There will soon be an upgrade to google chat in gmail. The interface will be upgraded to the google hangout functionality that you will already recognize if you have google plus enabled. Please check out this google blog post to find out more.
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/video-chat-face-to-face-to-face-with.html
Monday, July 30, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
JasperNet WIFI Coverage Map
[NEW] JasperNet WIFI Coverage Map
ITS is pleased to announce that all JasperNet WIFI installations are now being documented using Google Maps. Click on the maps below (North Campus and South Campus) to view the JasperNet WIFI coverage and configuration in each building. Buildings are also color-coded to allow for quick identification.North Campus
View Manhattan College - WIFI Coverage (North) in a larger map
South Campus
View Manhattan College - WIFI Coverage in a larger map
GREEN: 100% Coverage
Green buildings have 100% WIFI coverage and the latest (JasperNet WIFI 2.0) technology.
YELLOW: Partial Coverage
Yellow buildings may have full or partial coverage and may have "generation 1" WIFI technology installed (pre-802.11n). These buildings usually have 802.11a/b/g installations.
BLUE: Pending UPGRADE
Blue buildings are pending an upgrade. A building will be changed to blue once the upgrade has been approved and work has been scheduled.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Apps for Administrative Assistants
Google has created a Support Site specifically for Administrative Assistants to share best practices and learn new tools within Google Apps. Please take a look and share your own experiences as well:
http://assistants.googleapps.com/
http://assistants.googleapps.com/
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Blackboard End-of-Life June 30, 2012; Moodle Servers
Manhattan College is in its final stages of migrating from
Blackboard to Moodle. Please complete the download of all materials
that you wish to save and/or transfer to Moodle by June 30, 2012
when Manhattan College's Blackboard Server is turned off. After June
30, you will no longer be able to access any materials on the Blackboard
Server ( ecourses.manhattan.edu ), including anything stored in the
Blackboard Content Collection (e.g., file storage, portfolios and
artifacts, etc.)
Moodle Servers
1) Course sites will now be hosted on an
academic-year instance of Moodle. The creation of course sites, as
well as faculty and student enrollments, will be synced with the Banner
system, similar to how the process had been done with Blackboard.
- Fall 2012 course shells - Academic year 2013: https://lms.manhattan.edu/
Note that student enrollments will be added several weeks prior to the start of the semester.
2) A separate Moodle
server will be available for departmental, sandbox, and other non-course
sites ("community Moodle"). Those sites will be created upon demand.
We will make available cohorts, e.g. site-wide groups, which can then
be manually enrolled into a site; individual Manhattan College users can
be manually enrolled as well. Examples of cohorts include students by
major or program, full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, etc.
- Moodle Community Server: https://mcs.manhattan.
edu
Note that cohorts/groups will be available for manual enrollment shortly after June 30.
3) The AcademicYear 2012 instance of Moodle (Moodle Pilot) can now be accessed via the following link:
Note that this instance of Moodle is an early version of Moodle: 2.1.
Please see the following release notes for Moodle version 2.2 and 2.3 as there are many updates beyond the Moodle 2.1 instance in use for the AcademicYear 2012:
Moodle 2.3 Release Notes: http://docs.moodle.org/dev/Moodle_2.3_release_notes
Moodle 2.2 Release Notes: http://docs.moodle.org/dev/Moodle_2.2_release_notes
Alternative to Moodle Community Server (non-course sites):
Many
groups at Manhattan College have been using Blackboard primarily to
send emails to the site membership, and/or to restrict files/materials
to the site membership. Most site memberships were managed by ITS via
an enrollment process similar to what is used to manage course
enrollments. If this is primarily how you would like to use a
non-course site, you may want to consider using Google Groups and the
new Google Drive (formerly called Docs) instead of or in addition to a
Moodle site. You can share with a group - as well as restrict access to -
"folders/collections" of files/documents. A Google Group can also
serve as a mailing list. And files/documents can now be saved to one's
Google Drive in their native format. More to follow on this feature ...
