Final Exam & Final Grade

The final exam grades have been finalized and submitted to Angel.  Check there for specific grade information.

Also, I have scoured messages to address any questions you may have add about your grade and missing assignments.  All of those questions have been addressed, and I've replied to each message.  The grade currently shown in Angel as your final average is the one that will be submitted to Lonestar MyRecords tomorrow (Sunday) as your grade in this course.  If you have any remaining questions, be sure to submit those by 12:00pm tomorrow, Sunday, May 16. 

Hope you had a worthwhile semester, all around - not just this class, and hope you have a great summer.

Final Exam, Correction re: Availability

In a previous post, I listed the exam as being available through May 12, Thursday night at 11pm.  The date and day do not match.  Thursday night is May 13. 

The exam will be available until 11pm on Thursday, May 13. 

Grading Notes: Week 15 & Makeup

All grades are current.

The Alice Programming Project and the Computer Careers Blog have both been graded and updated in Angel.  Check there for that information.

I have also gone back through all of the messages I've received regarding assignments that were submitted late or for which I had missed.  All of those grades should have been updated as well.  Again, check the Angel system.

As I mentioned previously....

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS about your grade, I am more than willing to discuss your grade and resolve any concerns you have; that should have happened by now, but if you have any last minute concerns or questions, please contact me via email using your lonestar.edu email address; I can not discuss specific grade results with you via other channels of communication.   

IF there are assignments you submitted which were not graded, please call that work to my attention - particularly if it's MyITLab work; again, send me an email via your lonestar.edu email address.  

Final Exam Available

As noted this past Tuesday, the final exam will be delivered via MyITLab; it is now available and will be available through May 12, Thursday night at 11pm.  I recommend finishing it by Wednesday evening to allow for any issues you may encounter.  I will not be able to reopen the exam once it closes. 

It has five sections which you access separately:

• MS Word 
• MS Powerpoint
• MS Excel
• MS Access
• Technology in Action

The MS Office application sections will be similar to the work you've done all semester.  You will have simulated questions working with the application via MyITLab.  The Technology in Action section will be multiple choice questions covering the same chapters you've read this semester.

Quiz Note: Chapters 8, 10 & 13 Not Assigned

A quick note on the quizzes, which have closed for the semester.  If you are looking at your grades and notice a zero for Chapters 8, 10 and 13 10 quizzes, those will not be counted in the final grade formulation.  They were not assigned during the semester; they are in the course as part of the default course content.  I will be removing those from the gradebook.

Final Exam, Next Week

The final exam next week will be delivered via MyITLab.  It will have five sections which you access separately:

• MS Word 
• MS Powerpoint
• MS Excel
• MS Access
• Technology in Action

The MS Office application sections will be similar to the work you've done all semester.  You will have simulated questions working with the application via MyITLab.  The Technology in Action section will be multiple choice questions covering the same chapters you've read this semester. 

I will make the exam available in MyITLab May 9, Monday morning before 8am.  It will be available through May 12, Thursday night at 11pm.

Grading Notes: Weeks 12, 13 & 14

All grades are current; see those notes below.  First, however, (caps & bold for emphasis)  

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS about your grade, I am more than willing to discuss your grade and resolve any concerns you have, but that has to happen BEFORE the final exam.  Please contact me via email with those questions via your lonestar.edu email address; I can not discuss specific grade results with you via other channels of communication.   

IF YOU HAVE LATE WORK you have submitted which has not been graded, please call that work to my attention - particularly if it's MyITLab work; again, send me an email via your lonestar.edu email address.    

All grades from MyITLab Access assignments have been transferred from MyITLab to the gradebook in the Angel system, and there's a project grade which represents the average of those six assignments:

• Access 12A
• Access 12B
• Access 13A
• Access 13B
• Access 14A
• Access 14B
• Access Project

Also, the remaining blog posts of the Computer System project have been graded, and the Computer System Project grade calculated.

• CS Ports
• CS Video (Blog)
• CS Addtl Options (Blog)
• Computer System Project

Finally, the Home Network blog post has been graded and recorded in Angel as well.

Week 15 Plan

We have only two modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 15.  Hopefully, you will have time to complete these two modules and then work on catching up on any past due assignments. 

• Exploring Computer Careers 
• Programming

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Project category.  Alice Project.  Due no later than May 9 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Blog Post.  Computer Careers.  Due no later than May 9 @ 11:59pm. 

Week 14 Plan

We have only two modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 14.  Hopefully, you will have time to complete these two modules and then work on catching up on any past due assignments. 

• Your Home Network 
• Access Chapter 14

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on Your Home Network. Due no later than May 2 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Chapter 12 Quiz.  Due no later than May 2 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Access Project 14A. Due no later than May 2 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Access Project 14B. Due no later than May 2 @ 11:59pm

Week 13 Plan

We have only two modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 13. This week, we finish spec'ing out the computer hardware for buying a computer with one module, and the rest of your time should focus on working with MS Access. The goal of having only two modules is to give you more time to work through MS Access assignments since fewer of us are familiar with us, and most of the concepts and ideas are new.

