Privacy Policy Update for Google Apps

January 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

There has been some recent hand-wringing in the media and elsewhere about Google’s announcement this week they are simplifying their Privacy Policy and applying an updated Terms of Service to cover over 60 applications. In particular, some have expressed the fear Google is now free to market and sell Boise State University employee and student data.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

First, Boise State’s contract with Google clearly states the University owns the data associated with all employee and student accounts.

Second, Google’s policy specifically affirms Google will not sell or share your Google Apps personal information.

In short, Google will continue to honor confidentiality and security obligations for Boise State.

What the updated policy does do is provide you with related information across many Google applications based on your interests and activity. For example, if you search on a particular topic in YouTube, and then search on a similar topic in Google Search, you may see related results Google thinks are of interest to you personally.

These updates are scheduled to occur in March. In the meantime, you may see pop-up notifications similar to below in Google Apps and other Google applications inviting you to read information about the upcoming changes:

Learn more about Google’s new policies on Google’s website.

If you have questions or concerns, contact the OIT Help Desk at helpdesk@boisestate.edu, or call 426-HELP (4357).

Filed under Google Apps Tagged with ,

Planning for the Future: Which Product?

January 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Roadmap

Brian Bolt, OIT Operational Director for the University Enterprise Roadmap, writes about the basis for selecting Microsoft SharePoint as the foundational technology for the Unified Web Experience at Boise State University:

In Information Technology, it’s common for a technologist to make recommendations for an application or service.  It is becoming more difficult to remember the days when technologists were closer to technology than end users. However, technologists today are no more connected than anyone else.

In an organization, technological uniqueness is counterbalanced by technology acquisition and support costs. Data centers populated by a myriad of hardware vendors require more personnel with non-overlapping skillsets, which increases costs and reduces the overall reliability of systems.

The Office of Information Technology’s Technical Operations department has standardized on a single common server hardware platform, as well as a single common storage platform.  By investing our financial and staffing resources into supporting and maintaining single platforms, our support knowledge is focused on optimizing system uptime and responsiveness of a single constant rather than multiple variables.

This strategy follows Max Davis-Johnson’s “Touchstone’s for IT Simplification” under The Concept of One: Align Information Technology staff to reduce duplication of effort and services.

Most application consumers don’t know OIT decided to standardize on a single common platform, and as we move up the technology stack from hardware to software, decisions made in the operations areas support applications that ultimately deliver learning, content, and business functions to your computer, tablet, or smartphone. It is imperative we get the hardware infrastructure correct so applications are available whenever and wherever they are needed.

However, the ability to access an application is very different than the ability to efficiently use that application; choosing the correct application is extremely important, and can be evaluated in many different ways. Software inherently has tangible and intangible costs, and paying to acquire software sometimes offsets the costs required to support and run the software. Striking a balance is extremely important, but so is weighing the anticipated longevity and maturity of a particular platform.

A Case for Microsoft SharePoint

The first version of Microsoft SharePoint was released in 2001. Since then, the application has grown in breadth and depth, growing beyond a simple “team portal” to include external data connections, integration with other Microsoft applications, enterprise content management, and graphic data representation, all the while providing high-availability and scalability.

SharePoint’s breadth and depth encompass four key areas found within the University Roadmap. The first is the Unified Web Experience. SharePoint’s rich features and reliability are more than capable of delivering the intended Unified Web Experience, providing a foundational environment for deploying a common interface, and creating a single point of access to information and important Boise State enterprise applications such as Blackboard, PeopleSoft, and Google Apps.

In future posts, I’ll talk about the other three areas where the Roadmap and Microsoft SharePoint intersect: Project Management, Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence.

Reposted from roadmap.boisestate.edu

Filed under Help Desk, Network, Roadmap Tagged with

+1 for Google Pages

January 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Google+ Pages is a feature that comes alongside Google+.

You can use Google+ Pages to separate groups of fellow students, family members, fan clubs or businesses from your personal Google+ page.

It’s a simple concept.

Google+ Pages gives you the power to create multiple pages that you can manage from a single profile without having to log into each page separately. This simplifies complicated connections between you and other Google+ users.

Creating separate pages may even help organize content even better then Google+’s Circles can. You can create a separate Page for something school-related, like a page to share and collaborate with a group of classmates, or a page for something personal like your band’s information, instead of having to scroll through all your personal posts in your Google+ profile.

