I recently read a story about an IT professional who was in some trouble trying to figure out what to do. See, one of the IT pro’s duties was to monitor employee Web Surfing using Surfcontrol, and to report any violations to management. Well, it turns out that on a routine check Surfcontrol turned up dozens of pornographic adult sites that were visited by an executive’s computer, a level above the IT pro in another department. The IT pro showed his manager the logs in question, but before any action could be taken, the executive went to the director of HR and made up an outlandish explanation. The exec was never punished, later got promoted and moved to China to run a manufacturing plant. The point of this story is that (we) IT professionals have privileged access to information, both personal and professional. It is up to us to have that ethical behavior. We have the responsibility to monitor and report employees who break company rules. We also have the power to look at personal files, even if a worker is embezzling funds. Basically laws, company policies, ethics, and personal judgment govern our behavior, we just have to learn how to distinguish the right from wrong. Maybe “Follow your conscience” should be in our job description.

Blog courtesy of Vince Villanueva in the Morning Computer Technology course.

It's been awhile since I've acknowledged those students that work hard at obtaining their certs. There are many I may not know about, so here's your chance to list what you've done in the last few months. A couple of students that I do know are:

Vincent Villanueva MCP passed 70-270
Eric Wilson A+ passed both exams

Congrats to you both. I'm sure there are many more out there, so like I said, reply and give your name and what exam you took. You should all be honored for your hard work!

The Microcomputer department is raffling off 2 iPod Nano mp3 players. One is blue, the other green, both are 4GB which can store 1,000 songs! Tickets are only $2, or buy 3 tickets for only $5. Please find Susan Mclean or Mike Speed to make your purchase. The drawing will be held November 9th and proceeds are going to feed the hungry this Thanksgiving.

Western Technical College has become an authorized Vue Testing Center. Since Cisco exams are no longer being proctored through prometric, WTC has decided to become a Vue center to provide this service to our students and the community.

It seems that after a student is successful in obtaining certifications, there's a little bit of jealousy, and possibly some name calling. Now in name calling, I mean calling so-and-so a geek, or a nerd. But, since I am someone that holds many of these certifications, like the rest of the instructors here, I felt I needed to clarify the distinction between those two words.

I am very much ok with being called a geek. I am a self-proclaimed geek! But, I am not a nerd. So what’s the difference you may ask? Well, compare these two definitions as found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

nerd
Function: noun
Etymology: perhaps from nerd, a creature in the children's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)
: an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits


geek
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from English dialect geek, geck fool, from Low German geck, from Middle Low German
1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2 : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3 : an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity


Ok, now the geek definition we are interested in is number 3. The first definition doesn’t really fit. Number 2 is debatable. So, now if you compare the two definitions, you can see that a nerd is someone that doesn’t have social skills, but a geek is someone that is really, really, really into technology.

So, Western Technical College produces geeks, not nerds. Isn’t that who you would rather work for you?

9/28/2007 | Posted by smclean | Category General

2 Comments | Permalink |

Just a quick congrats to Aaron Flack for passing his CCNA exam! Now Aaron is a triple threat (well, more that 3, but it sounds good) by passing A+ & Network+, MCSA, and CCNA. Such accomplishment is completed by few students before graduation, and shows he is ready for any company upon graduation.

Good Luck Aaron and again congratulations!

Even though you have to choose which course to specialize in, either Biomed, Computers, or Communications, we, the Microcomputer Technology Department, would like you to know you can approach any of us for help at any time. With that said, we are making changes to some of our schedules.

There is currently tutoring in Room 201 from 7am to 8am and again from 1pm to 2pm. We would like to open this tutoring to all Microcomputer Technology students. This is also a nice place to have little study groups or do self-study.

Mr. Richard Bei and Mr. Paul Wilson will be starting an "Open Lab" before and after class in Room 307. This is open to all Microcomputer Technology students. During the lab you will be able to perform some hands-on labs such as running cable in conduit, installing punch down blocks in walls, etc. Mr. Bei is also soliciting help from students to design and create his "robot".

Many more changes are on the horizon. We hope the time you are here is enjoyable, and any extra time you choose to be here is productive. We have all been students, many of us working students, and we realize how difficult it is to spend time away from family and friends. Just keep in mind the rewards waiting for you after graduation, but if you really need your family around, just have them enroll in school here too! :)

As a reward for the hard work the students put forth over the last four weeks at Ft. Bliss, the externs doing the SAIC/FCS project were allowed to visit the Vehicle Simulations Facility in the nearby building. After touring the building (and noticing that our cabling job was better than theirs) the Administrators allowed the students to actually test out the Simulation machines. All the students got to see what it was actually like to be a soldier, by driving the Tanks and Bradley Vehicles, shooting machine guns and missiles, and by trying to avoid enemy fire. It was one heck of a video game and all the simulation machines were in the same database, so you could see what the others were doing. The Army uses these machines to test out different terrains and scenarios before actually having to fight. The simulators are being recorded the entire time to allow playback for training purposes. This means a lot of data storage space!! They also have to have multiple graphics processors to be able to continuously update the displays. Once the FCS system (that WTC has been helping to build) gets underway, all the simulations facilities will be networked together so that soldiers in Ft. Bliss can be training along side soldiers in Ft. Hood, Ft. Lewis and so on. That requires a massive amount of data to be passed long distances, and that's why WTC's role was so critical.

