Updated: 2014-09-05 13:51 EDT

1 Due Date and Deliverables

Do not print this assignment on paper!

2 Purpose of this Assignment

Do not print this assignment on paper! On paper, you cannot follow any of the hyperlink URLs that lead you to hints and course notes relevant to answering a question.

This assignment is based on your weekly Class Notes.

  1. Read excerpts of research to understand the effects of multi-tasking and distractions on learning.
  2. Learn how to log in using Remote Login to the Course Linux Server and use simple commands in The Unix/Linux Shell.
  3. Learn how to redirect the output of a command into a file.
  4. Learn how to transfer a file from the CLS to your personal machine.
  5. Learn how to submit course work to Blackboard using exact file names.

3 Introduction and Overview

This is an overview of how you are expected to complete this assignment. Read all the words before you start working.

For full marks, follow these directions exactly.

When you are finished the tasks, leave the files in place on the CLS as part of your deliverables. Do not delete any assignment work until after the term is over! Assignments may be re-marked at any time on the CLS; you must have your term work available on the CLS right until term end.

Complete both Part I and Part II.

4 Part I: The Problems with MultiTasking

READ ALL THE WORDS! below before you start to answer any questions.

  1. In the Course Notes, read the one page of This is your Brain essay excerpts. (You do not have to follow any of the hyperlinks on that page, but feel free to also read some of the original essays from which these quotes are taken.)

  2. After reading the above web page, answer the following three questions in your own words by creating and editing a plain text file (not a word processor file) using the exact name assignment01.txt with no spaces or upper-case letters. This file name is 16 characters long and is all lower-case letters with two digits and one period. The name does not contain capital letters or spaces. There is only one correct way to spell the word assignment. Be accurate.

    1. Given that studies show that multi-tasking makes it harder for your brain to remember what you have been doing (see the readings), in what ways does your method of doing school work and homework suffer from multi-tasking? Label your answer to this question with number (I-2a) (including the parentheses) in the file.

    2. How would it be possible for you to single-task your schoolwork, to remember it better come exam time (and job interview time)? Label your answer to this question with number (I-2b) (including the parentheses) in the file.

    3. Do you find that your brain has been trained to “process information rather than understand or even remember it”? (As an example: When given an assignment question, do you Google for the answer every time, or do you remember the answer and write down what you remember?) Label your answer to this question with number (I-2c) (including the parentheses) in the file.

    Answer in your own words. There are no right answers.

  3. Upload your plain text answer file containing your three answers to Blackboard. Do not upload the essays or this assignment question file as part of your answer. Only upload your three answers, just your three answers, in Plain Text format. Make sure you label each of the three answers as shown.

READ ALL THE WORDS

5 Part II: Remote network log in to the Course Linux Server

See Remote Login for the background you need to read Course Linux Server.

Your instructor will demonstrate logging in to the Course Linux Server and the commands below and File Transfer in your lab periods in the first two weeks.

Keep notes for every command name used in this course, giving its name, an explanation of what it does, and a short example. Quizzes and tests will require you to remember these command names.

  1. Log in to the Course Linux Server (CLS) using the terminal program appropriate to your operating system (e.g. use PuTTY on Windows and Terminal with ssh on Mac OSX).
    • Choose the log-in method applicable to your local operating system.
    • Get your special CLS password from your instructor.
    • Most system admin work is done via remote log-in like this.
  2. Try the Linux commands below at the command prompt on the CLS.
    1. Do not type the dollar sign prompt character below; type only the text that follows the dollar sign, followed by the Enter key. The dollar sign below reminds you that these are commands to be entered at the command prompt that ends in a dollar sign.
    2. If you stop seeing the prompt string after you enter a command and push Enter, try typing CONTROL-C (hold down the Ctrl key and type the letter C at the same time) to get the prompt back.
    • $ date
    • $ who
    • $ users
    • $ echo Hello World
    • $ figlet Hello World
    • $ toilet Hello World
    • $ toilet --gay Hello World
    • $ cal 9 1752
      • Note the odd number of days in this month.
      • Try using cal with the year your were born, e.g. cal 1954
      • You can find out on what day of the week were you born.
  3. Create a file named cal.txt as follows: Redirect the output of the calendar command into an output file using the right angle-bracket redirection character > followed by an output file named cal.txt:
    • $ cal 9 1752 >cal.txt
  4. The command ls shows the names of files in your account, and it should show you the name of the cal.txt file you created. You can use the -l option to get more information:
    • $ ls
    • $ ls -l
    • $ ls -l cal.txt
  5. The command cat displays the contents of a file:
    • $ cat cal.txt
  6. The file command tells you what type of file it is:
    • $ file cal.txt
  7. Do a File Transfer fetching from the CLS to your local machine (e.g. to your local Windows or OSX laptop):
    1. First, create a file cal.txt on the Linux CLS using output redirection, as you did above. Use ls to see the file name and cat to see the content of the cal.txt file, as you did above. Make sure the file is not empty!
    2. Transfer the above cal.txt file from the Linux CLS to your local machine using a File Transfer program running on your local machine.
      • Choose the file transfer method applicable to your local operating system, e.g. use WinSCP or Filezilla for Windows and Terminal with scp for Mac OSX.
    3. After the transfer to your local machine, open the transferred file on your local machine.
      • Under Windows try using both Notepad and then Wordpad.
        • Note the Windows problems with Linux line-endings under Notepad.
        • Linux and Windows text files are not compatible!
      • Macintosh users won’t have line-ending problems viewing Linux files.
  8. Leave the cal.txt output file in your account on the CLS. I will check for the existence of this file in your account.

