Heading into spring we typically get at least one day of rain here in SoCal. To celebrate that day, you might be wondering just how waterproof your technology is. Some mobile devices such as cell phones and Blutooth speakers are advertised as waterproof, but just how waterproof are they? The answer is usually printed on the device in the form of a water rating such as IP66, or IP68. Ingress Protection is the rateing given to a device that has been tested. An Ingress Protection 66 would indicate that it is water resistant for a temporary exposure of three minutes. In that case, it can survive a light splash at a pool party, and not a dunk in the pool.

Check out this PCMAG article for a more details on these ratings.

 

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Technology Master Plan

By James Temple

The District has been working with a consultant to draft our new Technology Master Plan. After fifty-five interviews and a two day planning Summit, a draft plan is almost ready. The next step will be to send out the draft to the campus for further review and comment. Please watch your email for a link to the draft plan and share any suggestions or questions with our consultant (contact information will be provided). Feedback will need to be received by Friday, April 22^nd at 5:30pm. The final plan will be presented to the Technology Committee on Tuesday, May 3^rd for their review and recommendation.

 

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Personal Equipment Buyers Guide

by Justin Smith

Personal technology purchases for education employees usually qualify for a discount.

Todays top picks are:

1. 1. G15 Gaming Laptop by Alienware $784 and up
      1. https://deals.dell.com/en-us/member/productdetail/deyx
      2. Alternative models of Gaming laptops are also available around 17% off.
   2. 27" Monitor by Dell $250 and up 
      1. https://deals.dell.com/en-us/member/productdetail/diqr
      2. Alternative models available with better discounts too.
   3. Western Digital 1TB USB external hard-drive $58 and up
      1. 1 TB Drive
      2. up to 5 TB available.
   4. 55" UHD LCD TV by Hisense $300 and up

1. 1. 1. https://www.costco.com/.product.100806346.html (very limited supply)

• Remember, some deals aren't based on edu employment, check out places like Costco Warehouse. (Keep an eye out for the online only deals!)

   

Feel free to browse more options from our I.T. website:

• • • Personal Techology Discounts
      Check back regularly for new deals.

 

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How to Submit a Technology Quote Request

by Justin Smith

Knowing which technology to purchase for your department can be a bear! Feel free to call our help-desk and start a conversation with one of our technicians. We love to geek out about what's new and hot in the tech world! To submit a general technology quote request, simply e-mail helpdesk@canyons.edu. with details about what you wish to purchase, the quantity, and any other pertinent information. One of our staff members will reach out and provide you with a quote!

REMINDER: Last day to request a quote for small tech items is April 15th.

 

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HyFlex Rooms (Spotlight)

by Justin Smith

Hello who? What is all of this hybrid flexible talk! 
HyFlex is the new hybrid learning technology that enables a more seamless integration of on-prem and online learning. Not only are you able to lecture to your classroom of students, but you can now share that same environment with your online students. HyFlex Rooms include:

1. 1. A Touch-Screen Monitor
   2. An Active Whiteboard Broadcasting System by Kaptivo
   3. A Smart-Camera Tracking System to Follow You Around the Front of the Room
   4. Enhanced Audio
   5. Enhanced Microphone
   6. Dual Monitors
   7. Updated Document Camera
   8. A/V Touch panel (to power everything on)

We're offering in-room classroom production assistants in class through the end of this semester. These specialized student workers have been trained to run this new equipment. As always, we are also available to meet you in your room and review the various aspects of this new solution. Check out this article by ASCCC for a more academic perspective.

 

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Coming Soon to Colleague Self Service!

by Lisa Sawyer

New and exciting features will be moving into Self Service in the coming months! 

Self Service is Ellucian’s interactive robust web application that enables users to interact with Colleague information from their web browser.  Over the last year, we have been transitioning more and more functions from the WebAdvisor application into Self Service. These new features will enable students, faculty and staff to use one Colleague web application to service their needs.  Check out what is planned next:

• Enhanced Faculty Capabilities:  Grading, Dropping Students from Roster and Attendance screens and functions for faculty
• Leave Requests and Reporting:  Easy to use screens for requesting leaves, approving your staff’s leaves and checking your leave balances
• Refund Requests:  A screen for students to request their refunds from the same set of screens they are using to view their billing and make payments
• 1098T Opt-In:  A streamlined process to opt-in or opt-out of 1098T online documents

Financial Agreements:  Implement Financial Agreements and create registration rules to restrict registration until the student has agreed to their financial obligation
Specific timelines for the above features will be communicated prior to the rollout. 
And more in the future!  There are so many features to implement in Self Service to improve business processes around the college. We will first work on these, and then continue our expansion of the system.

 

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Cybersecurity and you!

by Hsiawen Hull

With the shift to online working and learning, the increased tensions between nations and available funds for students during COVID, education has seen an increase in threats that is unprecedented. Please join the College of the Canyons Cybersecurity team for a series of workshops over the course of the Spring ’22 semester to understand how we’re being impacted and more importantly, what we’re doing to combat it. We will cover topics ranging from:

• What kind of threats are impacting Higher Education?
• What are we doing to combat these threats?
• I’m a (Classified/Faculty/Administrator/Hourly/College Assistant) I’m ok right?
• Mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication. What is it and why it’s critical!

Please join us on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of April and May for our open forums on security. In addition to our open forums, we have our Cybersecurity workshops on the last Friday of each month, so come learn how you can make security a part of your everyday!

If you’re interested in attending a cybersecurity workshop, please sign up through professional development.
Pro Dev

 

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