FTC Meeting, October 12, 2011

 

1.  Rita Owens update (repeat of last spring) – BbV will no longer be supported in 2013

Beth Clark forming a group for new product.  New CMS will be researched.  Any one interested in participating in this search shuld contact Beth Clark.

 

2.  Rita Owens - Tablets Project – eLearning will loan tablets for testing (iPad, Android or Windows).    Requires a commitment to classroom use.  This is ATAB funded.  Participants will form a user group, take some training, and contribute in a blog format.  Submit requests to Christina Joy in eLearning.  FTCs are urged to circulate to all members of departments.   There is money committed for 20-25 and even as many as 30 .

 

3.  Barry Schaudt – PC Vendor Project for student purchase of Dell computers.  Vendor selection process  by BCCR group needs volunteers.  FTC's are urged to pass this call on to faculty; Do FTCs have specific faculty to recommend among non-Mac people?

 

4.  Barry Schaudt – Research data lecture.  Scott Radner (Harvard U) October 17 lecture on protecting research data that is open to the university community.

 

5.  Barry Schaudt – Four ITS informal luncheons took place in the spring, but were lightly attended.  Should this be continued and promoted?  The sessions are usually thematic as determined by the IT personnel attending.  

 

6.  Rita Owens – ATIG (Academic Technologu Innovation Grants) deadline is  January 10, 2012  for applications.  There will be an event to honor prior recipients on  Friday, October 28.   This meeting will also include consultants for those thinking of submitting proposals.  Spread the word on ATIG.

 

7.  Rita Owens – Report on Mediakron;  IDeS app written at BC (Davis Educational Foundation Three Year Grant, 2006-08)  The grant produced projects and a  flexible template called MediaKron.  BC has won a second grant from the Davis Foundation.  We are shopping around for customers/users; community of scholars from other universities.  Davis Foundation loved Mediakron and sought wider application; "Broadening the Reach" – money for five schools with two projects each to host in Mediakron – "hook" is that beyond grant there would be a subscription fee.  BC needs five more projects, too, as well as candidates from other schools.  It was Jack Neuhauser's idea to broaden the grant to other schools – i.e. St. Michael's.  Ulysses Project is in Mediakron; Steph Leone's Roma Project was a precursor (her project maps palaces and the like in Rome. Mark O'Connor in Honors built a site based on Durer.  He is using it now for an omnibus study of 19th century Polish art.  Importantly, MediaKron is not restricted to art or the humanities alone.

 

Two questions were asked about Mediakron.  Sheila Gallagher asked about non-academic candidates.  Rita thought this not likely.   Lynn Johnson asked about a call for proposals to former graduate students now working at other schools who might be attracted to the project.  See the BC Chronicle article linked above for more information.

 

8.  Michael Connolly – FTCs need to keep in direct contact with department chairs so that what comes up in Board of Chairs meetings with technological implications will be sent on to us.  FTC membership is by appointment of the chairs in the first place.  In this way what comes from that source can carry this back to Barry Schaudt as well so that it can be dealt with soon and efficiently.

 

"Joys and Woes" Department

1.     MC – wireless projecting is highly desirable; the meeting witnessed ademo of a wireless projector.   This is a good possible use for Academic Technology Fund money in the budgets of each department.  In general, FTCs should be talk to chairs about how this money is spent.

2.     Are Smart Boards useful?– MC doubts their utility.  Products with use from an iPad screen that are remote control may work better.  One such is the SplashTalk white board which has an app for working directly on the iPad.  This should make it possible to skip Smart Boards.  Lynch, however, has a need for skills using these, however.  Also, there exists a Pdf presenter – displays a pdf and allows you to write on it.

 

3.     Computer science media lab  now has something useful called DeepFreeze (Pheronics) – once a computer is set up the way you like it DeepFreeze  preserves a computer setup; students cannot mess it up (malware, etc.), at least not permanently.

 

4.     Rich Jenson – multi-use Mac laptops; can these be set up with active directory;  Barry Schaudt is exploring the issue and will give us a contact.  Tim Duket requested Barry include Honors computers.  Subsequently, multi-use laptops (2) in Honors have been set up and are in active use.  Macs can easily be set up this way, but it is a difficult retrofit.

5.      

Rita Owens – ID Finder for Mac is coming soon; ITS will be making an announcement soon; this comes from data security officer.  To be downloaded onto the machines, not done remotely as was the case with PCs.  FTCs will need to help people work through the downloaded client for ID Finder on the Macs when the time comes..

6.     FMRC remains in Carney;  laterwill be moved mostly to Creagh, but retaining some middle campus space.  New location on Brighton campus will be more accessible and open 24/7.

 

Respectfully submitted by Tim Duket