One of the most annoying things about having the only Mac in an otherwise all-Windows installation (or the other way around) has always been the issue of file sharing. When all or most of your co-workers have their files on one platform and yours are on another, how do you pass files among yourselves? "Sneakernet" passing floppy disks from one machine to another was once the standard solution, but Macs haven't had internal floppy drives since 1997, and even increasing numbers of PCs are now showing up without this once-standard accessory. Burning CDs is slow, relatively expensive and certainly clumsy. And sending a lot of large files as email attachments isn't going to get you on the good side of any mail-server administrators, either. What's the answer?
Fortunately (or otherwise, depending upon your philosophical outlook), we still have networks. Once confined to commercial and educational wired systems, networksespecially wireless networksare beginning to find their way out of the workplace and into hotels, coffee shops and, most importantly, private homes. Both PC and Mac laptop machines are increasingly offering built-in wireless networking as an option, and for older laptops with accessory-card slots, wireless cards are available for under $60. So network file sharing has finally become a realistic option, especially for the ever-increasing legions of laptop users. But how do you do it?
Actually, it's not difficult at all, under either OS X or Windows XP. The real problem is that the process isn't as well documented as it might be, and consequently fewer users than might otherwise be the case are taking advantage of this very useful facility.
If you want to access files being shared by a Windows XP workstation (or a Windows 2003 server, for that matter), the OS X Finder is the place to start. Begin with the menu bar's Go menu, and choose Connect to Server. This brings up a window in which you can choose the fileserver to which you'd like to connect.
Note that you're given several types of servers to access. One is nfs (network file system), a time-tested Unix standard for sharing files. Another is afp (AppleTalk File Protocol), a proprietary Apple protocol, now fading but still in use at many old-line Apple shops. Third is smb, or Server Message Block, another venerable (mid-1980s) protocol long used for Windows-to-Windows communications, but extended to a wider world by the Samba open-source program suite and the Common Internet File System (CIFS) specification. Apple's OS X has Samba support built in, which allows OS X users to easily connect to Windows network shares. So use the smb protocol smb://<server>/<share name>. Note that <server> can be either an IP (Internet Protocol) address or the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) of the Windows server.
The server is raziel.staff.win.psu.edu, and the share name is Users. You'll be prompted for your Windows userid and password, and when you supply these, the remote Windows filesystem becomes just another icon on your desktop.
Less well known is that an OS X Mac can also share its own files with Windows machines. To do so, open up the System Preferences window and click the Sharing icon. This brings up the Sharing window, with all its options. The option that interests us in this case is Windows File Sharing. Click this checkbox to begin sharing files via smb, to be accessed by Windows.
Note also the computer name and Rendezvous name boxes. Unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise, it's best to keep these identical. Once Windows File Sharing is turned on, your OS X home directory is now shared.
Does this give all Windows users automatic access to your files? No. Each Windows userid to which you want to grant access must have a corresponding local user account and ID on the Mac, and be authorized to connect to the shared folder. This is accomplished in the Accounts pane of System Preferences. Select the account, which is to be granted access and click the Edit button. Then check the Allow user to log in from Windows box (you'll have to enter your password and press Return to do this). Note that as of the latest version of OS X (10.2.5 at this writing), this setting will not "take" unless you change your password at the same time. You can "change" it to what it already is; the OS won't complain. But it must be changed. Once you've done this, you should be in business.
Both connecting and sharing are very similar processes under both operating systems. To connect to a network drive from an XP workstation, open an Explorer window and choose the Map Network Drive option from the Tools pulldown menu. For connecting to Windows shares, you can either manually type in the name of the shared filesystem in Windows format (\\<server>\share), or use the Browse option to locate it.
If you use the Browse option to connect to a folder shared from a Mac, you should find the Mac and its shared folder under the Workgroup section of Microsoft Windows Network . Once you've connected, you'll find that the Mac shared filesystem looks just like a Windows filesystem to your XP machine (well, not quite; you'll see all the Unix "dot files" that are invisible from OS X). In the Windows Explorer, the name of the connected Mac filesystem will contain the name of the exported folder, the Samba version, and the name of the Mac.
To share a folder from XP, right-click on the folder and choose Sharing and Security from the pulldown menu. Then click the Share this folder checkbox, and use the Security tab to determine what users have the right to access it. You can authorize users from either the local machine or, if the machine is joined to one, a Windows domain. Once you've done this, you'll be able to attach to the Windows share from your Mac, using the instructions in the Mac section above.
How well does all of this work? Very well. Both at home and at work, filesharing between Mac OS X and Windows XP functions exactly as advertised. In fact, this article was written using files generated and saved across wireless network fileshares between OS X and Windows. If it didn't work... well, you'd be looking at a very blank page right now.
Interoperability between Macs and Windows XP machines has come a long way since the old days of incorrigible "Mac people" and "PC people." Without third-party software, users of both platforms can now share files back and forth easily and reliably. It's no longer inevitably necessary that either an office or a home environment need be "all Windows" or "all Mac." And wireless networking makes it even handierbut that's another article.
Education Technology Services (ETS) has taken the traditional classroom learning environment in a new direction with the development of three computer simulations that conveniently and effectively teach core concepts and skills with regard to energy conservation. As a result, students in EGEE 102 can now enter a virtual world to learn real-life lessons of cost efficiency and energy conservation.
Through a Faculty Technology Initiative project, ETS team members worked closely with Dr. Sarma Pisupati, associate professor of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering, to develop these Web-based simulations. The experiments build upon each other and teach appropriate concepts by comparing the results of using different insulating materials in different environments.
The initial goal of the project was to replicate a physical experiment previously used to teach basic concepts regarding the benefits of insulation. Dr. Pisupati's original energy conservation experiment involved large plywood boxes that incorporated different insulating materials. In the experiment, students placed each box over a light bulb and noted the differences in heat retention in relation to the different insulating materials. Students were expected to perform the experiment outside of class, and transporting the physical model was not always convenient.
ETS project members addressed the initial goal with the first simulation. Project members used graphics and animation software along with object-oriented programming to simulate the physical properties, as well as the required actions of the physical experiment. In both the physical and virtual experiments, students learn to determine the most effective type of insulation for a given situation. The Web-based simulation, however, is able to illustrate that lesson in a more convenient, virtual setting.