  9. When you are done, log out of the CLS before you close your laptop or close the PuTTY window, by using the shell exit command:
    • $ exit

6 Blackboard Submission upload method

  1. Answer the three questions in Part I above in a plain text file using the exact name assignment01.txt with no spaces or upper-case letters. This file name is 16 characters long and is all lower-case letters with two digits and one period. The name does not contain capital letters or spaces. There is only one correct way to spell the word assignment. Be accurate.

  2. Upload the assignment01.txt file from your local computer to the correct Assignment area on Blackboard (with the exact name) before the due date:
    1. On your local computer use a web browser to log in to Blackboard and go to the Blackboard page for this course.
    2. Go to the Blackboard Assignments area for the course, in the left side-bar menu, and find the current assignment.
    3. Under Assignments, click on the underlined assignment01 link for this assignment.
      1. If this is your first upload, the Upload Assignment page will open directly; skip the next sentence.
      2. If you have already uploaded previously, the Review Submission History page will be open and you must use the Start New button at the bottom of the page to get to the Upload Assignment page.
    4. On the Upload Assignment page, scroll down and beside Attach File use Browse My Computer to find and attach your assignment file from your local computer. Make sure the assignment file has the correct name on your local computer before you attach it.
    5. After you have attached the file on the Upload Assignment page, scroll down to the bottom of the page and use the Submit button to actually upload your attached assignment file to Blackboard.

    Use only Attach File on the Upload Assignment page. Do not enter any text into the Text Submission or Comments boxes on Blackboard; I do not read them. Use only the Attach File section followed by the Submit button. If you need to comment on any assignment submission, send me email.

    You can revise and upload the file more than once using the Start New button on the Review Submission History page to open a new Upload Assignment page. I only look at the most recent submission.

    You must upload the file with the correct name from your local computer; you cannot correct the name as you upload it to Blackboard.

  3. Verify that Blackboard has received your submission: After using the Submit button, you will see a page titled Review Submission History that will show all your uploaded submissions for this assignment. Each of your submissions is called an Attempt on this page. A drop-down list of all your attempts is available.
    1. Verify that your latest Attempt has the correct 16-character, lower-case file name under the SUBMISSION heading.
    2. The one file name must be the only thing under the SUBMISSION heading. Only the one file name is allowed.
    3. No COMMENTS heading should be visible on the page. Do not enter any comments when you upload an assignment.
    4. Save a screen capture of the Review Submission History page on your local computer, showing the single uploaded file name listed under SUBMISSION. If you want to claim that you uploaded the file and Blackboard lost it, you will need this screen capture to prove that you actually uploaded the file. (To date, Blackboard has never lost an uploaded file.)

    You will also see the Review Submission History page any time you already have an assignment attempt uploaded and you click on the underlined assignment01 link. You can use the Start New button on this page to re-upload your assignment as many times as you like.

    You cannot delete an assignment attempt, but you can always upload a new version. I only mark the latest version.

  4. Your instructor may also mark files in your directory in your CLS account after the due date. Leave everything there on the CLS. Do not delete any assignment work from the CLS until after the term is over!

READ ALL THE WORDS. OH PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE READ ALL THE WORDS!

Author: 
| Ian! D. Allen  -  idallen@idallen.ca  -  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| Home Page: http://idallen.com/   Contact Improv: http://contactimprov.ca/
| College professor (Free/Libre GNU+Linux) at: http://teaching.idallen.com/
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