Community Interaction « Informasietegnologie

Community Interaction

Bits & Bytes officially on air

Friday, September 20th, 2013

A month ago we proudly announced the arrival of a new IT segment every second Tuesday on MFM. (Read the article here)

The radio version of Bits & Bytes had it’s second successful broadcast on Tuesday and the feedback has been extremely positive. With each programme we try to combine news relevant to students and staff, as well as interesting developments on the technological front, in an informal style.

This week’s topics included e-mail storms, a new smart watch, our latest survey and news on the brand new IT Student Centre launching January 2014.

We do realise not everyone will be able to listen to the show due to limited access, therefore we have an alternative so you won’t miss out on anything. You can now also listen to the broadcasts online by browsing to www.sun.ac.za/bb. On the site you’ll find all the previous newsletters, as well as previous broadcasts. Just click on the mp3 link.

These clips are hosted within the SU network and won’t rocket your internet costs – so you can listen with ease.

If you do want to listen to the direct broadcast, tune in every second Tuesday at 11:45 on the AM to PM Show on MFM with Ella, Eduard and our resident IT guru, Tian.

You’re also welcome to send comments and questions during the show via Twitter and if there’s enough time Tian will address them. Tweet us at @ITStellenUni!

Tags: Bits & Bytes, mfm
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IT takes to the airwaves

Friday, August 30th, 2013

The days when the Information Technology department was an unreachable, distant entity on the other side of Banghoek Road, are long gone. Since 2010 we’ve been pulling out all the stops and making an extra effort to ensure that there’s ample communication and interaction with all our clients and users on campus.

At the beginning of September (i.e. next week) we’re shaking winter’s dust from our shoes and entering yet another new era of communication. In future IT will no longer only reach you by e-mail, but also through MFM’s radio waves.

With an audience of 30 000 listeners between the ages of 14 and 28, there’s no doubt that IT will reach a much younger market, in particular students. This new means of communication provides us with the opportunity to speak to a larger portion of our users on campus and to get more involved with student issues.

So, from next week Tuesday at 11:45 there will be a bi-weekly special IT slot on MFM during the AM-PM-show. Since Bits & Bytes is steadily becoming an established brand, the slot will also be known as Bits & Bytes.

Bits & Bytes on air won’t merely be another institutional mouthpiece to promote IT, but rather an opportunity to discuss all kinds of technological developments. Students and staff will also be given the opportunity to ask questions via our Twitter feed and we’ll do our best to answer them on air.

We’re looking forward to our debut in radio coming Tuesday and hope you lend us your ears on 3 September at 11:45. Click here to listen to MFM live.

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Have your say about IT’s services

Friday, August 30th, 2013

In an attempt to improve Information Technology’s services, we’d like to ask you, our users, clients and colleagues for your assistance.

If you have a gap in your busy day, we’d appreciate it if you would fill in the survey below and let us know if you’re happy with IT’s services and also which of those services you find useful and which you don’t.

This is your opportunity to air your opinion. Just click on the appropriate link below.

Staff Survey
Student survey

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Flex your mental muscle at an Open Source Translation day

Friday, August 2nd, 2013

Feel like flexing you mental muscle, exercising your language skills and at the same time giving one day of your time for an education project with a difference? Join us for our fourth volunteer translation day at the Faculty of Engineering taking place on Saturday 17 August 2013.

Siyavula is a social enterprise spun out of the Shuttleworth Foundation. They believe in sharing, community, collaboration and openness, and through the use of technology strive to produce the best quality free educational resources out there. After successfully having the Department of Basic Education print and distribute their textbooks for free to all government schools in English and Afrikaans in 2012 and 2013, they will be doing this again in 2014. This is really exciting for education in South Africa.

It also provides the opportunity for professionals and students with a background in the sciences, people who can proofread for grammar, and those that can translate into Afrikaans to contribute to a project that makes a real difference to South African education.

The Gr 12 Physical Sciences textbook has been volunteer authored and proofread, and aligned to the new South African curriculum (CAPS). Siyavula will work with volunteers to translate it into Afrikaans, and if all goes according to plan, it will be printed and distributed by the Department of Basic Education, for all government schools to receive free of charge in 2014, as they did in 2012 and 2013 – see http://everythingmaths.co.za/ and http://everythingscience.co.za/.

All their textbooks have been collaboratively authored by a community of volunteers – educators, academics and professionals. These inspired volunteers seek to make this knowledge freely and openly available to all learners and educators in South Africa. They are released under an open copyright licence, which allows others to legally distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon their work, even commercially, as long as they credit Siyavula for the original creation. This is similar to open source software, in that anyone is encouraged to download, copy, share and distribute our books legally at no cost. It also gives educators the freedom to edit, adapt, translate and contextualise them. The textbooks have their own websites – see http://everythingmaths.co.za/ and http://everythingscience.co.za/, and are available via mobile phone, on Mxit, and are downloadable for free as a PDF. They also have workbooks for Natural Sciences and Technology for Gr 4-6: http://www.thunderboltkids.co.za/

Date: Saturday 17 August 2013

Time: Please arrive promptly at 08h30. The day will finish at 17h00, followed by supper for everyone that attends.

FIRGA lab (room S203), Engineering Faculty, Stellenbosch University. A map can be accessed here. Between Electrical & Electronic and Civil Engineering, enter the large glass doors and go up one level. There will be signs to guide you.

Before the translation day we will email you your username and password for the translation website – Transifex – with your first assignment, as well as our translation tutorial. We will provide refreshments and food throughout the day, followed by supper for everyone involved.

Interested? Please register at http://siyavulatranslationday.eventbrite.com/ and remember, the names of all the volunteers will be listed in the book!

More information:

Website: http://www.siyavula.com/

E-mail: bridget@siyavula.com

Telephone: 021 469 4771

[INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY SIYAVULA]

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Lend a hand, won’t you?

Friday, August 2nd, 2013

Do you still remember the tv ad where the central character is a wonder woman who manages to do everything perfectly, including making great sandwiches with the advertised margarine? “Jy’s `n ster Linda Fourie!”

My point? (yes, there is one) Well, this week we can also say to the IT service desk and IT admin staff, “Jy’s `n ster!”, because last Wednesday they sacrificed their lunch to, like the well-known Linda Fourie, make sandwiches for charity.

Quinton, Cheslon, Jurgen, Pablo, Marianna, Charnelle and Mandy lend a hand at Golden Key’s Toasties for Tummies, an annual initiative where Golden Key volunteers make 100’s of sandwiches for the less fortunate.

Read more Toasties for Tummies and Golden Key on their web site.