Intro to Computers Syllabus

CIS 110 - Introduction to Computers

Internet Section: please look for your syllabus at http://elgin.edu and click on the "Academics" Tab

Course Objectives: By the conclusion of this class you should be able to:

Describe the history of computers
Use and understand basic computer terminology
Explore job possibilities in the computer/business field
Recommend the purchase of a computer based on its intended use (hardware, O/S, and application software)
Use troubleshooting techniques to identify hardware, O/S, and application software problems
Efficiently search and utilize the Internet for research, e-commerce, education, etc.
Create, edit, and format a document using Microsoft Word
Create, edit, utilize functions,create conditions and format spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel
Create presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint
Create and query a database using Microsoft Access (includes report creation)
Design and create a functional web page including internal and external links using open source software
Use photo editing software to manipulate digital images
Explain the advantages of using a network, and how it functions

Required Text Books: “Discovering Computers 2010 by Shelly and Cashman, (ISBN 978-0-324-78647-7), “Microsoft Office 2007
” by the same authors (ISBN 978-1-4188-4374-8).

Some students prefer to purchase online texts (soft copy) at a savings of up to 50% off the cost of hard copy textbooks. To explore this option, click here.

Required Supplies: USB drive ( 1 GB or more).

Attendance: You are encouraged to attend each class and be on time. Points will not be deducted if you miss a class, but it is your responsibility to get notes from a classmate so you can keep on pace. Since you are responsible for class material as well as material in the text books, it is strongly recommended you attend regularly. Please be considerate and be on time. Coming to class late is not only distracting to me but also to your classmates. For safety reasons, I close and lock the classroom door at the beginning of the period.

Quizzes , Exams and Labs: We will take a short 50 point quiz after every one or two chapters, and a midterm and final exam worth 100 points each. If you miss a quiz, you will be expected to take it the day you return unless you make prior arrangements with me. The midterm and final exams must be taken on the assigned dates or you will receive a zero for that exam.

There should be adequate class time to complete many of the labs. However, if you are unable to complete them in the allotted time, you may do them in the Academic Computing Lab (ICT 125) or at home. If a lab is late, a 10% penalty will be deducted for each class day it is late. We will most likely have 8 lab projects each worth 50 points.

Grades: I anticipate accumulating 800 points, although this may vary. The grading scale would then look like this:

720-800 = A

640-719 = B

560-639 = C

480-559 = D

COURSE POLICIES

Electronic Devices in Class Policy

Pagers, CD players, radios, iPods, and similar devices are prohibited in the classroom and laboratory facilities. If a cell phone is brought to class, it must either must be turned off or put in vibrate mode. Text messaging during class will not be tolerated. Cell phones, calculators and computers are prohibited during examinations and quizzes, unless specified. If a student is caught texting during an exam, they will receive a grade of zero for that particular test or at the discretion of the teacher, may be withdrawn from the class. (See cheating policy below.) Reasonable laptop-size computers may be used in lecture for the purpose of taking notes.

Incomplete Policy

Students will not be given an incomplete grade in the course without sound reason and documented evidence as described in the college catalogue. In any case, for a student to receive an incomplete, he or she must be passing and must have completed a significant portion of the course.

Cheating Policy

Students are expected to uphold the school’s standard of conduct relating to academic honesty. Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit. The guiding principle of academic integrity shall be that a student's submitted work, examinations, reports, and projects must be that of the student's own work. Students shall be guilty of violating the honor code if they:

1.    Represent the work of others as their own.
2.    Use or obtain unauthorized assistance in any academic work.
3.    Give unauthorized assistance to other students.
4.    Modify, without instructor approval, an examination, paper, record, or report for the purpose of obtaining additional credit.
5.    Misrepresent the content of submitted work.

Departmental policy states: “anyone caught cheating” may be withdrawn from the class with a Failing grade.

For this class, it is permissible to assist classmates in general discussions of computing techniques. General advice and interaction are encouraged. Each person, however, must develop his or her own solutions to the assigned projects, assignments, and tasks. In other words, students may not "work together" on graded assignments. Such collaboration constitutes cheating. A student may not use or copy (by any means) another's work (or portions of it) and represent it as his/her own. If you need help on an assignment, contact your instructor, not other classmates.

Disabilities Policy

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all qualified students enrolled in this course are entitled to “reasonable accommodations.” Please notify me during the first week of class of any accommodations needed for the course.

Extra Help

If you are lost or need extra help, come in and see me during my posted office hours. It’s generally not necessary to make an appointment.

Assignments:

Week 1 -

Learning Objectives: Identify and give examples of the components of a computer system, be able todifferentiate and give examples of application software and system software, compare the different types of input, output and storage devices, describe the functions of the CPU and its components, describe what a network is and why we use them.

