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Issue : April 4, 2007

No contacts? No links? No problem: send your inquiries and comments to oitbrief@umn.edu.

The UM Tech Brief is a resource for University of Minnesota technical support staff and department and unit decision makers.

Security and
Internet Services

Security home

SPAM AND VIRUS STATS
unavailable at this time.

Network and Telecommunication
Services

NTS home

TEMPORARY DISRUPTION IN PHONE SERVICE.
NTS will be updating wiring mainframes for telephone services on May 25th and 26th along the Church Street area. All telephone lines in this area will be out of service for this period. Look for more information and details on the NTS Web site (www.umn.edu/nts).

INFOBLOX REPLACES QIP.
QIP, the University’s IP management system, will be replaced this summer with InfoBlox. NTS based this vendor selection on University needs and requirements as well as available state-of-the art technology. The new InfoBlox services will enhance IP management, integrate with Service
Gateway, offer a robust and redundant service, and greatly enhance DHCP registration from the registering computer. Look for more information on the NTS web site (www.umn.edu/nts).

FIBER MOVES.
To clear the way for stadium construction, NTS re-located the two main fiber optic cables connecting the Minneapolis and St Paul campuses along the transitway. This meant physically rerouting and reconnecting each strand in 3 different locations, totaling 156 strands of fiber optics
between the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. NTS also installed new fiber optic cable from the 2218 University Avenue building along a newly designed route, and spliced 156 strands of fiber optics to the existing fiber optic cable at the Biological Sciences building. In preparation for the relocation, many fiber circuits were rerouted to a diverse path between the campuses. An audit was performed first to trace out the end-to-end paths of fiber optic circuits utilizing these fiber cables. NTS then moved a total of 75 circuits (150 strands of fiber) to diverse paths in order to prevent any circuit outages during this cutover.

TELEPHONE AND ETHERJACK SERVICE REQUESTS.
NTS processes several thousand orders each year for moves, adds, or changes to telephone and etherjack services. The seasonal peaks and heavy work times are generally in May, June, and August. To avoid such rush times and allow for unexpected emergency needs, we encourage our
customers to plan ahead and provide us advance notice of major moves, adds, or changes.

Academic and
Distributed
Computing
Services

ADCS home

NEW LIVE, ONLINE LEARNING BYTE! UMCAL: GROUP SCHEDULING.
Scheduling a meeting with a large number of participants doesn't have to be difficult! Quickly learn UMCal tools and tricks for making group scheduling easier in this live, online mini-course. Search for "Learning Bytes" at http://uttc.umn.edu for more information.

NEW LIVE, ONLINE SEMINAR! UM WEB STATS ORIENTATION.
Get an overview of the new UM Web Stats service for tracking and analyzing web site traffic in this live, online orientation. You can participate from your desk and still ask questions and download quick reference guides. Register today at http://uttc.umn.edu.

Digital
Media
Center

DMC home

REGISTRATION OPEN: JUNE 6-12 DIGITAL TEACHING WORKSHOP.
Faculty and P&A instructors who want an overview of technology-enhanced
learning can develop their pedagogical and technical skills in a weeklong blended-format workshop. Participants also can opt in to an ongoing learning community and qualify for $500 worth of production work. See: http://dmc.umn.edu/digital-teaching/.

AWARDED: 2007 TEL GRANT RECIPIENTS.
The investigators of 11 technology-enhanced learning (TEL) projects have been awarded 2007 TEL grants. The program is sponsored by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and OIT. See
the project proposals: http://dmc.umn.edu/grants/2007/awards07.shtml.

ACCESSIBLE DESIGN BENEFITS ALL.
Instructors often distribute word-processed documents through course sites or e-mail. This is a step toward better accessibility for screen reader users. But a poorly designed document can thwart their efforts to understand it. Adaptive Technology Specialist Phil Kragnes describes ways to apply universal design principles: http://dmc.umn.edu/projects/kragnes/.

APRIL 5 TEL SEMINAR: ACCESSIBILITY AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN.
Panelists will discuss principles of universal instructional design (UID), the benefits and challenges of using technology to address diverse learning needs, and classroom applications of UID: April 5, noon - 1:30 p.m., 155 Peters Hall, also Webcast live and later podcast. See:
http://dmc.umn.edu/events.shtml.

APRIL 11 ETF MEETING: BEST PRACTICES OF BLOGS AND PODCASTS.
At the next Educational Technologists Forum (ETF) meeting, campus multimedia designers and developers will socialize and discuss "Best Practices of Blogs and Podcasts": April 11, 3 - 4:30 p.m., 402 Walter Library. See: http://dmc.umn.edu/etf/schedule06.shtml.

APRIL 16, 17 CONFERENCE: WIRELESS CITIES
. . . COMMUNITIES OF INTERESTS.
Educators, researchers, project coordinators, funders, community activists, and policy-makers will discuss the implications of wireless communities at a conference held on campus. Keynote speakers have now been announced. To register: http://dtc.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wirelesscities/index.php.

APRIL 23 CONFERENCE: ENHANCING STUDENT LEARNING.
The ADT, CTL, and DMC invite University of Minnesota system faculty, instructional staff, and graduate students to engage in a conversation about the research and practice of teaching. Keynote: "Confessions of a Converted Lecturer," by Dr. Eric Mazur, Harvard University. See:
http://www.adt.umn.edu/conference07/index.html.

MAY 3 TEL SEMINAR: SITUATING INSTRUCTION IN THE REAL WORLD THROUGH TECHNOLOGY.
Panelists will discuss projects that illustrate ways technology can provide students with opportunities to apply classroom material to real-world or simulated situations: May 3, noon-1:30 p.m., 402 Walter Library, also Webcast live and later podcast. See: http://dmc.umn.edu/events.shtml.

The URL of this document is http://umtechbrief.umn.edu/07/tb0407/tb0407.html
E-mail UM Tech Brief website comments to oitbrief@umn.edu