Through initial project meetings, ETS members began to realize the possibility of accomplishing a related goal of Dr. Pisupati by developing several more lessons. The goal involved moving from an abstract experiment toward real-life examples, according to Brett Bixler, lead instructional designer for the project. ETS members felt that the Web-based interface would represent an environment in which more complex lessons could be introduced without increasing the difficulty level for students. As a result, group members endeavored to produce further experiments that would more closely approximate reality.
The second simulation incorporates the basic concepts of the first experiment and includes the relationship of cost efficiency. This simulation involves more hands-on calculations, and objectives include insulating a wall, evaluating the costs of various insulation types, and comparing those costs to the respective effectiveness of the materials.
The third and most complex simulation extends the lessons of the first two experiments using the components of a simulated house. This experiment is more interactive, requiring users to choose not only the type of insulation to use in a simulated house, but also many other variables which will affect the outcome of the experiment. Some of these variables include the size of the house, location, and type of windows. This experiment combines interactive features with hands-on calculations to explore more complex concepts, such as the amount of time it would take to recoup an investment in a given insulation type.
This process of gradually introducing complexity, referred to as scaffolding, is intended to help students think through logical progressions of complex concepts, according to Bixler. "In learning simulations, students are better able to understand concepts that progress in a logical order from simple to complex, rather than those that are just thrown at them," said Bixler.
In developing the third simulation, the incorporation of graphics and programming became vital, according to Christine Wagner, senior applications programmer/analyst. She said that developing a model that merged programming and graphics into an intuitive environment for the user was particularly challenging. "Working (as a programmer) so closely with the designer was like the Yin and the Yang of Flash," she said.
Bixler said that ETS group members endeavored to make the tasks within the simulations as easy to follow as possible for the students. The simulations include printable charts and well-defined tasks for students to use throughout the simulations, as well as to hand in to their professor upon completion. "Students could print out the charts and include their findings to hand in to the professor. This way, we maintained some consistency with the way the results would be presented, making it easy to follow for the students and easy to track for the professor," Bixler said.
According to Bixler, a computer simulation is "one of the most complex things you can do on a computer. There are guidelines, but you really have to have an open mind and be able to think outside the box to do it well," he said.
In addition to assimilating traditional and non-traditional thinking, the ETS group relied heavily on communication to achieve the goals they set out to accomplish. Communication was the integral part of the process, explained Wagner. "We needed to maintain the integrity of the experiment while accomplishing Dr. Pisupati's goals," she said.
Although the process of interpretation was not always easy, success resulted from a lot of hard work and effective communication among all members of the project. "We all had the same goals," said Wagner, "to create a comprehensive, good quality, user-friendly product for the professor and students."
According to Bixler, the simulations will enable the professor to reach more students with an experiment that is more accessible-Web-based, as opposed to physical-and this added convenience will allow students to concentrate on the lessons within the experiment, rather than worry about external factors, such as transporting a cumbersome, physical experiment. Dr. Pisupati said, "I am very pleased because this active learning component will help students visualize the concepts and guide them through the activity."
The project was completed in February and has been tested with students and teaching assistants. Feedback has been positive, according to Bixler, who says that Dr. Pisupati will now incorporate the experiment into his course.
To view samples of the simulations, go to http://tlt.its.psu.edu/projects/samples/insulation/ ETS is a division of Teaching and Learning with Technology, a unit of Information Technology Services. For more information about the Faculty Technology Initiative projects, visit http://tlt.its.psu.edu/.
Safari Tech Books Online now Available to the Penn State Community
Are you one of those who consume tech books? Is your bookshelf overflowing with "animal" books (from O'Reilly, whose tech books each feature a drawing of a particular animal)? Is your desk regularly the place for spreading out the SAMS "Teach Yourself Whatever-it-is in 21 Days," or any of the many handbooks and guide books from Que, Microsoft, Addison Wesley or any of the others?
If so, you owe it to yourself to have a look at a major new resource for materials relating to information technology, now available to Penn State faculty, staff and students. It's Safari Tech Books Online, and it provides searchable, full-text access to over 600 technology books from major information technology publishers.
A look at the Web interface will quickly give you a sense of the breadth and depth of this new resource. It provides a number of pre-defined searches by category, including Applied Science, Business, Certification, Computer Science, Databases, Desktop applications and Desktop publishing, E-Commerce, Enterprise Computing, Graphics, Hardware, Human-Computer Interaction, Internet/Online, IT Management, Markup Languages, Multimedia, Networking, Operating Systems, Programming and Software Engineering. In addition, you may search for all instances of a specific phrase in a title, or even in the full text of all the books. You can pull up code fragments and examples, as well as explanatory text.
Search results are returned as book sections. These are less-than-chapter length to facilitate screen browsing. While these sections are viewable and printable, they're not so easily printed that you'd want to print an entire book, additionally, our license specifically forbids such things. The real purpose of the service is to permit users of tech books and manuals to accomplish a fast specific search across the entire Safari collection and retrieve the relevant sections from the books. Titles included are reviewed regularly by librarians to keep the full text database current and the collection will be updated several times a year.
Safari Tech Books Online can be found on the Penn State Libraries "E-Resources" list, at http://www.lias.psu.edu/alall.html. Take a look! If you have any questions or comments, you can direct them to Michael Pelikan, Technology Initiatives Librarian, at mpp10@psu.edu.
Over the next several months, the University Libraries will be migrating many of its Web pages to a new server. Because of this move and in an effort to provide quicker and easier access to the Libraries' Web site, the Web addresses of many of the existing Libraries' pages will be changing.
Should you attempt to access a page that has moved, you will either be redirected to the new address or taken to a custom error page containing a directory and search engine to help you find the new location.
Please remember to change your bookmarks as you are directed to new Web locations.
For more information, contact Brian Hoffman of the Libraries' Department for Information Technologies at bjh1@psu.edu or 814-863-3214.
Penn State Libraries have been actively involved in providing virtual, or digital, reference services to its users since 1991. As more and more resources such as The Cat, article databases, and full-text journals have become available through the Libraries website, allowing people to work from their homes or offices, the Libraries has responded to the critical need to support these remote users and to provide a mechanism for them to contact the Libraries with problems or questions.
In the early years, virtual reference was accomplished by e-mail, and later using e-mail based web-forms. Today virtual reference is provided through a combination of a locally developed ColdFusion application that handles Web form submissions and a commercial product, "LSSI Virtual Reference" for real-time chat sessions with a librarian. The ASK! service (http://apps.libraries.psu.edu/questions/comments.cfm ) packages together e-mail, chat, frequently asked questions, documentation and contact information for subject specialists and campus/college librarians. The bright green ASK! button found on many of the Libraries Web pages is recognized by more and more library users as a convenient access point for seeking assistance from the Libraries faculty and staff.
