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IT News
ITaP research computers to be down during March 29-31 for building upgrades
ITaP's research computing systems will be shut down beginning at 3 a.m. Tuesday, March 29, and the Coates and Rossmann cluster supercomputers could be turned off through 6 p.m. Thursday, March 31, because of an ongoing power and cooling upgrade project at the Mathematical Sciences Building.
Blackboard users group to meet April 5
The cross-campus Blackboard Users Group (BUG) will meet for the last time this semester from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 5, in Room 218C of Stewart Center. ITaP educational technologists will discuss a new classroom response system, the iClicker, and review changes to the computer labs and central classrooms over summer break, as well as other topics.
Workshop to highlight research computing, collaboration platform HUBzero
Registration is still open for the HUBbub 2011 workshop covering HUBzero, a Purdue-developed platform for creating powerful websites supporting research, education and collaboration in science, engineering and other fields. The two-day workshop for the HUBzero user community will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, April 5 and 6. Click here to register.
ITaP showcases SharePoint 2010 throughout spring
ITaP is offering two-hour showcases highlighting new and changed features in SharePoint. These "What's New in SharePoint 2010?" sessions are intended for Purdue faculty and staff who have experience working in SharePoint 2007. The next session is April 8. For those new to SharePoint 2010, a two-day hands-on workshop, "Using SharePoint Efficiently," is available on April 5-6, May 3-4, May 5-6 and May 12-13.
Faculty, ITaP partnership looks at making 3-D projection a classroom staple
Aeronautics and astronautics Professor Kathleen Howell has tried a variety of methods for illustrating the 3-D rotation of an object in space, a problem beyond her students' earthly experiences. Now, a classroom with 3-D stereoscopic projection capability resulting from collaboration between faculty members and ITaP is making it easier for Howell's students to get the picture.
Future rivals, Nebraska and Purdue are teammates in research computing
Nebraska may not feel like an official member of the Big Ten Conference until football season, but Purdue and its future gridiron rival already are models of good sportsmanship in the field of research computing. They're partners in the Purdue-led DiaGrid distributed computing project, which makes thousands of computer processors readily available for use by Purdue and Nebraska researchers.
Blackboard online assessments help first-year Spanish students speak more fluently
As director of Purdue's Spanish basic language instruction program, Maria Cooks has had the challenge of developing multiple ways for students in her Spanish 101 and 102 courses to practice pronouncing and conversing. She has always looked to instructional technologies to assist her.
ITaP blog encourages dialogue about technology, teaching and learning
A new ITaP blog called Reflections on Teaching & Learning gives ITaP educational technologists and Purdue faculty a place to share information and talk about new instructional technology trends. Topics covered can include best practices, software updates, Web accessibility specifications, security issues, updates on such special campus-wide projects as course redesign and distance education, and more.
Tech Tidbits
HP products added to ITaP Shopping discount program Read more
BoilerCast turns up the volume on learning through lectures Read more
Purdue research computing resources rank near top nationally Read more