Monday/Wednesday

Room 2106

2:00 – 4:00

Instructor: Mrs. Margaret M. Menna
Email Address: please use: pegmenna@cox.net and identify yourself as

a CCRI-Intro Student

Wed Page: http://faculty.ccri.edu/mmenna

Office Hrs: By Appointment

Ms. Donna Scattone, Faculty Coordinator – 825-2155

Books & Materials Required for this class:

	Discovering Computers: Fundamentals Fourth Edition Shelly, Cashman and Vermaat, ISBN 13: 978-1-4239-1209-5 © 2008 ISBN 10: 1-4239-1209-8		Microsoft Office 2007: Brief Concepts and Techniques Shelly, Cashman, and Vermatt ISBN 13: 978-1-4188-4325-04325-0 © 2008 ISBN 10: 1-4188-5949-4 Spiral-bound
SAM Computer Literacy code which will come in your book packet	USB Jump drive Check bookstore, Staples, Office Max, Best Buy for best offers. 256 MB or 512MB is sufficient.		Microsoft Windows XP Brief Concepts and Techniques ISBN – 13: 978-0-7895-6419-1
Pipeline User Name And Password (pin)

Course Description:

The computer literacy course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles of computers and information processing. In addition to the subjects covered in Computer Basics, students will be introduced to the a wider range of topics and computer terminology as well as a larger suite of application packages such as word processing (Word), spreadsheets (Excel) and presentation graphics software (PowerPoint).  

Topics to be covered:

1. Overview of Computers – Discovering Computers Fundamentals Chapter 1
Pipeline – email message

SAM account setup– SAM practice test

2. Internet and World Wide Web - DC Fundamentals Chapter 2

3. Windows XP Project

4. Word Project 1 - Creating and Editing

5. Word Project 2 - Research Paper

6. Application Software - DC Fundamentals Chapter 3

7. System Unit - DC Fundamentals Chapter 4

8. Excel Project 1 - creating a Worksheet

9. Excel Project 2 - Formulas, Functions, Formatting

10. Input/Output - DC Fundamentals Chapter 5

11. Storage - DC Fundamentals Chapter 6

12. PowerPoint Project 1 - Creating a Presentation -

13. PowerPoint Project 2 - Outline Tab and Clip Art Slide Show

14. Operating Systems - DC Fundamentals Chapter 7

15. Communications - DC Fundamentals Chapter 8
Please read the following notes and policies.

· Textbooks are required for each class.

· Storage media are required for each class. Be prepared to show me your assignments on your
jump drive or floppy diskette, should I ask to see them.

Grading Policy

	Points	Please Note:
Exams	400	There are 5 exams, each worth 100 points. I will drop your lowest grade. Note: If you have an average of 90 or more going into the final and have already taken 4 exams, you will not have to take the final exam.
Lab Assignments	360*	5 points will be deducted for each class an assignment is late; an assignment will not be accepted beyond the 3rd class after when it was due. *You will receive 10 extra points for each practice test you complete (up to four of them).
Attendance & Participation *(If you lose all 140 points, it is possible to go into a “negative number” which will be deducted from your total points for the class.)	140*	▪ Only 2 absences are allowed without penalty. 20 points will be deducted for every absence beginning with the third missed class. ▪ A student is allowed only 2 late arrivals for class without penalty; 10 points will be deducted for each late arrival beginning with the third missed class. ▪ It is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor at the end of the class period of their tardiness or they will be marked absent. ▪ Students who leave class early will also be marked absent, unless you have notified me of a prior commitment. Please do your best to make any appointments outside of class time. I reserve the right to raise or lower your grade due to class contribution and participation, attitude and other subjective values.
PPT Presentation	100	You will present your topic to the class on the last class meeting day.
Total Possible Points:	1000

Assignments are due as you walk into the classroom. Each assignment must include your name –TYPED, date, section number, and name of the assignment. If any one assignment has multiple pages, please staple them together! (I will give you directions on where to place your name on most assignments.) You are not allowed to use the computers in our classroom when I am giving a lecture. It is distracting and inconsiderate to me and to the students sitting around you who are trying to pay attention to the lecture. It will also result in a drastic reduction in your attendance/participation points. Final Grading:
Total Pts.	Final Grade
1000-900	A
800-899	B
700-799	C
600-699	D
0-599	F

Preparing to be Successful

• Please purchase a jump drive and your books as soon as possible.

• It is recommended that students read the assigned chapter prior to the class lectures.

• Class participation (asking questions/commenting on topics presented) is encouraged.

• Come to class prepared to take notes! Bring a notebook; if you prefer to bring a tape recorder, just let me know so you can place it in the front of the classroom.

• Take care to review your notes after the lecture, comparing them to corresponding pages in the book.

• If you are not able to complete an assignment during the allotted lab period, you must complete the assignment either in the Academic Computer Lab, or on your own computer, provided you have the same software as we are using at school. If you work on assignments only during class time, you will fall behind. Planning your time is important for this class.