The ColdFusion application operates much like a typical helpdesk. Library patrons enter their question or comment using a Web form. This data is stored in a database. Library personnel log into the management side of the application to answer patron submissions. Answers are e-mailed to patrons through the application.
The LSSI Virtual Reference application provides real time chat along with co-browsing. In a co-browsing session the librarian can "push" a Web page to the patron via the patron's Web browser. This allows both parties to see the same information and to share control.
Beginning in June 2003, the libraries will pilot a new integrated reference management system called "Virtual Reference Toolkit". This commercial product integrates the LSSI Virtual Reference product with RefTracker, a form-based reference product that will replace the locally developed application. In this integrated environment, a librarian engaged in a chat session with a patron will be able to refer the patron's question and the chat transcript into the RefTracker. This is particularly useful for questions that require more time for research or the expertise of a subject specialist. Similarly, this system will support collaboration and referrals across the over forty Web-based service points supported by the various libraries and units across the Penn State campuses.
The Virtual Reference Toolkit will also allow the libraries to collect detailed reference statistics in a single system and to build a common knowledge base.
These FAQs will help to answer questions you have about the installation of Express LIAS Workstations and the Libraries new authentication requirement. Members of the Libraries' staff are ready to assist you with any additional questions.
Express LIAS Workstations provide pre-authenticated access to all of the resources and databases owned or licensed by the University Libraries. This continues the access that has always been provided to our visiting users to the online CAT (the library catalog), over 380 LIAS licensed databases, federal and PA state government Web sites, and a continually growing selection of World Wide Web sites determined to be particularly important to supporting the research needs of all of our visiting users. It does not provide access to email services or totally open access to the Internet except for those online resources selected by the librarians. Any visitor to any of the Penn State system libraries may use the LIAS Express Workstations without supplying identification.
LIAS Workstations that require authentication are intended for the use of Penn State students, faculty, and staff who are authorized to access the Penn State computer network. They provide access to everything available on the Express LIAS workstations, as well as completely open access to the Internet. Only those who are able to authenticate with a current Penn State Access Account may use these workstations.
In this case, "authenticate" means to verify the identity of the user of a particular library workstation.
The authentication procedure is primarily a security measure intended to prevent abuse of the Libraries' computing systems. It brings the University Libraries into compliance with University policies and regulations. The decision to require authentication for network access in the Penn State University Libraries is in response to increasing misuse of the University's telecommunications network and was requested last year by Penn State's Director of Security Operations and Services. Under the federal 2000 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the University is responsible for the security of its network and responding legally to misuse of computer and network resources. Users need to authenticate in LIAS to insure accountability under University computer network policies and computer use regulations, and federal and state laws. Only authorized Penn State users can have access to certain services and resources available on the Penn State network such as personal e-mail, setting up personal Web pages, or open access to the World Wide Web.
The University network is a private educational network intended for use by students, faculty, and staff, and is not intended to provide open internet services to the general public such as you will find in most public libraries. Because of our primary mission to serve the educational needs of Penn State students, our legal obligations to ensure network security, and our own limited computational resources, we cannot act as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to the public.
When registered students and Penn State employees accept Access Accounts, they agree to accept full responsibility for using University computing capabilities in accordance with University policies and regulations, and federal and state laws.
Most public libraries provide Internet access to patrons. Additionally, the State Library's ACCESS Pennsylvania database and its "POWER LIBRARY" service provide access to many library catalogs and periodical databases, respectively, that are similar to those of the University Libraries. You can use these services from a public library workstation, or from home, if you are a registered public library user and have a public library borrower's card. That registration is valid anywhere in Pennsylvania. General Internet access and Access Pennsylvania are available at the Centre County Library and at the Schlow Memorial Library in State College. For other locations, Penn State Libraries staff will help you identify a public library near you.
All visiting users do have access to the holdings of the Penn State Libraries through the online CAT and to the LIAS licensed databases. This access includes more than 4.5 million titles in the Penn State Libraries throughout the Commonwealth, and use of over 380 research databases containing thousands of articles, many in full text. Additionally, all users, including visitors, have access to federal and PA state government websites, as well as the PA State Library's ACCESS Pennsylvania database and "Power Library" system. This access is the same whether the user is on a pre-authenticated LIAS Express Workstation, or an authenticating workstation. These resources always have been, and will continue to be available to all users of the Penn State Libraries when they visit any of our locations throughout Pennsylvania.
However, Penn State students pay tuition and special technology fees in order to have current Access Accounts and full use of computing facilities and authenticated access to the Internet. The Libraries are funded from a mix of taxes, tuition, fees, and private donations. Most state funding (generally only about 13% of the overall University revenues) that comes to the Libraries is used to purchase collections and access to electronic resources. Our information technology costs are funded out of a combination of student information technology fees, tuition, or from private donations. Our responsibilities to the public are defined primarily by the Federal Depository Library Program Act and Commonwealth legislation covering our status as a state government depository library and as one of the four Statewide Resource Center Libraries.
The University Libraries recognize that visiting users occasionally will have need for broader access to the Internet for their research purposes. Check with the staff at a library service desk for assistance. They will assist you with locating information you need. Under our policies, our Libraries staff will protect your privacy. Although they cannot provide you with access to email services, there are several options available for meeting your research needs that the staff can explain to you.
No, the University Libraries' borrower card only allows you to borrow library materials. It does not provide you with an Access Account. Please consult with the Libraries staff regarding your information and research needs.
No, Access Accounts are not for sale.
Please check at the nearest service desk for more information.
There is no limit. However, we ask that you respect the needs of other users if a waiting line develops. Occasionally, Penn State University Libraries must ask users to limit their times on computer workstations during especially busy times. Note, there is a "time-out" on authenticated workstations. If no key strokes are made for a period of five minutes, the workstation will log you off automatically.
Yes, you will be able to e-mail articles but you will not be able to attach messages to them.
The University's Director of Security Operations and Services and the Dean of Libraries have concurred in this decision. The decision to go to authenticated access with the addition of specialized pre-authenticated workstations for general public access was discussed several times at the Academic Leadership Council (ALC), comprised of all the deans, vice provosts, provost, and president of the university. ALC agreed with the need for authentication and the implementation strategy.
Comments or questions should be referred to Libraries administration, 865-0401.
