Second week of IT 102-50

Hello again IT 102-50 students.  I trust that you had an interesting week with Professor Reynolds and enjoyed his PowerPoint instructions.  Many of you did not submit either of the two drop box assignments he gave you, I must caution you that not doing this work is the easiest way to drop two whole letter grades, as the class participation is worth 20% of your grade, so even if you get 100% on all tests that drops you down to a 80% if you don't do the work!

 

Tonight we will reorganize a bit and dig deep into some of the fundamentals of computer literacy.  Please be sure to bring your REQUIRED USB key drive, iPod or other storage device to all classes.  If you havent purchased one yet let me know what your budget is and I can make some recommendations.  You can get one for under $10!  Also make sure you bring your syllabus, name placard (if these were handed out) and a printed copy of your Power Point presentation.

 

Make sure you have the following bookmarked:

www.engadget.com

slashdot.org

www.digg.com

www.wired.com

infotechbuzz.blogspot.com

zorak.monmouth.edu/~posten

ecampus.monmouth.edu

www.gizmodo.com

www.techmeme.com

 

The question you should be thinking about when you enter class tonight is this:  "What is a computer".  I know what your BOOK says it is, what do YOU think of a computer as being and doing? 

 

Start thinking about what you hope to learn from this class!  We have a wide variety of experience with Computers every semester, and it is my goal to help ALL of you grow and be ready for more in the IT minor program should you choose to continue down that route.  Other than this being a required class, why do you want to learn more about computers, what do you currently use computers for, and what is stopping you from learning how to better use computers in all of the other things you are REALLY interested in studying?

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

Sam

 

Also:  Thanks to Professor Reynolds!  I hated missing the first week of class but it was unavoidable and I sincerly appreciate his assistance!

Welcome IT 102-50 Students!

Looking forward to seeing you all in class.  We'll have a bit of an interesting start to the semester, more details on that when you get to the first class session!

 

Please be sure to check the class blog frequently at http://infotechbuzz.blogspot.com/

 

Also be sure to log in to see the details at:  http://ecampus.monmouth.edu

 

My email should you need to get me fastest is: sposten@gmail.com

You can also send it to posten@monmouth.edu

 

I look forward to talking to you all soon!

 

Sam

 

 

FW: ITADJUNCTS: Library Post-test

Please answer all of the following questions and send the results to posten@monmouth.edu

 

Thank you

 

Sam

 

 

 

1.       Which of the following will help you find books in the Monmouth University Library?

a.     The Interlibrary Loan Service

b.     The Research Databases of the Library

c.     The Library Catalog

d.     The Google Search Engine

 

2.      What research tool should you use to get an authoritative and reliable overview of a topic that you knew very little about?

a.     Wikipedia

b.     An encyclopedia

c.     A newspaper

d.     A popular magazine

 

3.      In the APA citation below, what is the title of the journal?

Nicholls, R. (2007). Postcards from the Past: Pressing questions and a persistent vitality.  American Scholar, 76(1), 34-37.  Retrieved Thursday, May 3, 2007 from the Academic Search Premier database.

a.      Nicholls, R.

b.     Academic Search Premier

c.     American Scholar

d.     Postcards from the Past

 

4.      Which of the following statements is TRUE?

a.     Most full-text journal articles in the Library Research Databases are also freely available to anyone who searches on the Internet.

b.     You can find articles from scholarly journals in the Library’s Research Databases

c.     Google search engine is the best tool to search for journal articles

d.     You cannot search the Library’s Research Databases from home

 

5.      Which of the following statements is TRUE about scholarly journals?

a.     They contain colorful, glossy pages and typically accept commercial advertising

b.     They are mainly for laymen and non-professionals to read

c.     They have plain pages, minimal graphics, and detailed references

d.     They contain glossy photos but not charts or tables

 

6.      Journal Locator is used to:

a.     Find a reference book

b.     Find initial topics in your research

c.     Find a government document

d.     Find print and online journals the library subscribes to

 

7.      Interlibrary Loan is a system for Monmouth University students to:

a.     Purchase books and journals

b.     Borrow books owned by the Monmouth University Library

c.     Borrow books and journal articles that are NOT owned by the University Library

d.     Travel to area libraries and check books out of them

 

