Featured Article: Office 2007 and 2008 have arrived!

Office 2007 for the PC and Office 2008 for the Mac have been installed in all the CTS  public access computer labs, Advanced Technology Classrooms (ATCs), and new faculty/staff office computers. 

These new versions of Office have completely new user interfaces. For Office 2007, what used to be menus for performing certain commands are now tabs and icons, collectively referred to as the "Ribbon."  There are no more menus. It will take some time to learn where your familiar commands have been relocated.  Don't forget to look under the Office logo in the upper left corner - the save and print commands are stored there!

There is a similar new interface in 2008 for the Mac, called the "Elements Gallery."  Unlike 2007 though, it kept the menus.

In addition to the new look, Microsoft rewrote both programs in a way that is incompatible with previous versions of Office. There is a new XML file format that doesn't get along with the file formats of previous versions. What does this mean in terms of sharing files with others?  You can expect the following:

• 1. Older versions of Office cannot open files created in the newer versions without the help of additional software - unless the 2007/2008 owners save the file in an older format before sharing it.
• 2. Older PC versions of Office CAN open files created in the new 2007 file format (except Microsoft Access) IF they have the Microsoft Compatibility Pak installed.
• 3. Older Mac versions of Office CAN open files created in the new 2008 file format (except Microsoft Access) IF they have the XML Converter installed.
• 4. The newer versions can read files created in older versions of Office without requiring any additional software.
• 5. Office 2007 can read files created in Office 2008 and vice versa without additional software.

The Microsoft Compatibility Pak and the XML Converter are available for download from the CTS Software Downloads page at www.oswego.edu/cts/services/user_support/software_downloads.html.  If you are using an older version of Office and receive a 2007/2008 file that you can't open, you can either install the appropriate compatibility pak/converter or ask the sender to save the file in the older format and resend it to you.

If you are teaching in one of the computer labs or ATCs this semester, you should be prepared to know how to turn your PowerPoint presentation into a slide show and perform basic functions in the 2007 version.  Our CTS Instructional Support team demonstrated how to do this on August 21.  If you were unable to attend this session, there are additional avenues for you to learn more discussed below.

Our online elearning software, SkillPort (www.oswego.edu/cts/training/skillport.html)  has recently been updated with Office 2007 courses.  If you are using Office 2007, this is a great way to learn about the new user interface and how to do specific tasks.  Office 2008 courses will be coming in the near future.

CTS will also be holding Office 2007 workshops shortly after the semester starts for all interested users.  Look for a schedule and registration info on our CTS training site at www.oswego.edu/cts/training.

For more information about the compatibility differences and to see the new user interface, please consult our Office 2007/2008 FAQs available as a link from the main CTS web site at www.oswego.edu/cts. A demo for saving Word 2007 files in an older format so previous versions can read it is available from our CTS Demo site at www.oswego.edu/cts/demo. 

ResNet Updates

Students living in the Residence Hall rooms will be using the Cisco Clean Access automated registration system again this year to register their computers on the campus network. Look for the "Residential Network Connection Guide" in your residence hall room to assist you with getting your computer registered.  This guide is also available from the new ResNet web site at www.oswego.edu/cts/resnet.

If you are a returning student to the residence hall rooms and used Clean Access last year, you should have downloaded and installed an "unblocker" tool during finals week last semester.  This was to allow system and security updates to install successfully from your summer home.  If you did not install this tool, please download and install it now.  You can download it from http://www.oswego.edu/cts/services/user_support/downloads/SP-UnBlocker.exe.

CTS will also be participating in ResNet Room Service again this semester to assist users in getting connected.  During ResNet Room Service, you may sign-up for CTS professional staff to visit the computer in your room to help resolve any issues with getting it connected to ResNet.  The schedule for this fall 2008 semester is as follows:

For Oneida/Cayuga/Seneca/Onondaga Halls:

Room Service Date/Time: Tuesday, August 26, 3pm - 9pm

Sign Up Location: Please visit the Oneida Computer Lab

For Hart/Funnelle/Sheldon Halls:

Room Service Date/Time: Wednesday, August 27, 3pm - 9pm

Sign Up Location: Please visit the Hart Computer Lab

For Scales/Waterbury/Riggs/Johnson/Mackin Halls:

Room Service Date/Time: Wednesday, August 27, 3pm - 9pm

Web Updates

May seems like such a long time ago, but we wanted to let you know of a couple of upgrades that took place at the end of May that position us for future add-ons to our web environment.

