December 19, 2008 Minutes
Information Technology
MEETING MINUTES
Friday, December 19, 2008
10:00 am T-12
Members Present: Adrian Agundez, Dave Berry, John Eigenauer, Rick Garcia, Mark Gibson, Richard Hudson, Brian Jean, Ruby Payne, Tiffany Rowden, Linda West, Henry Yong
Recorder: Michaela Young
Meeting start: 10:10 am
- Discussion on Web Access – Rick Garcia Brian Jean advised that there will be a software demonstration during in-service to give faculty a chance to see what they prefer. Rick then pointed out that Sharepoint comes with Microsoft Office Software. The server requires a secure connection – Sharepoint does not have that. There is a local view (via hard drive) and a remote view (on server). Linda asked if this was compatible with what they have on Frontpage. Brian advised it was. Mark added that some things will not work on the new server – there are no Frontpage extensions. Brian asked if Dreamweaver allowed for live editing. Rick advised that it can be done live, however, it is advisable to save a copy to the user’s computer so that there is a backup copy. Mark said Frontpage allows for working live. Rick demonstrated how to do simple text changes in Dreamweaver and pointed out there were a few extra steps to do the same in Sharepoint. Brian commented that in Dreamweaver you can save directly to the server versus Sharepoint, which requires you to go to a FTP program to save to the server. He said that if someone is used to Frontpage, the transition to Sharepoint would be easier. Linda addressed her concern about the cost. Rick explained that there is no cost for Sharepoint. Dreamweaver is approximately $100.00 per license. Brian said that the goal is to determine which software the campus and faculty wants to support. They are trying to get rid of extensions. Tiffany asked if IT had a recommendation. Rick replied that he would be able to support either software for simple web page editing. Tiffany then asked who the designated person would be to provide support for the software. Rick said he would be the only staff member for support and he would support either software. Tiffany asked which one was easier to learn.
Rick replied that both were fairly intuitive when it came to simple editing (i.e. text changes). However, if a user has already been using Frontpage for web page editing, Sharepoint will probably be easier to use, as they are both essentially the same software. He showed some formatting features and suggested using mostly the top toolbar which is a lot like Word and less confusing than some of the other features. Tiffany asked if the software was protected. Rick said it was password-protected. Henry suggested checking into who was using what at the present. He commented that in reference to the cost consideration the cost should not deter them from getting the best product. The cost of $100.00
should be covered by each individual department’s budget.
Rick advised that he will be doing a presentation on January 14 for in-service. Tiffany commented that both products seemed pretty much the same with Sharepoint costing less. Brian suggested attending the in-service presentation and then deciding on which the best suited product was. Ruby asked if copying/pasting from somewhere else was possible. Brian advised that it was.
- Approval of minutes from ITC meeting on October 17, 2008 Henry moved to approve the minutes. Tiffany seconded the motion. All were in favor.
- Discussion on Student E-Mail/G-Mail Might Be An Alternative-Adrian Adrian advised that the requirements for e-mail archiving and restoration of information can be costly to TC. There is an additional cost for archiving e-mail with the current vendor. He made the suggestions to possibly move to G-Mail for students. (Kern & SBCC already have) He explained that G-mail is a generic e-mail system and there was an option for everyone to go to this type of system. This will mean loss of control over the system, however. Brian asked what the e-mail addresses will look like. Mark said that for approximately $4.00 per user, G-mail will still provide the same e-mail addresses. Dave asked how long e-mails had to be archived. Adrian replied they had to be archived for 5 years. Brian asked if a cost analysis has been done yet. Adrian replied not as of yet -they are still looking into different options. Brian asked if users had issues with G-mail, if they will be able to contact their tech support to be able to take some of the load off Mark. Adrian said they can but it will probably take longer for responses with outside tech support. Brian asked what the response was like for other colleges who have gone to generic e-mail.
Adrian said he didn’t know at this point.
Brian then asked about web clients. Mark said it supports Pop3 and Outlook. Tiffany said they would lose TC Announcement and asked if they could still have that in Luminis. Mark said they could. Mark added that users will get advertisements with the web interface unless a client is used. Brian said that G-mail was good, but they needed to still be able to communicate as a group.
- Discussion on Smart Class Room Items – Mark Gibson
Adrian suggested that if anyone present was on the facilities committee, they should think about incorporating and/or turning classrooms into smart rooms. There is an opportunity to talk with Rick
Miranda in reference to brining in a lectern or a smart desk. Adrian then said that the beginning of
January they want to bring in “Creston” to see about remote control devices and the cost involved.
Ruby suggested that, from a physical perspective, a taller version of desks might be better to prevent having to bend down so much. Adrian advised that the desk height was adjustable. Brian suggested that instead of a desk, a wider podium would be better. Ruby added that the tops of the podiums in the G-buildings are removable and they might take a look at that. She suggested getting laser-control clickers to control projectors, etc. Adrian will put some information on this out to everyone for feedback. Ruby asked if the lighting in the rooms will be adjustable. Brian said they asked for it but are unsure if it is actually going to happen. Adrian said that this was being done. He added that they also needed to make sure that all rooms have a wireless signal. The student network will come from the library. Brian said he still had some questions on item #3 on the agenda. He asked what the purpose of the discussion on the e-mail was and if the Committee was asked to make a recommendation at this point. Adrian said he just needed a perspective on what students prefer and he was looking for feedback only. Brian asked who will be making the recommendation eventually. Adrian replied that they were not at that point yet. Brian asked if the ITC Committee will make that decision at some point or if not, who would. Adrian said that he was just looking for feedback for a future, upcoming issue. Ruby added that currently she only has 2 students out of 6 classes who use FirstClass. Brian asked if it was even important anymore as everyone seems to be using their own, free e-mail. Adrian explained that CCC-Apply required a TC e-mail for registration. Tiffany said that every new employee is required to have TC e-mail also. Adrian suggested that procedures needed to be looked at and possibly updated. He said that another option was to build an exchange server and have Outlook.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:12 am.