ATUS Website :: Home ATUS Website :: Home Issue 40, Spring 2008
by Terry Dayton and Nancy Grayum
If you had an opportunity to visit TechTonic, you may have experimented with a couple of examples of electronic annotation devices, known generically as "smart boards."
With these devices, the discussion leader uses virtual ink pens, a stylus, or just a finger on a calibrated surface to navigate and affect the projected computer image. This method can produce lines, marks or characters which have been difficult to achieve during computer software presentations in the past, such as impromptu handwritten diagrams, maps, pictures, edits, mathematical calculations or scientific formulas. The software interface assures that the marks on the display are input to the computer so it is easy to capture and save presentations to an electronic file that may be edited and then replayed in future classes or provided in your Blackboard course.
For collaborative projects, several people can affect the display at one time, using touch or stylus input to control the computer image as one would use a mouse, or to make notes on a screen image. A smaller wireless electronic slate can be handed off to a student and used as the same kind of interface, and passed around a group for continuous interactive revisions. It is also possible to use several slates simultaneously.
One example demonstrated at Tech Tonic was an ActiveBoard™ display using an integrated video projector and a touch sensitive white board from Promethean Inc. Another included a large and small example of a SmartBoard™ flat panel display with a touch sensing surface manufactured by Smart Technologies www.smarttech.com .
Our first opportunity to install this technology in a classroom will be with a new collaborative classroom planned in the Academic Instructional Center currently under construction on south campus. Wall-mounted flat screen displays will be connected to the presenter's computer, allowing more accessibility to the input device, so more than one person can contribute to the display of the material being discussed. In another variation, Bluetooth-enabled wireless electronic slates will use the same software to provide portable annotation to the large screen images in the two large lecture halls.
Let us know if you would like to explore and evaluate the variety of electronic annotation devices that continue to be offered by a variety of competing vendors.
About the Author
Terry Dayton is Manager of the ATUS Media Equipment Repair Shop, and designer of classroom presentation systems. He is involved with the design of new and renovated classroom facilities and in evaluating technology that supports instruction. He can be reached by email or phone, 650-2862.
by Linc Nesheim
Yes. You read that correctly. Most modern Macintosh computers are very capable of doing something that once seemed outside of the bounds of technical possibility. Any new Macintosh that has been sold in the past couple of years comes with an Intel CPU — the exact same CPU that has powered all Microsoft Windows PCs for decades.
Since the 'brains' of the computer are essentially the same, a couple of enterprising software companies have released what are called 'virtualization' products which essentially allow Mac OS X to run a complete version of Microsoft Windows *within* a window — just like a normal Macintosh application.
The two products are Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion. Ultimately, each of these applications allows a Macintosh to run Microsoft Windows and programs previously available only for Windows. This is particularly handy if there isn't an equivalent Macintosh version of an application available.
While this may sound like a wonderful solution, it does come with some trade-offs that must be carefully considered. While it may appear seamless, it is quite a complicated process "behind the scenes." There are networking and peripheral issues to consider. There are also resource issues to consider. Since you are running two computers, you need to have enough memory and hard drive space in the Macintosh to accommodate two computers running simultaneously. Cost may also be an issue, because you purchase not only the virtualization software, but also a licensed copy of the Windows operating system.
The best solution in most cases is to use Macintosh versions of software applications to perform your needed tasks. We advise that you consider the virtualization option only if there is a specific task that requires a Windows version of an application that is not available on the Macintosh.
Think of it this way… one computer takes a certain amount of effort and understanding to support. Now ask yourself if doubling the amount of support and understanding within the same box is the most efficient way to meet your objective. In some cases, virtualization is a great fit. In all cases it is advisable to work very closely with your technical support staff in order to determine the best solution.
About the Author Linc Nesheim is the Technical Manager for ATUS. He directs the activities of the Desktop Services unit — made up of the ATUS Help Desk, Computer Maintenance, and Software Consulting. He also serves as the liaison between Technical Services server admins, Desktop Services, and various decentralized computer professionals around campus. Most "techie gadgets" have seen the top of Linc's desk at some point in time — he's actually a sucker for new, shiny trinkets. Delusional or not… he claims to have the best job on campus! Make it so by contacting him at linc.nesheim@wwu.edu or phone 650-6546.
by Gary Malick
If you want to get started down the road to digital audio recording or editing, try Audacity software. Audacity is all about audio in practically any format. It is an open source free program available at audacity.sourceforge.net.
You can import either .wav files or .mp3, add to them, edit them, or set up your computer as a very versatile digital audio recorder.
ATUS Classroom Services, Miller Hall 155 has cables and interfaces that will allow you to connect any of our microphones to your computer's USB port. Stop by, or call 650-3300 to reserve equipment.
by Linc Nesheim
Information Technology Directors recently completed the process of selecting an enhanced student email system which will improve upon existing functionality and allow a premier experience for Western's students in future years. While many of the details are still being ironed out, we are in the early stages of transitioning to Microsoft Exchange email service for students and plan to have it in place by fall quarter 2008.