With all this networking and electronic simulators to maintain, more technicians will be hired. I spoke with Kenneth Stewart with PULAU, who repairs the simulators. He said he has already hired two WTC graduates and will looking to hire three more by the end of the year. Can you imagine, getting to fix these simulators, and of course, having to play them to make sure they work!

Of course the simulators visit would not have been possible if the externs hadn't been ahead of schedule. They have really worked hard and it's sad to see the end of this project. So, here are some final pictures. Also make sure to watch KINT for a story on our students and get the Diario and Ft. Bliss Monitor to read more.

The students working sure like to get their picture taken, and want to prove to everyone how hard they are working, so here are a few more pics. Sorry for the quality, they were taken with a camera phone :)

On Monday July 23rd, 24 students from the Microcomputer Technology programs kicked-off the Externship Course by joining forces with SAIC to develop the Future Combat Systems Simulation Facility in Ft. Bliss, TX. WTC's involment in the project includes running Category 6 UTP cable from the Administration room to 2-stories in two different buildings. These cable runs are hundreds of feet long and because Cat6 is fragile, it takes a coordinated effort to install. WTC is pleased to announce that the project is running smoothly and ahead of schedule.
This externship will run for 4 weeks and is included in the Associates Degree program for all 3 branches of Microcomputer Technology. All future students will participate is various externship programs as well! There is no better way to prepare for the workforce than to utilize your new tech skills on a real work site! Students are participating for college credit and graded on how well they work as a team and show initiative.

Microsoft announced on July 20th that the next version of Windows is in the works and is expected for release within 3 years. Currently named Windows 7, it is expected to be an upgrade to the recently released Windows Vista, and is a step away from the non-numeric nomenclature that Windows has seen since Windows 95. The release of this news is Microsoft’s attempt to make information disclosure more iterative to businesses and partners.
Also mentioned in the article is the plan to release Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista, expected before the end of the year.
What does this mean for Vista in general? Does this indicate that Microsoft considers Vista a failure, or is this just a means of keeping up with technology? Personally, I think it’s a little of both. Vista has garnished lots of criticism over the last 9 months since its release, but when you think back, Windows XP received about the same amount of criticism as well. However, considering the short time span they are giving Vista to expand, it might be considered the “next Windows ME.” I suppose we shall see as time goes on.


Blog courtesy of James Jenkins, WTC Lab Instructor

Earlier I wrote how Cisco is changing their CCNA exam, effective August 1st, to a more up-to-date exam while also providing a more entry level exam, the CCENT. Unfortunately for many students, these exams will only be available through Pearson VUE, Cisco announced July 11, 2007. Western Technical College is a Prometric test site, which means our students will need to take their Cisco exams off-site.

Microsoft announced a similiar partnership with Thomson Prometric two days later, meaning Microsoft exams will no longer be available through Pearson VUE after this Summer. This will not impact WTC students from being able to test on-site.

Please keep in mind these test sites when scheduling for exams. Also, before the change over you may experience a higher number of testers trying to test before vouchers become null and void!

No, it wasn't like 01.01.2000; that whole Y2K fiasco. It wasn't March 11, 2007; when daylight saving started early.

No, it was simply a lucky day for the Microcomputer Technology Program Director of Western Technical College, Rik Villarreal. Below is a picture from his wedding to Claudia Alvarez in Las Vegas on 07.07.07!


Claudia Alvarez and Rik Villareal exchange wedding vows on a gondola at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 7, 2007. AP Photo/Laura Rauch

Congratulations Rik and Claudia. We at WTC wish you both many happy years!!

Cisco officially announced today that it will be adding a new certification, called Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT) starting August 1st. Along with this certification they are revamping the current CCNA certification (now 640-802). You will still have the option of testing all at once or in two halves. If you take the two exam route, passing the first exam, ICND1 640-822, entitles you to the CCENT certification. Useful to show on your resume that you have started the exam process for CCNA.

Those of you in the midst of testing for CCNA will still have until November 6 to complete CCNA 640-801 or the two exam option, ICND 640-811 and INTRO 640-821. You may want to hurry with the old test while there's still time as the new test will include many new topics such as IPv6, RSTP, VoIP, WLAN and VPN. More NAT questions too, but thankfully, no more ISDN.

You can read more about the new cert here.

It's time for another Computer Technology and Microcomputer Technology class to graduate and move on to bigger and better things. Just remember guys...



Congratulations to Amanda Martinez for finding a job with Game Systems. She will be managing the computer systems for Speaking Rock. Awesome job! I'm jealous. Another congrats to Manny Madrid for his new position at DDS and good luck to Albert Hernandez who interviewed with LaLa Imports.

And while you all were looking hard for jobs and going to interviews, you were studying and getting certified.

Congratulations to Ray Maldonado for passing his A+ Hardware exam. I'm sure he'll complete the 2nd half soon and become A+ Certified.

Another congrats to my two top Aces: "Dan the Man" Allman and "The Val" Munoz. Both completed their CCNA certifications today and have rightfully earned their nicknames. It was great having such studious pupils!

Good luck to all that have finished their courses. I wish you well in your careers and hope to see you come back to WTC to hire your future employees.

See you August 23 for the graduation ceremony!


Oh, and don't forget to keep an eye out for WTC on Telefutura (Ch 46 or 5 on Time Warner) on Wednesday June 27 from 10-12.