CURRENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you are an independent learner (not enrolled in the on-campus COSC 120 class) and this is your first time on this site, go to the Getting Started page for this course by clicking here . If you simply want a concise preview of the course click here; an overview can be found here .  A concise description of all my online course may be accessed by clicking here .

Also see the GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS (for all my classes)

CONTENTS:

  1. INTRODUCTION and TIMELESS ANNOUNCEMENTS:
  2. COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS
INTRODUCTION and TIMELESS ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  This will be the opening page (when accessing this Web site) in the right hand frame of the course presentation. It will contain announcements chronologically (most recent first).  All students MUST read the announcements before class for any last minute announcements such as schedule changes.  However, to accomodate the absent-minded, I will begin each class by reviewing the announcements.  (The horizontal bar separates announcements that have not been made in class from those which have.)

  1. In order to stay current, you MUST, at least once a day, access the four pages under the "DAILY CHECK-IN", at the top of the "NAVIGATION PANEL" (the left hand frame of the course Web pages).  I will assume that any announcement or modification I make there will have reached everyone by the following day!  Unless otherwise announced, on this page, we will follow the schedule accessed via the Tentaive Schedule link under the DAILY CHECK-IN heading in the NAVIGATION PANEL.
  2. All assignments are due on Friday; these are specified in the right column of the Tentative Schedule.
    1. Online submissions, e.g. e-mail messages or Web page publications, are due by midnight Friday.
    2. Hardcopy submissions, e.g. printouts or reworked assessments, are due,  in the office of the Secretary of Computer Science Dept. (Guild Center 203), by 4:30, when the office closes.  Place them in a folder, labelled "IN COSC 120".
    I will return hardcopy assignments, assessments, and assessment reworks in class, but, if you do not attend, I will place them in a folder, labelled "OUT COSC 120" in shelves beside my office door, Lowndes 203; you are responsible of picking these up as soon as possible.
  3. This couse is entirely online and self directed (but NOT self paced; you have weekly deadlines that you MUST meet!).  Therefore, you are not required to attend the scheduled class sessions --  unless attendance is specified in the schedule or announced on this page . ( Required attendance will normally be for video presentations.) Other, normal on-campus sessions will be exclusively for discussion of the current learning module or lab assignment.  I will not be "lecturing"; instead I will be responding to questions from students or demonstrating lab techniques, more of a "trouble shootin' session" than anything else.  Once these top priority things are completed I will be free to discuss ANYTHING!  (There are many interesting things about Cyberspace that are beyond the scope of this introductory course, but we can consider any of these if you are interested!)
    1. I will try to summarize important discussions on this announcement page or in the Class Forum. (See the link on the Navigation Panel.)
    2. Just because I don't plan a formal lecture, that does NOT mean you shouldn't come to class.  In effect, I will be acting as a personal "turtor" (in person or online) during class times as well as office hours.
  4.   Having all learning material online in digital format provides a unique new facility in learning.  Because this material is digital you can " clone" it, i.e. copy it and modify that copy.  This makes it possible for you to effectively get a copy of the teacher's notes (without waisting time copying it from a blackboard) and modify the notes any way you want, i.e. you can customize the teacher's notes into a personalized version that suits your learning style.
    1. You create your " HTML clone" of the LM by downloading a Web page and editing it. (Simply access the page on the Web, select edit from the browser's menu, and then save it on your system.)
    2. Once you have your own copy, you can use an HTML authoring tool (e.g. Netscape composer, MS Word, etc.) like a word processor, i.e. you can edit your copy by changing the style/format, rearranging the order of presentation, cut 'n pasting material from online references like the Webopedia, or simply adding your own annotations or comments.  In other words, you will convert Tony's learning material into "your" customized version of its content.
    For a more detailed discussion of cloning see The Checklist of Course Activities, section 3.1 .  A (perhaps overdone) example of the evolution of an HTML clone that I developed in order to internalize an Introduction to the Human Genome can be found here.
  5. We will establish a class forum (See the Class Forum link under the DAILY CHECK-IN on the Navigation Panel to the left of your browser display.)  Be sure to use this forum for all your out-of-class questions (instead of coming to my office or sending e-mail); this will simulate a "class environment" where your classmates can hear the question and benefit from my response and subsequent class discussion.  (This will probably take some "getting use to", so be sure to try this!)  Since it is accessible 24/7, the Forum remains as our central communications point.