Introductions/Review Syllabus
Read Chapter 1 - Discovering Computers

Chapter Notes

Holiday Monday - Martin Luther King Day

Week 2

Learning Objectives: (Continued from week one)

Continue Chapter 1 Discussion Monday and Wednesday
Introduce Chapter 2, if time permits

Homework: Read Chapter 2 -

Chapter Notes
Chapter 2 Notes

Week 3-

Learning Objectives: Discuss the history of the Internet, explore the different ways to access and connect to the Internet, analyze an IP address, discuss the purpose of a web browser, search for information on the Web, identify the various types of web sites and their purpose, recognize how web pages use graphics, animation, audio, and video.

In class: PowerPoint presentation, visit different types of web sites including news, informational, portal, advocacy, business, news and educational.

Week 4 -

Learning Objectives: See above for the Internet

Feb 14 - Conclude Internet lesson
Group project in class (web sites)

No class Wednesday, Feb 16
No class Monday, Feb 21 - President's Day

February 23: Quiz on chapters 1 and 2 (use your class notes and lesson 1 and 2 notes to study from. This will be a 50 point T/F and multiple choice quiz (25 questions). The below Internet lab is also due on Feb 23.

Internet Lab

On the Internet Lab site, read about soft vs hard searches. Under section C (combined hard vs soft searches or hybrid searches) you will see examples of searches that require both facts and opinions. Please perform searches on the four topics giving facts and opinions (not yours). You may use a word processing program or hand write your answers. Limit your responses to one page for each topic and be sure to cite the Internet sites you extracted the information from. This is NOT a formal paper, but I do expect your answers in your own words (no cutting and pasting). This lab is worth 25 points and due on Wednesday, February 23rd. Please submit it at the beginning of class.

Week 5

Learning Objectives -By the conclusion of this lesson you will be able to: Identify and describe software sources, navigate the user interface, identify and explore the key features of widely used business programs, and create, edit and save a document in Microsoft Word.

Homework: Read Chapter 3 in your DC book

Feb 23 - Quiz on chapters 1 and 2 (50 points)

New site for today: Etsy is a person-to-person e-commerce site that allows artists and craftspeople to take full advantage of technology and connect with customers around the globe. If you are thinking of opening a storefront for your own handmade goods, this is an easy entry into e-commerce. Click etsy.com

Lesson 3 Notes

Internet Search: shareware, freeware, open source software

Research cool new applications at AppScout.com

Example of open source software at Open Office.org

Web based word processing program Google Docs

Explore note taking software Evernote.com

Personal Information Manager Chandlerproject.org

A good site for info on Word http://word.tips.net/

Create a folder for your document - discuss folder locations

Word Lab: Create a 1-2 page report (which will eventually be a web posting) using Microsoft Word or Open Office on the following:

Your employer recently discovered that an employee was using his Facebook account to post disparaging remarks about the company president. The employee was fired and has now lodged a wrongful discharge lawsuit against your employer. You don't feel comfortable with the way this employee was treated, and you are wondering if your employer's firing of the employee was legal. Investigate the following:

a. Is Illinois an "employment-at-will" state? If so, generally an employee can be fired for almost any reason at any time as long as the firing does not violate another employment law such as the Civil Rights Act. Should an employer have the right to fire a person for expressing an opinion about his or her boss or company on a social networking site?

b. Have employers been successful in terminating employees for making disparaging comments on social networking sites, wikis, and blogs? Research the case of Ellen Simonetti (2004), whose firing over her blog posts is one of the most famous cases in this area. In your opinion, was Ms. Simonetti treated fairly? What kind of policy should an employer have to warn employees about the potential consequences of their actions on social networking sites?

c. If you were running a small business and you found out that one of your employees was disparaging you or the business on a public Web site, what would you do about it?

Rubric (50 points)

Spelling - 5 points will be deducted for each misspelled word - use spellcheck feature

Title - Must be centered, underlined and made bold - 3 points

Graphics - Choose an appropriate graphic or graphics that will set the tone for your "eventual" web page - 5 points

Fonts - Use Arial, size 12 - 5 points

Color - Change the font color on one or more words to emphasize a point - 5 points

Name - Include your name at the end of your report - 2 points

Sources - Cite your web site sources (site name and web address) - 5 points

Content - Answered all questions fully (not just a yes or no answer) - 25 points

Week 6

Site for the Day:http://www.gasbuddy.com

Learning Objectives: (Complete Microsoft Word objectives listed above.) Within the next two weeks, you will be able to: download a program from the Internet onto a USB drive, describe the characteristics and differences between a well designed and poorly designed web site, create a multi-page web site which includes the acquisition and use of relevant graphics and backgrounds, the importance and use of navigational tools, the creation and use of tables, and how to insert internal and external hyperlinks.
(We will use NVU ,open source software for this project.

Note to All Classes: Please be sure to bring your USB drive to class everyday!
Download NVU from this site: http://www.nvu.com

In-class lab demonstration:

Define the purpose of your site and make a flow diagram
Create a folder on your USB to store your web pages and graphics
Design a logo or banner and use the Internet to find appropriate graphics
Layout and save Index page (save)
Create and save other pages (save)
Add hyperlinks
Spell check

Process
To learn how to publish a page: click here

Web Design using NVu (see class handout for detailed instructions)

1. Go to "My Computer" and click on your removable drive
2. Open the "Nvu" folder
3. Remember, each site you create must be in its own folder
4. From the opening page in Nvu, click on "file", "Open file", and make a new folder
5. Your home page should always be called "Index"
6. To create a logo or banner, try http://www.typogenerator.net or http://flamingtext.com
7. Be sure to save the banner in the folder you created.
8. To insert the banner, go to the "Insert" menu and select "Image". then select "Browse File"
9. To insert a background, go to the "Format" menu, select "Page Colors and Background, "Custom Colors"
double click on the background icon to bring up the color palate.
10. When you put a hyper link in, remember you must have all your pages created and saved.
11. To create an internal link, select the text or picture you want to represent the link, click the "link" icon
on the tool bar, find the page you want to link to by hitting the "Browse" button. Select the appropriate
page and insert.
12. To create an external link, select the picture or text you want to be your link, click the "link" icon
on the tool bar, type the address in and be sure to include http://www.(address).
13. Be sure to save the page since you have made changes.
14. To test your site, go to the "File" menu and select "Browse Page"

For more help, click the icon:

Lab Assignment (50 points) -

Finally, you won't have to look at this BLAH web site anymore!!! Your task is to design a new class website, one which will be used for future CIS 110 and CIS 112 classes. When all the individual sites have been created, the class will vote on which one will be published...and the winner will receive this brand new Windows 2010 textbook! How's that for an incentive?!?!

Requirements:

Design an index page (home page), Be sure to find an interesting, but appropriate graphic. You may create a logo or add a heading, whichever is more appealing to you.
Add a background color, but keep it light. As we have found out, a dark page does not display well over the projector system. Use my existing information (name, office hours, office location, phone and email address. Remember, this class is a portal for students entering either CIS 112 or CIS 110. Only make the CIS 110 link active.
Create page two which is actually the syllabus - you do not have to add the assignments section
Use appropriate graphics to add interest to the page (be sure they are not copy protected - and be creative!).
Feel free to change the material in any order, or re-write the content, but be sure it is accurate! You may want to write the syllabus in the form of FAQ's instead.
Use tables on the Index Page to reference the two classes.
Be sure to link from Page 2 back to the Index Page. Also, include a link to Elgin Community College's home page.
You may add any additional links you think would be helpful to a student as long as they are appropriate for a page of this type
Be sure to spell check!

Rubric:

Technical - links work correctly (9 points)

Index Page contains all required information ( 5 points)

Spelling is accurate ( 3 points deducted for each mispelled word)

Use of a banner or logo (3 points)

Syllabus is accurate (5 points)

Well constructed tables (5)

Design - creative graphics (5 points)

Well designed layout (10 points)

Good color scheme (5 points)

Week 7 -

Learning Objectives: Identify the components on the motherboard and discuss the function of each, identify and discuss the functions of the power supply, hard drive, ROM chip, CMOS, and ports and connectors, write a simple program to learn how the computer processes an instruction, convert to binary and EBCDIC to learn how the computer stores instructions and data, research current PC statistics

Homework: Read Chapter 4 in your DC book

See notes below

Chapter 4 Notes

Week 8

Midterm on Chapters 1-4
Mon class also bring your digital camera on 11/8
Lesson Objectives: Edit graphic files using open source software

Download software at Autostitch
Bring digital camera to class
Download Photofiltre onto your USB at http://www.snapfiles.com/download/dlphotofiltre.html
This is a simple photo editing program

Lab - Class Project - create a panaroma and single photo for editing (50 points)

1. Take at least 25 photos (must be jpg images) making sure you capture all portions of the scene.
2. Upload images onto your USB drive (in any order) in a folder called "ECC"
3. Run Autostitch - be sure to open the correct file (ECC) then click "Stitch"
4. The program will automatically align the pictures.

Note: For more tips on how to use this software click here

In class demonstration of PhotoFiltre

Weeks 9 - 10/ Read chapters 5-8

Learning Objectives: Discuss the various input and output devices, and the types of input and output that can be produced on a computer, differentiate between storage devices and storage media, describe the characteristics and advantages/disadvantages of each , identify the different operating systems used today, explore O/S utility programs, summarize the startup process on a PC, discuss network operating systems and mainframe operating systems.

Chapter 5 and 6 notes to be completed in class

Click here for chapters 7 and 8
Read Chapter 7 (storage) and Chapter 8 (operating system) - Learning Objectives: Differentiate between storage devices and storage media, describe the characteristics of each form of device, understand the advantages and disadvantages of each, be able to identify the different types of operating systems, summarize the startup process on a PC, describe the function of the O/S, discuss how it is used to control networks, summarize and use the main features of the O/S

Week 11

Lesson Objective: Create a spreadsheet, insert formulas, format the spreadsheet, create "what if" conditions, and create a chart

Bring your Microsoft Office text with you to class = Lab will be assigned

Week 12

Lesson Objective: Create a PowerPoint slide presentation

Lab to be assigned