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Instructor: Norman Buchwald |
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LIBR 3: Internet Skills |
Office: (510) 723-6993 |
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Fall 2005 |
email: norman_buchwald@yahoo.com |
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W 6:30-8:35
p.m. |
Web address: http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/abby/iskills.html |
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Building 100, Room 119 |
Office Hour: M 1-2 and by appointment |
Course Description
The purpose of the Internet Skills class is to develop skills in the retrieval and evaluation of information on the Internet (specifically the World Wide Web). At the end of the course you should be able to:
Prerequisites:
None, but
Computer Application Systems 70 or 72A or 72B or 72C, or previous keyboarding
experience is strongly recommended. This is a "hands on"
course, requiring you to be fairly comfortable using a computer.
Materials: There is no textbook for this course. Look at the last page or the bottom of the screen for materials I will place on reserve. They are available to assist you for this course. Students MUST bring for the second class TWO brand new 3.5" formatted diskettes (PC), one of which will be left with the instructor at the end of each class, the other stays with the student (Flash Drives are acceptable). There will be in-class assignments where you will want to save your work, so always bring a diskette with you to class. At home, you will want to have Netscape 7 or Mozilla 1 on your computer (NOT earlier versions of Netscape, Netscape 8 or AOL) so that you can practice. Copies of Netscape 7.01 are available for you to install on your computer at the Reserves Desk. While this course also encourages you to have copies of Microsoft Internet Explorer and FireFox on your home computer, this course focuses on Netscape/Mozilla. If installing, please select Browser only for Netscape or Mozilla (do not include Email or other communications)
Procedures:
Be
on time!
Class time
will normally begin each session with an introduction and some demonstration of
the skills for that session followed by hands-on practice of those skills.
Anyone arriving more than ten minutes late without prior arrangement should
talk with the instructor after class.
Practice,
Practice, Practice!
To get the
most out of this class, you are strongly encouraged to practice any exercises and/or
do your homework assignments outside of class, from Student Computer Labs on
campus (such as the one upstairs in the Library) or from your home.
Each week, you will be performing functions based on the Netscape Directions
handout and you will be working on the term project continuously throughout the
eight weeks. The same goes for evaluating web sites as that is what the
bulk of your grade amounts to on the term projects.
Attendance
This is only
an eight week course with a lot of technical skills to be mastered. Missing a
class or being late to class will seriously affect your ability to keep
up. If you must miss a class, E-mail or call me as soon as you know.
Students will be dropped after two consecutive absences before the sixth week.
After the sixth class meeting, students are expected to be finishing the
class unless they contact me.
Use of Computers in Room 119
The computers in our classroom are to be used for
web browsing, research, E-Mail, Blackboard Discussion groups and word processing. Chats and games are not allowed in the
classroom.
Reading
While there
is no textbook in this course, students are expected to read ALL handouts
distributed in this course, read the Copyright Primer on the Web, read messages
via the Discussion Boards on Blackboard, AND to check their Email
frequently. Students should also be prepared to use the Reserve
materials for further assistance. If you do not have a computer at home,
please make a point to check your Email from a publicly accessible computer
such as one from our lab upstairs. Reading all handouts and emails
will help prepare you for all assignments, quizzes, and the term project.
All handouts will be available from the course web page: http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/abby/iskills.html
Grading
Your grade in
the course will reflect your mastery of the skills required to use a Web
browser, search the Internet, use E-mail, your understanding of the means of evaluating
information, and your presentation of a coherent summary of research done on
the Internet. Proof of these areas is represented by both the completion
of ALL assignments AND attendance. SOME ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE SUBMITTED
ELECTRONICALLY to reinforce the mastery of technical skills.
ASSIGNMENTS WILL RECEIVE A 10% REDUCTION OF ITS GRADE FOR EACH DAY HANDED IN
LATE.
Assignments
There will be
in-class assignments (both announced and unannounced), two quizzes, one team
in-class assignment, homework assignments, and the term project (read handout
included). Completed in-class assignment receives credit while the
quizzes, the in-class team project, and the E-Mail assignments will receive a
traditional grade. ALL
ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS.
Students
should bring a copy of their assignments on floppy disk, the day of class,
in case the instructor did not receive an email transmitted assignment.