• Computer System: Other Options
• Access Chapter 13

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on Other Computer System Options. Due no later than April 25 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Access Project 13A. Due no later than April 11 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Access Project 13B. Due no later than April 11 @ 11:59pm

Grading Notes: Weeks 9, 10 & 11

All grades are current.  We have a two week stretch left to the end of April.  REMEMBER, all quizzes must be completed by 11:55pm on April 30.  Plus, if you want to submit any late work, it must be submitted by the same time.  If there's a chance to catch up, this is the one and only opportunity.  I don't make any promises on getting any or all late work graded, but I usually try to make a point to grade it if it's going to make a difference in your grade point (a letter grade) for the course. 

All grades from MyITLab Excel assignments have been transferred from MyITLab to the gradebook in the Angel system, and there's a project grade which represents the average of those six assignments:

• Excel 9A
• Excel 9B
• Excel 10A
• Excel 10B 
• Excel 11A
• Excel 11B  
• Excel MyITLab

The two remaining blog posts on Application Software have been graded and posted, and the project grade which represent the average of the Application Software assignments has been calculated.

• Email Platform (Blog)
• Social Network (Blog)

Finally, the first four blog posts of the Computer System project have been graded:

• CS Base Config (blog)
• CS Motherboard (blog)
• CS RAM (blog)
• CS Hard Drive (blog)

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Week 12 Plan, Part 2

The second part of Week 12 work is posted on the Course Assignments page.  The second and third modules are now available:

• Computer System: Video Card & Displays
• Database Concepts

If you haven't already, be sure to refer back to the Week 12 Plan, Part 1 post for more details.

Drop Date

As noted in a previous blog post, according to the Vice President of Instruction for LSC-CyFair, 

Please note the “W” (last day for students to withdraw) date for Spring 2010 semester is April 13, 2010.

Please consider the 6-Drop Rule as you make a decision to withdraw or not from this course; more information can be found on the college website at:  http://www.lonestar.edu/course-drops.htm.

Week 12 Plan, Part 1

We have four modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 12. Currently, two of the four modules are available; the remaining two modules will be available within the next day or so.

• Computer System: Internal & External Ports 
• Computer System: Video Card & Displays
• Database Concepts 
• Access Chapter 12 

 Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on Internal & External Ports.  Due no later than April 18 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Blog post on Video Card & Displays.  Due no later than April 18 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Chapter 11 Quiz.  Due no later than April 30 @ 11:55pm.
• Daily. Access Project 12A. Due no later than April 18 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Access Project 12B. Due no later than April 18 @ 11:59pm 

Week 11, Plan

We have three modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 11. This week, we continue the portion of the class focused on computer hardware during which we will practice buying a computer; and we're also continuing work with MS Excel.

• Computer System: RAM
• Computer System: Storage>
• Excel Chapter 11

Be sure to pay attention to the sample assignment blog; I've posted the thought process I'm going through doing the same activity you are.  You can use my thoughts as a guide and as information; do realize though that you can't mimic my responses too closely.  Your response is unique to you and your situation; your computing needs are radically different from mine.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):
Daily. Blog post on RAM/Memory.  Due no later than April 11 @ 11:59pm.
Daily. Blog post on Hard Drive / Storage.  Due no later than April 11 @ 11:59pm.
Daily. Quiz Chapter 9 (as soon as I can make it available).
Daily. Excel Project 11A. Due no later than April 11 @ 11:59pm.
Daily. Excel Project 11B. Due no later than April 11 @ 11:59pm

Week 10 Plan, Part 2

Alright folks.  It took me a little bit to catch up from being sick all day Sunday, but the rest of the Week 10 work is posted on the Course Assignments page.  The Computer System: Processor & Motherboards/Buses is now available.

As with the Form Factor & Base Configuration module, I have posted a sample Motherboard, Processor & Bus blog post.  Be sure to read all notes posted with it too.

If you haven't already, be sure to refer back to the Week 10 Plan, Part 1 post for more details.

Course Evaluations & Drop Date

From an email from the Lonestar College CyFair Vice President of Instruction:

Our semesterly Rate Your Professor Initiative (Student Evaluations of Instruction) begins today for all 16 week classes, and extends through April 12, 2010. Please remind your students to complete their evaluations of instruction. Our expectation is that 50% of your students will participate in this assessment for each class taught. Please note the “W” (last day for students to withdraw) date for Spring 2010 semester is April 13, 2010.

Click on the image to go to the Course Evaluation online system for Lonestar.

Week 10 Plan, Part 1

We have four modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 10. This week, we begin the portion of the class focused on computer hardware during which we will practice buying a computer; and we're also starting MS Excel.  Currently, only two of the three modules are available; like you, illnesses sometimes slow me down a little; I'll have the last module available within the next day or so.

