The IT department located in Hale Library is scheduled to host its first IT technology orientation. The sessions are focused toward all K-State faculty, staff and students and will take place throughout the months of September and October. These hour-long sessions aim to help new K-Staters learn more about information technology and introduce them to IT here on campus.
“We wanted to host some forum-like meetings to help familiarize students with the IT department here,” said Phyllis Epps, graphic design and publication coordinator for Information Technology Assistance Center.
The first session, which is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m., will focus on introducing students to the resources in the library. It will also give a tour of the Media Development Center and the IT Help Desk.
“It’s surprising that so many students don’t know about the help desk here,” Epps said. “They can come here for help on K-State eIDs and passwords, but they should also know that we rent out equipment such as tripods, camcorders, digital cameras and even laptops.”
The IT department allows students to rent the equipment at no charge for up to three days.
The session informing K-Staters about how to protect their technology is scheduled for Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. This forum focuses on maintenance of computer security at K-State and how to store personal information. Security teams will show students how to create strong passwords and how to keep laptops safe from thieves.
“Harvard Townsend, chief information tech architect, will most likely lead this session,” Epps said. “He will mostly talk about how to prevent e-mail phishing scams and how to protect your e-mail account.”
Some of the sessions are more geared toward faculty rather than students, but another session for students to keep an eye out for is The Magic Behind The Curtain-ECC starting at 2 p.m. on Sept. 30.
The Education Communication Center is located in Dole Hall and has the capabilities to provide full service media production including design through distribution.
“The ECC is a resource at K-State that most people don’t even know exists,” Epps said. “They often record Landon Lectures and travel around the state. They offer high-end video production, broadcast and distribution options, integrating video and animation into multimedia applications, package and set design and interactive Web development. They also do K-State TV broadcast on channel 21 or campus, which is channel 8.”
Another session for students to attend would be the session at 10 a.m. on Oct. 20. This session will cover all aspects of library technology and new resources coming soon.
“It’s funny, but students don’t actually have to come to the library anymore,” Epps said. “They can access it from home or from anywhere on campus. Use the right tools, and study time will be a breeze.”
Multiple new technologies and resources are coming to K-State. Students soon will be able to take advantage of new furniture that is light weight and easy to move around so large groups can collaborate more effectively.
“There are so many new resources coming to the IT department here, we are rethinking the way students spend time studying and we want to invite them into the library,” Epps said. “Making a conductive environment for students to study in will help students soak up information better. All these resources are free but students need to learn how to utilize them and they will find out how cool they are.”
The last session is at 10 a.m. on Oct. 28 and covers emerging technologies including using and maintaing Wikis and Google Docs as well as Evernote Web site tools.
The IT orientation invites all K-Staters to come and find out more about the resources at the help desk. Registration is not necessary, however participants are encouraged to show up to Hale Library Room 401B on any of the dates.
Tech Training Schedule
Sept. 3 10 a.m.
K-State Technology Resources
Sept. 9 10 a.m.
Online Tools
Sept. 22 10 a.m.
K-State Information Systems
Sept. 30 2 p.m.
The Magic Behind the Curtain-ECC
Oct. 8 10 a.m.
IT Training
Oct. 16 10 a.m.
Intro to Computing at K-State
Oct. 20 2 p.m.
Library Technology
Oct. 28 2 p.m.
Emerging Technology
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