Nick Draper's Budget Tech

Beat story 2

nddraper — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:52:43 +0000

The Center for Academic Technology Support, or C.A.T.S. has begun doing iMovie 09 and iDVD software training using Apple’s iTunes U, a university centric hub that students can access for video lectures and podcasts.
Eastern’s iTunes U section was created last year, placing them among 200 other universities participating in the program, according to Michael Hoadley, assistant vice president of C.A.T.S.
“We use it for classes, we use it for training, we use it for service, we use it for documenting things that are going on,” said Hoadley. “I wanna make it so that anybody who uses iTunes U anywhere in the world.”
Hoadley says that Eastern is close to gaining internet recognition so that students or faculty that do not attend EIU can learn lectures posted on iTunes U.
In addition to iTunes U, training courses are also available to help assist students in the Gregg Technology Center..
Kim Ervin, student technology training specialst, said the demonstrations are hands on: students get to learn software by making their own projects.
“I do a demonstration session that shows them the features of iMovie by building a movie with training files,” said Ervin.
Ervin does programs in classrooms in addition to the technology center.
“There are faculty that know that I’m there and what I can train on,” said Ervin. “I’ve spoken to maybe 60 students at a time for iMovie.”
Twenty-seven short clips and two documents demonstrating the use of iMovie 09 are available on iTunesU for free. Other software demonstrations on iTunes U are video conferencing tutorials, WebCT training and campus technology presentations.
C.A.T.S. also offers training for faculty as well, including how to use technology classroom hardware and software selected by the university, according to Hoadley.
“There are certain technologies, hardware and software that are available on campus,” said Hoadley. “Those purchases are made in consolation with the campus so if we’re looking at something for classrooms and labs, we do try to get input from faculty and students.”
C.A.T.S. offer faculty training courses both online and in “hybrid courses” that mix face to face interaction with online use.
Illuminate, a video conferencing software, is one program that C.A.T.S. is assisting both students and faculty with.
“We’re trying to educate the campus on how to use (Illuminate) in lots of ways,” said Hoadley. “In terms of collaborating with people, literally anywhere in the world, being able to bring in guest speakers and attending meeting with colleagues around the world.”
Students can also utilize illuminate to collaborate with one another from any distance to work on group projects or presentations.
C.A.T.S. also plays a large role in helping faculty learn hardware such as documentation cameras and smart boards, white boards with touch input capabilities.
“I think about a third of the classrooms have smart boards in them,” said Hoadley. “They’re using them all of the time. I think before that was something that they never really realized its potential.”
Every classroom is outfitted with a basic configuration with an instructor station, projector, dvd and VCR to help assist all faculty teach with technology.
“There’s no other university in Illinois that can claim that (their classroms) are equipped like this 100 percent,” said Hoadley. “Now our objective is to replace that equipment every four years.”
C.A.T.S. will continue to assist students, faculty and staff learn to use and work with the technologies available to you through interactive training sessions and programs such as iTunes U.
“We are offering at least the same (technology) as (other campuses) and in some cases much more,” said Hoadley. “I think we can be pretty proud to say that.”

Beat story 1

nddraper — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:51:20 +0000

After a semester and a half, SafeConnect, a client used by students in the residence halls to connect to the internet, has proven to be more reliable than the previous client, Cisco Clean Access.
The client, which students transitioned to at the beginning of last semester, replaced Cisco Clean Access to help provide Information Technology Systems with more information regarding virus infection, according to Randy Ethridge, a network engineer for ITS.
SafeConnect enforces internet policy by relaying information to a server that checks for updated virus protection, updated operating systems and login information. After the check has been completed, the student can access the internet.
“Connecting is pretty easy,” said Kyle Tonn, a junior graphic design major. “It just comes up on your browser.”
Tonn also says that connecting to the network via game console is also very streamlined.
“It’s so much easier to use SafeConnect,” said Tonn. “When I had Cisco I had so many different MAC address (an identifier used by game consoles) problems that connecting took a couple weeks.”
Other devices internet-centered devices such as Slingbox or Netflix’s Roku can also go online through SafeConnect, though new devices need time to be entered into the network.
Unlike Clean Access, SafeConnect can tell a student when a student has a specific problem with his computer, according to Ethridge.
“The one major issue that we had with Cisco was that when a student got infected, there was no easy way to find out what the problem was,” said Ethridge.
Informing students via web pages gives them a chance to rectify the problem before turning it in to the virus labs.
“SafeConnect allows us to display web pages to the infected person,” said Ethridge. “When he’s quarantined, a browser opens up that says you have this virus and then it gives him links to help him fix it himself which saves everybody a lot of time.”
The browser window that opens when a user is infected offers multiple antivirus programs including Norton’s Symantec in addition to free programs such as Avast Antivirus and Kapersky’s AVG.
Important messages can also be sent over the network to students’ computers in case of an emergency.
“If there was a tornado or shooting on campus, if they have their computer on, it will pop up and give them a message,” said Ethridge. “That was another reason we went with SafeConnect.”
Despite connecting all of the residence halls to Eastern’s network, switching the network over to the new system proved to be easy according to Ethridge.
“That’s one of their big selling points,” said Ethridge, “I’d say including just the engineering and the configuration, I don’t even know if it took a week.”
Kevin Arp, a junior management information systems major that transferred to Eastern from Indiana Tech, said the wireless system that his school employed was much more convenient.
“Here I have to wire in all of the time,” said Arp. “At I.T. I had internet everywhere.”
Arp also says that not everything is perfect about SafeConnect.
“One of the bad things about it is that sometime when I’m going on the internet it will say I don’t have SafeConnect installed,” said Arp. “Then I have to reinstall it. It’s really dumb.”
Despite troubles here and there, Ethridge says the system is stable and doesn’t create much strain on Eastern’s resources.
“It seems to be real steady,” said Ethridge. “It hasn’t created any burden on the routers.”
The client is also very discrete and small in size so it shouldn’t drain performance from a student’s computer.
Students interested in learning more about SafeConnect can visit its.eiu.edu/safeconnect/index.php for more info.