8.      What are the key concepts of the following statement: “Discuss how the breakup of the Soviet Union has impacted U.S. foreign policy”?

a.     Breakup, “United States’ foreign policy”, “Soviet Union”

b.     “Soviet Union”, “United States”

c.     “United States’ policy”, ”Soviet Union’s foreign policy”

d.     Breakup, “United States’ foreign policy”

 

9.      Which of the following would be the best tool to use to obtain journal articles for your selected topic?

a.     The online library catalog

b.     A research database (e.g. Academic Search Premier)

c.     An encyclopedia

d.     Google Scholar

 

10.  You are writing a paper on capital punishment as a deterrent to crime.  What are the best keyword strategies for your search?

a.     “capital punishment” OR crime

b.     Deterrent AND crime

c.     “capital punishment” AND crime

d.     Prison AND crime

 

11.  What is the easiest way to find out if the Library has the 1998 issues of Journal of Communication?

a.     Search the Library’s periodical stacks

b.     Search the Journal Locator

c.     Search Google Scholar

d.     Search NoodleTools

 

12.  In order to locate a library book on the shelf, you will need:

a.     The call number

b.     The location

c.     The status

d.     Answers a, b, and c

 

13.  You are writing a research paper and you read an article on your topic.  In which of the following instances would you cite the material as a footnote/reference in your paper?

a.     When you write an idea from the article in your own words

b.     When you quote from the article, using quotation marks

c.     If you have not used anything from the article

d.     Answers a and b

 

14.  What are services provided by the Library?

a.     You can access the Library resources via your eCampus courses

b.     You can borrow a laptop computer at the Circulation Desk

c.     You can IM a librarian at any time of the day

d.     You  have wireless Internet access

e.     Answers a, b, and d

15.  You are writing a report on automobile safety and tires.  You have found several sources.  Which would be the most trustworthy because of the likelihood of having objective information?

a.     Survey from a tire manufacturer

b.     Article in a consumer advocate magazine

c.     Information from a car manufacturer’s website

d.     Article in a women’s magazine

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Introducing Knols

Google introduced their competitor to Wikipedia today, "Knols" which are units of knowledge.  Interesting concept and different philosophy than what Wiki tries to do.

 

Rough Type has the best insight on it so far:

http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2007/12/google_knol_tak.php

NEW - Drop box assignment due today

_______________________________________________
itadjuncts mailing list
itadjuncts@monmouth.edu
http://mail.monmouth.edu/mailman/listinfo/itadjuncts

<<ATT172174.txt>>
https://monmouth.desire2learn.com/d2l/tools/dropbox/dropboxPickup/pickupFolderContents.asp?ou=33002&db=290078

I know this is similar question to the drop box assignment zero where I asked you to list out your technology experience and expectations, but the School has asked us to be a bit more specific in asking:  Did you take a technology course in high school?  Answer yes or no.  Do

not include personal typing courses.  If so, what was the content of
this course? 

Please upload the answer to this question on ecampus at the drop box listed above. If at all possible please answer this question today, if you can. 

Thank you so very much.

Sam and the IT dept.

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Access Practice Test enclosed, meet at Library tonight

OK, the access practice test is enclosed.  To do the practice test tho you need to have read our book's chapters about creating table relationships.  In the past we did all this by creating simple queries but now MS has moved this into it's own relationships tabs.  Perhaps you can still do it by just making queries but it's best for us to follow the recommended route.

 

If the book's way of doing things didnt work so well for you, try the tutorial on the CDs I gave you.  There are also the official MS web pages that describe the process here:

 

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/CH100645681033.aspx

and

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/CH100645771033.aspx

 

Give the sample test a shot.  Our actual exam that we will take on Thursday uses a VERY simple table relationship and I'll be pretty flexible about helping you make this work since we won't have actually done it live in class.  But you need to try this and see how it works before attempting it on the test.  Complete the pretest by tomorrow night at the latest so that if you have any questions you can contact me long before we are set to take the test on Thursday.

