OIT Receives Free Network Equipment

Using networking contacts in Maryland a member of Washington College's Office of Information Technologies (OIT) learned of significant amounts of IT equipment declared surplus by the Baltimore County Public School system as BCPS installs new network equipment. OIT rented a truck, drove to the Baltimore County Public Schools warehouse and returned with network equipment valued in excess of $500,000 when purchased. The cost expenditure to obtain the equipment was just over $200 for truck rental, fuel and other travel expenses.

When the equipment arrived at Washington College a team of OIT staff and student workers unloaded it, and carefully stored it for use later in the summer. OIT plans to use the equipment to replace less able and older equipment in some residence halls and in some academic and administrative buildings.

Summer Advising Days - Thank You!

Over the last week, we've welcomed the newest students to Washington College at our annual Summer Advising Days. It was great to see so many fresh faces and to talk with the students that will become part of our campus community this Fall.

The OIT website also played a part in welcoming everyone. Over the same time period, our site played host to over 700 visitors. To anyone who is returning from that first visit, "welcome back!" We hope you find everything you need about technology resources easily every time you visit.

Should you have any suggestions for how to make the OIT website more usable, please do not hesitate to contact the HelpDesk at 410-778-7777.

Summer Advising Days Have Begun!

We are here in Goldstein 100, set up and ready for our first round of the Class of 2012 to arrive for their technology orientation. We have set out roughly 70 notebook computers and have a really useful presentation lined up that will guide our new students through the basics of OIT services.


We've also put together a very nice OIT Resource Guide that explains to students the Help & Support services they'll encounter when they arrive as community members this fall.


Welcome, Class of 2012! We are glad to have you here at Washington College.

iTunes U Is Coming!

Instructional Technology has been diligently working on Washington College's own public iTunes U site over the last few months. Today, we are pleased to announce that we will be launching our initial content during the Fall 2008 semester.

In order to make the iTunes U launch as successful as possible, we would like to ask all faculty, staff and students for their audio and video content. We've created a special iTunes U information minisite which you can visit at:

oit.washcoll.edu/itunesu

There you can learn more about what iTunes U is, who is using it, what content is available and how you can get involved.

Harford Elevator and Emergency Phones Out of Service

Harford's elevator is is out of service today while its phone service is undergoing maintenance. Harford and Western Shore emergency phones are also out of service for a time today.

North Campus Telephones Disconnected

Telephones in Harford, the Western Shore residence halls are out of service in preparation for their replacement.

The elevator and fire alarm lines remain connected.

Office Mac 2008 Update

Microsoft has just released a second major update to Office Mac 2008. The new Service Pack 1 update includes a number of bug fixes and performance improvements and is critical to all Office Mac 2008 users. To find the update:

1. Open an Office Mac 2008 application, like Word
2. Choose Help > Check for Updates

3. In the resulting Microsoft AutoUpdate window, click the Check for Updates button
4. You should see any Microsoft Office Mac 2008 updates that have not been installed appear in the next window's list, including Service Pack 1
5. Click Install

If you have any problems running the Office Mac 2008 Service Pack 1 update, contact the HelpDesk at 410-778-7777.

New Learning Ideas

Missed It? Download a PDF of the presentation.

A wide and varied crowd turned out today for Dr. Barry Adams and his presentation "21st Century Learning." From new language faculty to retiring education professors, the liberal arts education community was well represented and eager to learn about the changes afoot in higher learning.

Dr. Adams presented on behalf of Apple - and with support from OIT - and covered topics ranging from the media ecosystem to faculty adoption of new technologies. Dr. Adams has traveled the country speaking with the digital educators at numerous colleges and universities. His unique survey perspective on the state of the change pedagogy was both insightful and inspiring.

We hope that Dr. Adams and Apple have created a drive in you to explore the new technologies and techniques that will shape the classroom of tomorrow. Know that OIT is here to support you as you begin to take steps in this direction!

Don't Forget!

Tomorrow from 10:30 - 11:30 am, Apple & OIT are partnering to bring you a presentation by Dr. Barry Adams entitled "21st Century Learning: New Communities, New Content, New Conversations." This evocative session will take place in Litrenta (Toll SG-10) and is free to all faculty and staff.

To learn more and register, visit:

oit.washcoll.edu/trainingandtutorials.php

Restricted IT Services for Summer

All network and cable television services for the Western Shore and Harford residence halls and for the Schottland Tennis Center will be turned off effective May 19th, the day after commencement. The reason is that the entire fiber optic and cable television system in that area will be replaced during the summer period. There will be major configuration changes that require a significant amount of time to configure to go along with the physical cable changes.

We anticipate that the telephone system for the area will also be terminated shortly after May 19th. When the telephone system is terminated, elevators in Harford and in Kirby Stadium will also be out of service because there will be no elevator telephone service.

The outages will continue throughout the summer until shortly before the students return for the fall semester.

During the same summer period there will be intermittent interruptions of the entire campus wireless network as that network is reconfigured to accommodate a significant increase in the number of wireless access points and users.