Tech Talk Series

Information Technology Services "Tech Talks" are held in Baxter Hall 114 on the 4th Tuesday of each month when classes are in session.  Each Tech Talk features a presentation on technology at Wabash, and includes a light lunch.  Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming talks:

Topics presented during the 2011-12 Academic Year:

March 27, 2012
Run for the Hills! Disaster Recovery at Wabash!
Presented by Quentin Dodd and Scott Yeager, Wabash Network and Systems Administrators

February 28, 2012
Media Center Renovation Plans
Presented by Brad Weaver, Director of IT Services and Adam Bowen, Media Services Specialist

November 29, 2011
Tablets: iPads and More!
Presented by Kitty Rutledge, Client Services Manager

September 27, 2011
Data Center Renovations and Tour
Presented by IT Staff

July 28, 2011
Campus Technology Update
Presented by Brad Weaver, Director of IT Services

Topics presented during the 2010-11 Academic Year:

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What is Windows 7?

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/what-is-windows-7.aspx

Windows 7 Compatibility Center 

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-7/en-us/default.aspx

February 22, 2011
Wabash Wireless Overview
Presented by Scott Yeager, Systems and Network Administrator

January 25, 2011
Introduction to Office 2011 for MacOS
Presented by Kitty Rutledge, Client Services Manager

October 26, 2010
Mathematica 7: Up Close and Personal
Presented by Michael Morrison, Wolfram Research

September 28, 2010
Summer IT Projects Recap
Presented by IT Staff

Topics presented during the Spring 2010 Semester:

January 26, 2010
   Student Technology Survey Results
Presented by: Brad Weaver, Director of Information Technology Services
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

February 23, 2010
   Working from Home  (Click here for a copy of the handout.)
Presented by: Mike Heinold & Quentin Dodd, Information Technology Services
   We all have occasion to need to access Wabash College technology resources from off campus, whether at home in the evening, or when off campus during break or for a conference.  In this Tech Talk, Mike Heinold will talk about how to access email and files when off campus, how to keep your home computer virus and spyware-free, and will demonstrate a new system that lets you run Wabash-licensed software from your personal computer.
In addition, Quentin Dodd will preview a new version of Webmail that will be in production later this semester.
   College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon.

May 4, 2010
   Identifying and Understanding Phishing Scams
Presented by: IT Services
   In this talk, we'll look at some scams we've seen this year at Wabash, and share tips for how to identify the scams and avoid being a victim.  We'll also discuss the IT Services "phishing drill" we conducted last  week.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

To view Brad's presentation (PDF), click here.

Topics presented during the Fall 2009 Semester:

September 22, 2009
   Mathematica 7: Up Close and Personal
Presented by: Justin Smith from Wolfram Research (the makers of Mathematica)
  His talk will highlight the latest directions in technical computing with Mathematica, and the impact of these new technologies on education and research.  Participants will come away with a comprehensive understanding of Mathematica's key capabilities and core design principles.  A wide variety of practical and theoretical applications will be discussed, and no Mathematica experience is required.
  Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

October 27, 2009
   Using Ask Wally for Student Advising
Presented by: the Registrar's Office
  If you are a student advisor, I encourage you to attend.  Associate Registrar Miriam Foster and Registrar Dr. Julie Olsen will present "Using Ask Wally for Student Advising."  In this talk, the Registrar's Office will demonstrate features of Ask Wally that are particularly useful for advising, including program evaluation, search for sections, and transcripts.
  Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

Topics presented during the Spring 2009 Semester:

January 27, 2009
   The Use of Copyrighted Works in Your Work
Presented by: John Lamborn, Head Librarian 
   In this talk, Wabash College Head Librarian John Lamborn, who led the campus copyright team that created the site (/copyright), will discuss using copyrighted materials in your work, including “fair use” exemptions in copyright law that apply to educational activities, and guidance in requesting permission from copyright owners to use protected works when “fair use” exemptions do not apply.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

February 10, 2009
   2008 Technology Survey Results
Presented by: Brad Weaver, Director of Information Technology Services
   Each year, IT Services surveys students, staff and faculty on their use and opinion of technology at Wabash.  In this talk, we'll look at the results of our latest tech surveys.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

