% Author: Ian! D. Allen - idallen@idallen.ca - www.idallen.com
% Date: Fall 2011 - September to December 2011 - Updated 2011-09-17 10:18 EDT
% Title: Week 01 Notes for CST8281 - Fall 2011
- [Course Home Page]
- [Course Outline]
- [All Weeks]
- [Plain Text]
CST8281 - Computer and Internet Fundamentals
============================================
Course Description, Course Outline, Timetable
---------------------------------------------
From the [Course Outline]:
> This introductory course focuses on fundamental concepts and terminology
> related to the computer and its use. Topics include security, mathematical
> concepts relevant to basic computer operation and programming (including
> number systems and Boolean/logical operations), and basic Internet usage
> (including FTP, HTML and web fundamentals). Prerequisites: CST8201
- 2 hours in classroom / 2 hours in laboratory / 2 hours homework (per
week)
- The [Timetable] page has the full class schedule for all classes and
sections.
- Midterm and Exam dates will be posted on the [Course Home Page]. Put them
in your own personal calendar and agenda!
Course Home Page
----------------
The [Course Home Page] is located off-campus. You can link to it via the
Algonquin \[Blackboard\] system or via either link below:
- - *.COM domain*
- - *.ORG domain*
Make sure you find the page for this term, not previous terms! Bookmark both
the **`.com`** and the **`.org`** page locations.
Read the [Course Home Page] carefully, including the parts about plagiarism
and course notes. Note the important dates. Write down *on paper* the
location of the Alternate Web Notes.
Course Documents on Blackboard
------------------------------
- Homework and in-class Exercises may appear via \[Blackboard\].
- Some course files with publisher-restricted distribution are stored only
on the Algonquin \[Blackboard\] server. Make sure you get copies of these
files before the course ends, otherwise you will lose access to them.
Other than these restricted files, everything else is stored on a public
web server and will remain available forever in the Internet archives.
Google indexes this course (but not \[Blackboard\]).
- On-line materials require a player for Microsoft PowerPoint slide shows.
Course Textbook and Readings
----------------------------
There is no formal textbook for this course. The main source of content for
this course will be the web-based notes provided on-line.
You will be expected to follow the course outline and keep up-to-date with
the reading in the web notes even when specific reading assignments are not
provided in class. Ideally, to optimize your understanding of the lecture
material, corresponding material should be read prior to the class in which
it is covered.
Note that just printing the class notes on paper is no substitute for
actually reading and understanding them. Print less and read more!
Course Handouts
---------------
- In general, in-class handouts are not common in this class since all such
material will normally be posted to the web; students are expected to
download and read such materials on their own.
- Some course files with publisher-restricted distribution are stored only
on the Algonquin \[Blackboard\] server. Make sure you get copies of these
files before the course ends, otherwise you will lose access to them.
- Other than these restricted files, everything else is stored on a public
web server and will remain available forever in the Internet archives.
Course Marking Scheme
---------------------
For full mark credit, read the [Test Instructions] for important directions
on how to enter your answers on the mark-sense forms.
Homework Exercises / Assignments / Projects - 20%
: Homework, in the form of exercises, assignments, and small projects to be
picked-up from the web and answered and submitted electronically, will be
assigned approximately weekly. Such assignments are to be completed by
the given due dates. Assignments that are not submitted by their due
dates may not be marked.
Approximately 1/3 of the minor homework assignments will be collected for
marking using a random draw. All projects will be marked.
Most marks for minor homework assignments will be based on a written
demonstration that a reasonable attempt was made to answer each of the
assigned problems, whether or not the correct answers were obtained. (If
you don’t answer, or don’t show your work and only submit an incorrect
answer, no marks will be awarded.) All homework will be answered fully
either in class or online; check your actual answers and your work
against the correct solutions provided.
Much of the Test and Exam material will be based on the Homework.
Two Mid-Term Tests - 15% + 20% = 35%
: Midterm and Exam dates will be posted on the [Course Home Page]. Put them
in your own personal calendar and agenda!
Final Exam - 35%
: All tests and exams will be based largely on modified homework assignment
questions. A majority of the material for each test will come from
material covered in the immediately preceding weeks, but material is
cumulative and many questions (especially on the final exam) will be
based on material covered earlier in the course.
Course Feedback and Participation - 10%
: Many opportunities will be provided throughout the term to earn the final
10% of your course mark via feedback to the instructor. You will be
self-grading many of your assignments as credit toward your mark. I will
use the self-grades to assess areas that need more lecture and lab
attention.
For full mark credit, read the [Test Instructions] for important directions
on how to enter your answers on the mark-sense forms.
Instructor Contact Info and Timetable
=====================================
- Ian! D. Allen - - [www.idallen.com]
- Make sure you add **`idallen@idallen.ca`** and
**`alleni@algonquincollege.com`** to your email white-list, or you may
not receive important email from me, especially email with your marks in
it. Whitelist me now!
- The [Timetable] page has Contact Information, Office Hours, and my full
Class Schedule. Know how to set up an office appointment with me by
email.
- The fastest way to email me is via the address. I
forward my Algonquin **`alleni`** email to the above address, but the
forwarding doesn’t work well. Email *idallen* directly.
- Did you remember to whitelist my two email addresses?
