Friday, April 14, 2017

Summer Maintenance

The spring semester may have a few weeks to go, but we wanted to share a few of the new things coming this summer!

Windows 10 in the Classroom
We will schedule our annual summer maintenance of the technology-enhanced classroom PC's with department contacts in May, however, there is one notable change you'll find once we've completed each room--the latest Microsoft operating system, Windows 10.  With three major updates to Windows 10 released, we're comfortable with moving our standard install to the latest operating system.  While there are general "look and feel" changes, Windows 10 mostly works like Windows 7.  Classroom computers will need to be logged in using the "smart" account as it will be configured to work with all classroom equipment.  Anyone who would like Windows 10 installed on their office computer, please contact the IT Help Desk.  There is no charge for the upgrade.

ClassFlow replaces ActiveInspire
The vendor that provides ActiveInspire, the software used on the large format interactive Promethean boards, is moving to a new solution called ClassFlow.  While this is new information to us, we believe all of the current Promethean boards will support ClassFlow and plan to install it during the summer maintenance cycle.  We are evaluating the rooms that have short throw projectors + white boards to verify compatibility.  Learning Technologies will be providing training and support on ClassFlow this fall.

SPSS v24
The latest version of SPSS, v24, was made available last fall.  Download it from TechSite or you may contact the IT Help Desk and we will assist you with installing it.  The previous version, v18 (or earlier), is no longer supported and will be discontinued on July 1st, 2017.  SPSS v24 will be installed in any labs, classrooms and SkyLabs that are currently using a previous version.  For users who need to use software off-campus, SPSS is available on all general use SkyLab servers.