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The Office of Information Technology has released four new websites.
Please update your bookmarks and contact oitweb@umn.edu with any questions or concerns.
April marks the one-year anniversary of Driven to Discover: The Research Series, a video series that looked inside the lives and work of the University of Minnesota's most daring researchers to see that they are incredible people who make unbelievable discoveries that improve our lives, our planet, and our understanding.
On April 5, we will release the final segment of the Research Series titled "Africa Perspectives." The segment contains two portrayals of Africa--one from the inside and one from the outside. On the outside, we have a film about a team of student engineers, who help bring clean drinking water to a school in Uganda. On the inside, we have a story of Africa told by Africans.
The final segment can viewed online at the Driven to Discover: The Research Series website.
2 - 3 p.m.
101 Walter Library
Twin Cities/East Bank
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has created a help desk consortium, bringing together representatives from nearly 40 campus IT help desks who provide direct computing support to their customers across the University of Minnesota and Fairview Health Services.
Agenda Topics:
10 - 11:30 a.m.
President's Room, Coffman Union
Twin Cities/East Bank
Turning Technologies will be presenting their latest technologies on April 19 from 10 - 11:30 a.m. in the President's Room on the third floor of Coffman Union. If you would like to attend, please RSVP by filling out the OIT Event Registration form.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of courses.
Gmail: Effectively Managing your Email
Apr 1, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Mobile-Friendly Web Pages
Apr 1, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Access 2007: Basic Database Development
Apr 5, 6, 7, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM
90 Blegen Hall
Windows
Moodle 1.9: Grades
Apr 6, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
SAS Programming II- Data Manipulation Techniques
Apr 6, 8, 13, 15, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
90 Blegen Hall
Windows
Google Apps: Collaborating in the University Environment - Hands-on
Apr 7, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Web Development: University Template Fundamentals
Apr 7, 8:30 AM-12:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Google Calendar - Learning Byte
Apr 4, 2:30 PM-2:50 PM
Apr 4, 3:00 PM-3:20 PM
Apr 4, 3:30 PM-3:50 PM
Apr 4, 4:00 PM-4:20 PM
Tech Stop, 1st Floor Coffman Memorial Union
Seminar
Web Development: Essentials - XHTML
Apr 8, 8:30 AM-12:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Social Networking: Professional and Personal Connections on the Web
Apr 12, 8:30 AM-12:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Gmail and Google Calendar Overview
Apr 12, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
Walter Library 210
Seminar
Excel 2007: Spreadsheet Basics
Apr 12, 14, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
90 Blegen Hall
Windows
Web Development: Essentials - Cascading Style Sheets
Apr 13, 8:30 AM-12:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Google Calendar: Effectively Managing your Calendar
Apr 14, 1:30 PM-4:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Web Development: Dreamweaver CS5 Basics
Apr 19, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
90 Blegen Hall
Macintosh/Windows
File Storage - Learning Byte
Apr 19, 1:30 PM-1:50 PM
Apr 19, 2:00 PM-2:20 PM
Apr 19, 2:30 PM-2:50 PM
Apr 19, 3:00 PM-3:20 PM
Tech Stop, 1st Floor Coffman Memorial Union
Seminar
Gmail: Effectively Managing your Email
Apr 20, 1:30 PM-4:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Moodle 1.9: Creating Basic Course Web Sites
Apr 21, 8:30 AM-12:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Video Production: Creating Effective Short Videos
Apr 21, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter Library 210
Windows
Geographic Information Systems: Analyzing Data and Creating Maps
Apr 22, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
90 Blegen Hall
Windows
Excel 2007: Managing and Analyzing Data
Apr 26, 28, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter Library 210
Windows
SAS Programming II- Data Manipulation Techniques
Apr 26, 28, May 3, 5, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
90 Blegen Hall
Windows
Web Development: Essentials - XHTML
Apr 27, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Moodle 1.9: Assignments and Quizzes
Apr 29, 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
90 Blegen Hall
Macintosh/Windows
Web Development: Essentials - Cascading Style Sheets
Apr 29, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
The Summer schedule for technology training offered by the Office of Information Technology will be posted to the training web site in late-April. Check back then to find upcoming dates and to register for Summer courses.
