Welcome Back!     

Hello. We in Technology hope your summer was just what the doctor ordered. For those of you unfamiliar with the Tech Gazette, it is a monthly publication for faculty and staff meant to disseminate useful information to you regarding technology here at SMES. Areas covered include, among other things, staff training, viruses, network policies, how-to's, interesting websites, and tech tidbits at all levels of experience. You will be notified by e-mail when a new Gazette is available, and you can always access current, as well as past issues, via our school website, www.smes.org. Click on "Around Campus", click on "Technology", and select "Tech Gazettes".

New Passwords, New Method for 2002-2003

All returning faculty and staff are expected to submit new passwords for network access by the end of this month, September 30.

New Password Change Method: Around October 1, when you log in, you will get a message that says "your current password has expired and must be changed". Click "ok". A Password Change box opens. Do not type in your old password! Simply type in your new password twice and click "ok".

Important:  Email or call in your password to the helpline. Unless we have your password on file, we may not be able to provide support when you need it. If you place screensaver passwords on your machine, you must also provide us with that one. If you are a Blackbaud user, you'll need to email Dianne Bauer with your password. 

Suggestions for creating a new password:      

• Your new password must be at least 5 characters long.

• Combining digits, punctuation characters and letters is recommended.

• The password should be easy enough to remember so it doesn’t have to be written down.

• Using family member names, pet names, or obvious likes/dislikes should be avoided.

• It should be difficult, if not impossible, for someone else to guess.

• The password can be typed quickly, so someone cannot follow what you type by looking over your shoulder.

You will be able to use your old password until the end of September.

New employees: If you were hired over the summer and you've already provided Technology with your own password, you do not need to re-submit a new one.

                  FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q:  Why do I need a new password? I don't have anything I need to hide from anyone and my students are too young to use a computer.

A:  It's not a matter of trusting the faculty, staff or even student user. The security to which we speak applies to the entire SMES network which includes servers, staff and student folders, web pages, confidential employee/student information, etc. One of the simplest ways to protect the network is to change passwords!

Q: I thought I just changed my password! Why do I need to change it again?

A: Technology requires a new password once at the beginning of each new school year. If you are a new hire and have already submitted a new password to Technology, you don't need to supply a new one.

Q: I never remember my password so I just keep my computer on all the time. That's okay, isn't it?

A: The answer is "no, it's not really okay". A computer that has been logged on to and left unattended is as vulnerable and open as an unlocked bank vault! Additionally, there are virus and software updates that are available to all computers on campus, but the equipment needs to be either rebooted (turned off and on) or re-logged on in order for the update to take effect.

Setting Your Profile to Receive Mail in Outlook

If you are not yet using Outlook to get your SMES mail, you may need to set up your profile in order to open the program. It's really easy, we promise. Here are the steps:

1.  Open Outlook.

2.  After Windows Installer takes a few seconds to run its configuration, the Outlook 2002 Wizard opens. Click "next".

3.  Email Accounts window opens. Would you like to configure an Email account? "Yes" is checked, click on "next".

4.  When the next window appears, select "Microsoft Exchange Server" and then "next".

5.  Type "smesmail", then your username, click on "next".

6.  Click "finish". That's it. Your mailbox will open.

If you see a User Name window pop up asking you to type in your full name and initials, it's part of the XP customization program. You can either type in your name and initials now or cancel, but if you cancel, that box will continue to open every time you open the program. Our recommendation: Type in your name and get it over with!

           www.whatis.com

The Teacher Tap is a free, professional development resource that helps educators address common technology integration questions by providing practical, online resources and activities. Check out the Project Overview for more information. Check back periodicallyas new resources are added regularly.   Counts towards staff development hours.      

eduscapes.com/tap/

Origin of Holidays: This is a great website that provides details about holidays, e.g., day of observance, earliest observance, demographic practice and historical background. 

www.holidayorigins.com/

Lexical FreeNet Thesaurus: Here is an online thesaurus where you can search by words that rhyme, words that connect, semantics, biographical, and much more.  There is even a Shakespeare search. Give it a try.

www.lexfn.com/

Xtra, Xtra: XP Has Arrived!

If you don't already have a computer with the XP Operating System on it at home, you'll notice a big difference when you turn on your computer at school. After unlocking and logging on to the computer, you immediately see a pastoral scene that's your new desktop. Welcome to XP!

September Classes

To reserve a place in either of these classes, email

londa.posvistak@smes.org