What's CITL?

CITL? The Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Or, you can think of us as C, IT and L. Think of C as for Curriculum Design and Technology. IT, well, IT, aka Information Technology. And L can remind you of our Learning Resource Center (Library, as we used to call it). We have joined these three strategic areas within LETU into one center we call the CITL—the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.

Our vision is to engage innovation in teaching and learning through information, instructional and educational technology and library and information science. That’s a mouthful.

As we know, technology is everywhere—whether you find it with our engineers, our aeronautical sciences, our educational faculty and staff, our business programs, all throughout the arts and science and into our proposed nursing program.

 

With our new center, we welcome two new directors. Dr. Colleen Halupa and Mrs. Leslie Bowman. Colleen is serving as our Director of our Curriculum Design and Technology area. She is our CITL newsletter editor along with leading the CITL with our faculty in instructional and education technology. She will be conducting pedagogy training workshops for faculty to better use technology in the classroom to improve student learning outcomes. She is an experienced educator, having led educational programs for the U.S. Air Force.

Leslie is leading our Learning Resource Center as our library director. She has experience training students, faculty and staff in information literacy and educational technology, having organized training in collaborative learning techniques, project-based instruction, SMART boards, student response systems , Microsoft Office products and iPads.  She is also making some marvelous advances in the library space, so if you haven’t stopped by yet, please do.

We covet your prayers for our Center.  Our goal is that we will serve each of you well with the talents and gifts God has in His mercy bestowed on us. We exist to serve each of you as professionals of Christ-like character who understanding our work as our holy calling with eternal impact.

We also covet your ideas. No idea is too small. No idea is too big. Send me or any of our directors, Colleen, Leslie, Ken Johnson, Michael Davis or Kristin Ater your ideas for innovation.

Here are our contact numbers for those ideas (continue to use 3500 for all technical support):

C—Curriculum Design and Technology Assistance  —4070

IT—Technology Support  —3500

L—Learning Resource Center —3260


Matthew Henry
Dean of Innovative Education

New Blackboard Mobile Learn 4.0

 

Dear Students and Faculty Members:   Blackboard Mobile Learn has undergone a massive redesign.   Guided by simplicity, readability and ease of use, this update makes interacting with your courses more enjoyable and personal than ever.   Students and faculty will see app updates on their iOS and Android devices at the end of the month, but you can update the Mobile Web Services Building Block now.     With this redesign comes: Customization: Students can favorite, hide, reorder, color code, and rename their courses.   Discussions: Reading and contributing to threaded discussion forums is easier than ever.   Rich Content Handling: The most often used rich content styles are supported so that course design and user experience are not compromised.   To find out more information and download this new app go to:  https://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Mobile/Products/Mobile-Learn.aspx

10 Top Time-Savings Tech Tips

Short, five minute video of some time saving tips for using technology from browsers to cameras. It's an interesting conundrum, technology should make things easier for us. If it doesn't, there may be a simpler way.

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_pogue_10_top_time_saving_tech_tips.html

Do you have any ideas for making technology simpler?

Goodbye Windows 3.1 and 3.5 Inch Diskettes

"Broadly speaking, technology is the way people do things" (1). From horse shoes, spectacles (glasses) to buttons to the windmill, technology has come and gone. So thankful for technology that has "stuck" like buttons and glasses.

You may not be able to see it in the picture, but this Windows for Workgroups is version 3.1. It was an exciting day when this version of Windows came out. It fixed so many problems with 3.0. Many had not upgraded to 3.0, as it was too buggy. And, many didn't like the new "GUI" that Windows 3.x offered as it was too slow on older computers. The DOS-like graphics of Windows 1.0 and 2.0 were much better. 

Well, we reach the end of another era, another way people do things, Windows XP. Microsoft will be discontinuing support for Windows XP as of April 8, 2014. From an LETU perspective, in order to get ready for this, as of this week we will begin in earnest making sure the remaining computers on campus are upgraded to Windows 7.

What does this mean to you? For LETU owned computers, if you have an XP issue, something that seems to be broken or not working with XP, we will walk you through the process of upgrading your computer to Windows 7. For those with their own computers that are using LETU services, we will continue to support LETU services like Blackboard, wireless, etc., as long as Microsoft provides support for XP.

You might think, so what, if Microsoft drops support of XP on April 8, 2014, my computer will still work, right? Yes, it will, but it will be at a great risk for viruses and malware. Currently, Microsoft continues to patch any defect in XP that would allow hacking attempts into your computer and the LETU network. When XP is no longer supported, Microsoft will no longer fix these defects and supporting an XP computer on our LETU network will put LETU at risk.

As always, we are here to serve you in the way you do things for your work in God's Kingdom here at LETU.

(1) White, Lynn. Medieval Religion and Technology: Collected Essays. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1978.

Let's go Phishing

Scams, like the example below, get more and more clever as technology advances. Everywhere from "sharing" viruses to stealing money, people are trying harder and harder to make sure their presentations and tricks are convincing. The shock factor is a great hook for scams like these. "WHAT! I spent HOW MUCH????!!!! How did?!... What!... wait a minute..."

This is just a cautionary reminder that these e-mails are intended to shock you into clicking that seemingly friendly link that will lead you into despair. I encourage you to avoid clicking that link, at all costs. Instead, check your bank account. The first indication that an e-mail like this is a scam: You have no idea where this e-mail came from (an unfamiliar website, or a purchase you never made, or a ridiculous amount of money spent). The closest second indication: your bank account is fine, absolutely fine. 