  6. We will also establish a teleconferencing mechanism using Microsoft NetMeeting (and, perhaps, PalTalk, a voice chat program) so that we can conduct online discussion sessions .  This will allow students who want to attend a class/tutorial but can not (or those  who normally have to commute) to attend via the Web!  Since the course is entirely online and class attendance is not required anyone who has questions or problems can meet with me, during class time or office hours in cyberspace, using NetMeeting. Those who have Internet access at their residence could attend in their pajamas (!) but others would have to go to a friends or a computer lab.  In other words our classes will be virtual classes, i.e. we'll meet in cyberspace, without regard as to our physical locations.  I want see how this works out and now seems like an ideal time to experiment; it worked well last semester.However, even with full teleconferencing facilities we can not effectively simulate a real 20-student class environment, but with simple text-based chat we can conduct fairly useful quesion-answer sessions for 5-10 people; during the last year this has been the norm.  We'll see what happens as we continue to experiment with teleconference.
    1. I will host a NetMeeting, during the scheduled class times, from home, my office, or a lab, where we can discuss your problems.  I will announce the NetMeeting on the class Forum and give the IP address of my host computer there.  To join the NetMeeting, all you have to do is (I will demonstrate this in class.):
      1. Open NetMeeting (It is typically listed with other MicroSoft Applications or under Accessories|Communications.)   For some unknown reason, NetMeeting is not as easily available in Windows XP as in earlier versions of Windows; to access NetMeeting in Windows XP click Run in the Start menu and type "conf".
      2. Select the Call menu and type the IP address in the To field.  Since I normally won't create a password, this is all you need to do to join the NetMeeting.
      3. I will automatically share my desktop, so it will appear in a window on your computer.  Then you can see everything I do.  Unfortunately, currently, we can not have multiperson audio, so we will have to "chat" via NetMeetings built-in text chat facility; this is the most limiting feature of NetMeeting, but maybe this will change or we can overcome it.
    2. If you "attend" a class/tutorial online, use NetMeeting (NOT the class Forum) for all your in-class questions .  (Note that the Forum should be used for all out-of-class questions since it is always available, whereas a NetMeeting is only accessable during the time it is hosted.)
    3. NetMeeting comes with current versions of Windows, but if you do not have it, you can download it free from Microsoft NetMeeting .  Anyway, you should install, and play around with it.  You don't have to have a camera to receive video, only if you want to broadcast.  
    4. I really want to find a way to combined multiuser voice chat with NetMeeting!  Previously we used PalTalk, a VoIP (Voice over IP) utility that worked well.  It is public domain, easily installed, half-duplex voice chat that worked nicely, even modem-to-modem.  We will try this again this semester.    If any of you have a suggestion of how to get a better multiple voice chat going with NetMeeting let me know.
  7. Note that everyone will give their course project presentations online!
  8. The basic Study Guide is required reading for all students.  Check it out, and ask me, in class, anything that is unclear.  In particular note
    1. section 2.1 where I summarize Tony's Simple Model of Learning (SUMOSL based on KUS) , on which ALL my courses and learning material are based.
    2. section 3.3 Browser Study Techniques where I mention some basic procedures for Web-based study.
  9. Thanks to Tianna Tracy (who wrote the JavaScript), the online version of the Final Evaluation is published.  Note that this "Evaluation" is similar to the PreAssessments in that it is a good way to prepare for the gradable Final Exam, but unlike the PreAssessments, the Evaluation is not primarily a diagnostice tool for identifying your misunderstandings. It really is an "Evaluation", i.e. it measures your "proficiency" in COSC 120. However, it also gives you the feedback necessary to allow you to bring yourself to complete proficiency (at least as far as an examination can determine) because you can take it over and over until you obtain a 100%. I hope it is obvious to you that answering these 50 questions does not really make you proficient; actually it only indicates that you "understand" the answers to the 50 most important questions (that I can come up with) that cover the whole course. At the very least, I can guarantee teachers of course to which COSC 120 is the prerequisite that EVERYONE has made 100% on the BEST Final Exam I can write -- at present.  (It will get better as I refine it throughout the future!)   I also hope it is obvious that using this is a good way to prepare for the gradable final "Exam".
  10.   If you are already competent on a technique introduced in a Lab, you do not have to perform that particular lab.  However, you should do some independent exercise that is of equivalent challenge and takes approximately the same amount of time as the original lab.  If you want to do this...
    1. propose a lab subject to Tony.  If acceptable, complete the lab by the due date of the original lab.
    2. ask Tony for an alternate lab exercise.
    If gradable, your grade on the alternate lab will be entered in the grades spreadsheet.
  11. COSC 120 is a starting point for someone who wants a computer science minor focusing on Web development; e.g. COSC 100, 120, 200, 201, 330, and 390 would give you a minor that is a solid foundation for learning any aspect of advanced Web development.