The hosted Exchange solution is attractive on many levels, including a platform consistent with our existing Exchange-based faculty and staff email system. It contains no advertising, and provides seamless account integration. Microsoft Exchange is one of the most robust electronic messaging systems available. It promises to bring many new services to our student body as we work closely with Microsoft to examine the implementation of new features such as shared calendaring, task lists, address books and other elements we have all taken for granted in our Exchange system for years.
Email has become the de-facto mechanism for official communication between the University and students, with accounts being provided to them as soon as they are accepted for admission. It is a fundamental channel of communication between faculty and students and for student-to-student communication. The current web-based student email system was first made available in 2000. Since the industry has made significant enhancements to email technologies in recent years, our current email system has had declining interest and received increasingly negative reviews by students.
For the past 18 months, ITS staff members have collected student comments and surveyed their email habits, gathering feedback on how Western's student email system could be improved to meet their needs. In addition to examining our existing email system, we examined numerous external providers in order to compile a list of features that would best serve Western students today and into the future.
by Angela Vandenhaak
The "Advancing Technology Education Endowment" scholarship has the purpose of supporting students who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing technology education on Western Washington University's campus.
In the spring of 2005, ATUS staff members Susan Brown, John Farquhar and David Hamiter recognized a growing need for support of students interested in teaching technology to faculty and students. Realizing that much of the funding for programs such as the Student Technology Center is not permanent, they decided to spearhead an effort to endow a scholarship to ensure that students who are interested in advancing technology education will be encouraged and supported in perpetuity.
This endowment is funded through the generosity of numerous donors and will make an important difference in the lives of WWU students. Tuition and fees currently cost more than $5000 per year. Scholarships provide much needed financial resources, and are a vote of confidence in the good work being done by our students.
Criteria for making the scholarship award
The Advancing Technology Education Scholarship will be awarded by the Director of Academic Technology and User Services (ATUS) or his/her designee to undergraduate or graduate students who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing technology education through their employment or volunteer work at Western Washington University. The recipient(s) of this scholarship must be in good academic standing. Preference will be given to students employed/volunteering at the Student Technology Center. The scholarship recipients should continue their employment or volunteer work with a program that provides technology education to the campus community while receiving the scholarship.
Fundraising Goal
We are more than halfway toward achieving the $20,000 goal for the full endowment, with $11,916.58 gifts already in the fund. Once the endowment goal is reached, annual awards will be made based upon the earnings of the endowment — at this point, the award will be about $1000 per year and will change as the scholarship's principal funding grows. We must reach this goal by January, 2011. In addition, we also hope to raise $1500 per year between now and when the fund reaches $20,000 to allow us to make an annual scholarship award in the meantime.
Online at www.wwu.edu/give
By mail: Make checks payable to the WWU Foundation and send to:
WWU Foundation
MS 9034
Bellingham, WA 98225-9034
Payroll Deduction:
Faculty and staff can sign up for payroll deduction.
Automatic Monthly Giving:
All prospective donors are welcome to sign up for our new GPA program! It means Gifts Provided Automatically and is a convenient way to make a gift! Monthly donations will be deducted automatically from your checking account on or about the 1st of every month. Contact Angie Vandenhaak (see contact info below) for a form to complete and return with a voided check to begin making your automatic donation.
Questions? Contact Angie Vandenhaak at the Western Washington University Foundation office by email or phone, 650-7647.
by Nancy Grayum
It is not only a courtesy to ask your class or audience whether they'd like you to use a microphone, but it will almost always affect learning in a most positive way when you do use one.
The inability to hear or understand spoken words affects learning in many critical ways. The cause may be
As our Classroom Services team assists people in preparing for public speaking situations, we often meet the presenter who says, "Oh, I don't need a microphone;" however, we have come to realize that it's really the listeners who should be asked.
Using a microphone can also benefit you as a presenter by preventing the fatigue of your vocal cords. It may be true that your voice can be projected to a large group for an hour or two, but a microphone can ease the stress that this may cause on your vocal cords over time.
An additional benefit to the presenter is that using a microphone can enhance the nuances of your speech and enhance stage presence, increasing the impact of your talk. Use a Microphone if
Microphone Etiquette
If you prefer not to use a microphone, take a moment 15 minutes into the first class session to ask for a show of hands…is there anyone who would like me to use a microphone in class?
Make it possible for students to inform you of their need for a microphone in less public ways, too, such as email or in person.
Be sure the microphone is aimed toward your mouth, and is as close as possible, but not so close that it creates a poof or popping sound when you speak. Check volume levels by asking your audience.
In a large hall where audience questions/comments may be voiced by students who are facing you but whose voices, therefore, are projecting away from the rest of the group, always repeat the question/comment into the microphone before answering, so the entire audience understands both the question and your response.