• The Skills Assessment Manager (SAM): All of your exams will be electronic, using this system. I have created practice tests which you can re-take up to 5 times. (You can receive extra credit points if you do the practice exams.) There are also training exercises for the software we will be using. Avail yourself of these tools. Print out the reports that go along with them to use as study guides. This will help you to prepare to take each exam.

• CoursePort is the publisher’s web site which accompanies the Discovering Fundamentals text. I will walk you through the log on for this site. For each chapter in the textbook, there are practice tests, vocabulary look-ups and other interactive tools to help you understand the concepts of each chapter.

CLASSROOM POLICIES

· No food or drinks are allowed in our classroom. The only exception to this is bottled water which should remain closed and in your backpack, unless you are taking a sip, of course.

· Before you enter the room, all electronic devices, e.g. pagers, MP3 players, and especially cell phones, must be turned off. If I see you checking or responding to text messages, or jumping up to step in the hallway to take or return a call, I will mark you absent for the day and ask you to leave the classroom.

· The use of headphones in the classroom with an MP3 is not allowed at any time.

· During days where you are working on lab assignments, the above policy still remains in place.

· The lecture portion of our class is relatively short – not usually more than 90 minutes; Please use the restrooms before you come into our classroom. Jumping up in the middle of the class and leaving, then returning is very distracting. Unless you have an urgent problem, please remain in your seat for the duration of the lecture.

· It is important to remember to DO YOUR OWN WORK. Working “as a team” to complete an assignment, then handing in two identical copies of the same assignment is considered cheating, and is grounds for dismissal from the course and the school. You must have your own (jump drive).

· You are not allowed to save your work on another student’s jump drive (doing so will be cause for failure of the class).

The following is CCRI’s actual policy on Academic Dishonesty. It can be found on the CCRI web site/For Students/Resources & Inforamation/Student Handbook

POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

The faculty and administration of the Community College believe that academic cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses, which should not be overlooked. Students are cautioned that violations of academic integrity may result in suspension or expulsion from the College.

If an instructor believes that cheating or plagiarism has taken place, he will refer the matter to the Dean of Students Office where a determination of facts as to the existence of cheating or plagiarism will be made. Disciplinary sanctions (if any) will be imposed following procedures outlined in the Student Rights and Responsibilities page contained in this brochure.

The Dean of Students will notify the instructor when the decision about the facts of cheating or plagiarism has been made and if that decision is in the affirmative. The instructor, bearing in mind that there are different degrees of academic dishonesty, may assign the academic penalty he/she considers most appropriate from the options listed below:

1. Give a warning and/or require that a makeup test is taken or a makeup paper is written.

2. Reduce the grade on the paper or exam or in the course by one or more levels.

3. Assign a grade of "F" to the exam or paper.

4. Assign a grade of "F" for the course. ‘

The grade of "incomplete" will be awarded temporarily if the matter cannot be resolved before the final grades are due. The appropriateness of the particular academic penalty chosen by the instructor may be appealed by the student through the academic grievance process.

#	Day/ Date	Plan for Class Time	Notes/Comments
1	Wed 9/5	DC – Ch. 1 - Introduction to Computers	· For next class: Read: Windows XP Book: Project 1. You should be familiar with terms and moving around the screen by our next class. I will explain how to log on and off the computers in our lab; this will be a little different from the book.
2	Mon 9/10	DC – Chapter 1, continued Demo – Pipeline, WWW, Courseport Students try these features – Hands-On	· For next class: Read: Windows XP Book – Project 2.
3	Wed 9/12	Demo – working with Windows XP Lab #1 Handout – Working with SAM, CoursePort, and Email
4	Mon 9/17	DC – Ch. 2 – The Internet and the WWW
5	Wed 9/19	Demo – Working with files and folders; Searching the Web, Google Scholar, and library databases; Quick look at MS Word 2007
6	Mon 9/24	Lab #2 Handout – Working with Window s XP Lab #3 Handout – Searching for Information
7	Wed 9/26	Exam #1 – Ch. 1, 2, Windows, & WWW After Exam: LAB Class: MSO Word Project 1 – Learn to Ride pp. WD7 – WD61
8	Mon 10/1	DC – Ch. 6 – Storage
9	Wed 10/3	LAB Class: MSO Word Project 2 – Wireless Communications pp. WD74 – WD131
	Mon 10/8	No Classes – Columbus
10	Wed 10/10	CD – Ch. 3 – Application Software Demo – more word features	Remember to follow a Monday schedule today!
11	Mon 10/15	Lab #4 Handout - Creating a Personal Letter Lab #5 Handout Creating a Reference List Extra Credit - WD143 - #4 Create a Research Paper About the Month You Were Born.
12	Wed 10/17	Exam #2 – Ch. 3, 6, & Word