In preparation for the introduction of the Equitrack authentication system staff are encouraged to swipe their ID card.

UNE’s new Multifunction Devices are ready to go and the next step will be the introduction of the Equitrack system for charging and printing.

Once Equitrack is switched on you will need to identify yourself in order to photocopy or print. The easiest way to identify yourself to Equitrack is by swiping your ID card through the reader attached to the device.

To enable your ID card to work as your Equitrack identifier you will need to link your ID card to your Equitrack account. Instructions for linking your ID card to your Equitrack account can be found at

http://www.une.edu.au/it-services/staff/pdfs/MFDCardAssociation.pdf

Some cards don’t work. And some staff don’t have an ID card. If you’re in this situation please fill in a form for a new ID card. There is no charge for replacement or new cards.

ttp://www.une.edu.au/fms/links/campus-services/staff-card-application-11-04-08.doc

Green computing is all about using computing resources more efficiently. Are you doing your bit to reduce your computer-related energy consumption?

The reality of modern offices is that many of them are energy-hungry monsters. As the number of desktop computers and associated storage units has grown, energy consumption has rapidly increased.

Green computing aims to make computing more energy efficient and reduce computing carbon footprints. But it’s not just energy use. Green computing also looks at waste disposal and recycling, water usage and toxicity.

There are a range of things that you can do to reduce your computer related energy consumption. Many of these things are simple such as adjusting your computer’s power options, adjusting monitor brightness and ensuring that peripherals like printers are not left on.

There are some great online resources to help measure and reduce your IT energy consumption at work and at home. Here are a couple to get you started.

http://www.maximumpcguides.com/ways-to-reduce-computer-energy-consumption/

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/16/8-ways-to-easily-reduce-the-energy-consumption-of-your-computer-and-save-big-money/

Scam emails regularly ask UNE users to verify personal information by email. These emails represent a threat to your security and the UNE network. Here’s what to do.

UNE has received a lot of emails over recent weeks requesting that staff or students ‘confirm’ their personal details by email. Such scams are common and present a serious threat to the security of UNE’s network. Recently UNE was blacklisted by some anti-spam filters as a result of a breech of UNEs network.

Be highly suspicious of any request to reveal your username or password. ITD will never request your login details by email. ITD may need to request your details in relation to a problem we are dealing with but this will only ever be done verbally by an authorised ITD support representative.

Please do not respond to any emails requesting your login information. Disclosing your account details is a breech of the IT Conditions of Use for Computing Facilities. If you are in any doubt please contact the Service Desk on x5000 or servicedesk@une.edu.au

An email has been sent to a number of UNE users asking them to update their details as part of the maintenance of UNE Online.

This email is a scam. Please do not respond to this email. UNE will never ask you to provide your username or password by email.

If you have responded to the email or have any concerns about it please contact the service desk on x5000 or servicedesk@une.edu.au

ITD’s next user forum will be held soon. Send us your ideas and have your say.

ITD is currently planning our next User forum. This is where we give you the chance to have your say, ask questions and get the latest information about ITD projects.

If you have anything you would like to see on the agenda - just let us know by posting a comment to the ITD News blog.

The next stage in the roll out of UNE’s new fleet of MFD’s (Multi-function Devices) is the introduction of the Equitrack authentication system.

Last year UNE began a project to replace its ageing fleet of photocopiers, faxes and scanners with the latest generation Multi-function Devices or MFD’s.

The roll out of the MFD’s began late last year and was completed early in 2008. UNE now has around 100 MFD’s available to staff and students.

The next step in the upgrade will involve the introduction of the Equitrack authentication service. This will allow users to use features such as ’secure’ print and for users to be appropriately charged for photocopying and printing (scanning is free)

You can use your UNE staff or student card as authentication for printing and photocopying. This will allow you to simply swipe your ID card to release jobs from the print queue or photocopy.

In preparation for MFD Equitrack printing and copying we ask that over the next couple of weeks you take the time to link your staff or student ID card to your MFD Equitrack account. Linking your ID card to your Equitrack account is a simple one-off process and will not need to be repeated unless you change your card or password.