On May 21^st, CTS replaced the hardware that runs the SUNY Oswego web site.  In addition to the hardware, core applications that assist in running the web site were updated to newest releases.  The combination of these updates allow the SUNY Oswego web site to run more efficiently and effectively while also allowing us to offer additional future services, such as blogging. 

On May 27, OmniUpdate (OU) upgraded our OU Campus software to version 8.  OU Campus is the product used for making edits to our departmental web sites.  Some of the features version 8 brings is a new user interface, speed improvements, compatibility with the Safari web browser on Macintosh computers, version control for keeping track of changes to pages, multi-browser preview for making sure your page looks the same in multiple web browsers, and more.

While OU Campus version 8 brings its share of new features, it also brings its share of "bugs" including uploading, deleting, and moving files.  The CTS and Public Affairs Web team have been communicating regularly with OU to get these issues resolved.  If you encounter any problems while using the software, please contact webcoord@oswego.edu with information about what you were trying to do and any error messages that displayed.

Also, be sure to check out the SUNY Oswego OmniUpdate Newsletter at http://www.oswego.edu/training/newsletter/ for OU Campus updates, training opportunities, and tips and tricks.

In our efforts to continuously improve classroom teaching environments on campus, we have made some updates to several rooms in Mahar Hall this summer.

Rooms 102, 108, and 202 were converted to Advanced Technology Classrooms (ATCs) over the summer.  Each room has a podium equipped with a PC, built-in projection, DVD/VCR player, document camera, and PowerPoint remote. 

Pictures and a complete list of features of these rooms are available at our Mahar Hall ATC web site at www.oswego.edu/cts/atcs/mahar.html.

myOswego Enhancements

A few enhancements to myOswego were made over the summer and include the following:

• There is now the ability for students to be able to select whether they would like an electronic notice that their bill is ready rather than receiving a paper bill in the mail.
• Students can purchase additional PlusPlan points through myOswego. The cost of the plan will be added to your account summary and the points will be available for use within one to two hours.
• An emergency contact menu item was added to update your NYAlert contact information for campus emergencies.

New Wireless Locations

Additional wireless computing spaces were configured this summer.

All classrooms in Mahar Hall are now wireless enabled.  In addition, the new Metro Center in downtown Syracuse is wireless equipped throughout the whole facility.

For a map of all the wireless-enabled spaces on campus, you can visit our wireless map at www.oswego.edu/cts/services/wireless_computing/locations.html.

Did You Know?

Did You Know that identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America?  According to the United States Postal Inspection Service (www.usps.com/postalinspectors/idthft_ncpw.html), which is the lead agency responsible for investigating identity theft reports, "Last year alone, more than 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity theft, a crime that cost them roughly $5 billion."

What is identity theft?  The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, 18 USC 1028(a)(7),  says identity theft "occurs when a person knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit or to aid or abet any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law."

In a nutshell, a criminal finds out certain identifying pieces of information about you such as your birth date, social security number, and account numbers to gain access to financial accounts.  Scammers can do this via several methods - stealing your postal mail, "dumpster diving," and/or phone and email "phishing" scams where the criminal impersonates a business or organization and somehow convinces you to give them your account numbers, PINs, passwords, social security numbers, and more.

Users of the SUNY Oswego campus have been subject to a few email phishing scams this past year.   In some cases the email tried to impersonate CTS and asked the user for their social security number, username, and password information.  Be assured that CTS would not ask for this type of information!

If you receive any type of email message that asks for personal identifying information, you should be extremely suspicious.  It is probably an email phishing scam being used for identity theft purposes.  Do not respond to these messages - delete them! 

