Hands-On Computing:
Making Your Home Computer Work For You In Five Easy Steps

Project Challenge, Spring 2008

Project Challenge is a program in the winter months that brings area high school students to campus on Saturday mornings for 5 weeks to study a course of their choice. For the fourth year, a course is being offered in the Clarkson University Internet Teaching Laboratory (ITL) called "Hands-On Computing: Making Your Home Computer Work For You In Five Easy Steps." This year's course will be taught by Dr. Jeanna Matthews, with the assistance of students Jim Owens and Martin McDermott.
Official Course Description

• Class Topics
  
  
  • Day 1 - Overview, Network Trace Analysis, Security
  • Day 2 - Databases and SQL
  • Day 3 - HTML Web Pages
  • Day 4 - Linux, Programming, and Open Source
  • Day 5 - Take Apart Computer, Install OS, Live CDs, VMs, and Set Up A (Wireless) Home Network
  
  
• Day 1 - Overview, Network Trace Analysis, Security
  The students will learn about network tracing and network security.
  Useful links for Day 1:
  Ethereal/Wireshark
  Computer Viruses
  Firefox
  OpenOffice
  Traceroute to Ashburn, Virginia, USA
  Traceroute to Johannesburg, South Africa
  Traceroute to India
  Jeanna's web page
  Network Cabling Handout or Slideshow
  
  
  
• Day 2 - Databases and SQL
  The students will learn about organizing data and designing, implementing, and querying databases.
  Useful links for Day 2:
  SQLzoo.net
  Database Privacy
  
  
• Day 3 - HTML Web Pages
  The students will build their own webpages in HTML and, optionally, use PHP to connect to a database.
  They will also learn how to create HTML forms and how to edit pictures using the GIMP. View student Web sites.
  Useful links for Day 3:
  Getting Started with HTML (Dave Raggett)
  Advanced HTML Features (Dave Raggett)
  HTML tutorial at W3Schools (Good reference)
  
  
• Day 4 - Programming, Linux and Open Source
  The students will learn about programming languages and open source software.
  Useful links for Day 4:
  Wikipedia: Source Code
  Wikipedia: Hello World Program
  Linux Kernel Source
  Mozilla Source
  Wikipedia: GNU General Public License
  
• Day 5 - Take Apart Computer, Computer Science Careers, Revolution OS
  The students will learn about the inside of a computer. We will also talk about computer science as a career and watch a great movie, Revolution OS. Students will have a chance to put finishing touches on their web pages.
  
  
• Consider a Career in Computer Science!
  Fastest growing occupations A Bachelors Degree in Computer Science would prepare you for 5 of the top 30!
  Occupational Outlook Handbook
  Computer science grads in U.S. will be in greater demand than ever despite outsourcing
  Bill Gates on the shortage of computer science graduates
  Gates frustrated that more U.S. students are not going into computer science
  Relevance of computer science to all other fields of study