As we told you in the April edition of TechTalk, we have placed a renewed focus on technology training for members of the UMW community. Technology Training Survey We still want to know what technology training you are interested in, and would appreciate it if you would tell us how you’d like for us to deliver those classes. How can you get that information to us? To tell us what technology training that you’d like to see, please complete the Technology Training Survey. The survey will take you less than 5 minutes to complete - and will give us some very valuable information. Training Opportunities There are a number of technology classes already on the summer calendar, including sessions to help you learn about Canvas (the University's new LMS), opportunities to find out about Office 2010, chances to become more proficient with analyzing data with Excel, making sure that you know how to archive your email, and more. To see the calendar of technology classes and to sign up … [Read more...]
New Learning Management System is Here!
A big change for members of the University is the adoption of a new Learning Management System (LMS). UMW has selected Instructure’s Canvas as its next-generation LMS. Beginning with the Fall 2011, all courses taught at the University of Mary Washington will have a course shell in Canvas, and all courses will be populated with instructors and students. Early reports are that you’ll like Canvas! There are some ‘cool’ features of the product that are impressive, and it’s very easy to use. We hope that you’ll take a look at the Canvas Support Site, attend one (or more) of the Training Sessions designed to familiarize you with Canvas, and dive in to Canvas to get your Fall 2011 courses set up. As you have questions, don’t hesitate to let us know what you need. We want you to get a smooth start with this new product. Contact the Help Desk with your questions (helpdesk@umw.edu or 540-654-2255), and they’ll pass your question along to the proper member of the Canvas support team. … [Read more...]
Microsoft Office 2010 – 2011 at UMW
By the end of the summer, Office 2010 will be installed on PCs in labs and classrooms across the University. We'll offer sessions in each of these applications over the summer so that you may familiarize yourself with them. Watch the Technology Training Calendar for upcoming sessions. If you want to have a copy of Office 2010 installed on your computer, please contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@umw.edu or 540-654-2255 to have a ticket entered for you. UMW Faculty and Staff may license a copy of Microsoft Office to use at home. More information is available on the Microsoft Office Work at Home page. Some of the enhanced capabilities that you'll find in Office 2010 include: … [Read more...]
Summer Session Hours for the Help Desk
Dates: May 16 - July 22, 2011 Monday - Thursday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday-Sunday: Closed University Holidays: Closed After Hours Contact: Voice Mail: 540-654-2255 Email: helpdesk@umw.edu … [Read more...]
Mobile Security – Important (and FREE) Tips for Protecting Your Personal Smart Phone
Increasingly, smart phones are replacing desktop and laptop computers as the personal computer of choice. Some recent studies report that nearly a quarter of all students use smart phones as their preferred method for internet browsing and access. With thousands (millions?) of smart phones shipping each month, this number will only increase. While we know that you are diligent as you carry your laptop around, connecting to networks at work, at home, at conferences, hotels or other public wi-fi hotspots, you should treat your smart phone in the same manner. As you download new software or open email attachments, you should make certain that you have current antivirus or malware protection on your smart phone. … [Read more...]
PII – Do You Know What That Means?
Before we go on: PII stands for Personally Identifiable Information. There’s no doubt that each person at UMW wants his / her own PII protected and secured. UMW takes its responsibility to protect your Personally Identifiable Information seriously. The University has taken steps to define PII as Highly Sensitive Data and has mandated that every caution should be used in protecting this information from authorized access, exposure or distribution. UMW’s policy states that this data should only be collected or maintained when there is an approved and authorized business justification. Unless absolutely required for a particular business function, this information should never be collected, stored, shared or distributed. More information highly sensitive data is found on the Protecting Highly Sensitive Data web page. Also by UMW policy, in instances when such data is legitimately collected, there are specific restrictions regarding how and when such data can be electronically … [Read more...]