Technology Tools Week 1

So, it has been a long time since I posted anything here. This week we started a new class and had a lot of new technologies to research and explore. I am going to focus on the two services I used, 280slides.com and toondoo.com.

The first assignment I did was the presentation software review. I tried a couple of different programs, including GoogleApps but was not satisfied with any of them. Then I ran across 280slides.com. The first thing that appealed to me with this service was its look and layout. It tried to emulate the Mac look and feel, which is something I was familiar with. It was extremely easy to use. It only took a few minutes to create a presentation, insert images, and share the presentation with others. 280slides.com does not have its own sharing built in but they have a link to slideshare.net which I used for sharing. This took the longest time because the slide show had to be rendered between 280slides and slideshare. It took about 3 or 4 minutes to share the presentation.

The next assignment was to create a project in a graphics program. I had heard a lot about Mr. Picassohead but after using it I ran into a couple of problems with sharing. So, I moved on to toondoo.com. This was very easy to use. I created a 3 panel comic strip and shared it within minutes. It has some nice features for working with graphics (flip image, enlarge, shrink, etc.). One of our computer classes currently uses a program called Comic Life to create basic comic strips. This seems to do many of the same things for free.

Overall, I enjoyed these two assignments. We are in the process of reviewing our school licenses. Online software is going to play a big part in this process. Things like GoogleApps and other software mentioned here are nice alternatives to programs that are licensed per machine.

How Does This Course Connect To Me?

This course was a big benefit to me.  This opened me up to some technologies that I did not previously have experience with.  The Linux assignment is the one that I will spend the most time researching.  My school is a 97% Mac school while the rest is all Windows XP.  The cost for licensing Mac and Windows operating systems is quite large.  Every upgrade costs about $30/machine and with over 400 computers, that adds up fast.  The first time I installed Linux (Ubuntu) I was quite surprised.  I was not expecting to see such a familiar environment. The software was fast and reliable and very easy to pick up.  

Ubuntu also came with Open Office.  This is something that I read about but had never used.  I immediately downloaded Open Office on both Mac and Windows machines to see how well it functioned.  I now have teachers and students testing this software.  I am contemplating switching from Microsoft Office to Open Office.  This will be a big money saver to the district.  There are still a few bugs to work out but so far, I am rather happy with the software.  I am also talking with other school districts who use this office suite to see what their experiences have been.

I am in an unusual position.  Most of the items discussed in this class are things that I already do.  While a knowledge of anti-virus software and data backup plans are important to everyone, they are things that I do every day.  It was good for me to review different software options and for me to revisit my backup plan.  These are things that, as long as things are working, I take for granted.  I should regularly schedule a review of these things to make sure our network is protected.

So, will I use this information in the future?  Right now, I hope so.  I may not move forward with Linux right away but Open Office is something that I will certainly consider putting into place for the next school year.  At this point, I cannot think of anything that I would change.

I Have a Virus

Viruses. An interesting subject for us Mac users. Until I started my job in a school with a mixed Mac/PC environment, I didn't know much about viruses except they were something that PC users got. Well, that is still the case, at least for now. While some small scale viruses are out there for the Mac, over 99% of the active viruses are made for the PC. They cause systems to slow to a crawl, pass along personal information, and destroy data. Not a fun time for a PC user if you get one.

So, how do you go about protecting yourself against viruses? Even though I use a Mac, I still use some sort of anti-virus protection. For a Mac user there are not a lot of options. There is the free, ClamXAV software, but in my experience, that has not been effective. iAntiVirus for Mac is also a free program but they do offer a solution for $29.95 that includes 24x7 support.

A better solution is the Norton Internet Security for Mac. This is a multi-function software package. It not only protects you against viruses, but it also includes a firewall to protect from online intruders, identity protection, and has an option for those Mac users who dual boot into Windows. The software is an easy install but setup of each component can take some time.

To run this software on the Mac, you need to have a machine that runs Mac OS X 10.4.11 or higher on a PowerPC or Intel chip, a CD/DVD drive, at least 256 MB RAM and 150 MB of hard drive space available. An Internet connection is also required for live update which will download updates to the software as well as the latest virus definitions. The cost for this software is $79.99 to purchase and $39.99/year to renew the service. You may be able to find the initial purchase cheaper if you shop around online. At the time of this post, Amazon was offering this software for $36.45.

For Windows users, Norton also makes Internet Security although if you want to include identity protection in the package, you need to upgrade to Norton 360. The cost for Norton 360 for Windows is also $79.99 but I found it online for $49.99. This package includes a license for up to 3 household PC's. Like the Mac version, this requires a yearly renewal.

Also for Windows users, AVG Anti-Virus is available. This company offers a free basic anti-virus program. For $54.99 you can upgrade to AVG Internet Security. This gives you many of the same features that the Norton 360 gives you.

McAfee is another company that offers a complete solution for Windows. It does offer a Mac solution, but only in its enterprise software. Its Windows solution offers the same thing that Norton does and it only costs $49.99 for the first year. I have used this program before and, while it works fine, its interface is not as easy to use and Norton. It also seemed to slow the computer down.

To these products you will need to have a Windows computer running Windows XP (2000 for AVG), preferrably 512 MB RAM, and 500 MB of disk space (300 for AVG). A CD/DVD drive is also required.