Point breakdown:
|
Attendance/Participation |
5 % |
Quiz #1 |
10% |
|
Email assignments |
5 % |
Quiz #2 |
10% |
|
Project Topic Check |
5 % |
Team Assignment |
5% |
|
Web Treasure Hunt |
5% |
Bookmark file check |
5 % |
|
Online Ref. & Portals Handout |
5% |
Search Engines Assignment |
up to 5% extra credit |
|
Evaluation Checklists |
5% |
Final Project |
40% |
For those choosing Credit/No Credit: you will need to satisfactorily complete
70% or more of all the required elements to earn CR (credit) for the
course.
Take Note that the term project is 40% of your grade, i.e. you cannot pass this class unless you turn in the term project. If you hand in ALL of your assignments ON TIME with demonstrated effort, you will improve throughout the course and should get at least a "B."
COURSE OUTLINE
WEEK 1 (10/24/05):
|
Email Basics |
Netscape
Basics I Or Blackboard I: Converse with your fellow students using Blackboard |
WEEK 2 (10/31/05):
|
Introduction
to the Search Process Internet
Terminologies and WWW/Email Basics |
Netscape
Basics II |
WEEK 3 (11/07/05):
|
Web Treasure Hunt Assignment Due Final Project Topic Approved |
Introduction
to Web Evaluation Extra Credit Search Engine Assignment Handed Out (ungraded, credit noted, if handed in by end of class) |
Week 4 (11/14/05):
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QUIZ #1 (the
Web, your open notes) Evaluation
Checklist #1 Due—Must
be handed in on this day to receive any credit |
More on the
Search Process |
Week 5 (11/21/05):
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Team Web Evaluation Assignment on Blackboard Discussion Groups |
Portals/Library Subscription Databases |
Week 6 (11/28/05):
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TERM
Project: Minimum
of web sites have been selected and handed in as bookmark Files (or simple
web page with links) due by end of class. |
Continue
working on Portals/Library Subscription Databases Netscape
Composer: I |
Week 7 (12/05/05):
|
Quiz #2 (The Web, your open
notes) Portals/Library Subscription Databases Due |
Netscape
Composer II Preparing for Your Final Project |
WEEK 8 (12/12/05):
Final Project due: In-class presentations of topics.
Course Deadlines:
|
Last day to add class |
10/30/05 |
Last day to drop with NGR/Refund |
10/30/05 |
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Last day to withdraw |
11/28/05 |
Last Day for CR/NC Option |
10/31/05 |
|
E-Mail #1 |
10/24/05 |
E-Mail #2 and #3 |
10/31/05 |
|
Quiz #1 |
11/14/05 |
Quiz #2 |
12/05/05 |
|
Web Treasure Hunt |
11/07/05 |
Portals & Databases Handout |
12/05/05 |
|
Team Evaluation Assignment |
11/21/05 |
Search Engines Assignment |
Last day will accept: 12/12/05 |
|
Term Project Topic Approved |
11/07/05 |
Term Project Web Eval. Checklists |
11/14/05, 11/28/05 |
|
Term Project Bookmark File or Web Page Draft |
11/28/05 |
Term Project |
12/12/05 |
Items on Reserve: To check out, go to the circulation/reference desk. Some items are available for one day or for one hour. Photocopiers are available (ten cents a page). Ask for these items by your instructor's last name: Buchwald.
2 copies of the Netscape
7.0 Guidebook, 7.01 Supplement, and CD-ROMs for installation
of Netscape 7.01 are available at the Reserves Desk. They are
available for 24 hours checkout. There is also a multi-language
version of Netscape 7.0 available on the Multi-Lingual CD-ROM which has
English, Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese.
Copyright Primer: http://www-apps.umuc.edu/primer/enter.php
(required reading)
Optional
Cooke, Alison. Authoritative
Guide to Evaluating Information on the Internet.
Good guide on techniques to evaluating web sites.
Hock,
Tips on searching, detailed descriptions of search
engines, web portals, news sites, searching for images and certain types of
files, and more.
Jones,
Debra. Exploring the Internet: Using Criticial Thinking Skills.
A workbook on evaluating websites.
Levine, John R., Carol
Baroudi and Margaret Levine Young. Internet
for Dummies.
For the beginner on the internet, also discusses topics
such as shopping online, and parenting children who use the internet.
Tomaiuolo,
Nicholas G. The Web Library.
This book provides a guideline on how you can
through bookmarks or favorites create on your web browser links to quality
information-research web sources, thus creating your own personal library of
free resources on the World Wide Web.
NB 10/25/05