Archive
Archive for the ‘technology-domains-is-any’ Category
How we provide more computer support for walk-up clients at the LRC reception desk
2011/10/05
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- We have set up 3 PCs at the reception desk. They all contain an exactly identical software configuration (based on Symantec Ghost imaging and Faronics Deepfreeze).
- Except that two (we could not get hold of another monitor) have a secondary screen connected that can extend the Windows Desktop, or mirror it (use CTRL-ALT-F11 and CTRL-ALT-F10 to switch between the modes of the )
- To aid in this communication over the counter, press CTRL-2 to freeze and on the screen (uses MS-ZoomIt) which helps when pointing out screen elements.
- So that LRC staff and clients can both use the university’s most important web applications, the computers have been configured to automatically launch a number of web browsers on startup, and within each browser, open a number of home pages with(LRC website, Moodle, NINERNET, faculty&staff Mail, WordPress, Excel Web App with he LRC databases for hardware, software, media and learning materials inventories). (When done, instead of closing the browser, use the “sign out” link of each web application).
- As a reminder, the most basic instructions (with keyboard shortcuts) have been posted on both primary and secondary monitor.
- Can we also implement a screen sharing solution allowing for MS-remote assistance, to enable reception desk LRC staff to escalate client questions they cannot resolve, like our IT department?
Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-teachers, e-infrastructure, Institution-is-University-of-North-Carolina-Charlotte, Reception-desk, software
ati, FAQs, faronics-deepfreeze, ms-excel-web-app, ms-zoomit, symantec-ghost
Moodle Https Warnings
2011/10/05
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This now appears in every page I load in Moodle (in Internet-Explorer-8). I realize that client-wise this warning should not be suppressed globally. If this cannot be updated server-side, is it possible to blacklist individual websites? 
Categories: e-learning, Glitches&Errors, websites
https, webbrowsers
Meta: WordPress Categories–what are they good for?
2011/09/29
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Not for AND-searches, as a matter of fact.
How to remove the Calendar by editing the Joomla Menus
2011/09/29
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- JEvent was planning to add the capability of loading ICS for 1.6, but we are running 1.5 and we seem to fade it out instead of upgrading it. It is better anyway for clients use their personal communication environment to personalize the events they need to know about, instead of going to a one-size-fits-all website. So we are removing this menu item. Here is how:
- In the Joomla Administrator Control Panel, click on the Menu Manager:
- Locate the menu item that you want to remove in the hierarchy.
- Open the Menu item – from here you can
- either “unpublish” the menu
- or, lest you confuse your users, change the type to a page and post an explanation and directions where users can get the information they want in a better way.
- replace the Calendar by an Article, then choose first the article format, then the article (article has to exist, you have to author it before editing the menu):
- Result:
LRC Outlook/Exchange 2010 Resource Calendaring: How LRC staff can group calendars in Outlook 2010
2011/09/28
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- You can save the currently loaded calendars as a preset or “group” from the ribbon in the calendar view of outlook 2010, like so:
- The group and its members will be added to your calendar tree, and you can load all members with one click, like so:
- Then you can create multiple presets which correspond to your typical workflows: E.g. when you do not have to check the availability of equivalent sets of equipment, you may want to have an easy overview of staffing in the LRC:
- Note that – while we have to load individually the calendars of other mailboxes we own –, calendar groups we create in Outlook are automagically mirrored in OWA
- But the calendar names get lost in the process? And: the batch select checkbox is missing. And: only up to 5 calendars can be viewed in OWA simultaneously. And: OWA does not support overlay mode for calendars.):
- It would be great if calendar groups, with the help of ActiveSync, even worked their way through to mobile devices, but apparently they do not:
LRC Outlook/Exchange 2010 Resource Calendaring: How to display a Room/Staff/Tutor calendar aggregate at the reception desk using live@edu
2011/09/28
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- The LRC needs an overview aggregate calendar of its many rooms and services for clients in the entrance area. This should be always on display on the higher one of the reception area dual screen computers when screens are in extended mode
- From the calendar mailbox in OWA , these calendars can and have been published to the internet.
- LRC assistants can load and bookmark multiple (published or shared) calendars in their OWA, but there are limitations
- We do not want to clutter LRC Assistants OWA with LRC calendars more than we have to.
- OWA displays calendars (currently = 2011) only side-by-side, there is no overlay (=aggregate) mode like in Outlook 2010, and only up to 5 simultaneously, again unlike Outlook 2010 (30) (Students do not have Outlook (although it is being considered installing it on student staffed computers).
- A standard web browser allows for display of only one (HTML) calendar at a time in a web browser.
- ICS compatible applications like live@edu
- LRC assistants can load and bookmark multiple (published or shared) calendars in their OWA, but there are limitations
- can display many (=aggregate) ICS-based calendars in overlay mode.
- In addition, it is easy to change the display color (like in Outlook 2010) and display color (unlike in Outlook 2010, for me at least).
- In live@edu, this looks promising:
- To display more meaningful/less misleading subjects than “Busy” for pseudo-rooms (“offices” like LRC assistants or language tutors), add a subject (office name “LRC Assistant”or max class-level tutored).
- To have LRC assistants easily and consistently load this aggregate calendar view,
- we need to give tutors the password to uncc-lrc credentials – being “friends” not enough (which makes their own access to SkyDrive which we finally achieved yesterday useless – unless they log in as themselves and as uncc-lrc in 2 different browsers)
- However, I have not found a way to aggregate calendar ics files and display them without password (ideally in Joomla)
- Workaround: use a AutoIT auotmation script that runs when LRC Assistant logs in form the All users Startup Folder.
Skydrive@uncc.edu
2011/09/27
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- Ninermail’s live@edu implementation includes SkyDrive, Microsoft’s cloud document sharing and collaboration solution,
- Log in with your UNCC credentials at http://skydrive.live.com:
- OK, you may have to reset your password, then log in:
Categories: e-infrastructure, Glitches&Errors
live@edu, MS-OneDrive
How to play unplayable DVDs with VideoLan VLC-Player
2011/09/24
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If you run into problems playing a DVD video – either since there is no (non-free up to Windows XP) DVD-decoder installed on your computer, or since the DVD was not mastered properly for your DVD-playing software – and if you have VideoLan VLC-Player installed – like on the teacher computer in the LRC main classroom–, you can work around these issues by right-clicking on the Video_TS.vob file – which you will presumably find in the Video_TS subfolder if you browse your DVD as a disk with Windows Explorer (usually drive D: – you may haveto bypass your default DVDS playing software to get in there– and choose from the context menu either directly to “Play with VLC” or via “Open with”, like in this screenshot:
(Updated from 2009/04/07).
Categories: e-infrastructure
copyright, DVD, DVDs, video, videolan, vlc-player
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