Cnet.com said that Norton 360 was the best complete package for the price for Windows users. I found that AVG was a bit easier to setup but the Norton software did receive better reviews. While there are other solutions than what is mentioned here, this represents some of the best products on the market.

Disaster Data Recovery and Your System - Work

What kind of plan needs to be used in a work setting to safely protect your data from hardware failure and viruses? It is a similar process to a home backup but on a much bigger scale. Many of the same methods are used but a greater storage capacity is usually needed.

In our school setting, all user accounts are stored on a server. Even teachers and staff who use laptops have their documents synchronized to a server. So, in most cases, the servers are the main thing to backup. These servers will host things like e-mail, blogs, calendars, library catalogs, and student information systems, as well as all teacher and student files.

For both Mac and Windows servers there are some solutions for backup software. EMC Software's Retrospect is a good piece of software that has both Mac and Windows clients. This software is installed on one machine and other machines on the network have client software installed. The main installation connects to the clients and backs up the desired data. It will backup SQL databases and e-mail (Exchange) servers. Usually, this server is connected to a tape drive, a packet drive, or other storage device.

Like a home user, some of this data might need to be backed up outside the building. Student information and financial data can be backed up to a DVD on a weekly basis and stored in a vault or somewhere else off site.

A third option would be to backup the data using online methods. Again Mozy's business version, Mozy Pro, would work. The software is priced based on the number of servers and storage space required.

This method requires more work by the administrator. Not only does one need to check on the status of the backups, but they need to make sure each server is connecting to the main server properly, and they probably also need to change tapes in the backup drive.

Disaster Data Recovery and Your System - Personal

There are many methods and philosophies on backing up your data. These may differ between home and work but the quest is the same...protect yourself against a disaster, and, if a disaster happens, to be able to recover your files.

My philosophy is simple. Backup your data in more than one place and keep those backups in different locations. Backing up to a computer or drive in your home or place of work will not help you if a fire swept through the building. Keep at least one backup set off site, either on CD, DVD, or online.

At home things are much simpler than a work environment. Depending on the platform you use for computing (Windows, Mac OS, Linux) the method and utilities available for backup and protection are different. Most backup software will require an external drive connected by firewire or USB, as well as a computer with a recent operating system, probably Windows XP and up and Mac OS X 10.4 and up. First, come up with a plan for the backup. Ask yourself, what do you need to backup and what tools do you have or can you afford so you can backup adequately?

At home, I use a Mac. Within the Mac OS there is a backup feature called Time Machine. This backup software will backup to an external drive or over a wireless connection to a Time Capsule, an Apple product that is a wireless transmitter with a hard drive built-in. For me, this software is adequate for backing up locally. It is fast and keeps many copies of documents so if I need to go back to a previous version, it is easy to do so.

For a Mac user, there are not many backup utilities available. Aside from time machine there are various disk cloners out there that will copy your hard drive contents to an external drive. Many of these are free, including Carbon Copy Cloner.

Windows also has a built-in backup program. You can use this program to backup to a floppy (probably not a good solution), a flash drive, a CD, or an external drive connected to your computer.

For Windows users, there are some free and low-cost solutions available. Cobian Backup is a free solution that supports both local and remote backups. Cucku Backup is a "Social Backup." It will backup your local drive to a "friend's" computer. If you are both people running the software you can backup to their computer. The files are encryped and the other person cannot see your files.

To backup to a remote location, both Mac and Windows users can use a program like Mozy. This will backup your files to the Mozy servers in different parts of the country. It is easy to use and you get unlimited backup space for only $4.95/month. This is the second part of my backup method at home. Another home online backup company is Carbonite.

In both the local and online backup methods, the user can schedule regular backups. After the initial setup, which only takes a few minutes, the user just needs to check that backups have been completed. It is pretty much a hands off method.

I have decided to try and post from my iPhone. How often will I use this feature? Probably never but it is cool to have that option.

How Important Is My Data?

Good question. To date, I have never lost any significant data (knock on wood). What can I not live without personally? We don't keep a lot of documents on our computer. We do our taxes online but have printed copies. We have a few spreadsheets and documents but nothing we cannot live without. Photos are another story. We have about 2500 photos of our kids and events over the last 4 years. We did have some of them printed and put into albums, books, and calendars and some are posted on our web albums but a majority of them on the computer only. While I could live without them, I prefer not to.

Professionally, what can I not live without? Everything. In my job as Director of Technology, I am responsible for data for the entire district including student data, financial data, alumni data, and student and teacher files. Lots to worry about. Even if my laptop were lost I would be missing files from the last 10 years that hold passwords, account numbers, instructions, PowerPoint presentations, and more. I definitely do not want to lose these things.

I take steps to protect my data both at home and at work. At home, I use a Mac and use the Time Machine program to back up to a hard drive elsewhere on my home network. I also use Mozy online storage to back them up off-site. If there were a complete disaster and I lost my computer and everything else in my home, at least with a new computer I could recover my files.

At work I also take steps to backup and protect. My laptop has a portable account so every time I am at work the files I have accessed and changed get backed up to a server. I also use the Time Machine software to backup to a server at another school. In addition, our servers are backed up to tape and online. Hopefully, if something happened, I would be able to recover the data. I have had hard drives go bad at school before and, thanks to backups and RAID configurations, I have been pretty lucky. I hope that streak continues...