Each Google+ Page is easy to manage and even easier to access. Simply click the down-arrow next to your name for a menu of all the Google+ Pages you have created:

To manage your Google+ Pages, click the down-arrow for a menu of your Pages, and click ‘Manage your pages >>’:

Google+ Pages for businesses also gives you the opportunity to allow a Page to be found by using Google search, as long as your Page has been ‘verified.’

By adding ‘+’ to the beginning of your search, Google+ Pages will appear in Google’s search results, and will take you directly to the Google+ Page. To verify your Page, you must link your Page to your site, and link your site to your Page. Verifying your Page also lets users know you are the real owner of your business’s product, and the information is authentic.

A feature Google plans to change in the future is the +1. As of right now, Google Pages shows the number of “+1″ clicks a given page has received. This number does not include all the +1′s for individual content on that Page; in the future, the +1 number shown on your Google Page will include all the times +1 was clicked for posts and content.

Learn more about Google+ Pages on Google’s website.

Questions? Email GoogleGal@boisestate.edu, or add a comment below.

Filed under Google Apps, Google Gal, Help Desk Tagged with , , ,

Free NVivo 9 Webinar

January 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

NVivoA free one-hour introductory webinar for NVivo 9 research software is being offered to students, instructors and/or researchers to learn how to utilize the program for research and writing.

The webinar will provide a high-level overview of NVivo features designed for the research process, including help for grant writing, literature review, research proposals, and analyzing qualitative and mixed methods research data.

To schedule a group webinar for colleagues, research team members, or a class, email s.penna@qsrinternational.com.

Or, if you’re an individual and want to learn more about NVivo 9, register for a weekly eDemo.

NVivo software is available to University employees per an annual license agreement (per copy).

For information on obtaining or renewing a license for NVivo, email the OIT Help Desk at helpdesk@boisestate.edu, or call 426-HELP.

Filed under Help Desk, Software Tagged with ,

Possible Impacts to Campus Wireless Services

January 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

UPDATE 1/17, 1:30 pm – The issue has been resolved.

On Friday, January 13, Boise State University experienced a broken power unit in one of its campus wireless network controllers.

The controller helps regulate the number of connections between our wireless antennas, and facilitates some service automation.

Wireless antennas are still functioning, though people may experience service interruptions in campus areas. A replacement unit will be delivered and installed Tuesday, January 17 to fully restore University wireless network services.

Follow @BoiseStOutages on Twitter to stay on top of Boise State system outages and technology service impacts.

For more information, please contact the OIT Help Desk at 426-HELP (4357), or email helpdesk@boisestate.edu.

Filed under Help Desk, Network Tagged with

Don’t See Your Classes in Blackboard?

January 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

So you’re ready for classes, settling into your living situation, and sitting down at your computer to look at your classes in Blackboard.

Once you log in, you expect to find your list of classes you’ve signed up for, or look around for class documents (like the syllabus). And then it happens…Blackboard loads up on your screen and your classes are nowhere to be seen!

Where are your classes? Are you even registered? Is Blackboard not working?

Don’t Panic!

There are several reasons your classes are not showing up in Blackboard. No, you haven’t dropped your classes; the answer to your missing classes resides with your instructors, and is nearly always one of two possible reasons.

First off, less then half of Boise State instructors use Blackboard. Talk to your instructor to find out if Blackboard will be used for your class.

Second, if Blackboard is going to be used, then it’s likely your instructor hasn’t yet activated the course site. A large percentage of Blackboard sites aren’t activated until the first (or even second) week of the semester. You won’t see a Blackboard course site until your instructor activates that site.

Still Having Blackboard Issues?

The Office of Information Technology is eager to help you out. Email the Help Desk at helpdesk@boisestate.edu, or call 426-HELP to get answers to your Blackboard questions or issues.

Filed under Blackboard, Google Gal, Help Desk

OS X Lion Now Supported

January 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

OS X LionOS X 10.7 (“Lion”) for Mac is now fully supported by the Office of Information Technology. Due to Boise State’s recent site license agreement with Apple, there is no charge to install the operating system on University-owned computers.

Lion requires a computer with a minimum Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and 2GB of memory (though 4GB is strongly recommended).