At WWU, wireless lapel microphones are available in all general university classrooms that seat more than 50 people. ATUS staff members provide orientation in the use of microphones. Batteries are checked on a regular basis, but we appreciate hearing from you if you have changed to the spare battery so we can replace it. In AH 100 and FR 4, the largest lecture halls, rechargeable batteries and chargers are in place so presenters will always be able to swap batteries quickly.
Where microphone/voice amplification systems are not installed, ATUS technicians can also provide temporary setups which include a microphone and integrated amp/speaker for portable use.
by Bob Schneider
Users of BullsEye Targeted Messaging will find new formatting features available. In addition, users can now easily create and send email messages that include HTML content.
The new formatting features included in this new HTML Editor include
HTML content can be included in one of three ways:
Another feature added to this new version of BullsEye is the ability to look at ALL of the Portal messages you created. From this list the user can modify the expiration date of any message to cause it to be displayed longer or be removed sooner.
If you have any questions about BullsEye please contact the Administrative Computing Service Help Desk, 650-4444.
by Fred Robson
We've all heard the old saying, "nothing endures but change." That is certainly true with computers. About once a quarter we get together and evaluate what hardware is available to us from the computer vendors. We have come a long way from the 8080 processors back in the early 1980s.
Our goal is to find the fastest equipment without spending big dollars, knowing that the equipment we purchase today may be around for five years or longer. Generally the faster the computer the more expensive it is. So looking at what is available today, we see the new Intel dual core, core 2 duo, and core 2 quad processors. The clock speed and the number of cores the processor has, cache and bus speed, all help to determine the performance of the computer. Hard drive speed (rpm) is another important factor.
With all this in mind we configure a computer with what we would like to see and then Purchasing goes to work with the vendors to get WWU the best pricing available. They take advantage of vendor promotions and quantity pricing, and coordinate large purchases by combining orders from various departments. Using this method, Susan Banton in Purchasing has saved the University over $200,000 in the past year.
The current standard desktop configuration from Dell has a 2.33Ghz Core 2 duo processor, 1GB of memory, 80GB SATA hard drive, 16X DVD+/- RW, 19" flat panel monitor, and a 3 year warranty. The price will fluctuate, but currently this configuration is below $1,000. All of this can be upgraded with faster processors and hard drives, as well as more memory, bigger monitors, and additional optical drives if you wish. Check the purchasing web site for quick access to our Computer Supplier Links. As always you may contact me or Susan Banton in purchasing for assistance in configuring your new PC.
We don't want to forget our old friends at Apple either. We seem to be seeing an increase in Apple sales on campus since the introduction of the Intel processors that allow the new iMac or MacBook to run both the Mac OS and Windows. Prices for the iMac start at $1,358.00 for the 20"2.0 GHz with 2GB of memory and the 3 year warranty. Again, see the purchasing web site for a link to Apple.
It is difficult to guess what kind of computing power will be available five years from now but experience tells us that your current quad core processor with 4GB of RAM and a terabyte of hard drive space will be woefully lacking. We'll probably have more power available in our cell phones by then.
About the Author Fred Robson is Manager of ATUS Computer Maintenance. Computer Maintenance provides hardware support for computers, repairing and upgrading existing desktop and laptop computers, printers, and Fax machines. The group also evaluates new equipment, establishes standards, and assists clients with the configuration of new equipment. More information is available at www.wwu.edu/atus/computers. Fred can be reached by email or phone, 650-7737.
by Kevin Dixey
The Student Technology Center hosted the Second Annual Tech Tonic Technology Expo at the Viking Union on February 22, 2008, where nearly 1100 people converged for a riot of technology presentations, demonstrations and fun.
Twenty-two vendor tables featured product demonstrations by a number of technology based companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, Gateway/MPC, Dell, Comcast, Parallels and Big Fish Games as well as special guests the American Museum of Radio and Electricity, Vancouver Film School and the Centre for Digital Media.
Twenty student groups (twice as many as the first expo in 2007) hosted tables exhibiting a broad range of technology projects such as enhanced podcasting techniques, special education technologies, robotics, industrial design, virtual worlds, advanced vehicle design and even the design and development of an amazing fish-shaped human-powered sub.
The day's events included a live performance from the WWU dance department, a robotics competition by the WWU Robotics Club and an impromptu Guitar Hero showdown. But the most exciting moment of this year's Tech Tonic came with the final event of the day, a lively open discussion of the issues surrounding legal/illegal file downloading and its effect on college campuses.
A silent auction of 38 items raised $1300 toward the endowment that will benefit the Advancing Technology Education Scholarship.
As Tech Tonic evolves, one of the things we see as crucial is the ability to use it as a forum to discuss important issues surrounding technology and its impact on human experience. We want to promote open discussion as the terrain shifts and changes. We're in uncharted territory, and what lies ahead is anyone's guess, but then again that is how the New World was discovered.
About the Author:
Kevin Dixey is a software support specialist with ambitions far beyond his station. He spent the past twenty years in media design and development. His current passions are his family and the use of handheld technology as a means of teaching about the environment. He can be reached by email or by phone 650-7222.
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05.15.2008