Closing Blog Thoughts

nddraper — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:11:24 +0000

While I haven’t updated this blog very regularly, I would like to end it with an inflective perspective on what it means to be a blogger. Being a blogger means having to acknowledge that your stuff isn’t going to be easily seen. It means that you have to be prepared and committed to your blog, something that just didn’t happen with this particular blog. The trouble I really have with blogs is that I haven’t yet created one that I feel semi-passionate about, every post I made on this blog seemed forced, and I can’t say whether or not it was because it was for class or not.

I will not be updating this blog anymore after today, so I’m saying goodbye. Not to my readers, which are non-existant, but really to my latest attempt at blogging. Another failure is just a brick that will build the foundation for something spectacular, I know it. Until then, however, I guess I’ll keep throwing stones at this till I can find my niche’.

Well, anywho, good luck and good night to everyone on the internets. It’s been fun. From Nick Draper’s Budget Tech to you, have Happy Holidays.

Google Chrome: A free and faster experience

nddraper — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:05:03 +0000

Lately I have been using Google Chrome which just recently came out for Mac (beta). CNET has proven that Chrome is faster when it comes to Javascript but the speed of the browser is immediately evident.

The layout is simple and minimalistic. Not to mention that it all works well with iGoogle and all of the rest of the Google suite.

Hit up Google today and try it out yourself.

Nokia Booklet Fails to wow

nddraper — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:53:30 +0000

Honestly, the Nokia Booklet is a large snoozefest for me, mainly due to the low powered specs. However, this is a relatively cheap 3g activated netbook (sort of…) and therefore I’m going to give it a slight nod.

Here’s a couple pics, I don’t feel like writing about this thing very much.

I don’t understand pico projectors

nddraper — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:49:42 +0000

I was looking over at Pc Mag’s website when I came across the Optoma PK102 Pico Pocket Projector when I suddenly realized that I don’t understand what pico projectors are aiming for. They are not immediately practical for you every day user as the definition isn’t stellar enough for great video viewing. Nor are they large enough for any presentations.

At $250 the Optoma isn’t cheap either, I can’t help but wonder what they are trying to get at here. Larger screen sizes are definitely necessary for me to take interest, and yet they fail to get that right. Sound quality is always subpar, and colors are far from accurate.

Pico projectors are far from ready for the consumer market, and I hope they realise this soon before they go extinct.

Violight Cleans Your Razor Using UV Rays

nddraper — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:43:53 +0000

Yet another sweet yet cheap Chritmas gift. This time, for $30 you can get your man a sweet razor cleaner that uses nothing but modern technology and science to sanitize his face scraper.

The Violight Razor Sanitizer keeps your razor nice and germ free using UV rays. Not much to say about this one, other than it’s a very cool gift idea that won’t break the wallet.

GO 80′S WITH A MIXTAPE MEMORY STICK!

nddraper — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:37:15 +0000

If you have a loved one that you would just LOOOOOVE to make a mixtape for, forget it. Nobody likes tapes! Why not just buy them the 15 dollar Mixtape Memory Stick at ThinkGeek?

Surely someone will appreciate your musical tastes!

USB Pet Rock Adds Tech to a Classic Idea

nddraper — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:33:31 +0000

The USB Pet Rock is surely the best that modern science has to offer.

Offering new USB connectivity, this pet rock is more capable and ready for action than any other pet rock before it. Hell, I’d say that I’m almost ready to trade in my PS3 just so I can get one. Can you imagine the possibilities? AND ONLY $10!!!!

Get one at Think Geek.

Mindflex… not really cheap, but still

nddraper — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:29:43 +0000

Look at this thing!

The Minflex board game(?) is a game that you control with your mind! It can sense how hard you are concentrating based upon your brain waves.

How cool is that? Is $129 really too much to ask?

You decide.