems and services. For more information, visit http://its.psu.edu/password/, to keep track of your password's expiration date, visit https://www.work.psu.edu/. Questions and requests for assistance should be directed to the ITS Help Desk at 814-863-1035 or 814-863-2494, or by sending e-mail to helpdesk@psu.edu.

Web 2008 Conference: Call for Poster Session Proposals: (2/14/08)
The Web 2008 Conference Program Committee invites poster session proposals for this year's Web Conference! Poster sessions give those who might not be able to consider a formal presentation for the June 9 conference, or have time to prepare one, with a way to share best practices and ideas they find useful. Poster session presenters create a poster of the information to be shared and provide a short overview of the session, followed by a more in-depth discussion with interested colleagues. To submit a proposal, visit the Web Conference Web Site for submission guidelines.

Lawrence Lessig to Present Keynote at 2008 Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology (2/14/08)
Faculty and staff are invited to attend the free 2008 Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology, to be held Saturday, March 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, University Park. Lawrence Lessig, professor of law at Stanford Law School and founder of the school's Center for Internet and Society, will be the keynote speaker, and will be introduced by President Graham Spanier. Lessig is the author of Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity, The Future of Ideas, and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace. He chairs the Creative Commons project, and serves on the board of the Free Software Foundation, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Public Library of Science, and Public Knowledge. He is also a columnist for Wired. For more information on Lessig and his work, see http://symposium.tlt.psu.edu/keynote/.

Register for technology workshops offered this semester (1/3/08)
Registration is now open for the technology workshops offered during spring semester by ITS Training Services. More than one hundred sessions are available, and popular topics include Access, Excel, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, cascading style sheets, XHTML, InDesign, Illustrator, Mac OS X Leopard, Flash, ANGEL, podcasting, and many more. Visit the Web site for more information and to register for training at http://its.psu.edu/training/.

Consulting Services: Consulting services are available at ITS Help Desks and computer labs. See the CSS consulting Web site for locations, hours, and the type of services available.

Your Guide to Information Technology @ Penn State: Your Guide to Information Technology @ Penn State is available on the Web at http://css.its.psu.edu/internet/.

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