2012 Ed Tech Predictions

Happy New Year from OIT! Now that we have all taken time to reminisce about 2011, it seems appropriate to think about the exciting technology innovations and predictions for 2012...I have to admit, I can't resist reading all those educational technology predictions that have surfaced the last couple of weeks. I have a few that I would like to include here for your consideration and I would enjoy hearing your thoughts! Of course there are those that are predictable, i.e. growth of social media, cloud technology, and mobile technology - but then there are others of interest that will surely influence and certainly enhance the way we teach and learn at CGU. What do you think?

1. From CNN Tech - "The Top 10 tech trends for 2012"
2. From socialmediatoday.com - "Social Media: What to Expect in 2012"
3. From Mind/Shift.com - "12 Education Tech Trends to Watch in 2012"
4. From Campus Technology - "5 Higher Ed Tech Trends for 2012"

Upgrades to Albrecht Auditorium

Recently the technology in Albrecht Auditorium was updated to meet current standards. The 3700 lumen, 12 year old projector was replaced with a 10,000 lumen high definition projector and the projection screen size was increased from 140 inches to 200 inches. The in-room computer was upgraded from a core 2 duo processor to a core i5 processor with Blu-ray support and discrete graphics. A Blu-ray/vhs player was added to the room as well as additional inputs for Auxiliary Audio/Video including composite and HDMI video. Audio outs were also supplied to provide sound recording opportunities. 2 additional microphone inputs were added to the room as well as 2 built in wireless microphones - 1 handheld and 1 lapel. The Keyboard and Mouse were replaced with longer range ones to provide better responses to typing. For better pedagogy, a local monitor was added to the lectern for the lecturer, so the lecturer does not have to turn his/her head away from the audience as the lecture occurs. The laptop connections are now permanently wired into the lectern for ease of access and the system is entirely integrated with 2 control panels (1 on the rack and 1 on the lectern) for flexible control of all components of the system without the need of remotes including the individual remote control features of the Blu-ray player.

Winter Break

Semester breaks are a time when the CGU community vacates campus offices leaving thousands of desktop computers unattended.

The Office of Information Technology offers the following tips to take appropriate measures to keep your computer, your files and our network safe.

— Take the time to back up your data. This will be valuable in case of any type of system malfunction or failure that may occur during the break.

— Identity theft is highest this time of year. Many of these frauds will be perpetrated by e-mail. Do not disclose any person or sensitive information over e-mail. As a matter of fact, OIT highly recommends not storing (or at least limiting) personal information on laptops.

— If you own a laptop, please be mindful of where it is at all times. Do not walk away and leave it unattended in a public place. This includes leaving it in a locked automobile. Laptops are a thief’s prime targets this time of year.

— Unless instructed otherwise by your CGU’s technical staff, please turn off your CGU-provided computer during the break. Personal computers should be taken home during the break.

— If you choose to leave your computer ON, please make sure that your office/work area is physically locked, all accounts are logged off, and any peripherals (monitors, printers, scanners) are turned off.

— If your machine must remain on and you cannot log out of your machine before leaving, make sure that you either enable a screensaver with password protection or LOCK your computer when you leave. Windows users can select a password-protected screensaver from Start > Control Panel > Display > Screensaver. Windows users can LOCK their computers by pressing the Windows Key + L. Apple users should simply log out or set up a password-protected screensaver and activate it.

February 2012 is Excel Month!

Due to the CGU Holiday Break, the OIT bimonthly Professional Development Announcement will be released the first week of January. The January-February offerings will include: Sakai Orientation webinar, iPad Tips & Tricks, and Home Computer Maintenance, Evernote Introduction, and Skype Basics (tentative). Additionally, we are pleased to announce "February 2012 Excel Month"! As a part of our ongoing efforts to address feedback from the October OIT Survey, we have developed four new Excel workshops to be delivered the month of February. These sessions will range from introductory to advanced and will last around 1+ hours depending on group size and Q & A. This is a collaborative offering. Presenters are: Sunny Chau, Instructional Technology Consultant, and Jeanette Gurrola, Institutional Researcher. A brief description includes:


Class #1: Basic navigation; Text entry & formatting; Working with columns, & rows; Viewing spreadsheets side by side; Page setup; Inserting versus copying Excel spreadsheets to Word


Class #2: Simple formulas, including order of operations; Introduction to functions; Paste special features; Relative, absolute & mixed referencing; Sorting data; Drop down lists for data entry


Class #3: Helpful functions & formulas; Introduction to Tables; Introduction to conditional formatting; Charts; Mail merging


Class #4: Introduction to IF statements; Introduction to pivot tables


Please watch for the January-February OIT Professional Development Announcement for further information!


Have a wonderful Holiday Break and Happy New Year from OIT!

Apple World Travel Adapter Kit

Are you planning a Winter Vacation and are taking your iPad or iPhone? You will need a Apple World Travel Adapter Kit to ensure power connectivity in most countries you may travel to.
$39 at Apple.com
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB974ZM/B?fnode=MTY1NDEwMQ

QR Codes Are Coming!

Have QR codes assisted you in your shopping for the holidays or other celebrations? I'm finding their increased use by retailers to be fascinating - and they are beginning to work their way into educational environments. I noticed while attending two professional conferences this year that QR codes were cleverly used to distribute presentations and for promotions by vendors. They have indeed 'arrived' as a creative, useful technology to engage and communicate!


OIT is exploring ways to use QR codes to assist with communication and connection with CGU users. We have been brainstorming ideas where QR codes might be useful and would welcome your suggestions and ideas! Please send them to me, Dr. Carleen Shaffer - carleen.shaffer@cgu.edu.


If you would like to know more about QR codes and their use in education, please see the following resources:


eCampus News "Quick Response codes catching on in higher education"


The Chronicle Profhacker "How To Use Bar Codes at Conferences (and Why You Might Want To)"


Tom Barrett Presentation "43 Interesting Ways to Use Bar Codes in the Classroom"

Keeping Up With Technology Changes

How many times have you said (or heard) "It's impossible to keep up with the changes in technology"! No matter if it's a professional responsibility or just one of your 'passions', keeping abreast of the changes in technology presents continuous challenges and frustrations! 


I follow several technology blogs and a recent post ("Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds, Email- why/when use each one") by a high school physics teacher helped me to reflect upon the tools I use on a daily basis to at least make an effort at keeping abreast of technology news, information and utilization. Similar to the poster, I typically use Twitter, RSS feeds, email, and Facebook for a variety of reasons. I find Twitter extremely beneficial for following experts, organizations, businesses, educators, etc. in my profession. However, because of the speed and frequency I may miss important information or content so my 'backup' is Google Reader, my choice for RSS feeds. Often I follow the same experts, groups, etc. but I am a bit more secure that I'm not missing updates. 


Admittedly, many of the ways I use Facebook are related to connecting with family and friends. However, I also 'Like' the same experts, organizations, businesses, and educators that I follow via RSS and Twitter which gives me yet one more way of cross-checking relevant news and information in my profession.  This may sound like a lot of work or repetitive, but I'm usually 'scanning' the news and have developed the ability to quickly 'weed out' extraneous or irrelevant information.


Of course my work and personal email continue to be an integral part of my daily technology use and, as the poster notes, I don't believe that email is going away anytime soon! So we learn to live with it and develop strategies to decipher how and when to 'delete' and move on! It's simply a 'necessary evil' for doing business and staying connected.


I encourage you to explore any of these tools for 'keeping up with technology changes'. Perhaps following OIT's Twitter accounts (@CGUoit and @CGUiPad) for news, information and updates (CGUiPad includes iPad app specials) might be a way to 'test the water'!