Office of Educational Technology
October 2015 OET Newsletter
H: Drive Scanning
In an effort to protect personally identifiable information (PII), OET will be scanning the H: drive for social security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and passwords recorded in documents. We now use Identity Finder, a search program that replaces Spider. Identity Finder generates a report of file names with suspected PII, and is expected to have significantly fewer false positives than Spider. We will notify unit heads of suspected incidence of PII, and they will notify affected faculty and staff to take action. We recommend deleting files with PII. If it is necessary to keep files with PII, contact OET to discuss encryption and other methods in place to safeguard PII.
We routinely scan the file server twice a year, and recommend that you use Identity Finder to scan the hard drive of your computer as well. We install Identify Finder on all computers, as we work on them. The University offers a license for faculty, staff, and University-owned computers.
Considerations for the Cloud
Cloud services, such as Google Apps and Dropbox, offer a convenient way to save and share files on non-UD servers. However, before saving your work-related files to any cloud service, you should be aware that their provider agreements and privacy policies may allow your data to be treated differently than on a UD server. As reported on IT’s cloud services site, some of the issues to consider follow:
- The confidentiality and sensitivity of the data
- Research and grant restrictions
- Whether the data is critical to your operation
- Intellectual property values
- Privacy rules and regulations (e.g., FERPA and HIPPA)
- Personally identifiable information (This data requires encryption that cloud services may not offer.)
If your data falls under these considerations, cloud storage may not be appropriate.If you need to share files with others in your department or across the country, options exist within OET and UD that may meet your needs. For example, if you have a research project, OET offers a human subjects file server where you can share folders with your colleagues. If you have questions or would like further information on storage solutions, contact OET.
KACE is Now Free
Information Technologies (IT) has purchased 15,000 KACE licenses that it will make free for installation on desktops and laptops. Previously, CEHD units paid for the KACE licenses that they use. The College uses KACE to update non-Microsoft software such as Firefox, Adobe, and Java.
Tech Fair 2015
Play IT Safe is the theme for IT’s Tech Fair 2015 scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Fair is an opportunity for faculty and staff to learn about technology services offered by various UD departments. In addition, outside vendors will demonstrate their products. Registration includes lunch and all attendees are eligible to win prizes.
Win a Gift Card if You Enrolled in 2FA
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), and to celebrate IT is giving away three $100 Barnes and Noble gift cards. Contest entry is open to faculty and staff who enrolled in two factor authentication (2FA) prior to October 1. More information on NCSAM and how you can stay safe online is available from StaySafeOnline.
WordPress Users Group: Website Accessibility
The focus of our next WordPress Users Group meeting will be website accessibility. Why is website accessibility so important? What makes a website accessible? We’ll find out in this interactive session! Join us on Wed., November 11, at 12:00 p.m. in 205 Willard Hall Education Building. Bring your lunch. Refreshments will be provided.
Office 2016 Now Available
Office for Mac 2016 and Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016 for Windows are now available from UDeploy for installation only on University-owned computers. Office 2016 touts many new features for Windows and Macintosh, including co-authoring in Word and PowerPoint.
Per UD’s Microsoft product license, Office 2016 is not available for installation on personally-owned computers. For personal computers, students, faculty, and staff can download Microsoft Office 365 for Education from UDeploy for free.
Educreations: Educational App of the Month
Educreations is a screencasting and interactive whiteboard tool that allows you and your students to develop and share lessons. Use Educreations to explain concepts and capture ideas. The free, basic version offers 50 MB of storage for you to create classes and record and annotate in different ink colors over notes and images. After your lesson is finished, you can share with others online and revisit your lessons as often as you like. Web and iOS app versions are available.
UDETC
Registration and the call for proposals are now open for the University of Delaware Educational Technology Conference on Sat., March 5, 2016. The conference, for PreK-20 educators, is a joint effort by The College School, the Education Resource Center, and OET. If you would like to present, complete a presentation proposal. The conference is free for presenters. We hope that you will be able to join us!