February 24, 2009
   New Webmail Program!
Presented by: Quentin Dodd, Network Administrator
   During spring break, IT Services will migrate our core email servers to a new email program.  Changing the server software itself won't have significant immediate impact on using email, but it will open up a number of new possibilities, including an improved webmail product that we will switch to this summer.
   In this talk, Wabash network administrator Quentin Dodd will talk about the reasons for the email system change, what will happen during spring break, and give a preview of the new Webmail program.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

April 14, 2009
   Teaching with Tablet PCs
Presented by: Professor Dan Rogers, chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
   For the past year, the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures has been evaluating Tablet PCs.  In this talk, Professor Rogers will demonstrate the Tablet PC technology, and discuss the benefits of these systems for language instruction.spring break, and give a preview of the new Webmail program.
   Sandwiches and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

Thursday, April 30, 2009
   Computing on a Budget: Reducing Technology Expenses at Wabash, and at Home
Presented by: Information Technology Services
   In this talk, we will look at some new technologies that will help us to reduce technology expenses over the next few years, and at the same time improve services.  We'll also discuss ways to get the most out of your personal technology purchases.
   Food and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

Topics presented during the Fall 2008 Semester:

September 23, 2008
   Managing Your Budget with Ask Wally 
Presented by: John Culley, Wabash Comptroller
   If you manage a budget at Wabash, you can get lots of information through AskWally about your budget and expenses.  In this talk, John Culley will show you how to make the most of AskWally's budget tools.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon.

September 9, 2008
   Summer IT Projects Recap
Presented by: Brad Weaver, Director of Information Technology Services
   He will present an overview of summer technology projects.  Come to this week's Tech Talk to get updates on -- and learn how to make the most of -- many of our summer projects, including Moodle, Office 2007/2008, iTunes U, computer lab upgrades, classroom technology enhancements, media center upgrades, and new on-line resources.
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon.  

To view Brad's PowerPoint presentation, click here.

October is National Cyber Security Month

October 14, 2008
   Windows Security
Presented by: Mike Heinold, Desktop Support Analyst
   Mike Heinold will look at how to keep your Windows computer safe and secure, and discuss virus protection, spyware, Windows firewall, Windows update, and spam filtering. 
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon.

To view Mike's PowerPoint presentation, click here.

October 28, 2008
   Data Security and Identity Theft
Presented by: Quentin Dodd, Network Administrator
   Quentin will discuss general precautions to protect your identify and stay safe online, what to do if you think you are a victim of identity theft, and what you should be doing as a Wabash employee to protect the confidential information we keep on students, alumni, and prospective students.
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon.

November 25, 2008
   Managing Your Email
Presented by: Brad Weaver, Director of Information Technology Services & Quentin Dodd, Network Administrator
   Each week, Wabash faculty and staff collectively receive more than 150,000 email messages, or about 500 per person. Even if you can read, process, and file a message in 10 seconds, you can easily spend an hour and a half each week processing the email you receive. In this talk, Brad Weaver and Quentin Dodd will share tips and tricks for managing your email inbox, with particular consideration given to ways to reduce the amount of time spent on email.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon.

To download Brad's handout (PDF), click here.

Topics presented Spring 2008:

January 8, 2008
   2007 Technology Survey Results
Presented by: Brad Weaver, Director of Information Technology Services
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

January 22, 2008
   Laptop Theft Prevention and Security 
Presented by: Mike Heinold and Quentin Dodd, ITS 
   They will share simple and low-cost ways to protect your laptop computer and other portable electronic devices from theft and loss.  
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon.

February 12, 2008
   Introducing Moodle
This fall, IT Services is evaluating Moodle as a potential replacement for Blackboard.  Moodle is an open-source course management system (CMS) that has good feature-overlap with Blackboard, and is now the 2nd most used CMS in the world.  Come to this Tech Talk for a first look at Moodle, and hear from some of the faculty and students who are using Moodle in a pilot project this spring.
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

February 26, 2008
   Campus Recycling Initiatives
Join the Environmental Concerns Committee, Campus Services, and IT Services to learn about campus recycling initiatives, and what happens to recyclable items once they are collected.
   Food and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

March 11, 2008
   Using iClickers in the Classroom to Increase Student Engagement
Presented by: Professor Martin Madsen  
   Personal Response Systems ("clickers") allow an instructor to quickly collect and tabulate answers to questions, in real time, from all students in a class.  Each student has his own remote control to make his selection.  In this talk, Professor Martin Madsen will demonstrate the iClicker system and discuss its use in his courses.
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

March 25, 2008
   Morphing and Compositing: Using the Technological in Art
Presented by: Professor Kristen Wilkens
   Lilly Library first floor at 12:10pm. 
Nancy Burson's Human Race Machine, an interactive art piece that uses morphing technology to challenge viewers about their preconceived notions about race and aging.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Lilly Library at noon.

