Don't read this by e-mail! Instead, read the hypertext version of this newsletter: <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~jqj/fcn/news/current.html>. Contents:
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Want to learn more about copyright? Kenneth Crews, IUPUI Law, is
once again offering his extremely popular, and free, copyright
tutorial for faculty. The Indiana University Online Copyright
Tutorial is a series of short, informal, readable, and helpful
messages delivered to you in electronic mail 3 times per week. The
new series will begin Sept 2 and extend through the fall semester.
Sign up today by email to <mailto:listserv@listserv.iupui.edu>
with no subject and text
sub Copyright-Online-L your-real-name
Other local and online events of particular interest to FCN
members (see also upcoming conferences
below):![[new!]](newyahoo1.gif){kind=small}
![[new!]](newyahoo.gif){kind=small}
![[updated]](updated.gif){kind=small}
MEDIA SERVICES. The IMC got a new name last spring. Last week, the Library reorganized reporting structures to further integrate Media Services into its other public service programs. Effective immediately, Media Services will report to Shirien Stevens as part of the Public Services and Collections Division of the Library.
COMPUTER SOFTWARE TRAINING. Human Resources has begun an innovative program to provide partial funding for classified staff who need computer training. They will provide vouchers (department pays less than full price) allowing staff to take full-day courses in common microcomputer software through New Horizons, a commercial software training firm with a local facility in downtown Eugene. Offerings this fall will include classes on Microsoft Windows and the Office suite, FileMaker Pro, PageMaker, and a few others. If your department has staff who would benefit from in depth training in this software, your department head should contact Human Resources, <mailto:kayla_hinds@ccmail>, immediately to obtain a voucher. Most slots for classified staff are already filled, but a few vouchers for officers of administration and faculty are still available.
NEW LOOK FOR TEP WEB PAGES. Take a look at the newly revised Teaching Effectiveness web pages that discuss use of instructional technology. The new look focuses on teaching, rather than just on technology. It remains an excellent site for anyone interested in teaching with technology! <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~tep/technology/>.
DUCKWARE '98. The new version of the DuckWare CDROM is almost finished (kudos to Hervey Allen and Dan Albrich of the Computing Center). As in previous years, a copy will be distributed to all faculty courtesy of the FCN.
DIGITAL DISSERTATIONS. Another university moves to all-digital. Starting this month, West Virginia University will require that all dissertations be submitted electronically. <http://chronicle.com/infotech/>.
MICROSOFT SITE LICENSE PROGRAM. In a major change of policy, Microsoft.for the first time is now offering universities the opportunity to purchase true site licenses for packages of Microsoft products. Not exactly a bargain, but a step forward.
ONLINE PERIODICAL CATALOG. Check out PubList, at <http://www.publist.com>. Billed as an "electronic yellow pages for periodicals", it's a free online directory listing more than 150,000 printed periodicals.
PRESIDENT'S INFO TECH ADVISORY COMMITTEE. Proposals for federal policy in information technology and support for IT research. <http://www.ccic.gov/ac/interim/>. There is a host of other interesting material on this site as well.
L.A. SCHOOL DISTRICT ACCUSED OF SOFTWARE PIRARCY. It may cost the Los Angeles Unified School District as much as $5 million to amend for the software piracy accusations brought by the Business Software Alliance against an adult vocational school under the district's jurisdiction. The Business Software Alliance says it found 1,400 copies of unlicensed software at the school. (Edupage, 13 Aug 98).
SPSS FOR TEXTBOOKS. SPSS Inc. has launched a new licensing program that enables authors and publishers to include student versions of SPSS and SYSTAT software in textbooks at a fraction of the standard price. <http://www.spss.com>
One of the lessons learned early by all successful web publishers is that different browsers display your pages differently. A page that looks fine in Netscape 4 may look bizarre in Internet Explorer 5. Advanced features like carefully crafted Javascript tidbits break when anyone but you tries them. Colors that looked great on your PC look garrish on a Mac; or great Mac colors look washed out on your PC. Etc. The list is so long that the only feasible approach is to test your pages -- particularly the ones with "advance" features -- in multiple browsers.
At UO, the most common browsers are Netscape 3 and 4, though a large minority use MSIE 4. This fall, the DuckWare CDROM will reputedly default to Netscape 4.06 on PCs and MSIE 4.01 on Macs, so those are important browsers to test. But how?
If you have a Mac, it's easy to install both Netscape and MSIE. With a PC, having both browsers tends to be a bit problematic, though I've had good luck on my PC with both Netscape 4.05 and MSIE 4.01 installed (I installed the browser I wanted to use as my default last, and did not turn on Active Desktop when I installed MSIE!). Or, you can check out your pages using browsers in public labs. Most labs on campus have a range of browsers installed.
To get the very latest versions of browsers (not always a good idea), you can try:
An idiosyncratic list of upcoming conferences relevant to educational tech., both "virtual" (online) and traditional. For conferences that require physical travel, my emphasis is on conferences in the Northwest and on those I find personally interesting. The Educom and CAUSE calendars, <http://educom.edu/web/calendar/calendarHome.html> and <http://cause-www.colorado.edu/information-resources/events.html>, contain a more extensive list of mainstream conferences. Virtual conferences and tutorials:
Traditional conferences and workshops:
Reported by a friend:
"I called a company and asked to speak to Bob. The person who answered said, 'Bob is on vacation. Would you like to hold?'"
The UO Faculty Consultants Network Newsletter is published
(approximately) twice a month. If you have materials for inclusion in
the newsletter you can send them to <mailto:jqj@darkwing>.
This newsletter (as well as other FCN-related material) is available
on line in <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~jqj/fcn/news/>.