Laptop Security and FortiManager Article

Dr. Margaret Rice at the University of Alabama brought this article to my attention. Well, I say my attention. She actually posted it for her technology class that I am enrolled in at the University of Alabama. Her class and my Intermediate statistics class at UAB, the web based and IVC courses I am teaching through ACCESS, and my regular teaching assignments have taken a great deal of my time this semester. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t take anything for any of them. I have learned a lot this semester about networking, quantitative statistics, and dealing with web based and IVC students. I am blessed, but busy. Maybe, I can find more time to blog next semester. I guess that I will just have to make the time. There goes my self diagnosis of ADHD again…Sorry...

The article that Dr. Rice pointed out to the class can be found at http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21572. The title of the article is Laptop Security: Covering the bases. From what I can tell the article address many of the issues that my system is facing and some issues that I hope we get to face in the near future. I’d love to get a grant for 3,000 student laptops for my system. Where do we sign up?

More specifically, my system may be interested in FortiManager. According to the article, “FortiManager is an integrated monitoring and management solution, the district receives active reporting from all laptops, regardless of whether they are on or off campus.” In the words of Solis, “We can follow up on exactly where certain laptops are pinging. [and] From there, we get more detailed sketches and actively circumvent any problems by, say, denying access to those IP addresses and/or Web sites." This all sounds pretty cool to me. Maybe someone who stumbles into my blog will benefit from the article. I know that my system is always looking for solutions like FortiManager. I will have to pass the article on to the IT staff at my school.

Warm Regards,

William Bishop (Bill)

Technorati Tags: network security, busy, laptop security, FortiManager, Dr. Margaret Rice, UA, UAB, lostjohns, william_bishop,

Dr. Bill NOT Dr. Phil!

Yes, just in case you are wondering, I am still alive. I am finishing up the last few classes in a Ph. D. program and I will be ABD. “Good Lord willing and if the creek doesn't rise,” I plan to start my dissertation in May. Someday, I will be Dr. Bill. NOT Dr. Phil, Dr. Bill!

Keep my family and me in your thoughts and prayers as I have a very limited amount of time this semester. Nevertheless, the promise land is just around the corner and I plan to keep on keeping on. Now I just have to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. One thing is for sure, I plan to continue blogging. Wish me luck with it all...

Warm Regards,

William Bishop (Bill)

Being busy is a blessing

I consider myself blessed, but busy. I am currently taking six hours of post graduate work for my Ph. D. at two different institutions. I am taking an intermediate quantitative stats course at UAB and a computer networking course at UA. I am the chairperson for my High School’s Jostens Renaissance program, one of the senior play directors, head of the English department, and I teach over 150 students Spanish on a daily basis.

I teach traditional classes, IVC classes, and web-based classes. I teach 128 students on campus, 16 IVC students, and 12 web-based students. My IVC students and web-based students are part of Alabama’s distance learning program ACCESS. Additionally, I am a husband, father, friend, leader, and avid user of technology. Plus football season is starting. Life is busy, but good!

So if I don't get around to blogging as much as usual you’ll have to forgive me. I’m too busy to blog. Nevertheless, I still plan on having my students using technology when appropriate. We will be blogging, updating our wiki, and using moodle when we can fit it in with our lessons. Also, I plan on having my students create some photo stories in Spanish to help them and future students learn and retain the language.

Nonetheless, if you need my help with anything let me know. I’m sure I can find some time to help somewhere. Being busy is a blessing…That’s my new motto!

Warm Regards,

William Bishop (Bill)

Technorati Tags: busy, Spanish, blogs, wikis, life, students, distance_learning, k12, william_bishop