April 8, 2008
   Five Things You Need to Know
Presented by: Jeff Beck, Reference Librarian
   What's New in Lilly Library?  Come hear Jeff provide an update on a range of items:  the new JSTOR search interface, the new library IM/Chat reference service, suggestions on how to reduce campus printing costs, the continuing trial of the Turnitin plagiarism detection service, and tips on searching the Web of Knowledge database. 
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

April 22, 2008
   Teaching and Learning with Technology
Presented by: Jeana Rogers, Instructional Media Specialist; Macie Rudoff, Desktop Support Analyst 
   How can technology improve education?  Come hear Jeana Rogers and Macie Rudoff talk about a variety of ways in which faculty are using technology to enhance teaching and learning at Wabash.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

Topics presented Fall 2007:

September 11, 2007
   Summer IT Projects Recap
Presented by: Brad Weaver, Director of Information Technology Services
   We will present an overview of summer technology projects and review results of our new student technology survey.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.  

To view Brad's Power Point Presentation, click here.
   For those who prefer the web version, click here.

September 25, 2007
   Windows Security
Presented by: Mike Heinold, ITS Desktop Support Analyst
    October is National Cyber Security Month, and this week we'll kick off a two-part Tech Talk series on security.  Mike Heinold will look at how to keep your Windows computer safe and secure, and discuss virus protection, spyware, Windows firewall, Windows update, and spam filtering. 
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon. 

To view Mike's Power Point Presentation, click here.
   For those who prefer the web version, click here.

October 9, 2007
   Network Security and Identity Theft
Presented by: Quentin Dodd, ITS Network Administrator 
   October is National Cyber Security Month. Quentin will discuss general precautions to protect your identify and stay safe online, what to do if you think you are a victim of identity theft, and what you should be doing as a Wabash employee to protect the confidential information we keep on students, alumni, and prospective students.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon. 

October 23, 2007
   Exploring Educational Opportunities in Second Life
Presented by: Jeana Rogers, Instructional Media Specialist 
Second Life is a 3D Internet-based virtual world completely created by its residents. Students and educators can work together on the Second Life Grid from anywhere in the world as part of a globally networked virtual classroom environment. Explore this virtual world with us and consider the possibilities of it’s educational uses.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon. 

November 13, 2007
   Wabash Online Alumni Directory
Presented by: Tom Runge, Director, Alumni and Parent Relations
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter 101.
Lecture to be held in Baxter 101 at Noon.

November 27, 2007
   Google Applications
Presented by: Monica Brainard, ITS Help Desk Specialist
      Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

To view the Google App Presentation, please click here.

Topics presented Spring 2007:

January 9, 2007
   2006 Student Technology Survey Results
Presented by: Brad Weaver, Director of Information Technology Services
    For the past four years, IT Services has surveyed students on their use and opinions of technology at Wabash.  We completed our most recent survey in December, with 631 student responses.  
    Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

January 23, 2007
   Wabash in Africa
Presented by: Jeana Rogers, Media Services Specialist
     Last July, Jeana accompanied Sister Stella Sabina Santana and Wabash Professor James Makubuya to Kenya and Uganda to film a documentary about the struggles of women in those countries, where Wabash faculty and staff are partnering with Shifting Ideas Through Education for African Women (SITEAW) to work for change.  Tuesday she will share some of her experiences while filming in Africa.  For more information on this trip, click the link below for a story that appeared in the most recent Wabash Magazine:
/magazine/index.cfm?news_id=4179.
    Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

February 13, 2007
   Classroom Projection System Prototype
Presented by: Rod Helderman, Systems Maintenance Technician, ITS
   Rod will demonstrate a prototype classroom projection system that we are evaluating as a new standard for campus-wide deployment.   
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in the MXI at noon.

February 27, 2007
   Results of the 2007 Faculty/Staff Technology Survey
Presented by: Information Technology Services
   This week we'll present the Results of the 2007 Faculty/Staff Technology Survey, conducted earlier this month.
   Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in the Baxter Lounge at noon.