Moving files from Blackboard to Moodle is a bit of an art, as there is not a good one-size fits all approach. There are several approaches for extracting materials from Blackboard for reuse in Moodle, and Kim Woodruff has been working with faculty and staff over the past year to assist users in setting up sites in Moodle and transferring content from Blackboard to Moodle. Kim has also created a Training Course available in Moodle which contains instructions and best practices.
In summary, you have the following methods at your disposal:
- Archive your Blackboard Course via the Blackboard Course Archive
utility. This will create a record of everything in your course,
including student work. There is a free tool: bFree that will then
allow you to view most - but not all - of the content in the Blackboard
archive file
- Copy Files to Collection is another Blackboard Utility. This
copies documents/files uploaded to Blackboard Content Areas to a folder
in Blackboard Content Collection. A package containing the folders can
then be downloaded. This approach maintains the original folder
structure - and is readily usable with one's Google Drive.
- Manhattan College has a license for Respondus - a tool for
creating and managing tests. Also provides access to publisher test
banks. This a great way to transfer tests from Blackboard to Moodle.
- Downloads of: package of files in the Content Collection (if you
stored files there); portfolios (if used), gradebook and/or assignments, etc
https://drive.google.com/a/manhattan.edu/?tab=mo#folders/0B2JI8N_JmIXSbmVNMHR5UF9FU3c
If you need assistance in making the transition from Blackboard to Moodle, please contact Client Services.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Get Ready for the New Google Groups!
What’s new in Google Groups?
New and better ways to use Google Groups!
The new Google Groups will have a new look and more features:
- Better searching. Google Groups now supports search operators similar to Gmail's, such as from:me. You can search for topics by tag and save your search queries.
- Customizable roles. Group owners can assign members different levels of authorization to perform most group tasks. A group can contain multiple roles (for example, Owner, Manager, Member, and so on). Each user's permissions depend on which role they have been assigned in the group.
We 'll also be able to select new group types to fit our needs:
- Email list. To communicate with a group of people using a single email address.
- Web forum. An online community where members freely share information. Members can add references to posts and managers can move topics to the top of the forum.
- Q&A forum. A structured forum where users can ask questions and members can provide responses.
- Collaborative inbox. For members who need to work together to respond to posts or emails. A collaborative inbox gives users access to features like tagging topics, assigning topics, and marking duplicates.
Beginning on June 26, you will see the new Google Groups by default. For a while, you're free to switch back and forth between the new and classic versions of Groups as much as you want. Please note this rollout will take a number of days to complete.
Check out the Google Apps Learning Center for quick start guides and other resources for learning to use the new Google Groups features.
If you have questions or need help:
contact Client Services at x7973
Thanks for trying the new Google Groups!
ITS
Monday, February 13, 2012
JasperNet Wireless - Winter Update 2012
JasperNet Wireless - Winter Update 2012
Over the Winter break, ITS embarked on an overhaul of the campus wireless network. JasperNet wireless had been deployed in phases since 2001 to first cover gather spaces and common areas, then academic areas, and most recently residence halls. While this staggered growth had its advantages, the end result was a heterogeneous network with mix-and-match hardware and configurations. Ensuring a consistent and reliable wireless experience was not an easy task - especially in the residence halls......
History
Over the course of the 2010-2011 academic year, brand new high-speed 802.11n wireless access was rolled out to campus residence halls. First East Hill and Horan, then Jasper and Chrysostom. After several attempts at network designs for Overlook, the project was postponed until Winter 2011. The day after the first residence halls were completed, it was clear that MC was hungry for wireless. Half-way through move-in weekend, ITS needed to revisit the initial wireless design for East Hill and Horan to QUADRUPLE the capacity. With smartphones now the norm, we needed to account for at least 2 wireless devices per student - plus anyone with such a device visiting or traveling through the building......
Update
Starting in December 2011, ITS began to convert over 250 previously stand-alone wireless access points into a centrally managed wireless mesh - a configuration that had been developed since the summer. By bringing together all of the previously deployed wireless access points (antennas) to act as one homogeneous system - rather than independently and sometimes against each other - we were able to provide a much more reliable and more consistent wireless experience. To say it another way - "wireless is now faster"......