Remote Assistance

Having a problem with your computer that is preventing you from doing work? Well, if you are, CTS has a new way to solve your technology issue and get you back on track.

CTS has introduced Remote Assistance which allows CTS professional staff to assist you with many technology issues without having to send a technician to your computer. With your permission, we can remotely connect to your computer while we talk to you over the phone. This allows us to drastically decrease the time it takes for us to repair your computer.  When the issue has been resolved, we disconnect from your computer. Any future attempts to connect to your computer will still require your permission.

So, the next time you call the help desk with a problem, your wait may get a lot shorter! 

Notes from the Help Desk

The Technology Support Center has new hours for the fall 2008 semester.  We will have extended hours for the first two weeks of the semester.  Please check the Technology Support Center web site at www.oswego.edu/help for exact dates and times. 

The Technology Support Center has been working on new initiatives over the summer.

As mentioned above under the "Remote Assistance" article, we can provide you with speedier service by remotely connecting to faculty/staff computers to resolve computer issues.  As you call the help desk about a problem, one of our staff may ask for your permission to remotely connect to your computer to resolve it.

We have been working on implementing a virtual 24 hour help desk.  This self-service web site will allow users to search a knowledgebase composed of SUNY Oswego technical answers to questions as well as answers to questions using commercial products such as Microsoft Office, Thunderbird, Firefox, and lots more.  You can also check the status of any outstanding help desk tickets.  We will be releasing this product to our support staff for the fall 2008 semester to work out any kinks with the software.  Our next step will then be a pilot with our user community. 

You can reach us by phone at 312.3456, on location at 26 Lanigan Hall, by email at help@oswego.edu, or online at www.oswego.edu/help during office hours. 

Professional Development

Our Skillport e-learning software has been recently updated to include additional courses.  There are now 1500 courses you can choose from for your professional growth or classroom needs.  Courses on Office 2003 and 2007, Windows XP, customer service, project management, communication skills, accounting, management and leadership, and more are available.  All faculty, staff, and students can login to Skillport with their SUNY Oswego email username and password to access courses. Just go to www.oswego.edu/cts/training/skillport.html.

CTS has a new area of our website for showing short demonstrations on completing specific technical tasks.  We call it the "CTS Demo" site and is available at www.oswego.edu/cts/demo.  Demos on saving Word 2007 files in compatible formats, compressing PowerPoint presentations, activating an email vacation message, and more are available.  Check it out!

ANGEL workshops for the fall have been scheduled.  As a reminder, all courses are loaded into ANGEL and faculty can start developing them at any time.  Training is encouraged, but not required.  Look for scheduling and registration information at the ANGEL web site - www.oswego.edu/academics/angel.

CTS will be offering technical workshops again this fall semester. Courses on webmail, mailing lists, Banner extraction, Office 2003 and 2007, Windows basics, Leopard, creating and maintaining departmental and personal web pages, and more will be offered.  Look for workshop listings and registration information at www.oswego.edu/cts/training.

iTunes who? iTunes U.

iTunes U is a special version of the iTunes client application, but for universities, hence the "U" at the end of its name.  It is a hosted service through Apple that allows qualifying universities to post podcasts for their campus from a public relations/marketing and/or instructional perspective.

For example, a professor could record their live lecture as a podcast and upload it to a designated area in iTunes U for his or her students to review at a later time.  Or, a professor could upload other supporting podcasts for his/her course.  Stanford University was one of the first universities to use iTunes U and uses it in this manner as well as for showcasing their campus and academic programs.  You can view their public site at itunes.stanford.edu. SUNY Cortland is also using it for similar purposes and their site is at www.cortland.edu/itunesu.

Apple has approved SUNY Oswego as a qualifying university.  In a joint effort with Extended Learning, CTS is currently working on the technical requirements of getting the service working and how users can record and post podcasts. Once these are ironed out, we would like to encourage any faculty interested in producing podcasts to participate in a pilot project for the fall semester.  We will be holding an informational meeting at the following times:

Thursday, September 18 from 9:00 - 9:30am and again from 1:00 - 1:30pm both in  37C Lanigan Hall.

