BUILD IT Together

This year marks the 3rd Build IT Together event. The event page has all the info about the event, but I wanted to share a bit more about the event that the hard facts maybe can’t communicate.

Idea for the event 

We got the idea for the event from the entrepreneurial community. We noticed that entrepreneurs are very collaborative and found it to be a strength of that community and something we could bring over to IT.  We decided to call it Build IT Together to help show that we want everyone to work together and share experiences and knowledge so that we can help build the technology community in Michigan.

To find out more about this event and how to sign up, click here.

Must-have Apps for your Memorial Day weekend

Photo by @Atin800

The time is here! Still wrapping up plans for your Memorial Day Weekend? Maybe you’re finalizing the grocery list for your road trip or keep talking about the loads of laundry that need to be done...Those are things on my to-do list at least. Either way, whether you’ll be putting some miles on your tires or staying in the vicinity of your zip code all weekend, here are some mobile apps to enhance your vacation experience.

'Tread lightly' Windows XP users

Photo by @pictureperfectpose

It has been over one month now since Microsoft has ended support for Windows XP. This means you can say ‘Goodbye’ to automatic updates and technical assistance for this 12-year-old system.

Click here to for recommendations on how to keep your information protected.

Meet Newmind: Steve Chang

This is our first article in our "Meet Newmind" series. Stay tuned for future blogs and continue to get to know our team.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter shake from the Alamo Drafthouse in Kalamazoo, MI. That’s this Newminder’s flavor of the month. I had to test it out for myself, you know, to see if his claims were justified...

They are. Definitely.

To read more about Steve Chang - husband, father, coffee drinker in the morning and Jasmine tea drinker by night, click here. You just might get lucky and find some more Kzoo recommendations.

IE - Put a patch on it!

Thanks for the photo @hashir

Hopefully you’re already in the know about the huge security flaw that has been discovered for all versions (6-11) of Internet Explorer. Maybe you’re not. Maybe all you know is that IE has been having some issues.

Well, to keep it short, IE versions 6-11 were experiencing a vulnerability where - via malicious websites - hackers had the ability to take over your computer. By doing so, they would be able to create a separate user, delete files, and basically anything else someone can do with full control over the whole device.

Crap, right?

Well, IE has finally provided a patch. Find out how to stay protected here.

MACUL: Recommended apps, extensions & add-ons

This is our second and last MACUL 2014 post. Make sure to check out our first post here: Chromebook Q & A.

Flooba-what???

Flubaroo. One of the Google add-ons mentioned along with numerous other apps and extensions discussed at the MACUL conference. In case you missed this info in the first MACUL post, Newmind Group led a roundtable discussion at this conference held in Grand Rapids, MI last month. There were about 2,000 educators and 150 exhibitors who attended, many of whom participated in our discussions around Chromebooks and - as our title gives away - apps, extensions, and add-ons.

This simple question was asked: What kinds of apps and tools are you leveraging for your classes that you would recommend?

To find out their recommendations, click here.

4 things to know when deploying chromebooks

"Chromebooks Updating" by @kjarrett

This is the second part of a two-part blog series about purchasing and deploying chromebooks. You can find the first blog here.


Alright, so you’ve already made your decision on what kind of Chromebooks you want. Now they’ve been shipped on their way! What now?

Unfortunately, the process is hardly over - and may never be. Deploying and managing a fleet of Chromebooks (or any device really) takes some time and continual effort. This is where we hope to make things a little bit easier for you.

Based on our experience in the field, coupled with our own research, here are some tips and resources for you when it comes time to deploy this hardware from heaven.

You can find out the 4 things to know here.