• Computer System: Base Configuration, Form Factor 
• Computer System: Processor & Motherboards/Buses
• Excel Chapter 10
  

I want to highlight a section of the text from the Computer System modules; we will be spending the next four weeks working on the various modules within this project, and it's likely one of the more useful things we'll do in the class.  The scenario for the next four weeks is:

It's time for you to buy a new computer; the one you've been using no longer meets your needs.  It may not meet your needs for a variety of reasons: it may be breaking down; it may not run the new versions of software you use; it may not allow the type of working space you need; it may not run software you have recently started using for your job or for personal reasons.  Whatever the reason, you need a new computer.  The goal?  You need to buy a computer that is a "Goldilocks" computer for you.  You don't want a computer that does a lot more than what you'll use, and you don't want a computer that won't do enough for you; you don't want to pay too much or too little for the system.  You need a computer that is "just right."  For that to happen, you have to know what you're buying; you have to consider each aspect of the system carefully and in an informed manner. 

• What form factor do you need? 
• What base configuration, motherboard and processor is necessary to support your short and long term (2-4 years down the road) computing needs? 
• How much RAM/memory is needed to support your technology use habits?
• How much hard drive space will be sufficient for how you use the computer? 
• What plugs/ports do you need the computer to support to allow you to connect other devices to the computer?  What devices will you connect?
• What quality of display, video, and sound do you need or want?
• What network connectivity do you need the computer to have, and how will that work with the networks to which you connect?    

We're going to cover Chapters 2, 6 & 9 in the Technology in Action textbook from two perspectives: How do computer components work? and How do I buy them? By the end of this project, you will have detailed the hardware specifications for your next computer purchase.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on Base Configuration & Form Factor.  Due no later than April 4 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Blog post on Process & Motherboards/Buses.  Due no later than April 4 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Excel Project 10A. Due no later than April 4 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Excel Project 10B. Due no later than April 4 @ 11:59pm

I have posted a sample Base Configuration & Form Factor blog post.  Be sure to read all notes posted with it too.

Week 10 Plan - Not Quite Ready

Week 10 plan is coming; I've been sick all day today and haven't quite been able to finish it.  You do have Excel Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 online and available; please focus your work on those two chapters until I'm able to catch up and make the other modules available for this week.

** Announcement Malfunction for Week 9 **

I had noticed that very few folks have completed Week 9 work.  As I loaded the course assignments page to work on getting Week 10 ready to go, I noticed the announcements feed (from Twitter) showed the last post as being the Spring Break announcement (seen on the right side of the image below).

When I checked the Twitter/CyFair1401DL page, it showed the same thing.  So, there's a chance some of you have missed the work you should be completing this past week; though you shouldn't have since you should be checking this main page on a regular basis and should have seen the posts.

Strange thing is, after logging in to the twitter account, it does show that there were posts made last week announcing the Week 9 work and the Grading Notes for Weeks 6, 7 & 8.  You can see them below as being posted March 20.

Lessons Learned?

1. I need to more carefully monitor the twitter page to make sure announcements of blog pages are posted correctly; it's an automated process that failed this past week.
2. If you are just now finding out about the Week 9 work, you need to be sure to monitor the course home page on a more regular basis.

Grading Notes: Weeks 6, 7 & 8

Grades are caught up, for the most part.  I am still taking my time going through the submitted MS Word Resumes, so if you haven't yet submitted it, get it turned in soon to ensure that it gets reviewed and graded. 

All grades from MyITLab Powerpoint assignments have been transferred from MyITLab to the gradebook in the Angel system: Chapter 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B, 17A and 17B.  Plus, there's a project grade which represents the average of those six assignments. 

All blog posts on System Software have been graded and posted: Operating System, Virus Protection, Spyware/Malware, and Popup Blocker/Web Filter.  And, there's a project grade which represents the average of those four assignments.

All blog posts thus far on Application Software have been graded and posted as well: Productivity Suite, Media Applications and Internet Browser.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Week 9 Plan

We have four modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 9. This week, we wrap up the final MS Powerpoint project and the the Application Software series of projects.

• Application Software: Email Platform 
• Application Software: Social Networking  
• Powerpoint Personal Project (finish) 
• Excel Chapter 9  

I do want to continue emphasizing the importance of posting responses and assignments in the correct space(s). The Evaluating Internet Information module asks you to respond to questions with several posts to your personal learning space or blog (the website you created during Week 1 in the Web Page module). If you need a little help on how to add a new post to your blog, this video and this help file may be useful.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on Email Platform.  Due no later than March 28 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Blog post on Social Networking.  Due no later than March 28 @ 11:59pm.
• Project. Powerpoint Personal Project. Due no later than March 28  @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Excel Project 9A. Due no later than March 28  @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Excel Project 9B. Due no later than March 28 @ 11:59pm 

SPRING BREAK Week!

No work this week - unless you're trying to catch up on past assignments!

I will be catching up on grading this week, but it will likely be Thursday before that happens.  Remember, as long as you have your work submitted before I start grading that batch of assignments for the class, I don't consider it late; I grade it normally.  So, if you're a little behind, simply get Weeks 7 & 8 work done before I start grading it later this week.

I also hope to get Week 9 Work posted before the coming weekend - give you a couple of extra days to get started on that work.

If you travel, travel safe and well.

Interruption of Services during Spring Break?

I received the email below from Lonestar IT Services.

REMINDER As indicated in the academic calendar, the Office of Technology Services will be performing routine maintenance on all major systems over spring break next week (March 15th – March 21st).  Faculty, staff and students should expect periodic service outages as systems are upgraded, tested and brought back on line. Major systems include but are not limited to: access to the Internet, the telephone system, all LSCS web sites, Colleague, MyRecords, E-mail, Blackboard’s Vista, Angel and SharePoint.

For this class, that means there may be periodic times throughout spring break at which you may not be able to access the quizzes and other content in the Angel system.  However, this main course site (blog), the announcements, the course assignments, discussion and community pages will be unaffected since they run on other services (Google, Twitter etc). 

Week 8 Plan

We have four modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 8. This week, we'll begin the final MS Powerpoint project, and we'll begin the Application Software series of projects by selecting productivity suite, media and internet browser applications for installation on your computer.

• Application Software: Productivity Suites 
• Application Software: Media Applications 
• Application Software: Internet Browser & Tools  
• Powerpoint Personal Project 

I do want to continue emphasizing the importance of posting responses and assignments in the correct space(s). The Evaluating Internet Information module asks you to respond to questions with several posts to your personal learning space or blog (the website you created during Week 1 in the Web Page module). If you need a little help on how to add a new post to your blog, this video and this help file may be useful.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on Productivity Suite.  Due no later than March 14 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Blog post on Media Applications.  Due no later than March 14 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Blog post on Internet Browsers & Tools.  Due no later than March 14 @ 11:59pm.
• Project. Powerpoint Personal Project. Due no later than March 28  @ 11:59pm.

Tech News & Sidebar Information

I'm always looking for ways to improve this space and the class in general. One thing I've done is add a list of links to each of your blogs; you'll notice a "Class Members" module in the sidebar to the right. Those are the blogs for which I have links. I recommend you use them or the Class Community page to read what your classmates are posting; reading what they're doing in response to assignments may be extremely helpful.

I've mentioned this previously, but it bears repeating . . . If you take a look in the sidebar of this blog -- to the right >> somewhere over there >> --
you'll see "Technology News & Bits." These are technology related articles I'm reading that you may find of interest or that are directly relevant to some of the things we're talking about or exploring in class. Very recently, I've added several articles of particular interest to that feed:

• HowStuffWorks "How to Know if Your Computer is Infected with a Virus"
• HowStuffWorks "How to Remove a Computer Virus"
• Manage Your Google Reputation
• East Stroudsburg U. Suspends Professor for Facebook Posts

Week 7 Plan

We have four modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 7. This week, we'll start working with MS Powerpoint, and we'll continue the System Software series of projects by selecting spyware/malware, pop-up blocker and web filtering software for installation on your computer.

• System Software: Spyware & Malware 
• System Software: Popup Blocker & Web Filter 
• Powerpoint Chapter 16 
• Powerpoint Chapter 17

I do want to continue emphasizing the importance of posting responses and assignments in the correct space(s). The Evaluating Internet Information module asks you to respond to questions with several posts to your personal learning space or blog (the website you created during Week 1 in the Web Page module). If you need a little help on how to add a new post to your blog, this video and this help file may be useful.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on "Spyware/Malware."  Due no later than March 7 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Blog posts on "Pop-Up Blocker" and "Web Filter."  Due no later than March 7 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Powerpoint Project 16A. Due no later than March 7 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Powerpoint Project 16B. Due no later than March 7  @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Powerpoint Project 17A. Due no later than March 7 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Powerpoint Project 17B. Due no later than March 7 @ 11:59pm

Grading Notes, Weeks 4 & 5

I've gone through most of the work from Weeks 4 and 5, and grades are available in the Angel System. 

Grades from the MyITLab MS Word projects 7A, 7B, and 8A have all been transferred, and the Word MyITLab project grade has been calculated and entered into Angel as well.  In addition, I've also read all and commented on most of your blog posts regarding Searching the Internet Effectively, Wikipedia, and All the News that's Fit to Print.  Those grades are also available in Angel.

The only work I've not gotten to yet is the Internet Sources blog post (evaluating websites).  I hope to get to that sometime soon.  Plus, I will hopefully soon start going through the Word Resumes which have been submitted.

Week 6 Plan

We have five modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 6; that's more than we typically have, but it's not any more work than what you should already be used to.  In fact, the first module listed doesn't have any required work but is important, and one is simply a link back to the MS Word module from last week since you should be finishing up your resume this week.  The others include two blog posts and two MyITLab assignments. 