  • CURRENT COSC 120 ANNOUNCEMENTS:
  • FIRST CLASS ANNOUNCEMENTS:
    1. See BEGINNING THE COURSE, the first section of    CHECKLISTS FOR COURSE ACTIVITIES .  It is essential that you immediately do the following tasks mentioned there.
      1. Find an "Internet  Pal" with whom you can practice communication of the Internet using e-mail, chat, and teleconferencing.
      2. Everyone needs to IMMEDIATELY set up an FSU e-mail account and a Web account.
    2. The tentative schedule is the basic outline of the scheduled meeting for this semester.  Note that it reflects the self directed philosophy of the course, in that specific days are not scheduled.  It specifies the content to be covered during the week and the assignments that are due , usually on Friday.  Since we will only be meeting in Q&A "tutorial" sessions during class times, there will be no scheduled material to be covered.  Anything is open for discussion, but the LM and Lab scheduled for that week should be the focus of discussions.  However, keep an eye out for video presentations or special meetings that will be announced on this page.
    3. Unless otherwise announced, you are NOT required to attend class sessions; however, until further notice everyone should meet on Fridays, i.e  the Monday and Wednesday classes are optional.   I will be available...
      1. for the Q&A tutorial sessions, in the classroom, on Mondays and Wednesdays.
      2. for "lab sessions " in Pullen, every Friday.   Typically, you can start the week's lab at this time, but, since the course is self-paced, you are not required to attend the lab sessions; just be sure that you submit your lab assignments on schedule!
      3. Although attendance is not required, if you have ANY questions about the learning material or lab assignments then you should drop by.  I will also be available on NetMeeting; check the forum at the beginning of class to learn the IP address.
    4. I will be correcting typos and oversights in my learning modules, but I am not planning major rewrites.  As I said, I am concentrating, on writing a study guide and incorporating other interactive, self-study features. However, I am very interested in your feedback on all my course material, so please make correction, add suggestions, etc. on copies of my online material and I will consider incorporating them in my next rewrite!
    5. We will be using Netscape Communicator as our browser and HTML editor.  If you are going to be using your personal computer you should be have Netscape Communicator 7.2.  Unless you have a clear reason to use another Browser/Web Development Tool (and get my "o.k."), be sure you are using Communicator.   (If you see a menu "Communicator" on the top menu bar of your browser, you are o.k.) 
      1. You may want to changE the default font size in your browser.
    6. All "good" questions should always be posted on the class forum.  (Click the Class Forum link under "DAILY CHECK-IN" on the Navigation Panel.)
      1. Asynchronous questions (when we are not online or in the same room at the same time) must be posted on the class forum. 
      2. Synchronous questions "can" be made in class or by using NetMeeting, but, if they are "good" questions, they should also be repeated on the Class Forum, so everyone can see both the question and the answer.
    7. Start using the PreAssessments as a diagnostic learning tool as soon as you begin studying the learning modules.
  • ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT CLASS (( Note: I have not placed convenient links in this announcement because I want you to become familiar with important course Web pages, like the PreAssessment Hub, as soon as possible.  Be sure to explore the links on the Navigation Panel now in order to see what is available!):
    1. Download a copy of the CHECKLIST FOR COURSE ACTIVITIES and read it then study sections 1-4.  If you have any questions about this checklist, place them in ther forum and ask them during our second class.  You might want to print a copy so you can study it thoroughly.  In particular, pay attention to: