How This Course Works
This course is actually 4 courses packed into one. In the Autumn, each of the 4 units will be offered as a separate, one-credit course. The course has 2 instructors:
| Instructor | Topic |
|---|---|
| D.A. Clements |
|
| Bob Boiko |
|
Please direct questions about the lectures or assignments to the appropriate instructor. For general questions of interest to all students, send an email to the class listserv or post your question on the class GoPost.
Lectures: All lectures are recorded and available on this web site prior to the week they are assigned. You are responsible for watching the lecture at your convenience. There will be no lecture time during class meetings.
Labs: All scheduled class time for this course is lab time. While you have registered for one or the other class time, you are welcome to come to the lab during either of the scheduled times. Lab time is your time. Come prepared with questions or you can use the time to work on your own.
D.A. and Bob will split class time as follows:
| Instructor | Tues. | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D.A. | 11:30am |
8:30am | 11:30am | 8:30am |
| Bob | 12:30pm | 9:30am | 12:30pm | 9:30am |
Instructors
Bob Boiko
Office: MGH 330W
Office Hours: TTh 4:30-5:30pm
Phone: 206-616-4030
D.A. Clements
Office: MGH 330J
Office Hours:
- W 10:30-11:30am, MGH 430
- Th 10:30-11:30am, MGH 330J
Phone: 206-543-4304
Course Description
This course prepares students for all further iSchool information technology and systems classes. Provides the fundamental concepts and skills in these four areas:
1. Network Concepts and Applications
- Introduction to the concepts, terminology and technologies of digital networks, including how networks operate and the influence networks have on the workplace and society.
- Prepares students to think critically about the impacts of networking technologies on organizations, work groups, and information systems.
- Prepares students for advanced studies in database technologies, web design and information assurance.
2. Database Concepts
- Introduction to the terminology and concepts of working with a relational database management systems.
- Emphasis given to working with tables and extracting information from data using Structured Query Language (SQL) commands and tools.
- Prepares students for advanced database design courses, web design, and programming courses.
3. Web Design Concepts Unit
- Introduction to the context and construction of websites in the field of information science.
- Presents an integrated understanding of web design principles, information behavior, and technical skills.
- Emphasis is given to the role of markup in information display and organization, the development of large sites, web strategy, and site construction.
- Prepares students for advanced web design courses.
4. Algorithmic Thinking
- Introduction to the algorithmic manipulation of information objects, the mindset and methods of computer programming and application development.
- Presents fundamental programming concepts in the context of information science.
- Explores the concepts of the algorithm, data storage, expressions, syntax, logic, objects, commands, and events.
In each unit, students are expected to master the fundamental concepts and demonstrate their skills through tests, labs, and projects. Each unit is a prerequisite for more advanced technical courses.
Textbooks & Online Resources
Algorithmic Thinking |
At W3 Schools you will find all the Web-building tutorials you need, from basic HTML, XHTML, JavaScript, and CSS to advanced XML, SQL, Database, Multimedia, and WAP. Of particular interest are the tutorials on HTML forms and Peter-Paul Koch's excellent JavaScript tutorial and discussion site. Optional Reference Texts Learning Javascript JavaScript: The Definitive Guide |
Database Concepts |
Access 2007: The Missing Manual By Matthew MacDonald |
Networking Concepts |
Optional Reference Texts Any of the following are very good, easy to read, and cover topics in short, easy-to-absorb format. How the Internet Works How Computers Work How Networks Work |
Web Concepts |
By W3 Schools At W3Schools you will find all the Web-building tutorials you need, from basic HTML and XHTML to advanced XML, SQL, Database, Multimedia and WAP. |
Computing Resources
This section discusses the software and other computer-related resources utilized in this course.
Your UWNetID account
Students in this course are expected to have UW accounts on Dante and will use those accounts for many assignments. Staff or faculty accounts on Homer may also be used. For information about obtaining and managing a UWNetID account, see the UW Computing and Networking home page.
All class e-mail will be sent to those accounts. If you normally read e-mail on an ISP or through some other connection, you may wish to have your UW e-mail forwarded there. Once you have a UWNetID, it's easy to set up mail forwarding using the services at Manage Your UW NetID Resources.
Computing at Home
The software used in this class runs on Windows PCs. In some, but not all cases, versions may be available for Mac or Linux systems. The closer your home PC is to the Windows PCs in the labs, the less likely you are to have problems. You are not required to work on UW computers, but course staff can provide only limited assistance in debugging problems with home computers.
To view some of the course files, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free.
Web Browsers
You should have an up-to-date version of a modern browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera. These browsers are available free on the Web. We recommend Firefox, a free and very capable browser that is particularly helpful for debugging.
Dreamweaver
Adobe Dreamweaver is the most popular professional Web editing software. It is part of the expensive Adobe Creative Suite. Check for current specials and academic software rates at University Bookstore.
Setting up for this Course
On the first day of class in the Course Schedule has links to videos to help you set up Dreamweaver for this course. You can use the Dreamweaver help system to get basic info on all the features we will use.
Programming
For programming, we will use JavaScript to produce dynamic HTML. Your HTML and JavaScript efforts will be published to your Dante Web account. Text editors that understand the syntax of a the page that you are editing (aka, programmer's editors) can be very helpful. NotePad2 for Windows is installed in the iSchool labs and may be downloaded for free. TextWrangler is available on Macs in campus computing labs and can be downloaded for free for home use.
Image Editing
In the labs, we will use Adobe Photoshop for some exercises. This software is expensive to buy. You can do what you need to with a number of other free or inexpensive tools, such as Microsoft Paint, Microsoft Photo Editor, Kodak Imaging, etc. You may also find that your word processor (e.g. Word) or presentation software (e.g. PowerPoint) has some image processing software built in.
Database
The Database unit in the course uses Microsoft Access as the tool. All labs on campus have it. The standard MS Office Suite does not come with Access. For academic, non-commercial use, you may download Access for free. You may burn a copy to CD or DVD to keep after the course is over.
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