Attendance, Attention, and Success Factors
==========================================
Attendance is also critical to course success. If you know the material and
don’t need to come to classes, ask for a Prior Learning Assessment. If you
paid to be here, please be here.
If you are in class, shut your laptop, turn off your phone, and pay attention
to your lecturer. The person at the front of the room cannot compete with the
entire Internet and your personal phonebook for your attention - he doesn’t
have the budget. If you’re bored or falling asleep, take notes.
Take Notes in Class
-------------------
You will need to take notes in class. Not everything I say ends up in these
online files. Passing the information through your body onto paper or into a
computer helps you remember it, even if you never read the notes later. If
you have a question about course content, the first thing I will ask is to
see your notes, to see what you wrote down about the topic. Often the answer
is there!
Plan your Workload
------------------
The overall term workload usually overwhelms students who try to leave
everything to the last minute. You need to put in approximately an extra hour
per day, per course, to keep up. There aren’t enough hours in a day to catch
up in mid-term.
Submit on Time
--------------
Late assignments are penalized, usually resulting in a mark of zero. The due
date for an assignment is given in the assignment. Read each assignment to
know the due date. Not every assignment is due on the same weekday or at the
same time; pay attention and record each due date in your weekly calendars.
Read your EMail
---------------
You must read your course email regularly.
EMail is a critical component of course delivery for this course. If you
don’t read your Algonquin College email account daily, make sure that your
forward your College email to an account that you do read. See the link on
the [Course Home Page].
Test to make sure that your forwarded Algonquin email works! Send yourself a
test message. You must have a working Algonquin EMail address for this course
(that you can forward elsewhere).
Make sure you add **`idallen@idallen.ca`** and
**`alleni@algonquincollege.com`** to your email white-list, or you may not
receive important email from me, especially email with your marks in it.
Whitelist me now!
Plagiarism
==========
See the [Course Home Page] for information on copying and working together on
assignments.
You may not copy material from **anywhere else** without clearing the copying
with me and identifying the source, in writing or by email, first. If your
submission resembles that of another person, anywhere in the class or
anywhere on the Internet, I am required to inquire whether you are the actual
author. **Cutting-and-pasting from someone else is not solving a problem.**
Do your own thinking and write your own answers. No cutting-and-pasting.
If I authorize copying, and only if, you must attribute the **source** of
copied material that you use that isn’t yours. Most coursework does not
permit **copying**, **group work**, or **working together** on a common
answer. Do your own work unless the assignment permits group work.
You earn marks for the new material that you write, not material that comes
from other people and other sources (e.g. from me, your friends, or from the
Internet). **Cutting-and-pasting from an existing answer is not solving a
problem.** Do your own thinking and write your own answers. No
cutting-and-pasting.
A fun tutorial on how to use the Internet to find answers and avoid
plagiarism is here:
See also: [More Students Misunderstand The Fundamentals Of Plagiarism]
Lecture Notes for This Week
===========================
From the Class Notes link on the Course Home Page
-------------------------------------------------
- [Course Home Page]
- [All Weeks]
- [000_Licensing.txt] - Creative Commons Licenses:
- [000_README.txt] - Index to this CST8281 directory
- [Test Instructions] - Important directions on how to enter your answers
on the mark-sense forms.
- [Course Outline] - Course Outline
- [005_this_is_your_brain.txt] - This is your Brain on the Internet
### Assignments
- [Assignment #01] - Multi-tasking and Homework
From Blackboard Course Documents
--------------------------------
These documents have restricted distribution and cannot be put on the [Course
Home Page].
- [01.ppt] - Introduction (vonNeumann, prefixes, reciprocal)
From the Internet - Education in 2011
-------------------------------------
- Dan Brown on Education
- Don’t teach facts? Empower students to change the world?
- Dan’s Follow-up:
- Margaret’s Summary:
- Jerome Mizon’s trailer:
- Algonquin Vision2020
- The College Fast Lane
- What is *my* job, here?
- What is *your* job, here?
From the Internet - Course Material References
----------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
From the Classroom Whiteboard/Chalkboard
----------------------------------------
- Your in-class notes go here.
Make sure you add **`idallen@idallen.ca`** and
**`alleni@algonquincollege.com`** to your email white-list, or you may not
receive important email from me, especially email with your marks in it.
Whitelist me now!
--
| 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/
| Defend digital freedom: http://eff.org/ and have fun: http://fools.ca/
[Plain Text] - plain text version of this page in [Pandoc Markdown] format
[Course Home Page]: ..
[Course Outline]: course_outline.pdf
[All Weeks]: indexcgi.cgi
[Plain Text]: week01notes.txt
[Timetable]: ../schedule.html
[Test Instructions]: 000_test_instructions.html
[www.idallen.com]: http://idallen.com/
[More Students Misunderstand The Fundamentals Of Plagiarism]: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/02/more-students-misundersta_n_666997.html
[000_Licensing.txt]: 000_Licensing.txt
[000_README.txt]: 000_README.txt
[005_this_is_your_brain.txt]: 005_this_is_your_brain.txt
[Assignment #01]: assignment01.txt
[01.ppt]: http://blackboard.algonquincollege.com/
[Pandoc Markdown]: http://johnmacfarlane.net/pandoc/