Getting Started

This class is, in part, utilizing the World Wide Web to facilitate your learning experience. Therefore, to successfully complete the course, you will need to have access to the Internet. The following information will provide you with the tools to begin the process. If you do not have a computer at home, and plan on accessing the course only from campus computers, check here for campus computer lab hours. If you can't come to campus click here to see a list of county libraries wired to the internet. Then go directly to step 3.

• Step 1 - Necessary Hardware - You will need a PC or Mac (preferably a Intel Pentium IV or higher running Windows XP or Mac Ibook with OS9 or later) and a DSL or Broadband connection to the internet. You will need at least 100 metabytes of free space on your hard drive and at least 512K of random access memory (RAM). Although you can communicate using older, slower machines, it will be extremely frustrating. Therefore, if you do not have this minimal configuration, plan on using the alternative facilities mentioned above

• Step 2 - Necessary Software - You will need communication software. Most later operating systems have a network access from the internet (e.g. for Windows XP, it is called "networking") Most Web Browsers, incorporate such automatic connections (Mozilla Firefox) is highly recommended as such a browser, although Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which comes with Windows XP, will also work. You may want to have your own copy of the chat software, mIRC, to join our virtual discussions (although direct connections are provided from the web). Finally, you will need a copy of real audio, quicktime or Window Media Player if you want to take advantage of the audio portions of our web pages. Consult your Windows program to locate the Windows Media Player or click here for Apple Quicktime

• Step 3 - Connecting to an Internet Service Provider - You will need an email account. Your email is your student account. You can, however, forward this email account to any off campus email you may be using Click here to learn how to forward CSUN account. Although your CSUN account also allows you access to the Internet (use 818-667-6700 for dial-in), you may forward emails. Since any Internet Service Provider (ISP) will allow you to access the web pages used in this course, you might want to consider subscribing to one (particularly if the CSUN is not a local call for you). However, one on a network, you may want to invest the time to connect to CSUN via a virtual private network. Click here for the particulars

The course will utilize the WWW in the following way. Each week in there will be a presentation of material, by the instructor, for a particular topic with a summary on the WWW homepage (listed under "Weekly Lectures"). In addition, we will be utilizing the following computer based facilities.

• E-mail Assignments - We will use email as the primary means of communicating with the instructor and with each other as we progress through the course. Therefore, you need to acquire your email account (either through CSUN or or ISP) the first week.

• Hypernews Discussions - You will enter into a Web based newsgroup discussion each week concerning the topic at hand, both as a commentator and as a respondent to other's presentation.

• Twitter Announcements - You will be asked to use this connection to keep abreast of the announcements for this class. Preferably you will subscribe to the RSS feeds for this page so to "push" them to your phone or other email venues.

• Internet Relay Chat (mIRC) Meetings - You will participate in a "virtual" meeting from time to time. This time will function as both an open office hour and question and answer period and class substitute if we are unable to meet together on campus. Your "virtual attendance" is required when we hold such meetings.

• Elluminate Meetings - You will be asked to join this whiteboard/audio-text chat format each week for a one hour discussion of concepts and questions.
• • Quiz#3 can be reached at here