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Issue : September 7, 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.
for the month of September:

Attempted 106 million
Accepted 21 million
Blocked 63 million
User Unknown 11 million
Grey listed 11 million

Unauthorized access: 36 million 56%
Spam source: 4 million 6%
Dynamic: 5 million 8%
Insecure: 13 million 21%
Protocol Violation: .5 million 1%
DNS problems: 5 million 8%

Antivirus software caught 108071 messages.

Network and Telecommunication
Services

NTS home

INFOBLOX IN RESHALLS.
Computer registration and high-speed Internet access for students has
become easier via our new InfoBlox service. A student arriving on
campus simply plugs their computer into the etherjack of their room,
starts a web browser, and is presented with the registration page. NTS
and ResNet provide this online service to make registration fast and
easy. All campus residential rooms have a live high-speed Ethernet
connection for each student. See http://www.resnet.umn.edu for more info.

MODEM POOL.
The University Modem Pool Service (612-627-4250) and 800 Toll-Free Modem Pool will be decommissioned on December 31st, 2007. Alternate Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offering University discounts are listed at http://www.umart.umn.edu. Currently the University has new contracts for modem service with ipHouse and Velocity; high-speed Internet options are also available. An additional vendor will be announced upon contract with University Purchasing.

GOPHER CONFERENCING.
Gopher Conferencing will be available for campus-wide use this October. Large group conferencing and personal scheduling of a multi user conference is a special service offered by NTS. The conference Operator Service (625-2003) is still available and will remain in service. Gopher Conferencing is preparing training materials; look for the rollout schedule soon.

P2P POLICY ENFORCEMENT.
This morning, NTS began enforcing the policy against using P2P (peer to peer) on the University’s wireless network. P2P applications not only monopolize bandwidth, but are used to spread viruses and worms. These applications are also in violation of the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources policy.

Academic and
Distributed
Computing
Services

ADCS home

NEW INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER ON UMART.
Beginning Septembr 4th, UMart has a new vendor for both High Speed and Dial-up Internet Access: Velocity. A Minnesota company based in Golden Valley, Velocity offers discount pricing to current student, staff, faculty, and alumni for both High Speed DSL and Dial-up Internet Service. In addition, they offer discounted bundles for Internet access and telephone service, which includes voicemail, caller ID, and call waiting. For more information, go to http://umart.umn.edu and click on the Velocity logo.

COMCAST DISCOUNT FOR MINNEAPOLIS RESIDENTS.
Comcast has extended its University of Minnesota discount offer to
include Minneapolis residents, as well as other areas that were formerly
serviced by Time Warner. There is a new pricing structure reflected in
the discount. For more information go to http://www.umart.umn.edu/connection/ and click on the Comcast logo. If you have any questions, please e-mail umart@umn.edu.

SOFTWARE LICENSE UPDATES.
The Microsoft Select Agreement has been renewed and extended, resulting in lower prices and more titles. ADCS now licenses both AutoCAD ($220 per set) and Minitab ($50 per set). Licenses are available for both student and departmental purchase.

STAT SOFTWARE LICENSING.
The SAS software license for individual student purchase is $120 per year. JMP software is also available, lowered to a $45 annual individual fee. Both of these packages are available for departmental (for faculty and staff) purchase as well. Minitab software for student purchase is available through through University Computer Services: http://www1.umn.edu/ucs/minitab.php. More titles and info are available here: http://www1.umn.edu/software/. You are welcome to contact the Software License Program by email: software@umn.edu or phone: (612)625-2310.

WEBVISTA 4 AND MOODLE 1.8 ASSISTED LABS.
Now available for both WebVista and Moodle, assisted labs provide an opportunity for instructors and course designers to work on existing
sites in a group setting with instructors available to answer questions.
Training materials are also available for participants to work through
on their own. For more information, search for "webvista" or "moodle" at http://uttc.umn.edu.

UPDATED COURSE! WEBVISTA 4: CONTENT MANAGEMENT.
Looking to explore methods of organizing and delivering course content and activities in WebVista 4? Learn how to build learning modules to create structured learning paths in this updated WebVista hands-on course. Check out "What’s New" at http://uttc.umn.edu.

UPDATED WEBVISTA STUDENT SUPPORT BOOKMARK. This quick reference to information about support and access to WebVista sites has been updated to reflect changes in the new versions of myU and WebVista. Intended for students, the bookmark is available as a downloadable file. Instructors can also request copies to distribute in class. Look in the "more resources" area at http://uttc.umn.edu/training/resources/webvista/.

Digital
Media
Center

DMC home

REMINDER: GET READY TO TEACH WITH TECHNOLOGY.
DMC/ADCS staff members can help instructors and their assistants prepare to teach with technology this fall. Meet with consultants, hire
professional video and student Web developers, obtain training, and
more. See http://dmc.umn.edu/services.shtml, call 612-625-5055
(Minneapolis) or 612-625-8030 (St. Paul), or e-mail dmc@umn.edu.

SEPTEMBER 13: TA WEB CERTIFICATION PROGRAM BEGINS.
University teaching assistants can learn pedagogical and technical
skills needed to develop a curriculum enhanced by educational technology and a course Web site in eight sessions held over four weeks. There is no charge to participate. See: http://dmc.umn.edu/ta-web/.

OCTOBER 10 ETF MEETING: PODCASTING, VODCASTING, STREAMING VIDEO.
Campus educational technology designers and developers will socialize and discuss “Capture the Classroom: Podcasting, Vodcasting, and Streaming Video” at the next Educational Technologists Forum meeting: October 10, 3-4:30 p.m., 402 Walter Library. See: http://dmc.umn.edu/etf/.

OCTOBER 30 SHORT COURSE: USING WEB 2.0 TOOLS TO ENHANCE LEARNING.
Explore how blogs, podcasting, wikis, social cataloging, and social
networking tools can be used to achieve learning goals for research,
reflection, writing, interaction, and the collaborative construction of
knowledge. Fees are waived for eligible faculty members. See:
http://uttc.umn.edu/training/courses/description.jsp?secName=TEL131

RESULTS: STUDENT TECHNOLOGY SURVEY.
This past spring we surveyed Twin Cities campus students to determine the impact educational technology is having on campus. Read a report about the results: http://dmc.umn.edu/surveys/.

WIKIS AND THE WRITING INTENSIVE CLASSROOM.
Assistant Professor Dennis Becker introduced a wiki in his Natural
Resource and Environmental Policy class, which is designated 'writing intensive,' to support student writing. Becker and his students found that the wiki tool transformed the writing process itself. Read more: http://dmc.umn.edu/projects/becker/.

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