March 13, 2007
   Digital Photography Formats: RAW vs. JPEG
Presented by: Dan Rhine of Image Source Photographic, Lafayette, IN.
   Taking a picture can be simple, but all this talk about file formats can be confusing at times. JPEG is comfortable and widespread but most digital cameras have the ability to shoot in RAW. But what is RAW and why would I want to shoot in that? The difference between the two file formats is considerable at times and knowing why can be the difference between a few minutes of work and a few hours.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in the Baxter Lounge at noon.

March 27, 2007
   Library Journals and RSS feeds:Delivering More Content to You!
Presented by: Jeff Beck, Lilly Library
   This program will discuss the following topics:
--How to perform quick searches of Academic Search Premier and how to set up journal alerts
--How to search our list of print and online journals as well as how to browse the table of contents of journals
--How to set up RSS feeds for a real-time list of new books added to the library
--How to set up RSS feeds for table of contents of journals 
   Pizza and drinks will be available in the Baxter Lounge at noon.

April 10, 2007
   Windows Vista and Office 2007
Presented by: Carol Pendlum, Bell Tech.Logix
   Carol Pendlum, Account Executive at Bell Tech.Logix in Indianapolis will present Get Up to Speed with Windows Vista and Office 2007.    Ms. Pendlum will also be available in Baxter Lounge from 1-2pm to answer questions one-on-one or provide additional product demonstrations (no appointment necessary).
   Pizza and drinks will be available in the Baxter Lounge at noon.

April 24, 2007
   MAC OS X - Leopard
Presented by: David Egger, Apple
    David Egger, Higher Education Account Executive at Apple will present an overview of Mac OS X Leopard.  While on campus, Dave will also offer a demonstration of Apple TV, from 2-4pm in the Media Center (lower level of Lilly Library).  Stop by anytime between 2-4pm to see the Apple TV in action.
   Pizza and drinks will be available in the Baxter Lounge at noon. 


Topics presented Fall 2006:

September 12, 2006
   Summer IT Projects Recap
Presented by: Brad Weaver, Director of Information Technology Services
   An overview of summer technology projects and review results of our 2006 Student Technology Survey.  
    Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

September 26, 2006
   Introduction to Google Calendar
Presented by: Mike Heinold, Microcomputer Systems Specialist, ITS
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

October 10, 2006
   Easy Backups for Windows and Mac
Presented by: Quentin Dodd, Network Administrator, ITS
   Drinks and sandwiches from College Street Deli will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

October 24, 2006
   Introduction to RefWorks:  A New Way to Manage Your Research Projects
Presented by: Jeff Beck, Reference Librarian and Paul Getzen, Account Manager at RefWorks
    Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at noon.
 

November 14, 2006
   Slate and Tablet PCs
Presented by: Lon Porter, Chemistry Department
    Food and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

November 28, 2006
   Classroom Projection System Refresh
*Cancelled   
In place of the Tech Talk demonstration, we will offer several drop-in times over the next couple of weeks so that interested faculty, staff and students can stop by and see the new cart features and test it out.

Topics presented Spring 2006:

January 10, 2006
   Asking Wally About Your Budget
Presented by: John Culley, Business Office
   Drinks and sandwiches from College Street Deli will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

February 14, 2006
   Bringing News to Your Desktop: Working with RSS Feeds and Newsreaders 
 Presented by: Brad Weaver, Director of Information Technology
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

February 28, 2006
   Technology Abroad: A Look at the Fall 2005 London Immersion Trip
 Presented by: Dr. Tobey Herzog and Jeana Rogers
    Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

March 28, 2006
   How to be Stanley Kubrick on an Ed Wood Budget: Technology for Independent Filmmaking
Presented by: Quentin Dodd, Network Administrator
    Sandwiches from College Street Deli and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.

To view Quentin's PowerPoint presentation, click here.
    For those who prefer the web version, click here.

April 11, 2006
   The Wabash Archives in the Digital Age: Bringing history to life through the Use of ContentDM
Presented by: by Beth Swift, Wabash College Archivist
    Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.
 

April 25, 2006
  Technology as your Assistant: 
  How Wabash IT and a Mac have saved me time and made me better
Presenter: Peter Casares, Head Swimming Coach/Aquatics Director
   During the talk, Coach Casares will offer information on using iMovie, iDVD, iPod and Blogs to simplify your life.  
   Pizza and drinks will be available in Baxter Lounge at Noon.