A Few Additions
In addition to converting all of recently deployed 802.11n access points in residence halls (Horan, East Hill, Jasper, Chrysostom - and now Overlook), older deployments and areas with sub-par coverage were significantly upgraded as well.
By now, you should have noticed the new names given to the JasperNet wireless networks. In addition to a campus-wide guest network, 3 more networks have been added to each campus building with the new configuration. Although more details will be available, the following is what users should now expect to see in terms of wireless networks on campus.
In addition to the recent upgrades, ITS is in the process of developing a roadmap to update the remaining early-generation wireless deployments on campus. This process also includes soliciting feedback from students and faculty. Over the course of the Summer, expect to see significant wireless upgrades in O'Malley Library, RLC, and Leo Engineering.
For periodic updates, subscribe to updates from http://itsblog.manhattan.edu
Over the Winter break, ITS embarked on an overhaul of the campus wireless network. JasperNet wireless had been deployed in phases since 2001 to first cover gather spaces and common areas, then academic areas, and most recently residence halls. While this staggered growth had its advantages, the end result was a heterogeneous network with mix-and-match hardware and configurations. Ensuring a consistent and reliable wireless experience was not an easy task - especially in the residence halls......
History
Over the course of the 2010-2011 academic year, brand new high-speed 802.11n wireless access was rolled out to campus residence halls. First East Hill and Horan, then Jasper and Chrysostom. After several attempts at network designs for Overlook, the project was postponed until Winter 2011. The day after the first residence halls were completed, it was clear that MC was hungry for wireless. Half-way through move-in weekend, ITS needed to revisit the initial wireless design for East Hill and Horan to QUADRUPLE the capacity. With smartphones now the norm, we needed to account for at least 2 wireless devices per student - plus anyone with such a device visiting or traveling through the building......
Update
Starting in December 2011, ITS began to convert over 250 previously stand-alone wireless access points into a centrally managed wireless mesh - a configuration that had been developed since the summer. By bringing together all of the previously deployed wireless access points (antennas) to act as one homogeneous system - rather than independently and sometimes against each other - we were able to provide a much more reliable and more consistent wireless experience. To say it another way - "wireless is now faster"......
A Few Additions
In addition to converting all of recently deployed 802.11n access points in residence halls (Horan, East Hill, Jasper, Chrysostom - and now Overlook), older deployments and areas with sub-par coverage were significantly upgraded as well.
- Hayden Hall - FULL 802.11n coverage throughout the building
- Thomas Hall - MORE 802.11 coverage throughout the Cafe 1853 and Dante's Den
- All DLS and Miguel "renovated" classrooms now have dedicated wireless coverage
By now, you should have noticed the new names given to the JasperNet wireless networks. In addition to a campus-wide guest network, 3 more networks have been added to each campus building with the new configuration. Although more details will be available, the following is what users should now expect to see in terms of wireless networks on campus.
- jaspernet-guest -- a campus-wide guest network for visitors (with web-only access)
- <<building>>-legacy -- an "open" wireless network serving the designated building. Uses access controls currently in place (one-time registration) and will not change. ex. thomas-legacy
- <<building>> -- an "open" wireless network serving the designated building. Currently the same as <<building>>-legacy, however, will be developed to use a simpler access control method in the future. This network will be configured to accept connections from ALL wifi devices. ex. thomas
- <<building>>-secure - a newly developed "secure" connection method that 1) encrypts network traffic between your device and the wireless network, and 2) limits access by requiring your JasperNet username/password to connect. Use of this network will be limited to devices that support WPA and LEAP. Most devices do, especially newer ones, but may need additional (free) software to be configured. Detailed instructions to follow. ex. thomas-secure
In addition to the recent upgrades, ITS is in the process of developing a roadmap to update the remaining early-generation wireless deployments on campus. This process also includes soliciting feedback from students and faculty. Over the course of the Summer, expect to see significant wireless upgrades in O'Malley Library, RLC, and Leo Engineering.
For periodic updates, subscribe to updates from http://itsblog.manhattan.edu
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