May 2011 Blog Posts (4)

We are always looking for ways to improve IT support and create efficiencies as we bring assistance to the end user.   We like most IT staffs are understaffed and overwhelmed with support tasks.  Automating and creating efficiencies is critical in this type of environment.   We currently use an  interesting product, called Synergy, to help us in that endeavor.  Synergy is Free and Open Source Software that lets you easily share your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers, where each…

Intro

Western Oklahoma State College IT began using Google Apps as a pilot in 2007, we moved faculty and staff to Google Apps for Education in 2008 and and we moved students to complete our trek in the summer of 2009.   When rolling out the student portion we did not fully eliminate our old student email which was provide by OneNet, Oklahoma's Telecommunications network.  We let existing students stay on the old server and signed them up for email…

The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory says the ultimate worth of professional development for teachers is the essential role it plays in the improvement of student learning.   The Foundation…

We had a new connectivity problem this week.   An online student of ours has had trouble getting online to take tests.  Although, I am sometimes  a jaded skeptic on the issue of the various virtual versions of "But my dog ate my homework" explanations we often hear we do try to check into issues and make sure students have every opportunity to succeed in an online class "in spite of the technology.    In the following sentences a student was/is having trouble accessing exams for a class so…