• Open Source vs Proprietary Software
• System Software: Operating System
• System Software: Virus Protection
• Word: Personal Resume (finish)
• Powerpoint Chapter 15

I do want to continue emphasizing the importance of posting responses and assignments in the correct space(s). The Evaluating Internet Information module asks you to respond to questions with several posts to your personal learning space or blog (the website you created during Week 1 in the Web Page module). If you need a little help on how to add a new post to your blog, this video and this help file may be useful.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Project.  Word Personal Resume.  Due no later than February 28 @ 11:59pm.  This is the second of two weeks to work on this.
• Daily. Blog post on "My Operating System." Due no later than February 28 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Blog post on "My Virus Protection."  Due no later than February 28 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Powerpoint Project 15A. Due no later than February 28 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Powerpoint Project 15B. Due no later than February 28 @ 11:59pm.

Technology News & Bits

If you take a look in the sidebar of this blog -- to the right >> over there >> --
you'll see "Technology News & Bits."  These are technology related articles I'm reading that you may find of interest or that are directly relevant to some of the things we're talking about or exploring in class.  I was able to successfully add the RSS feed to this blog.  You may want to try adding it to your blog again, going back to the Website module from week 1.  The address/URL for the feed is:

http://www.google.com/reader/public/atom/user%2F13313276495702348316%2Flabel%2Fshared_cfclass

You can see a webpage of the published feed also.

Let me know if you find success with adding it to your blog.  Remember, keep working on your blog; try to "perfect it" throughout the semester.  Get it to look the way you want.  Work out the kinks to get the items, links, and feeds to appear where they're supposed to.  If you need help, let me know.

Week 5 Plan

We have two modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 5; that's less than we typically have, but you will want and need to spend just as much time on these two modules as the others in previous weeks.  Both are generally important, and one could have significant personal implications.

• Evaluating Internet Information 
• Word: Personal Resume

I do want to continue emphasizing the importance of posting responses and assignments in the correct space(s). The Evaluating Internet Information module asks you to respond to questions with several posts to your personal learning space or blog (the website you created during Week 1 in the Web Page module). If you need a little help on how to add a new post to your blog, this video and this help file may be useful.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on Wikipedia (parts 1 & 2). Due no later than February 21 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Blog post on All the news that's fit to print.  Due no later than February 21 @ 11:59pm.
• Project. Blog post on Internet Sources: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.  Due no later than February 21 @ 11:59pm.
• Project.  Word Personal Resume.  Due no later than February 28 @ 11:59pm.  You have two weeks, so I expect very high quality work.

Grading Notes, Week 3

I mentioned this last couple of weeks but am including it here again.  With the schedule that we have - Monday through Sunday midnight - I'm realizing I likely won't get an opportunity to get work graded untijl later in the week, and most often, that may often be the weekend *after* assignments were due.  So, with Week 3 assignments having been due last Sunday night, I got to those assignments this weekend.

I've transferred the grades for your work on Word 6A and 6B from MyITLab to Angel, which has your official course grades.  I've also checked for the blog postings on Personal Computer Use Profile and Information Security Awareness.  Those grades are all posted in the Angel System.   

Important Note!  You need to take time to read the assignment information - follow the links and read the pages - to be sure you are completing assignments and posting information where you're supposed to.  If you're confused about how to follow things in this class, be sure to read the Workflow blogpost I posted this past week (Feb 2).  The key is to READ ALL OF THE SCREEN.  The vast majority of questions I get and the vast majority of confusion results from not reading the information that's posted.  The information you need to be successful in this class is there; you only have to follow the path laid out for you to earn a grade with which you're happy.

Catching Up & Actual Learning

Getting Caught Up!
If you are behind, catch up.  Now's the time to do that.  If you've received 0's for grades, that's not an absolute final grade.  I am reasonably lenient as long as it doesn't increase my workload or bend the integrity of the class as I see it.  I'm interested in you completing this class.  If you need help, YOU HAVE TO ASK!  I don't know you're having difficulties if you don't ask; it's not like a classroom where I can read the confusion or frustration from your face or body language.  PLUS, if you don't say anything, you prevent me from helping you; if we were in class, I could corner you and help you if I thought you needed the help.  In an online class, you can lurk and hide all semester, and I'll never know you there.  Sound off if you need help or have frustrations.  

It's What You Make It!
In many online classes, the class and what you learn from will be what you make of it; much of the responsibility to take advantage of the opportunity to learn is yours.  Because you're not in a classroom with a faculty member managing the workflow, the instructor has much less influence over how you interact with your classmates, learning resources etc.  I encourage you to make something of it.

For example, the goal for the Information Security Awareness module was to make you more cognizant of issues related to your computing safety and privacy.  It's not possible for me to observe and give you a grade for doing certain things that are valuable: modifying your password to be more secure, installing virus protection on your computer etc.  HOWEVER, if you want to get something out of this class and actually improve your computing skills, I strongly encourage you to follow up on the information security awareness blog post you wrote (or were supposed to have written ;-).  If you said you're not certain whether you have virus protection on your computer, explore the links to AVG I provided and figure out how to install it on your machine. If you learned your password is weak, take time to modify your password you use for Facebook or other important site - make it a strong password.  If you don't know how secure or private your profiles on social networking sites are, take the time to learn how to make them as secure and as private as you need or want them.

