Assignment #1, Establishing Communications
Purpose
This assignment is intended to make sure that we can communicate with each other electronically
for the rest of the semester. It has two parts, one involving e-mail and one involving the combined use
of Blackboard's Digital Dropbox and the public drive (P:). I will be placing useful things like data files,
examples, and partially complete exercises on the P: drive throughout the term and you wil bee using the Dropbox to hand in all assignments. You will also be choosing code names which I may
use to post your grades on the Web, and making sure that Blackboard has your correct e-mail address and forwarding information so I
can contact you with assignment hints, clarifications, and so forth. You will be expected to check
your e-mail frequently for such things (at least once every 2 days).
Preparation
Think of two code names that you would want to use.
They should be short (7 characters or less), memorable, and not obscene. Figure out what class you are registered for,
including the section number. Remember your real name. Brace yourself, this assignment will cause a
picture of me to appear from time to time on your screen.
The Tasks
part 1, e-mail
This assignment is intended to get each student familiar with the computer systems we will be using for
the class. It must be done, therefore, using Blackboard's e-mail system, even if you have access to e-mail
through
some other system. E-mail is available pretty much everywhere on campus.
Sending me information
I will be posting your grades on the Web this semester using the gradebook in Blackboard. However, just in case I have to post private information in another, less secure forum for some reason, I need a code name for you. You can choose your own code name, as long as it is fairly short (7 characters or less) and inoffensive enough to put on my web pages or my door. I am the sole judge of "inoffensive" as it relates to my pages. People who want to denigrate, irritate, or inflame me, professors in general, or any other person or group (including themselves or their own group) can get their own page. Preferably not on BW's server.
Your code name should also be hard for others to guess, so don't use (for example) your B-W ID number, your Social Security number, your nickname, or the name of your current light of love.
The first part of this assignment is to send me an e-mail message containing four things:
- your real name, as the college is likely to have it on registration sheets
- the name you want me to call you in class (see "inoffensive", above)
- two (count 'em, two) code names, so I can resolve conflicts when
two people choose the same name.
- The class number (and section number or time) you think you are enrolled for. Sometimes you and the registrar disagree or the paperwork hasn't caught up to reality yet and I want to be able to help fix that.
Following are instructions for sending email from the Blackboard system.
Clicking this link will cause this page to open in a new window so you can easily switch between these instruction and the CourseInfo system using the tabs on the task bar at the bottom of your screen.
To send your first email message from the Blackboard system, you need to:
- log in to the Blackboard system (you are probably there already, or you would not be seeing this on your screen).
- Go to the "Communication" section.
- Choose "Send Email".
- From the options on your screen, choose "All Instructors".
- In the "Subject" box, type your course and section number (such as "CSC 121.S01" or whatever it is in your case).
- In the "Message" box, type:
- your real name
- what you want me to call you in class
- your first choice for a code name
- your second choice for a code name
- Check the information you just typed.
- Click the "Submit" button below at the bottom of the page.
- The screen should say the your message was sent successfully.
- Click the "OK" button.
- You will be taken back to the communication center's email section.
- Click the new "OK" button.
- You will be taken back to the communication center.
- Choose any of the Gateway options (Announcements, Syllabus, etc.).
Please make sure that you mail this from your own Blackboard account, so I can extract your e-mail
address from the header of the message that I get. I will be using this address to broadcast e-mail
messages to the whole class about new assignments, additional instructions, or whatever.
Unless we're doing this in class, mail this at least 12 hours before the due date, so I have time to respond.
Getting information from me
When I receive your message, I will respond to it with a second message which will be sent to the address listed in Blackboard. You must check it before the beginning of class on the due date. If you do not receive a response from me by classtime on the due date, talk to me personally as there may have been a
problem with your message. There is, however, nothing to hand in from this part.
It is also possible to have your B-W email forwarded automatically to another address. You can do this from a link you will find on your Portal page, but be aware that not all email systmes will accept incoming email. You may, for example, try to forward your B-W email to an address you use at work only to find that your employer's security system rejects forwarded email. Now is the time to find that out.
part 2, downloading a file
You are to download a copy of the file me.jpg, from the public drive to some sotrage area of your own (your H: drive, a floppy disk, whatever) and then send it to me through Blackboard's Digital Dropbox. The file is in the directory P:\Math and Computer Science\rmolmen.
If you need instructions on doing this, you can find them here.
When you have completed the download, you can check that it was done correctly by starting an internet browser or graphics program
and opening the downloaded file. It should be a picture of me. (Sorry!)
Make a backup of the disk with the downloaded picture on it and hand the file in through the dropbox. To do this, connect to the Blackboard site for this course, go to the "Tools" section and then choose "Digital Dropbox". There are two buttons near the top of the page, "Add File" and "Send File". First click "Add File", navigate to the file you downloaded (NOT the original on the P: drive), and select it. This adds the file to YOUR dropbox, but does NOT put it in mine. You have to also use the "Send File" button to make sure I actually get the file.
Deliverables
For the first task, sending the e-mail is handing in the assignment.
For the second part, the file in my dropbox is all you hand in.
maintained by rjm
last modified 01/09/06
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