By Stephanie Anderson
Dr. Gerry Santoro, one of the numerous University faculty members using ANGEL (A New Global Environment for Learning course management system), recently has started to use the system to do more than just manage his courses.
Each semester Santoro, assistant professor of Information Sciences and Technology at University Park, asks a select group of his students to use features available in ANGEL to create specially tailored online surveys. The surveys are completed by the rest of the students in his classes and this information eventually enables Santoro to understand how and what his students are learning and what information they deem useful-while also teaching them ways to integrate technology into their classroom experience.
Santoro is not alone in his expanded use of the ANGEL system. ANGEL was created as a means for faculty to manage their courses and for students to keep track of their assignments and have access to online materials. However, as each semester passes since its creation, ANGEL and its applications are becoming increasingly attractive for a variety of other reasons.
One of the popular new uses for ANGEL is classroom communication. As traditional e-mail in-boxes suffer from a glut of messages, many faculty members find ANGEL an easy alternative for communicating with their students. All classroom communications can be placed by faculty in "folders" on the ANGEL Web site at http://cms.psu.edu/, making the information easily accessible to students at any time. Materials, in the Web folders, can then be printed or saved from ANGEL without adding to the clutter of e-mail boxes.
With the exception of face-to-face office meetings or instant messages, Santoro requires that all course-related communication between him and his students be conducted over ANGEL.
Another benefit of ANGEL is confidentiality. ANGEL offers a level of privacy that a Web site cannot. Faculty, students and staff can create specific groups and folders on ANGEL, and that information can be made available to anyone with a Penn State Access Account, or be kept private for specified group members only. With a large portion of the University's population working on grant proposals, research or policy, sensitive information may be made public to only the appropriate people using ANGEL, therefore safeguarding intellectual propriety and issues of disclosure.
Wendy Mahan is an academic counselor and part-time instructor in The Smeal College of Business Administration. She also is an adviser to the Smeal Student Mentors, a large student organization that helps first-year business students adapt to The Smeal College and to campus life. The group has a public Web site, but also uses ANGEL to post surveys and tests for its members using the "Add a Survey" feature. Mahan said that ANGEL has eased the burden of communication and test-scoring.
"The Smeal College is undergoing some curriculum changes for fall 2003," she said, "so many of our older students will have difficulty helping out the new students. I plan to develop some instructional materials that these student mentors must review over the summer months. They also will be required to demonstrate mastery of this material by completing a test. If I didn't have ANGEL, I would be struggling to figure out how to use form mail and filter my e-mail messages, then I would have to develop an Excel spreadsheet to plot everyone's scores and determine trouble spots."
Mahan also cites ANGEL's privacy features as an additional bonus. "Privacy is a bit of an issue," she said. "If the training site was public and accidentally contained erroneous or outdated materials, a student could stumble upon the site, print out the information, and use it to his/her advantage."
To learn more about ANGEL's features, please go to http://cms.psu.edu/.
"Put your books and notes away. Take out a pencil and paper." I still get sweaty palms when I hear those words so I sympathize with students who dislike quizzes. Quizzes can police rather than foster learning. Additionally, without teaching assistants to manage the paper trail, quizzes can add up to a lot of busy work for the instructor. For the courses I teach in American literature, American Studies, and Women's Studies, the quiz functions in ANGEL allow me to meet my course objectives and the needs of my students more effectively. I primarily use ANGEL quizzes to test reading, discussion and lecture comprehension. By using ANGELas opposed to traditional in-class quiz formatsI increase in-class discussion time, lower the amount of time I spend correcting quizzes and recording grades, reduce students' test anxiety, and increase student satisfaction with how testing functions in my courses.
As there are many ways to use ANGEL quizzes, I will describe briefly how I use them in my courses to achieve the above objectives. The quizzes are "homework," completed outside of class during a set quiz period. The quizzes may only be submitted once; that is, students cannot retake a quiz after submitting their answers. Each quiz remains open in ANGEL for at least six hours on the designated quiz day. For example, my AMST 105 students take weekly quizzes in ANGEL. Students take the quiz (anytime from 3pm to 11pm) on a designated day listed in the syllabus. Because of the options I select while constructing the quiz, students will not know the results until after the quizzing period. If my students take the quiz Monday, on Tuesday morning I access the quiz, review the "Quiz Analysis" report, which summarizes the class responses, and transfer the scores to my EXCEL grade book. I then re-open the quiz to allow students to view their grades and my feedback. If the quiz does not contain short answer questions, which must be graded manually, the post-quizzing process takes less than five minutes. Once you become familiar with ANGEL's quizzing options, writing the quiz should not take much longer than any other format.
Let me point out a couple of other functions that make ANGEL quizzes superior to traditional paper versions. The "Quiz Analysis" allows me to gauge quickly what questions gave the class trouble so I know what material needs to be reinforced in class. Additionally, if a student complains a question was "unfair," the Quiz Analysis helps me judge the complaint's validity. If I retrieve a copy of the Quiz Analysis that shows sixty percent of the class answered the question correctly, I am able to steer our conversation to the source of the student's confusion: whether the problem be with understanding the course material or applying test-taking skills objective exams require, such as reading the entire question rather than selecting the first correct answer.
ANGEL's feedback options also enhance student learning and my teaching effectiveness. Rather than writing the same comment on everyone's quiz or fielding the same question numerous times in office hours, I can type feedback once in ANGEL for the entire class. When students access their quiz, they all know the correct answer to question five can be found on page 256. I can also use the "WhoDunIt Agent" (in the Tools tab) to send an email to all students who did not take the quiz, to students who failed the quiz, and to students who did exceptionally well.
If you decide to use ANGEL quizzes in your course, consider giving students a sample or practice quiz. This allows them to experience the quizzing functions and your testing style without risk. Additionally, I encourage you to adhere to a strict "no make-up quiz" policy, and drop at least one quiz grade. My policy states students who know they will not be able to take a quiz are required to consult with me in person prior to the quiz period. I always make the alternative less attractiveusually an essay exambecause frequently students "suddenly remember" they can, after all, take the on-line quiz. Also, if I know a student could take the quiz if it opened earlier or was left open later, I can make adjustments. Dropping at least one quiz gives leeway to students who do not take a quiz due to an illness, a family death or other unexpected emergency, or who simply forget.