Much of the true learning in this class is up to you.  And, I *know* this information is useful beyond the purpose and function of this class as a class for which you need credit. 

Grading Notes, Week 2

I mentioned this last week but want to include it here again.  With the schedule that we have - Monday through Sunday - I'm realizing I likely won't get most grading done until the Friday-Sunday after assignments were due the previous Sunday.  We have the week ending Sunday at midnight, so I probably won't start grading things until I have the time later that week, which will often be the weekend.  So, with Week 2 assignments having been due last Sunday night, I got to those assignments this weekend.

I've graded transferred the grades for your work on Word 5A and 5B from MyITLab to Angel, which has your official course grades.  I've also checked for the blog postings on Computer Literacy and the discussion postings on the technology videos.  Those grades are all posted in the Angel System. 
  
Important Note!  You need to take time to read the assignment information - follow the links and read the pages - to be sure you are completing assignments and posting information where you're supposed to.  If you're confused about how to follow things in this class, be sure to read the Workflow blogpost I posted this past week (Feb 2).  The key is to READ ALL OF THE SCREEN.  The vast majority of questions I get and the vast majority of confusion results from not reading the information that's posted.  The information you need to be successful in this class is there; you only have to follow the path laid out for you to earn a grade with which you're happy. 

Week 4 Plan

Getting this posted a little early . . .

We have three modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 4.

• Searching the Internet Effectively
• Word Chapter 7
• Word Chapter 8

There are not any time sensitive assignments this week. HOWEVER, I do want to again emphasize the importance of posting these in the correct space. The Searching the Internet Effectively module asks you to respond to questions with a post to your PLE (personal webspace you created in Week 1 in the Web Page module). If you need a little help on how to add a new post to your blog, this video and this help file may be useful.

Again, I mention posting an example of the Searching the Internet Effectively blog entry. I have those available on the sample blog as the latest post (here). You can use that as a guide, but your answers are unique and specific to you.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on Searching the Internet Effectively. Due no later than February 14 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Technology in Action Chapter 3 Quiz.
• Daily. Word Project 7A. Due no later than February 14 @ 11:59pm.
  
• Daily. Word Project 7B. Due no later than February 14 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Word Project 8A. Due no later than February 14 @ 11:59pm.
  
• Project. You will have a single project grade for MS Word that is the combination of all the MyITLab assignments you complete. Word Project 7A, 7B and 8A are the fifth, sixth and seventh assignments within that grade.

Workflow for this Class . . .

All of this is described, in more detail, in the Technology Orientation module from Week 1, but I've received enough questions about this that I want to list it, in summary, here.  If the summary is confusing, go back to the Technology Orientation and read the full descriptions.

This is what I recommend you do to keep up with assignments, announcements etc in this class . . .

Read http://cmduke1401.blogspot.com/ (this page; aka Course Home or Course Blog) once a day, or at the very least, 4+ times a week.  Be sure you've read every post I've made here.  You'll see weekly work plans, with assignments listed; daily notes, and notes about graded assignments.

Check http://www.twitter.com/cyfair1401dl once a day, even if you're not going to the main course blog every day; the announcements will be worth checking once a day.  Personally, I'd create a twitter account so I could have any posts to this announcements feed hit my cell phone via text message. 

Those two pages will tell you when to visit the other pages and use the other tools we have for the course; the key is to make sure you're reading the assignments and other information closely.  They will tell you what to do, what to read, and which tools to use.

• Your personal blog space from the Website & Personal Learning Environment project in Week 1.
• Group discussions via Google Groups : http://groups.google.com/group/cyfair1401-spring10
• the Angel System : http://myonline.lonestar.edu
• the class community page at NetVibes : http://www.netvibes.com/cmduke#Class_People
• MyITLab which is described in more detail in the Getting Started with MyITLab module in Week 2. 

Grading Notes, Week 1

With the schedule that we have - Monday through Sunday - I'm realizing I likely won't get most grading done until the Friday-Sunday after assignments were due the previous Sunday.  We have the week ending Sunday at midnight, so I probably won't start grading things until I have the time later that week, which will often be the weekend.  So, with Week 1 assignments having been due last Sunday night, I got to those assignments this weekend.

I've graded the Orientation Project and the Personal Website Project assignments, and those grades are now posted in the gradebook in the Angel System.

Several notes.

Remember, the items included in the Orientation Project are listed at the bottom of several of the Week 1 modules, including the Technology Orientation.  When I recorded your grade, I added a note/comment noting which of those items you did not accomplish by the given deadline (which was extended to today since that's when I graded this assignment.