The Project and Change Management Collaborators (PCMC) is sponsoring a 1/2 day workshop by John Skovbroten on Project Management fundamentals. The workshop is free and is open to all University staff, faculty, and students. Advance registration is required; attendees who are not already members of PCMC will need to register first with PCMC before registering for the workshop.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) charged the CMS Implementation Project team to:
The first steps were to engage governing bodies, a steering committee for guidance and approvals processes, and a user-group, called the CMS Implementation group, to enable communication between the CMS Project team and the colleges and units who design and use Moodle courses. Since then, the CMS Implementation team has continued to work toward a smooth transition and upgrade.
The CMS Implementation Project team completed the Request For Information (RFI) process that we undertook to investigate a hosted Moodle solution. After reviewing the results, the Project team recommended continuation of the on-premise solution that is currently in place. The CMS Steering committee has reviewed and approved that recommendation.
The Project team has developed a timeline and migration strategy for moving to Moodle 2.0. Key aspects of the plan are:
Analysis of requirements for an anti-plagiarism tool are now complete and we have moved to the next phase of the process.
Members of the CMS Implementation group and others have been asked to experiment in a "sandbox" of the Moodle 2.0 environment. Some of the differences in version 2.0 include the navigation, file structure, and other enhancements.
The CMS Project Team welcomes your comments and questions. Please send email to cms-trans@lists.umn.edu. For more information, please visit the Moodle website.
Each year, the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative publishes the Horizon Report. It "describes six areas of emerging technology that will have significant impact on higher education and creative expression over the next one to five years. The areas of emerging technology cited for 2011 are:
Time to adoption: One Year or Less
Time to adoption: Two to Three Years
Time to adoption: Four to Five Years
See the EDUCAUSE 2011 Horizon Report page.
The Management Information Systems Research Center (MISRC) in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota presents "Cloud Computing":
It is difficult to ignore the impact of cloud computing, both in the expanding range of vendor products and the collective responses of IT organizations in global and local companies. Thomson Reuters Legal is re-examining its computing platforms and its own software products in response to "the Cloud". This presentation is a consumer's perspective to cloud computing and examines Thomson Reuters' initiatives ranging from the adoption of cloud infrastructure services to new software service offerings through technical, operational, legal and financial perspectives.
See the March 4, 2011 seminar page.
In December 2010, WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind) conducted a survey of preferences of screen reader users. WebAIM reported these results:
The conclusion identified in the previous screen reader user surveys remains: there is no typical screen reader user. These results highlight significant changes and trends over a span of only 2 years, results that we hope will drive informed web accessibility practices.
A few items of note:
- JAWS is still the primary screen reader, but usage is decreasing as usage of NVDA and VoiceOver significantly increases.
- The perception of free or low-cost screen readers is improving.
- 98.4% of respondents had JavaScript enabled.
- The outlook for future web accessibility is optimistic.
- Two-thirds of the respondents use a screen reader on a mobile device, up from only 12% two years ago.
- Most respondents find longdesc useful.
For details, see Screen Reader User Survey #3 Results.
The Office of Information Technology launched a Data Center Modernization Program in mid-2010. Besides creating efficiencies for the University system, the program has created opportunities for colleges and individual departments to be more strategic about resource use. If widely adopted, the program will give IT staff more time to do work that directly supports the U's mission. Read more of Data Center Modernization.
Computers formerly used by the University are available for sale through Asset Recovery Corp. The used surplus equipment was functioning at the time of de-installation. All units have been tested and cleaned prior to shipment. Items are being sold with a DOA Warranty. (Item will not be "Dead on Arrival.")
Please expect some minor cosmetic imperfections such as scratches, dents, cracks and discoloration due to normal corporate wear and tear. These minor cosmetic issues will not affect the performance or usability of these items.
All hard drives installed in computers on this site have been scrubbed. It is the responsibility of the buyer to use a licensed Operating System of their choice. For a listing of available computers please visit the Asset Recovery Corp. University of Minnesota Employee Sale site.
On February 13, 2011, PBS aired a TV show described as "featuring the foremost thought leaders, innovators and practitioners in the field, Digital Media is a startling preview of a 21st Century education revolution." The video is available to watch online.