Instructions for linking your ID card to your Equitrack account for staff can be found at: http://www.une.edu.au/it-services/staff/pdfs/MFDCardAssociation.pdf Instructions for students are coming soon.

In testing the new systems we have discovered that a number of staff do not have an ID card and that some ID cards will not work with Equitrack. If you do not have a UNE staff ID card or if your card does not work with Equitrack you will need to fill out an application form for a new ID card at http://www.une.edu.au/fms/links/campus-services/staff-card-application-11-04-08.doc

There will be no charge for new or replacement cards as part of this process.

The next step in the process is to provide training for staff and students in using the MFD’s and how charging works. This training will be provided by Ricoh trainers on site. Training will be run over several days to allow everyone to attend. Details will be provided over the coming weeks. Charging will not be introduced until after the training sessions.

Please contact the IT Service Desk on x5000 if you have any questions regarding the MFD’s or the features above.

UNE staff and students are receiving emails asking them to send in personal information to an external website. The email titled ‘urgent email revalidation notice’ is a scam. Anyone receiving the email should simply delete it.

If you have received the email and are concerned - contact the Service Desk on (x 5000) or servicedesk@une.edu.au

Today is the day Telstra will shut down the CDMA mobile network. Any CDMA phones must  be transferred urgently to avoid disconnection.

It’s taken two and a half years but tonight Telstra will pull the plug on the CDMA mobile network.  From midnight it will not be possible to make or receive calls over the CDMA network.

CDMA phones are not compatible with the replacement NextG network. Any individuals or schools with CDMA phones must replace them with NextG phones urgently to prevent disconnection. Any phone that is not transferred will cease working at midnight tonight and may be disconnected by Telstra.

A list of NextG mobile phones with costs and information on data plans is available on the Service Desk website at

http://www.une.edu.au/it-services/staff/phone/mobilerequestform.doc

Contact the Service Desk (x5000) or servicedesk@une.edu.au if you have questions about the CDMA shut down.

Do different generations have different learning styles? And should universities be changing to meet the needs of Gen-Y?

Baby boomers (1946-1964) prefer face-to-face delivery of learning materials. Gen X (1965-1979) prefer independence and Gen Y (1980-1996) want communication and interaction. At least that’s the claim.

Gen Y (also known as the Net Generation, Millenials, iGen, or digital natives) have grown up in a world of digital communication. Mobiles, laptops, PDAs, instant messages, blogs, wikis, chatrooms and podcasts are supposed to be all second nature to this digital generation.

Going along with 24/7 ‘connectedness’ is a change in learning styles with an emphasis on learning by interacting virtually with others. Going to lectures is less important than being able to access a podcast (and being able to hold down a job!!). The learning style of the digital native has been described as a ‘bricolage’ an assemblage of a bit of this and a bit of that.

So what do you think? Does Gen-Y have different learning needs and if so what are they??

The study referred to in this blog is Hartman et al 2005 Preparing the academy of today for the learner of tomorrow. Available online www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen

When my mail box suddenly exploded I went looking for an explanation. What I discovered was backscatter - yet another way to get ’spammed’

Yesterday my inbox went crazy. Within an hour I had more than 70 messages, all telling me I had sent undeliverable messages. At first I thought they were legit so I checked - but nothing suggested what they were. Desperate for an answer I asked UNE’s spam expert Gordon Smith. Turns out that what I had experienced was a wave of backscatter.

Backscatter works like this: A virus or spam source ‘forges’ an email so that the from address points to a mailserver that it wants to target. The aim is to try and target a mailserver that will send a DSN (Delivery Status Notification) plus attachments if an email can’t be delivered. Once the email is sent the targeted server gets flooded with bounced messages which can cause it to crash. The messages might also contain viruses so don’t open any attachments.

So what do you do if you’ve been backscattered? nothing. Just delete any emails and don’t open any attachments. Backscatter ‘attacks’ happen all the time and tend to come in waves so just keep deleting the messages until they stop.