Your grade for the Personal Website Project assignment is not final.  I used this grading scale for that project:

• 35pts : Creating your website
• 10pts : Defining the layout for your site (+25pts possible if loaded a custom template)
• 15pts : Added Class Announcements RSS feed to your blog
• 15pts : Added Course Blog RSS feed to your blog
• 10pts : Added Course Discussion RSS feed to your blog
•   5pts : Added Tech News RSS feed to your blog
•   5pts : Added Favorite Links (five) to your blog
•   5pts : Added Another gadget of your choice to your blog

I understand we've had some technical issues with the RSS feeds; that's why your grade for this assignment is not final.  Your personal webspace should continue to be a work in progress; continue working on it throughout the semester.  If there's elements of the page (links or images) that are aligned strangely or seem to be taking up a lot of space, continue to experiment with the layout of your space.  Make it useful for you.  That includes continuing to try to add the RSS feeds to it.

Finally, the quizzes are open until the end of April.  Here's the rub though.  Until you attempt a quiz and have at least one score for it, it will be excluded from your grade calculation.  If you do not attempt a quiz, it will be assigned a zero when the quiz closes.  Since that is on April 30, if you have 10 quizzes you haven't done all semester long, you will have 10 zeros added - all at once - to your grade calculation on April 30; so, if you do not do the quizzes, your daily category average may look fine and rosy all semester, and then suddenly become a nasty, stinky grade on April 30 when all of the quizzes close.  Don't let that sneak up on or happen to you.

Week 3 Plan

We have three modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 3.

• Information Security Awareness 
• Word Chapter 6
• Personal Computer Use Profile  

There are not any time sensitive assignments this week.  HOWEVER, I do want to emphasize the importance of posting these in the correct space.  The Information Security Awareness and Personal Computer Use Profile modules ask you to respond to questions with a post to your PLE (personal webspace you created in Week 1 in the Web Page module).  If you need a little help on how to add a new post to your blog, this video and this help file may be useful.

In the modules, I mentioned posting examples of the Information Security Awareness blog entry and the Personal Computing Profile blog entry.  I have those available on the sample blog - here and here.  You can use those as a guide, but your answers are unique and specific to you.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Daily. Blog post on Information Security Awareness.  Due no later than February 7 @ 11:59pm.
• Daily. Personal Computing Profile. Due no later than February 7 @ 11:59pm. 
• Daily. Technology in Action Chapter 7 Quiz.
• Daily. Word Project 6A.  Due no later than February 7 @ 11:59pm.
  
• Daily. Word Project 6B.  Due no later than February 7 @ 11:59pm.
  
• Project. You will have a single project grade for MS Word that is the combination of all the MyITLab assignments you complete.  Word Project 6A and 6B are the third and fourth assignments within that grade.

Week 2 Plan

We have three modules on the Course Assignments page for Week 2.

• Get Started in myITLab 
• Computer Literacy & Computers in Society 
• Word Chapter 5

There are several time sensitive assignments this week.

• Start working on the Get Started in myITLab as soon as possible; this will give you time to work through any technical issues you may have before you need to complete the work for Word Chapter 5.  I will not accept emails etc at the end of the week that say, "I can't get Word Chapter 5 done because MyITLab isn't working on my computer."  You have a week to work through those issues and get Chapter 5 done.
• In the Computer Literacy module, the First Impressions item AND the Computer Applications in Society items both require you to get work done earlier in the week (no later than Wednesday AM).  Don't wait until the end of the week to begin participating, discussing, posting etc.

Assignments this week that will be included in your grade (with category and due dates noted):

• Project. Combined participation in: (a) First Impressions . . . What does it mean to be computer literate? (b) What is computer literacy? (c) Computer Applications in Society.  Should participate throughout the week. 
  
• Daily. Technology in Action Chapter 1 Quiz.  Should ideally be completed by January 31, but remember, all quizzes can be completed multiple times through April 30.
  
• Daily. Word Project 5A.  Due January 31 @ 11:59pm.
  
• Daily. Word Project 5B.  Due January 31 @ 11:59pm.
  
• Project. You will have a single project grade for MS Word that is the combination of all the MyITLab assignments you complete.  Word Project 5A and 5B are the first two assignments within that grade.
  

Finishing Up Week 1

A couple of quick notes as we finish up Week 1.

First, when I post the assignments for the week, the expectation is that you'll begin working on those assignments earlier in the week; in some instances, there will be requirements that you begin working earlier in the week - particularly for class discussions. I absolutely understand life happens and that you may not always be able to get to class materials at the beginning of the week; however, that should not be "the plan." Do not plan to complete class work at the end of the week or only on the weekend. You'll have to find time during the week to get things done.

Second, I'll be working to get grades posted for Week 1; my goal for posting grades in this class is to review everything at the end of the week and get grades posted immediately so you know how you're doing in the class. However, like everyone else, I have a lot of demands on my time and may not always be able to do that. So, the trade off for you is this. If I'm slow to review your work and get grades posted, you get extra time to get the work done; if I take extra time in getting my job done, you get extra time to get yours done. I will always post a due date with projects; that's the earliest I'll plan to start reviewing the work. The hardline due date though is when I start reviewing the work; so, if a grade hasn't been posted for an assignment, you still have time to get it done. Until I review the class' work for an assignment, there's no real reason for you to not be able to turn it in; after I've reviewed an assignment, it takes a lot of extra time and effort on my part to go back and review work turned in late, so I'll typically not want to do that. There are two notable exceptions to that approach to turning in work late. You may not participate in class discussions late or after the fact, regardless of how long it takes me to review the work; for group discussions to be meaningful, everyone needs to participate during the discussion, not after. Also, the automated MyITLab assignments (like the Chapter 5 assignments for this week); are tracked automatically by MyITLab, so those will never be graded late.

