Archive for April, 2007

Blogs can be great research tools, but it can take time to find what you’re after. Here are some suggestions getting started with research blogs.  

But before all that… if you’re wondering why academics should bother with blogs, here’s a link to an article demonstrating the potential for blogs to achieve much more significant readerships than journals.http://www.theage.com.au/news/education-news/adventures-in-blog-land/2006/07/01/1151174437503.html?page=fullpage Searching for Blogs 

Are you struggling with all the different user names and passwords you need to remember? Multiple IT systems mean that many staff and students have several different user names and passwords. ITD’s Identity and Access project is about to make multiple logins a thing of the past and provide simpler access to a range of IT systems. 

Streamlining UNE systems

Identity and access management is about much more than just the inconvenience of different user names and passwords. UNE’s current system of multiple IT systems leaves the university vulnerable to security breeches and involves unnecessary data duplication. 

OK I know that it’s a bit weird to be posting a story about UNE blogs on the ITD news blog nevertheless here it is. If you’ve got tips or hints relating to blogging, particularly if you’re using it for your research or study, share them with others!

Blogs are increasingly becoming an important form of communication with academics recognizing the value of establishing research communities. UNE staff and students now have the opportunity to utilize the latest blogging software to share their ideas with the world.

Blogs, or web-logs, are user-generated web sites that consist of a number of ‘posts’ usually presented in reverse chronological order. Recent estimates put the number of blogs on the web at close to 60 million. Blogs come in a variety of forms, some blogs focus on a particular subject matter or issue while others are more personal. Many researchers are establishing knowledge logs or k-logs as a way of sharing their research and ideas and establishing knowledge communities.

Prof. Klaus Rohde thinks that blogs have the potential to become valuable research tools particularly when it comes to cross disciplinary research. “ It gives me the opportunity to communicate my ideas to a wider public, with the possibility of getting feedback.” Prof. Rohde’s blog is dedicated to discussing various aspects of science, particularly ecology and evolution and exploring links to other fields of knowledge.

Blogs also allow people to form communities around common interests. Judy Redman, Uniting Church chaplain, has set up the Uniting Church Chaplaincy News blog. “I’ve been enjoying reading a blog that a friend has set up while she’s studying overseas for 6 months and a number of other people I know use blogs for a range of things, so I thought I’d give it a go.”

“My main aim is to provide information about peace, justice and environmental sustainability from a Christian perspective, with a particular focus on activities that people can be involved with on campus”

ITD now provides staff and students with everything they need to set up their own blog. To set up a blog, or read other UNE-blogs, simply visit blog.une.edu.au. The blog editing interface WordPress Mu makes starting a blog simple. All you need is a UNE username and password. If you want to know more about how to get blogging contact ross.bennetts@une.edu.au.

As part of the launch of UNE’s new look web site, a new courses and units catalogue has been developed to make it easier for students to find up to date information on courses and units offered at UNE.

Navigating your way through a university course can be a daunting experience. Students need reliable information on course requirements, prerequisites, units offered, residential schools and more. UNE’s new courses and units catalogue allows students to search for whole courses or individual units by keyword or faculty.  In the future it will also be possible to search by field of study and career. The database covers both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Programmer Matt Peterson has spent the last six months collating and updating the information to create the catalogue. He is keen to see new features developed. “We are looking at ways of further developing the catalogue. Things like linking to textbook lists, creating course planners and linking to the student portal, myUNE are possibilities for the future.”

You can find the courses and units catalogue on the new look UNE homepage or visit http://www.une.edu.au/courses/index.jsp.

ITD no longer operates a workshop offering hardware repairs. That means that all repairs to computer hardware need to be carried out either by the retailer or by an appropriate contractor. If you have problems finding a repairer service desk staff can help you to find the appropriate repairer for your machine. Repair of UNE Computer equipment under warranty:

Apple computers under warranty should be delivered to mac1 on the ground floor of the IT
building.
ASI computers purchased under a ‘back to base’ warranty will need to be returned to ASI in
Sydney (Address: 8 Lord Street, Botany 2019)
Dell computers under warranty call 1800 633 559 and a service technician will come to you
UNE Computer equipment not under warranty and/or privately owned equipment:

Can be repaired by any computer service centre. Service desk staff have a list of repairers in Armidale.
Phone and PABX

Phone or PABX problems should be logged with the service desk (5000) during business hours and Security (2099) after hours.
If you need further information or advice contact Steve Campbell (steve.campbell@une.edu.au or x3463)