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CaTS Blog

Network Storage Issues - 10/12/15

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Wright State network is currently experiencing problems with network storage, which is causing slow connection times to various
services.  CaTS staff worked the entire weekend with the vendor EMC (storage vendor) preparing the system so that a patch could be
applied to fix this problem.  The upgrade patch was started last night at 9:00pm and completed at midnight.  All system checks
showed the system running at normal capacity.  However this is not the case since we are seeing the same problem occur this morning
when faculty, staff, and students are logging in.  One work around to this issue is to restart your system and this will work most
of the time.

CaTS is back in contact with EMC support to resolve this issue. We are apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and will
notify the university when we have a resolution.

2015 WSU Technology Fair

Thursday, October 8, 2015

The 2015 Wright State Technology Fair, hosted by CaTS, is only one week away!

October 15, 2015
10:00am - 2:00pm
Student Union Atrium

Join us at this exciting event that showcases technology vendors and university departments. You'll also have the chance to win a Microsoft Surface for your department, see Adobe product demonstrations, and attend a Town Hall given by our CIO Craig Woolley.

More information can be found at:
www.wright.edu/techfair

We look forward to seeing all of you at the 2015 Wright State Technology Fair!

Using Infographics in the Classroom

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Infographics – representations of information or data in a graphic format designed to make that information easier to understand – have technically been around for a very long time. (Pie chart, anyone?) But the development of several free, easy-to-use online design apps in recent years has opened the practice to a wide range of innovative applications, including the classroom.

Check out a few examples of effective infographics here and here, if you’d like a better idea of what these more involved infographics look like.

So how do infographics work in the classroom? You can create them yourself as the instructor and use them in their traditional mode -- as a way to help your students understand complex ideas or information that you want them to learn. All students will appreciate your efforts to make material more approachable, and the additional visual medium might well provide a stronger sense of connection to the ideas for those who are more comfortable with visual media than traditional lecture or readings.

In addition, you can also use infographics as a way to present course assignments in a more visual way, which is how I’ve been using them in my courses. I find this “show, don’t tell” method helps students understand at a glance what I need them to know about assignment expectations without making them dig through a lengthy descriptive document. Here’s an example of an assignment infographic I used a few semesters ago:

 

 

Brevity is a necessity for infographics, and that can definitely be a challenge. You can see in my example that I don’t totally succeed in the brevity department. I find, though, that as I’m trying to fight my way through figuring out how to present my information succinctly, I gain a clearer understanding of what’s really important for my students to know and what’s maybe not as important – and that process is incredibly beneficial for me as an instructor who strives for (and encourages my students to strive for) clarity in communication!
(A note: As you design your infographics, remember to keep accessibility always in mind; students who use screen readers, for instance, will not be able to access the content in an infographic, so you’ll need always to provide traditional, accessible versions of your information.)

But these free online infographic apps open the door to a much more exciting possibility for their use in the classroom: student themselves can create infographics as a way to understand complex course topics. Consider creating an assignment in which students or teams of students create infographics as a way to teach their peers. These assignments could supplement a presentation or even take the place of a traditional written assignment.

If you’re interested in exploring the wide world of infographic apps, start with these two. They’re robust enough to do almost anything you want to do, they’re free, and they’re easy to learn. Both also have a number of design templates and tutorials to get you started:

Easel.ly

Piktochart.com

- Blog entry written by CTL's Teaching Innovation Coordinator Carolyn Stoermer -

Update: Network Storage Issues Resolved

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

The recent network storage issues have been resolved, and all services
are now fully operational. CaTS is working with the storage vendor to
analyze data from our logs in order to determine the root cause of this
outage.

Questions can be directed to the Help Desk at (937) 775-4827.
 

Network Storage Issues

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

The Wright State network is currently experiencing problems with network
storage, which is causing slow connection times to various services.

CaTS is currently working with the storage vendor to resolve this issue.
We will notify the university when this problem has been resolved.

Creating easy narrated Screen Recordings on almost any Mac!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Want to make a recording of your computer’s screen and narrate over what is being shown on the screen?  Perhaps a quick How-to video for your students or peers? Record a PowerPoint that you narrate for someone to view at his or her leisure? Record a lesson to place into Pilot?  All you need is a 6 years old or newer Mac or MacBook (or even an older Mac that has been upgraded to at least Mac OS X 10.6 or newer) If that is the case You have everything you need record your screen and narrate the recording!

Find your Applications Folder (or press the Apps button on your Keyboard) and then look for QuickTime Player and open it.

Quicktime App icon

(If QuickTime offers to open a file for you at this point, just click cancel.)

Click on the File Menu in the top left and Choose New Screen Recording.

Quicktime - New screen recording

Make sure what you want to record on your screen is open and ready to share and then come back to QuickTime and press the Record button and begin!

Quicktime - Screen Record Button

Once you are done recording, just press the Stop button in the top right edge of your screen.

Quicktime - Recording Stop button

QuickTime gives you an immediate preview of what was recorded and then you can choose either Save or Export to store your video on your computer or press the Share button in the QuickTime preview window to send it to others via your choice of several options:

QuickTime also allows you to choose a different microphone if desired as well as lets you record the whole screen or just a part of it just prior to beginning your recording.

It’s that easy!

TIP: to Keep the QuickTime icon in your dock, while QuickTime is open, find it’s icon in the dock, right-click (on a laptop, two-finger click or click and hold) then choose options and then “Keep in Dock.”

- Blog entry written by CTL's Instructional Designer Greg Asman -

Wireless Connectivity Issues Resolved - 9/23

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Today's issues with the "WSU-Secure" wireless connection have been
resolved. If you are still experiencing issues with wireless
connectivity, please contact the CaTS Help Desk at (937) 775-4827 for
further assistance.

WSU-Secure Wireless Unavailable

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Currently, the "WSU-Secure" wireless connection is unavailable. CaTS is
aware of the situation and is actively working with the appropriate
vendor to resolve the issue. In the meantime, wireless connectivity is
still available by using the "WSU_EZ_Connect" connection.

If you have any questions, please contact the CaTS Help Desk at
(937) 775-4827.

The New WINGS is Here!

Tuesday, September 15, 2015
WINGS Login Screen

Starting today, September 15, the new WINGS has become the default portal.

  • WINGS Classic will be available through December 2015
  • Course and Group Studio are not available in the new WINGS portal

Along with the switch, CaTS has made further updates to the new WINGS portal:

  • ‘Banner Workflow’ task counter now refreshes automatically
  • 'My Links’ are now sorted alphabetically by category, then by link title
  • Added support for restricted polls
  • Streamlined ‘Classified Ads’ layout, added ‘Filter’ options

Please continue to submit your feedback through the ‘Tell Us What You Think’ link under the Feedback section. Learn more about the new WINGS.

CaTS Help Desk
(937) 775-4827
helpdesk@wright.edu
https://www.wright.edu/it/
@WrightStateIT
 

Office 365 Password Change Now Available

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

The password change feature for Office 365 accounts is now available.

If you have questions, please call the CaTS Help Desk at (937) 775-4287 or helpdesk@wright.edu.

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