Finally, to know if I've "received" your website assignment, take a look at the Class Community page; if you see your name and your webspace listed, I was able to access your website assignment correctly.

-cmd

Community Page & Timing

Several quick notes.

When I receive the web address of your website you created for the website assignment, I add it to the "Community" page. That page will have a quick view of everyone's blog; that basically allows you to "look around class" and "see" your classmates. And, by using the blogs and the comment features, it's relatively easy to communicate. You can access the Community page from the tab at the top of the course blog OR simply use this link: http://www.netvibes.com/cmduke#Class_People

Continue to work with your blog after you initially get it set up; you will be using that space as your own workspace through the course. Some assignments will have you post a response to your blog; you'll even have the opportunity to look around the class and see how your classmates are working with the same assignments. Your blog is your own personal course home; if you have been able to add the RSS feeds from the course site and Twitter, you can even see the posts I make here in your own blog space.

Finally, it's VERY critical that you pay particular attention to the workflow and how to work with this class in the Technology and Course orientations. Throughout the semester, you'll need to check on the course and participate in activities throughout the week; you won't always be able to wait until Friday to start getting everything done. When we have group discussions (one of which is next week), you will be expected to participate in the conversation throughout the week and not just once or twice at the end of the week.

Again, if you need help, let me know. I'm relatively easy to find. And, if you want to know what I'm doing.... try http://www.twitter.com/cmduke - that's my personal twitter account.

-cmd

Problems with Website Assignment?

If you're having problems with getting the RSS feeds added to your personal learning space, do what you can at the moment but don't stress about having to have it done. There's a technical issue with that part of Blogger.com.

Several of you have commented that you've had problems with this. A classmate researched and discovered that it may be an issue with Blogger (appreciate the assist!).

I confirmed that it may be a problem as well. To find more information, I searched the Blogger Support Forums for "Feed Gadget" and found this thread of discussion.

I'm extremely reasonable when we run into issues like this; when looking at the website assignment (noted on this page), don't worry about steps 5, 6, 7 and 9 at the moment. Focus on the rest of it.

-cmd

Come on in... Find a "seat"

Nearing end of Day 1 and hoping that everyone's finding everything they need to get started successfully; if you haven't gotten started on the Course Orientation and Technology Orientation - and many of you haven't yet, as far as I can tell - be sure to go back one post to the Welcome to Class! entry that describes the things you need to accomplish this week.

To this point, 7 have contacted me via a personal communication tool (6 via email, 1 on Facebook), and 8 have gotten logged into the Google Group for discussions, with only 4 posting the required "I'm here" message. Need everyone to "come on in and find a seat."

By end of tomorrow (Wednesday), you should have completed the Course Orientation and Technology Orientation, and you should be looking at a solid start on the Website & Personal Learning Environment module.

Again, if you're looking at this and needing help as to what to do, contact me. All the information you need to do that is in the Technology Orientation. And, if you have any questions about assignments or anything I post here, you could also post a comment to any one of these posts (use the comment link just below, if you're signed into Google).

-cmd

Welcome to Class!

Welcome to ITSC 1401 (8W002) Introduction to Computers for Spring 2010.

To get started in the course successfully this week, I have four modules for you to complete.

A quick side note. When you start looking at these, do NOT get overwhelmed. There's not as much work to do as there is information; many online classes just give you a list of links to click on without explaining what you're supposed to do with each link; they leave you to just figure out what you're supposed to do. I work hard to make sure you know exactly what you're supposed to do (if you read the information ;-)

You can get to the four modules for this week by clicking on the light blue Assignments tab at the top of this page. That will take you to this webpage http://sites.google.com/site/cyfair1401/Home From there, you will quickly see the list of modules organized by week. Of course, we're concerned at the moment with January 19-24, Week 1. (This class is going to use web sites and tools besides just the online learning system (Angel/Blackboard). You'll learn more about that in the Technology Orientation).

You can also use the links below. I recommend completing them in the following order and by the listed time. At the very latest, everything must be completed by Sunday mid-day.

1. Course Orientation by Wednesday late evening.
   
2. Technology Orientation by Wednesday late evening.
   
3. Website & Personal Learning Environment by Friday late evening.
   
4. Personal Introduction by Saturday late evening.
   

I'll let you get to work on those. If you have any questions, the Course Orientation module gives you information on how to get in touch with me. Of course, if you've noticed it in the sidebar to the right >> you can also try the Google Voice Call Widget to call me. You may reach voice mail; I'm still experimenting with the tool.