TU170: Learning online

1. TU170: Learning online By: BassamBokhowa tobassam@hotmail.com

2. Welcome: Aims of TU170 • Practical computer skills • basic computer skills – Windows file management • e-mail and computer conferencing • word processing, spreadsheets, databases, graphics • finding information on the Web and creating web pages. • ‘Learning to learn’ skills • developing basic study skills • understanding the theory and practice of working with a group • skills of clear thinking

3. Grading

4. Avoid Health Risks • Eye Strain: • Move eyes around a lot. • Avoid screen glare (brightness and refresh rate). • Upper limb disorders. • Avoid bad working posture. • Headaches: • Take frequent breaks.

5. Anti-virus Instructions • Never accept disks, programs or data files without checking them first. • When downloading programs, documents or attachments received via E-mail, save them first then scan for viruses before opening them. • Never use software with doubtful origins. • Keep your anti-virus software up to date.

6. Basic Terms and Concepts • Taskbar and System Tray • Minimize, Restore, and Maximize windows • Find a file on your computer with ‘Search’ • Find a file in a directory (folder) using Explorer • Open and close programs (applications) • Create a new folder and rename it

7. Basic Terms and Concepts • Web browser • Address (location) bar • Connect to an address on the World Wide Web • Follow web links from one page to another • Take class notes • Access the ACES website using a password • Use the ACES services

8. Section 1

9. CMC Types • Computer-Mediated Communications (CMC): communication types where a computer is mainly involved, including e-mail, forums,and chats. • Asynchronous: communicate without being connected at the same time as the person being contacted, e.g. e-mail and forums. • Synchronous: both parties must be connected at the same time, e.g. telephones, text chat, and video-conferencing.

10. E-mail • Messages sent from one computer directly to another. • Advantages: • can reach many people • reduces paper flood • does not interrupt others’ work • A similar type of mail is called Voice Mail

11. E-mail Components • Headers • To: main recipient(s) • Subject: message title • Attachment: file(s) to send with your message • Cc: carbon or complimentary copy • Bcc: blind complimentary copy • Body: the area where you type your message.

12. E-mail Modes • Offline: can read and write messages without connecting. Uses an offline reader (mail client), e.g. Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, and Netscape Messenger. When connected it will send newly written messages (written since the user last connected) and receive new messages waiting there, and then disconnect. This can enormously reduce online costs. • Online: any activity will require connectivity. Uses a web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, or Netscape Navigator) to access services such as Hotmail and Yahoo Mail. Reading and writing require a connection.

13. Forums: Computer Conferencing • Electronic messages grouped together in one place to be read by a group of people, like messages on a notice board. • Members of the group can reply to messages and so create a group discussion.

14. Guidelines for Using Forums • Use Netiquette (Internet etiquette). • Don’t be afraid to disagree with others. • Use positive and constructive language, with less emotion and more logic.

15. Forums versus Synchronous Discussions • Participate even if actual meeting is difficult. • Scattered groups can maintain contact. • Liberates the housebound and disabled • Disabilities are not visible. • No problems in getting your turn to speak. • The written conversations help you catch up.

16. Disadvantages of Forums • Large delay between sending a message and receiving a reply. • Forum discussions are very much slower than synchronous ones. • Messages are text-based, so tone of voice and body language are missing • This sometimes leads to emotional outbursts, called 'flaming', which would not be tolerated so easily in face-to-face discussions. • You must have a computer to participate.

17. ACES Forums • Forums are the place for group conferences and discussions. • Messages sent to a forum can include attachments. • All participants in a forum can read, send and reply to messages. • TGA Forums are for specific Tutor Group Activities.

18. ACES Activities • Login to ACES • Change your password • Edit your profile • Use ACES e-mail • Post a topic in the TGA1 Forum.

19. Mainframe-Terminal Systems • A very centralized and legacy (old) system. • Mainframe computers are expensive machines that serve a whole company or department through ‘terminals’ which are a screen and a keyboard with no storage or computing power. All storage and computing is done on the mainframe computer. • Mainframes run continuously, 24 hours a day all year. • Some Mainframes are linked via networks to other mainframes.

20. Mainframe E-mail • As terminals have no storage, e-mails are stored on the mainframe itself. • If a mainframe user sent e-mails to users on the same mainframe and all are connected at the same time delivery would be almost instantaneous. If recipients connect later, they can collect the mail stored for them. • For recipients on a different mainframe, A sender’s mainframe would periodically send all outgoing mail across the network to the recipients' mainframe, sometimes via several intermediate computers on the way. This introduced delays ranging from minutes to days, depending on how often each mainframe sent and received e-mail. • This principle still describes the world-wide e-mail system, but the details are now different.

21. Client-Server Systems • As computing power became cheaper, personal computers (PCs) began to appear and become popular. • Smaller, local machines now had considerable computing power. Central machines, called 'servers' run continuously and are accessible to all authorized users whenever they want. This system replaced old terminal-to-mainframe system. • PCs connect to the servers at various times, the processing load is split between a PC and a server as appropriate. The local PCs act as 'clients' of the 'server'. The 'client-server' system is now dominant.

22. World Wide Web • The web browser acts as a client for servers on the World Wide Web. It can access web pages held on web servers throughout the world. Some servers are big, and some small. • The server (web server) provides the content (web pages), while the client (web browser) displays it, by providing windows, scroll bars, menus, etc. • Thus, the load is split between the server and client for interacting with information on the Web. It is a client-server system.

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