For students who experience test anxiety or who have documented learning disabilities, ANGEL quizzes provide them with a more "relaxed" testing environment providing--them with more time, books and notes, and the ability to chat with classmates while taking the quiz. Sound too easy? In my experience, the students who fail traditional quizzes because they miss class or do not keep up with the reading continue to fail when presented with quizzes in the ANGEL format. I agree students should know Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote "The Minister's Black Veil"; however, traditional quizzes that pose these types of questions tend to send students into a flurry of isolated memorization. I would rather see students consulting each other about course material and quiz questions that require a close reading of the text and attentive participation in class discussion and lectures. I would rather pose questions and administer quizzes that foster a learning community.
1. Log into ANGEL (http://cms.psu.edu) and select your course.
2. Select the "Lessons" tab.
3. Select "Add Content."
4. Scroll down. Select "Add a Quiz."
5. Select the "Advanced" button, located along the top of your quiz window. There are two "Settings," the default "Normal" and the "Advanced," which allows you to set options such as how many times students can take the quiz and what information the students will receive upon completion of the quiz. I suggest selecting the "Do not allow incomplete items" under "Validation" in the "Quiz Setting" category. This will prevent students from accidentally submitting their quizzes before finishing the exam. After making your selections, click the "Save" button located at the end of the options.
6. Select "Add Question."
7. You have several options to choose from: various multiple-choice formats, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and essay. Select the question format you need and follow the step-by-step instructions. While writing the quiz you can enter feedback students will receive along with their score, or you may add this feedback later. You may also add "Section Headers," and questions may be rearranged at any point and imported from other locations.
8. When you complete writing your quiz, select "Take the Quiz" to experience what the students will view.
9. Not comfortable experimenting with this tool on your own? ITS offers regular seminars on the quiz functions in ANGEL. Check out the schedule: http://its.psu.edu/training/.
Managing a large enrollment course requires creativity, hard work and sometimes help from the technology experts. Dr. Samuel Richards, senior lecturer in sociology, discovered this when his course, SOC 119: Race and Ethnic Relations, suddenly doubled in size. Currently, about 480 students enroll in the course. Forty teaching assistants are required to head class discussion sections and assist with lectures, including one person who runs the technology podium during class.
Richards explains that "with 250 people, I can walk into a classroom and not use PowerPoint, not use overheads, not use notes, and not even use a microphone, and I can keep them really engaged, just talking. I can have conversations back and forth. But with 500 people, it's really difficult. So we needed some assistance keeping people engaged."
In fall 2001, Richards turned to the Faculty Technology Initiative program offered by Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) to help him employ technology to help engage students and manage the logistics of this large class. TLT helped in several capacities.
Richards frequently shows two- to five-minute video clips during his carefully scripted class lectures, in tandem with PowerPoint slide presentations. TLT staff demonstrated to him how to edit the clips using iMovie software and place them onto DVD. Richards and his teaching assistants performed the actual work of making the DVDs. The DVD format allows one to more easily begin playing a clip on cue than with a videocassette. As Richards explains, "In a class of 500, ten seconds is how much time you need for the students to all of a sudden start talking, and then it takes me sixty seconds to get them quiet again. You have to be ready. It's like a theater production."
For one exercise in the course, each student is photographed with a person of a different race or ethnic background. The student then shows the photo to friends and family in order to generate discussion, sometimes lively, regarding diversity and prejudice. In the past, class photos were taken using a conventional camera, film was sent out to be developed, then each student was given a photo print. However, the class is now too large to make that feasible, according to Richards. TLT supplied him with a digital camera to take the student photos. Staff then demonstrated how to use Photoshop to make thumbnail galleries of the photos to place on the course Web site at http://www.personal.psu.edu/smr8/119PhotoProjIndex.htm, where each can be clicked to view a larger image. Getting this process going was a "huge help," says Richards.
TLT assisted with a survey Richards designed to discover student attitudes toward race and ethnicity and aspects of their upbringing. Staff formatted the survey for the Web, so that students could fill it out and submit it online. Richards comments, "that was a great tool to have." He explains that using the statistical software SPSS, he can compile the data from survey submissions into pie charts or bar graphs. Richards administered the survey in fall 2002, and found it gave him "a real sense of what the thinking is on a particular topic." When he covered a topic in class, such as affirmative action, he could then cite the relevant student opinions on that topic.
TLT staff captured video of several class lectures, then streamed brief portions to post on the course Web site at http://www.personal.psu.edu/smr8/Soc119/VideoClipsFromLecture/119videoclipsmain.htm. Richards notes that students often talk about the course with their parents and others, and these lecture excerpts give them a feel for what it is.
In addition to their assistance with SOC 119, TLT staff assisted with the making of two videos for use with the Race Relations Project, another endeavor initiated by Richards. One was shot by TLT personnel and one by Richards and his wife, Dr. Laurie Mulvey. The videos were edited and streamed for the Web in the Faculty Multimedia Center, run by TLT.
Richards says of the course components TLT assisted with, "I think all of these things allow students to feel more connected to the course." He points out that students frequently go to the Web for information, and he must keep his course site updated. "You can't teach a class like this without really using the technology," he says, adding that "dynamic, fast-paced class input is really what students want. They're used to that and they need that. But, of course, in the end, what students really want is to be challenged to think in new ways and technology must not get in the way of that goal."
Vicki Weidler grins when she says, "I actually do look forward to coming onto campus every day. My job is always changing--what I teach is changing and there is always something new to learn. There's also still a need for technology training at Penn State and I'm interested in figuring out what the faculty and staff need to know and how to get that information to them."
Vicki is a training specialist for ITS Training Services, which provides technology training to the Penn State community through seminars, Web-Based Training, and Training on Demand. She teaches a series of free seminars on Microsoft Access and on Adobe Photoshop, explaining not only how to use the software, but also the overall picture behind the software and what it's used for. For example, in her Access course, Vicki explains the different types of databases and why using a relational database is appropriate for one scenario but not others.
Courses taught in a series allow Vicki to see the same person in multiple classes and help her establish relationships with faculty and staff learners. She spends part of each day answering e-mails or phone calls from seminar participants seeking help with software that they used in the training seminars. Frequently, seminar participants have had some experience with the software and are looking for troubleshooting help on a particular project.
"One of the most challenging things about teaching seminars is the on-the-spot troubleshooting in the classroom, when I might not have all the information about a project or file, or have time to research how to figure out a person's problem with it" says Vicki. She tries to suit everyone's needs in her seminars by also offering tips and tricks for using software. Streamlining a process for people helps them do their job more efficiently. Improving efficiency is part of Training Services' goal to "facilitate learning, teaching, and professional development activities."
Delivering technology training to the entire Penn State community is a daunting charge, and finding new ways to reach faculty and staff and to determine what they need and would like to be learning is another aspect of Vicki's job. She is part of a team that is working on a training needs assessment that surveys people about the ITS Training Services seminars. Discovering whether a person has taken an ITS seminar, which course he or she took, and what he or she thought of it helps hone Training Services' understanding of their huge clientele. Recently, they surveyed people who have never registered for ITS Training Services seminars to discover why some people don't take advantage of the training. Determining if people aren't aware of the seminars, if they don't need them because they already have a certain skill set, where their skills came from, if they're using other Training services like Web-based Training instead, all gets to the heart of how Training Services can best serve Penn State.
Training Services also serves Penn State faculty and staff through the Human Resource Development Center (HRDC). The HRDC offers professional development opportunities such as programs in leadership and management, customer relations, and computer skills. (To learn more about the HRDC, visit http://www.ohr.psu.edu/hrdc/). Vicki coordinates the computer skills classes offered through the HRDC because they are taught by Training Services' trainers. She books the labs and trainers that the HRDC course will need, and coordinates marketing for the courses with the HRDC.
Vicki is involved with technology training at Penn State on several levels, from figuring out how to reach potential learners to determining which courses should be offered to booking rooms for HRDC courses to teaching seminars. Vicki sums up why her job is well suited to her, saying, "To me it's exciting because there's always something new, we're always reaching for the cutting edge (in teaching our seminars), and I'm always on the move, interacting with people." To learn more please see http://tlt.its.psu/training.
By H. D. Knoble
In addition to backing up your personal files, you might consider the following ordered Windows XP Maintenance steps. This article assumes that the reader has experience using Windows XP. The procedures outlined here help maintain good Windows XP performance as well as help keep your system virus and spyware free. These procedures are for Windows XP only and none of them are known to cause problems if run in the order shown below.
1) Update your virus definition files and then use your Antivirus program to do a complete scan of the fixed disk(s).
2) Backup the Registry. Consider the free utility: http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt ; or the commercial utility at: http://www.zoneutils.com/regheal/help/restoreafullregistrybackupinxp.htm . Also note that the Windows XP System Restore utility, if activated properly, will restore various Registry files.
3) Install, run and keep up-to-date an Anti-Spy Anti-Adware utility which prevents CPU and Internet cycle stealing and spying. A free program, Ad-aware, is available from: http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/. After downloading and installing Ad-aware:
a) On the upper right hand part of the screen click the "Open Web Update" icon and do the Ad-Aware Signature File update. Do this periodically.
b) Click the "Scan Now" button and then click the bullet "Use Default Scanning Options". Then click Next-> to start a complete scan. This may take several minutes to scan your whole system.
c) When Ad-aware is done scanning click Next, making sure all adware entries are checked and then click Delete.
d) The most recent deleted items will still be put in a restorable quarantine; you can delete this quarantine after the next shutdown/restart.
4) Clean obsolete and invalid items from the
Registry. There are several commercial registry cleaners;
for example:
http://www.downloadsoftware.org/utilities/system_utilities/advanced_registry_tracer.asp and
http://www.zoneutils.com/regheal/index.htm. A free Registry
cleaner may be downloaded at: EasyCleaner: http://www.toniarts.com/ecleane.htm;
read the companion FAQ at:
http://www.toniarts.com/faq.htm. We recommend the commercial
registry cleaner; if you use the free cleaner, be sure to make the "Skip List" be
the following string:
norton,help,control,_restore,ValDID, msmsgs. We recommend a
reboot (Shutdown/Restart) after cleaning the registry.
5) Compress the Registry and Page and Log Files. See the free utility: http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/pagedefrag.shtml. The functions of this utility will happen on a subsequent reboot (Shutdown/Restart).
6) Clean up unneeded files. This may be done via the Windows
XP Fixed Disk Cleanup utility; click Start/All
Programs/Accessories/System Tools and choose
Disk Cleanup. Places to save the most space include Temporary Internet
files and temporary general files, and emptying the Recycle Bin. It is
not necessary to use other Disk Cleanup options like compressing unused files.
7) Defragment your Fixed Disks. Since this is typically not a
fast process, you may wish to temporarily disable your screen saver. To run
Disk Defragmenter Click Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools
and choose Disk Defragmenter. Then click the Defragment button.
A faster more thorough defragmenter, which unlike the
built-in Disk Defragmenter, defrags critical system files, is "Diskeeper":
http://www.execsoft.com/diskeeper/diskeeper.asp.
Also if Disk Defragmenter either does not respond or refuses to run, then run CHKDSK (Start/My Computer; right-click the fixed disk in question, choose Properties, and then click the Tools tab and finally the Check Now button; you will need to Shutdown/Restart; the CHKDSK will then be run during next Restart.)
NOTES
The above steps, except CHKDSK, may be applied to Windows Me.
The steps: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 can be applied to Windows 9x/NT/2000.
Step 2 is done by Windows 98 by default; to recover Windows 98 registry files, boot to MS-DOS prompt and issue the command: scanreg /restore to restore a previous copy of the registry.
We recommend the above maintenance be done at least monthly. We recommend that virus definition files be updated (for Symantec Antivirus this is "Live Update") at least weekly.
The Penn State Portal is your personalized view of University and Internet resources. Similar to My Netscape or My Yahoo!, the Penn State Portal lets you collect all of your favorite content in one place. You decide what you want to see and how you want to see it by editing the customizable Web page channels and channel content.
Portal channels provide a means by which customizable Web page information is displayed. The Penn State Portal channels contain two essential parts: the title bar and the content. The Portal contains channels such as:
Authentication and content retention are possible via your Penn State Access Account userid and password. Your personalized settings and data are stored in your PASS. More information about PASS is available on the Web at http://aset.its.psu.edu/ait/storagespace.html.
Gaining access to the Penn State Portal is pretty easy, provided that you meet the following criteria:
We want to hear from you!
What do you think about the Penn State Portal? Please tell us!
Your comments will help us to enhance and improve the usability, funtionality
and features of the Portal.
Comments can be sent to portal-feedback@psu.edu or via the Portal Comments form. To access the form, first login to the Portal, then click the "Comments" link on the Portal header, located at the top of the page.
A new digital account system known as Friends of Penn State (FPS), has recently been developed to help provide a variety of University services to potential students, alumni and e-commerce customers via the Web. A joint project between several ITS organizations, the FPS account management system has been designed to enable the development of Web-based information resources to serve individuals outside the University in a more efficient, streamlined way. FPS is also part of the University's initiative to create a long-term relationship with the many individuals that use Penn State services, such as library technologies, e-stores, World Campus, the Registrar's Office, Undergraduate Admissions and more.
A number of University organizations are developing Web sites to make their services available to FPS account holders, according to Steven Kellogg, director of Advanced Information Technologies within ITS.
"In the past, offices like Undergraduate Admissions, University Libraries and World Campus had to design their own specific account system in order for non-psu.edu Internet users to access their respective services," Kellogg explained. This has been a complicated and difficult effort, since each organization had to devise an account that would serve the full-spectrum of Internet Providers - AOL, Adelphia, Earthlink and so on ... Penn State wanted to make life easier by managing this function centrally for offices and departments.
Kellogg predicts that eventually a majority of digital access for the outside Penn State community will be managed through Friends of Penn State. But he notes, retirees who have benefits will not be part of FPS, since they already retain their regular Penn State Access Account status when they leave the University and will continue in retirement as full members of the psu.edu community.
For alumni, potential students and others outside the University, however, the FPS account should help foster a long-term digital relationship with Penn State for anyone affiliated with University programs and services, he observes.
"The shared vision is that a high school student will be able to sign-up for one of the summer sports camps as a Friend of Penn State and later use the account to learn whether he/she wants to attend the University. If the same person eventually becomes a Penn State student, the University will automatically convert the FPS account to a Penn State Access Account. Then, upon graduation, the account will revert to FPS again where as an alumni, the individual can take Continuing Education classes and access a variety of other services."
At this time, anyone who does not have a Penn State Access Account, but who wants to electronically visit World Campus, the e-Golf store, Undergraduate Admissions, the Registrar's Office and many more University Web locations has (or will soon have) the option to acquire the Friends of Penn State status.
Planners also believe the concept of Friends of Penn State will make it easier for the University to develop a seamless information management infrastructure that can be tailored to the specific needs of the FPS community.
According to Joe Hughes, head professional at Penn State Golf Courses, http://www.psu.edu/golfcourses/, ITS Web developer Cynthia Kane designed a 'Web front' for the Courses e-Golf Store (with FPS users in mind) that makes it extremely simple for customers to find what they need. The new e-Store, which is expected to take advantage of FPS in the near future, has already made many e-business functions less expensive and more effective for his staff to run, he explains. "The interface has been customized to appeal to our mostly alumni-based e-clients and to be user-friendly from a management perspective. We can plug in photos, prices and other information about our award-winning Golf Shop with just a couple of quick key strokes."
Hughes adds that with the development of the Web site and the eventual addition of FPS, revenue from the Golf Course's e-business is projected to show a 48% increase over last year's numbers.
Other departments are creating their own electronic infrastructures to provide group-specific resources to the FPS community. The College of Agriculture is planning to develop a Web-based system that will provide resources for Pennsylvania farmers (based on FPS account identities) which could supply information tailored to specific agricultural interests such as crops, pesticides, irrigation, soil condition and other pertinent topics.
Some organizations have not elected to use the new account yet, but are evaluating how it might best be used for their constituencies. The University Libraries are now considering how it will best fit in with the Libraries' resources, according to Sally Kalin, associate dean for the University Park Libraries.
"Many of our University Libraries resources, such as the CAT, the online catalog; University Park and Campus College Libraries' Web sites; and specialized subject guides, have always been freely accessible to the public through www.libraries.psu.edu. We anticipate the FPS account will offer an easier route of access to these resources as well as our digital Libraries' projects."
Kellogg adds that these kinds of concerns illustrate that the concept of FPS is still evolving. "There are some offices that will, because of their respective missions, need to build in restrictive functions according to which groups within Friends of Penn State they want to targetand others where any category of user (potential student, alumni, e-shopper, farmer, Pennsylvanian or global resident) will be a welcome customer. Because of the FPS authentication function we can set up parameters for each organization based on identity. So our goal is to accommodate the greatest possible spectrum of ideas and needs with this technology."
To learn more about the Friends of Penn State initiative, go to: http://aset.its.psu.edu/fpsproject/.
Penn State WebMail is a Web-based e-mail client, similar to Yahoo! Mail, that provides you with anytime, anywhere access to your Penn State e-mail via a Web browser. Authentication to and e-mail storage in WebMail are made possible via your Access Account userid and password. Your email is stored in your home directory. The easy-to-use interface lets you check and send mail via a secure connection, create and organize mailboxes, access directory services, create and add personalized signatures, and change settings.
New features continue to be developed and added.
To use WebMail, go to https://webmail.psu.edu/ and click on the "Click To Enter" link. Authenticate with your Access Account userid and password. Instructions for use are available on-line via the WebMail interface.
Inquiries can be directed to webmail@psu.edu.
Viruses and mass-mailing worms, similar to the W32.Sobig.E@mm Virus that hit Penn State recently, are becoming increasingly common and insidious. A virus or worm infection can result in private and, in some cases, sensitive data being inadvertently and randomly sent via e-mail as a result of a compromised computer. According to University computer experts, it is essential that antivirus software be installed on all computers connected to the Penn State network and that virus definitions are updated weekly to ensure that the University computing community is protected.
Information Technology Services strongly encourages University community members who do not use antivirus software to obtain and install Symantec's Norton Antivirus software at no cost through Penn State Computer Store's Web site at http://computerstore.psu.edu/softwaredist/. Once the software is installed, users should scan their entire systems for "missed" viruses, now and biweekly. Virus definition files should be updated more frequently when a virus or worm is spreading.
For additional assistance, call the ITS Consulting and Support Help Desk at (814) 863-2494 or (814) 863-1035. If an infected e-mail is received, forward it (with full headers showing so it can be traced) to virus@psu.edu. General information and guidance on viruses can also be found on the ITS Virus Information Web site at http://its.psu.edu/virus.html.
In the ever-evolving world of technology, change is inevitable. Administrative Information Services, a unit of Information Technology Services (ITS), has taken a huge step in facilitating such change. Based on AIS Web site user feedback and a desire for improved usability and growth facilitation, the AIS Web Team is well on its way to creating and unveiling its improved site for all Penn State administrative computing users.
To begin this process, several user groups were identified, including AIS application users (ADIS, IBIS, ISIS, eDDS, Data Warehouse, EIS, OC://WebConnect, etc.); AIS information seekers relating to news, policies, meetings, documentation, access and security, download, support, etc.; ITS employees looking for information about the organization and its resources; and various members of the University community. A "card sorting" exercise was used in an initial round of testing. This method is a topic oriented, low-fi way to organize and label a prototype site according to its users' thoughts and opinions. The results of this testing pointed to several topics needing to be addressed in a new site, including the need for more "getting help" information, "getting started" sections and a wider (across screen) site structure. The Web Team's main objectives in this testing were to assess and organize content based on user testing and feedback; redesign AIS pages based on user-centered design, W3C guidelines and AIS Web Team feedback; redesign AIS sublevel pages based on main page ideals; and create templates, graphic files and a visual and written communication standards document. By completing these objectives, the team will be better able to improve the speed, accuracy and delivery of information for the completion of tasks performed by users, as well as the operational efficiency (how and when accurate and current content is updated, created, and/or distributed within the AIS Web site) and accuracy of providing information and services. Other user feedback was provided by word-of-mouth, past experiences, AIS Support Center records, AIS-webmaster e-mail records and the Web site's Online Opinion tool.
Following was a second user testing session called "paper prototyping." For paper prototype testing, the team first decided on the tasks that they'd like users to accomplish. Next, screen shots and/or hand-sketched drafts of the windows, menus, dialog boxes, pages, popup messages, etc. were made. These screen shots were needed to perform those tasks. Next, the team conducted a usability test by having one or two participants play the role of "computer," manipulating the pieces of paper to simulate how the interface would behave. Users were given realistic tasks to perform by interacting directly with the prototype-they would "click" by touching the prototype buttons or links and "type" by writing their data in the prototype's edit fields.
Next, content inventory was taken of the current AIS Web site. This catalog of topics and information exposed all aspects of the site and was used as a platform for new documentation and goals. Some suggested changes included pulling the Web site's "search" feature to the top of the screen, adding an AIS Intranet, adding a "related information" column, and site-wide navigation tools at the top of the screen.
The incorporation of test findings, future research and a new Content Management System (CMS) will combine to create the new AIS Web site. This new site will help to expand the information available to users, increase legibility and readability, and follow a path designed around usage, among other improved features. AIS plans to release its new site before year's end.
Faculty, staff and students new to the Penn State community now have the opportunity to activate their Penn State Access Accounts via the University's new and improved Access Account signature stations. The signature stations (which new Access Account holders must visit in order to activate their respective Access Accounts) have been upgraded and redesigned by Advanced Information Technologies (AIT) and the Accounts Services office, units of Academic Services and Emerging Technologies (ASET), to increase the performance, reliability and security of the former PC-based signature stations. The new signature stations and their software were upgraded to Apple eMacs, which run the 10.2 operating system and use Java 1.4.1. The new software takes advantage of the Macintosh's higher graphic resolution capability.
To gain access to a signature station, computer users must swipe their Penn State ID+ card through the card reader and apply their signature by using the "graphics tablet" to agree to Access Account policies as well as elect to subscribe to a variety of Penn State Newswires. The signature stations also provide existing Access Account users with a means by which they can obtain their original password should they forget their current password or need to reset their password. The new signature stations are available at University Park and at other Penn State locations.
For more information and a list of locations, please visit: http://css.its.psu.edu/accounts/sigstations.html.
One of the most challenging tasks faced by Penn State offices and departments is to create Web environments for University visitors that can both provide information and answer questions in an effective, user-friendly way. Two new tools are now available to help Web support staff accomplish this: AskPSU and Site Index Generator. AskPSU enables staff to create and customize Web forms in the style of an electronic postcard that directs inquiries to the appropriate contacts within an organization.
Site Index Generator enables staff to create and customize a site index containing an alphabetical list of topics and their associated URLs, keywords, and descriptions. Both can be easily created and modified using a simple Web interface. No specialized technical skills such as HTML, FTP, or scripting languages are required.
See http://ask.psu.edu/ and http://siteindex.psu.edu/ for application forms and instructions. A Penn State Access Account is required.
AskPSU and the Site Index Generator were developed by Information Technology Services (ITS), Penn State's central IT organization.
To learn more, visit http://its.psu.edu/ on the Web.
This comprehensive suite of software works in conjunction with Dreamweaver (on both MAC and PC platforms) and evaluates both the 508 Section Web Page Accessibility standards of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 and the W3C, World Wide Web Consortium guidelines. In addition, the software can monitor entire Web sites for standards compliance; schedule automatic tests; monitor and fix Web sites as they are developed; and generate customized executive summaries plus detailed reports to verify compliance.
University Web developers will find the software makes it possible to provide more useable Web pages for individuals with physical limitations.
Copies of this software may be ordered online through the Penn State Computer Store (http://www.ComputerStore.psu.edu) for $5.00.
Secure and high speed wireless networking access, known as ITS Wireless SecureNet, is now available at the Hetzel Union Building (HUB) on the University Park campus. Using wireless connections enables laptops to remain portable without sacrificing the advantages that come with being connected to a network. Although wireless networks can't substitute for the traditional higher-speed wired connections on campus, they offer a great deal of convenience for simple applications like e-mail exchanges, Web browsing, presentations, and file sharing.
To begin enjoying the mobility and convenience of wireless computing at the HUB, members of the Penn State community will need: a wireless-capable laptop, a wireless adapter card, and the Virtual Private Network (VPN) software available at https://www.work.psu.edu/access/vpn/ (which provides a secure network connection between individual laptops and Penn State networking resources).
1. What Do I Need?
2. Unplug and Fire Up a Connection!
It's easy to get connected to ITS Wireless SecureNet. All you have to do is:
To learn more about Penn State's wireless service, please go to: http://its.psu.edu/wireless/
This newsletter is published by The Pennsylvania State University, Consulting and Support Services, a unit of Information Technology Services, 214 Computer Building, University Park, PA 16802. The newsletter is also produced as a set of Web pages and Acrobat PDF files at http://cac.psu.edu/news/ on the World Wide Web. A printed version is mailed to full-time faculty and staff at all locations. Copies are available at the Computer Building at University Park. To obtain copies by campus mail, contact Danette Yakymac at (814) 865-4757 or send e-mail to dxs8@psu.edu.
Information Technology Services encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us in advance of your participation or visit.
This publication is available in alternative media upon request.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please contact the editor, Margaret Smith, 214 Computer Building, University Park; (814) 865-4757; e-mail mes8@psu.edu.
Editor in Chief
Kathy Mayberry, Director, User Services
Editor
Margaret Smith
Editorial Assistant
Kate Strauss
Production Assistant
Danette Yakymac
Summer 2003