Also, Boise State’s Apple site license allows for installations of iWork ’09 (Pages, Numbers and Keynote) and iLife ’11 (iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand) on University-owned Macs.

Note that many older software applications may not be able to run within Lion; check this site or the software’s developer site to ensure application compatibility.

If you’d like OS X Lion, iWork ’09 or iLife ’11 installed on your Mac, contact the OIT Help Desk at helpdesk@boisestate.edu, or call 426-4357.

Filed under Apple Tagged with ,

OIT Classroom and Lab Updates

January 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

ILC Computers

The Office of Information Technology is currently updating and improving selected classrooms and labs before the start of the 2012 Spring Semester:

  • Multimedia equipment and computers are being installed in six classrooms that previously had no technology (Liberal Arts 203, Business 302, and Math/Geosciences 106, 108, 120 & 124).
  • Computers in Health Sciences Riverside 202, 208, 209, 211 & 212 are being standardized.
  • The Public Affairs and Art West (PAAW) computer lab is being moved to Simplot/Micron Instructional Technology Center 209.
  • OIT is assuming support for Interactive Learning Center 214 and replacing the lecture computer in that room.
  • The classroom media control system in Business 105 is being updated.
  • OIT now supports the computerized classroom in Health Sciences Riverside 200.

Computer and print kiosks also are being expanded. “We are excited at the amount of use our printing kiosks have received,” said Mark Fitzgerald, Director of OIT Customer Care. “As a result, we have added kiosks in the SMITC building lobby and were asked to place an additional 13 computers and another printer in the Student Union.”

Check out the Office of Information Technology’s website for a list of computer and print kiosks throughout campus, computer lab locations and hours and classroom technology.

Filed under Classrooms, Labs

25 Quick Tips for Google Groups

January 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

  1. Star your favorite discussions for quick access. Click the outline of the star next to specific discussions. All of your starred discussions will be saved in your ‘Favorites’ section in the main groups menu:
  2. Change your discussions view. On a Group homepage, click Topic list or Topic Summary to change how the discussions are listed:
  3. View individual discussions in ‘Tree’ mode. Click the discussion you would like to view. Then click Options at the right, and View as tree on the left. If you don’t like the look you can switch back by clicking Standard view.
  4. Give yourself a nickname. Click Edit my membership and  look for ‘What nickname do you want people in this group to see?’
  5. Stop the emails; view discussions from the web. Click Edit my membership > No Email.
  6. Unsubscribe. Don’t want to be part of a Group? Click the Group for which you’d like to unsubscribe. Go to Edit my membership and click the Unsubscribe button at the right (note: Owners may not unsubscribe from a Group).
  7. Change Group Name (if you’re a manager or owner). Click Group Settings > General > Edit. This will allow you to change the text after ‘Group name.’
  8. Change the Group’s email adress. (if you’re a manager or owner). Click Group settings > General and click the Edit button. Re-enter a new address under ‘Enter a new address’ and be sure to add ‘-group’ at the end in order for it to be accepted.
  9. Change the colors of the Group (if you’re a manager or owner). Click Group settings > Appearance > Customize fonts and colors.
  10. Don’t archive messages. Click Group settings > Advanced > ‘Do not keep an archive of messages sent to this group’.
  11. Put Group on pause (if you’re a manager or owner). Group will be labeled inactive, new posts will be rejected, old messages will remain browseable and searchable. Click Group settings > Advanced > ‘Set Archive Mode’.
  12. Change primary language. Click Group settings > Advanced and select a language in the drop down box next to ‘Primary language.’
  13. Override default group policy on specific member’s access to post (if you’re a manager or owner). Click Management tasks and then click Edit to the right of a member’s name and info. Select and manage specific access privileges for that member such as ‘Membership type,’ ‘Posting permission,’ ‘Subscription type,’ or remove a member completely.
  14. Export member list. Click Management tasks > Manage members. The Export member list button is at the bottom of the list of your members, to the right.
  15. Share Calendars and Documents with groups. Add the Group’s email address to the sharing list of a Google Doc or Calendar. To find the Group email address, go to Group settings > General.
  16. Give a Group editing access to a Google Site. When you’re on your Google Site, click Share, and add the Google Group’s address (be sure to grant Edit access to the Group).
  17. Reply only to a post’s author. When reading comments within a Discussion, click Reply to author at the bottom of the comment box.
  18. Transfer Group ownership. Click Management tasks > Manage members. Click the checkbox next to one or more name(s) to transfer ownership. Click the Set membership type drop-down box at top, and select Owner.
  19. Add more then one manager to a group. Repeat the steps above, but set the membership type to Manager.
  20. Find messages from a specific author. When reading a discussion, click More options at top-right of the post. Then click Find messages by this author.
  21. Prevent a discussion from being archived. To keep a discussion from being archived, type  ’X-No-Archive:’ in the subject line, or as the initial text in the message body.
  22. Email the Group owner. Need to email the owner of the Group? From within a Group, click About this group > Send email to the owner.
  23. Review your recent activity across all Groups. From your main Google Groups page, click View all of your stats under ‘My stats.’
  24. Quickly access Management tasks (if you’re a manager or owner). From the main Google Groups page, click Manage next to the Group name.
  25. Find a Google Groups user by email address. From the main Google Groups home page, just below the ‘My stats’ section, there’s a search field labeled ‘Find a user by email address:’ Type an email address and click Search.
     

Filed under Google Apps, Google Gal Tagged with , ,

25 Quick Tips for Google Sites

December 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

  1. Add a countdown to your sidebar. Click Edit sidebar (at the bottom of your sidebar) > Add a sidebar item, and scroll down to ‘Countdown’ to click Add.
  2. Change your theme. Click More > Manage site > Themes.
  3. Add videos to your pages. Click Edit (the pencil icon) > Insert > Video. Be sure to have your video’s URL to paste.
  4. Add site categories. If you didn’t add categories when you first started your site, you can add and delete categories by clicking More > Manage site > General and look under ‘Site categories.’
  5. Hide your site title. Click More > Manage site > General. Find the ‘Site name’ section and click the checkbox next to ‘Show site name at top of pages.’
  6. Add a pond full of fish! And feed them! Click Edit > Insert > More Gadgets. Find and click on the gadget labeled ‘Fish.’ (Virtual horse, cat and dog pets too!)
  7. Add an MP3 Player.  Click Edit > Insert > More gadgets. Find and click on the gadget labeled ‘MP3 Player.’
  8. Delete a page you don’t need. Simply click on the page you want to delete, select More > Delete page.
  9. Use Keyboard Shortcuts: Ctrl + / or on a Mac use Command + /
  10. Embed a spreadsheet from Google Docs. Click the Edit > Insert > Spreadsheet. A list of spreadsheets you have access to in Google Docs will then appear. Simply choose which one, select your options, and click Select.
  11. Change the link of an image. Go into edit mode, and then click your image. Click the blue link for Change next to your image’s URL and replace it with another.
  12. Manage page-level access. Click More > Sharing and Permission > Enable page level permissions at the top right. Manage and edit access to each page!
  13. Change a page’s template. Go to the page you wish to change templates. Click More > Change page template.
  14. Change your site’s font. Click More > Manage site > Colors and Fonts. Click Page font under ‘ENTIRE PAGE.’
  15. Change a page title’s color. Click More > Manage site > Colors and Fonts. Scroll down under ‘SITE HEADER’ to find Site title color.
  16. Change your Site’s title. Click More > Manage site > General. Your site’s title will be under ‘Site name.’
  17. Add a horizontal line to help separate content. Click Edit > Insert > Horizontal Line.
  18. Email Notifications. Click the Gear icon > User settings. Check the box to the right of ‘Email Notifications.’
  19. Change time zone. Click the Gear icon > User settings > Time Zone.
  20. View the site’s revision history. Click More > Revision History.
  21. View recent site activity. Click More > Manage site > Recent site activity.
  22. Recover deleted items. Click More > Manage site > Deleted items. Select the ones you wish to regain and click Recover.
  23. Add a button. Go to Working with mobile buttons and gadgets under Googles Sites help and look under ‘General Button.’
  24. Add  Horizontal Navigation Bar. Click More > Manage site > Site layout. Under ‘Header’ > ‘Alignment’ click change. Check the box next to ‘Horizontal navigation bar.’
  25. Change page template default. Click More > Manage site >  Page templates. Check which template you would like and select Set as default.

Filed under Google Apps Tagged with , , ,

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