 

ALSO!  Tonight we are meeting DIRECTLY at the library.  DO NOT GO TO OUR REGULAR MEETING ROOM.  Meet in the library lobby at 5:55.

 

See you there tonight.

Sam

Asynchronous/Virtual class!

We have something special planned for Tuesday night, a class that will be conducted virtually!

 

First, read the class lecture notes at:

http://zorak.monmouth.edu/~posten/homepc.ppt

 

Then tomorrow night you can log in to http://ecampus.monmouth.edu and join the chat room for our IT 102-50 section to discuss issues regarding what you need to think about when budgeting for a home computer.  A log of the conversation will be mailed out as well for an 'asynchronous' learning experience.  You can log in from a home computer, one in the dorms, or actually go to our classroom. 

 

Once the lecture and discussion session are complete, your homework assignment will be to design and budget a 'dream' home computer system.  If unlimited funds were available what kind of computer would you build and why?  Would you want something simple just to email, surf the web and do reports on?  Or would you want a killer audio/video powerhouse that could play all the latest games at their best quality?  Maybe you would want a monster video and audio editing system where you could do photography and make movies.  Or will you go for something simple and elegant with moderate power like an Apple iMac or Dell's new Dell ONE?

 

You will gather a list of all the features and create a powerpoint presentation showing what your system can and can't do and an excel spreadsheet that details ALL of the costs it would take to acquire such a system.  Dont forget printers, LCDs, peripherals and software, also tax shipping and other hidden costs.  Together this should be a 3-4 page presentation and a single excel spreadsheet, and should be ready to show the rest of the class on Thursday night.

 

Let me know if you have any questions, I'll see you (virtually!) tomorrow night.

 

Sam

Is email dead?

Slate thinks so:

http://slate.com/id/2177969/pagenum/all/#page_start

Thomas Hawk agrees:

http://thomashawk.com/2007/11/email-1961-2007-rip-thank-god.html

 

 

You Tube HD?  Yes please.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/15/youtube-hd-coming-soon/

 

Colussus:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7094881.stm

 

Hacker of the year arrested:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/security/police-swoop-on-hacker-of-the-year/2007/11/15/1194766821481.html

RCRD LBL

http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/15/engadget-founder-peter-rojass-new-digital-music-site-rcrd-lbl-l/

 

Get free downloads today!

 

Also check out:

http://www.niggytardust.com from Saul Williams and Trent Rezner.

What's wrong with Creative Commons?

I dont agree with all of his conclusions but it's an interesting backgrounder from a professional perspective.

 

http://www.jmg-galleries.com/blog/2007/11/12/creative-commons-a-great-concept-ill-never-employ/

 

OF COURSE CC isn't designed for folks like him and it's frustrating that this is so often confused.

Professor Lessig's TED talk

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/06/larry-lessigs-ted-ta.html

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How hackers work

From How stuff works….

 

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/hacker.htm

 

Sam

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E-mail Confidentiality/Proprietary Notice: The information contained in this transmission may be proprietary and subject to protection under the law. The message is intended for the sole use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any use, distribution or copying of the message is strictly prohibited. If you received this transmission in error, please contact the sender immediately by replying to this e-mail and delete the material from any computer. Thank you.

Yahoo vs. Google

http://weblogs.media.mit.edu/SIMPLICITY/nonflickr/05_yahoogle.html

 

Sam

AP chief on how the net has tranformed news

http://www.ap.org/pages/about/whatsnew/wn_110107a.html

If you put amateurs on the front line of security

You shouldn’t be surprised when you get amateur results…

 

So says noted security expert Bruce Schneier…

 

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/11/the_war_on_the.html

 

Do you agree?  Is escalating every possible incident the right thing to do, cause it only takes one wrong decision to allow harm to happen?  Or do we need to stop living in fear and think objectively?  What’s the easy thing to do?  What’s the right thing?

 

Sam

DISCLAIMER:
E-mail Confidentiality/Proprietary Notice: The information contained in this transmission may be proprietary and subject to protection under the law. The message is intended for the sole use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any use, distribution or copying of the message is strictly prohibited. If you received this transmission in error, please contact the sender immediately by replying to this e-mail and delete the material from any computer. Thank you.