Something important to remember: keep track of where you shop, what sites you use, and who has your credit card information. If an e-mail is in the "none of the above" slot, and your bank account is untouched, then just delete the e-mail or mark it as spam, and move on. Take a deep breath, don't worry. It was just a hungry ole "phisherman," but you avoided the hook!

Hook and Lure #1:

From: Data Processing Service <customerservice@dataprocessingservice.com>
Date: March 21, 2013, 10:21:54 AM CDT
To:                                  
Subject: ACH file ID "596.553"  has been aborted

ACH Processing Service SUCCESS Information We have successfully complete ACH file 'ACH2013-03-20-5.txt' (id '596.553') submitted by user                             on '2013-03-20 20:07:62.1'. FILE SUMMARY: Item count: 41 Total debits: $27,312.13 Total credits: $27,312.13

For addidional details    browse this link

 Hook and Lure #2:

From: webmasters@bbc.co.uk [mailto:webmasters@bbc.co.uk] On Behalf Of                       
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 12:23 PM
To:                 
Subject: BBC-Email: While we read of Cyprus, US Government prepares 10% Deposit tax! Exlusive!

                      saw this story on the BBC News website and thought you should see it.

** While we read of Cyprus, US Government prepares 10% Deposit tax! Exlusive! ** Cyprus can amend terms to a bailout deal that has sparked huge public anger....
< http://www.bbc.us/go/em/news/world-europe-37228370 >

** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/email >

** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have been verified.

If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions by clicking here

_End Hook and Lure #2_ 

Some scams are easy to see, but some of them come from what we may think are trusted websites and names. Make sure to never click on anything if you aren't sure about it. If it comes from a trusted site, close the e-mail, open a separate tab or browser, and go to your account, to the original site, and check on it that way. Be a smart, slippery fish, not easily caught by these slimy -but sometimes shiny- luring hooks. 

Have a Blessed Day!

The Fly

Human Progress

As I fly around IT and watch the variety of people that walk in and out of the doors, I cannot help but think about how broad a spectrum technology covers. Information Technology serves every department on campus, from biology labs to civil engineering to education. I am continuously fascinated by the variety of people that walk in, or call in, asking for help from our department. 

Technology exists in every field. Technology can be a great resource for advancement and progress, such as improvements in the classroom experience and more effective online learning. However, it can also be used for harmful or even malicious intents, like spam or world domination. While some advances in technology may eventually make certain controversies obsolete, other advances will bring more controversy to our attention. The following videos are TED Talks about some recent ideas and technologies that are being developed and have the potential to revolutionize our world and our individual lives. The length of the video shouldn't deter you from watching, the topics are fascinating:

Nina Tandon: Could tissue engineering mean personalized medicine? (06:20)

(Tissue engineering from human skin cells)

Doris Kim Sung: Metal that breathes (09:00)

(A new look at energy efficiency)

As I watch videos like these, I get excited about research and advances in science and technology. Our world is ever-changing, and the improvements that have been and can be made are fascinating and enthralling. However, there is a part of every person that feels a small amount of fear when new ideas are spread. I think it is important to recognize that this fear of the unknown is common, natural, and human; and it is not entirely unfounded. Sometimes the unknown turns out more dangerous than expected. 

However, exploration of the unknown has also brought incredible advances in our world (i.e. space exploration, energy technology, online learning). Fear of the unknown has been a part of scientific and technological progress at every point in history. However, we cannot allow fear to halt the progress of research and invention. God has instilled in humans a desire for knowledge, and a curiosity and drive to pursue truth and transformation, and He has also provided wisdom and discernment to help guide that curiosity.

We must be aware of our focus and intentions as we seek to advance our world, and of the consequences of these new ideas. However, allowing fear to dissuade our curiosity and hinder our pursuit of knowledge would be a tragedy.  

These are some thoughts and ideas I have had as I watch the world as a fly on the wall in IT. 

Have a blessed and thoughtful day!

The Fly ;)

Too Good To Be True

A great reminder from the SANS Institute in their recent OUCH! newsletter. Email phishing attacks continue to plaque all of us. And they just seem to be getting better and better.

Summarized from the newsletter.

These phishing attempts work by:

• Harvesting Information: these are attempts to fool you. They want your bank routing number, you password, anything. 
• Malicious Links: these attempts ask you to click on a link to see something. When you do, your computer is infected.
• Attachments: We've seen a number of these recently in the form of "zip" files. Opening these attachments will load malicious software on your computer.
• Scams: most of the time, these are just pleas for help or money made available to you through an inheritance. 

Some good advice:

• Use common sense. If it's too good to be true it is.
• If the email has a sense of urgency or invokes a sense of urgency (see one of our previous posts on this), it should trigger a warning.
• Grammar or spelling mistakes are good clues, although, these are going away.
• Do not click on links. We've mentioned this before as well. This is frustrating but if you get a notice from your bank that your statement is ready, don't click on the link. Go to your bank's web site and access it from there.
• Don't open attachments. This one is hard as well. It may take asking the person who sent you the attachment whether they sent it.
• These phishers are getting good at making the email look like it's from one of your friends. We even had one this week that looked like it came from the U.S. Treasury.

To see the full newsletter, click on this link:

http://www.securingthehuman.org/newsletters/ouch/issues/OUCH-201302_en.pdf

(now, this was a trick, should you click on this link?)