No registration is required.  If you are interested in learning more details about iTunes, just show up!

More information about iTunes U can be found on Apple's web site at www.apple.com/itunesu. 

Conference on Instructional Technologies is coming to SUNY Oswego!

The Conference on Instructional Technologies (CIT) is a conference where faculty and instructional support staff primarily from the SUNY campuses as well as other colleges come together to talk about and share ideas on how they are using technology in the classroom.  The conference is open to all SUNY employees and is hosted at a different SUNY campus each year.  This has been an annual conference since 1992.

In May of 2009, SUNY Oswego will be hosting this conference.  This will be the second time our campus will host it.  Our first was way back in 1996, when the web was just becoming popular and the fiber infrastructure for our campus network was being built.  No instant chat, no e-commerce, no facebook - how times have changed!

As the hosting campus, we would like to encourage all SUNY Oswego faculty and instructional support staff to present on interesting ways of how they are using technology in the classroom. By presenting, there will be a significantly reduced conference fee. Information on how you can submit an abstract for a presentation will be coming in future newsletters.

Planning for the CIT 2009 conference has started and we are always looking for more volunteers.  If you are interested in getting involved, let us know.  Contact Joe Moreau at jmoreau@oswego.edu

The following are major projects CTS is currently working on:

• Blogging Software: Over the summer, the Web team has been working on installing and testing blogging software for our web site.  This is a feature that faculty and staff will be able to incorporate into their departmental web pages.  We are near completion and are working on putting together guidelines on using blogging software.  We hope to introduce it to the campus this fall semester.
• Construction Projects:  CTS continues to assist with several construction projects, including the design of the Metro Center in downtown Syracuse, the renovations of the science buildings, and the new apartments near Glimmerglass Lagoon.
• Communications Express Calendar Module:  Communications Express has a personal calendar module that when installed and configured will show up as another tab within Communications Express.  The calendar module will allow users to keep their own personal calendar, schedule single and recurring events, schedule meetings with others, share calendars and more.  The module has been installed and we are now entering a testing phase in which CTS staff will be using it to find any issues. 
• Document Imaging is Not Dead!: After a short hiatus, our campus-wide document imaging project is back on the front burner.  With the approval of the final project proposal and initial budget, the project team hopes to pilot the system in the Admission Office over the next year.  Upon completion of a successful pilot, other offices throughout campus will have the opportunity to consider going "paperless" or at least "paperlight".
• Improving Security and Convenience - You can Have Both:  CTS is in the process of reviewing its identity management strategy that defines how students and employees access the various systems they are authorized to use such as email, calendars, MyOswego, and many others.  The ultimate goal is to provide all users with "single sign-on" capability - enter your ID and password once and your security credentials are automatically communicated to whatever program you want to use.  A significant component of a new identity management strategy for our campus will likely include the expansion of the use of Microsoft's Active Directory system.  As planning progresses the appropriate governance bodies will have the opportunity to provide input to the final design.
• ANGEL version 7.3: SUNY Oswego is currently using version 7.1 of ANGEL and will be looking at upgrading to version 7.3 for Winter session 2009.  In version 7.3, you'll notice improvements in assessments, discussions, the HTML editor, and more.  New features for integrating podcasts, blogs and wikis have also been integrated. 

If you have any questions related to any of these projects, please contact the Technology Support Center at x3456 or by email to help@oswego.edu.

Tech Tip of the Month

Mac OS X actually provides you with several quick, easy ways to take basic screenshots... none of which require additional software.

Taking screenshots can be useful when you get an error message while using your computer. You can take a screenshot of the error message to email to technical support.  These are often very helpful in diagnosing a problem. 

Screenshots are also useful when creating step-by-step technical instructions - as in the instructions on Macdevcenter's website on how to take screenshots (www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2003/02/28/screenshot.html).  This page gives instructions on the basics of taking screenshots of the desktop, windows, and menus as well as taking screenshots of more advanced things like quicktime videos.  Methods of screen capture range from keyboard shortcuts and the built-in Mac OS X "Grab" utility to the commercially available "Snapz" application.