Lectures
Lecture 1: Hardware. Computation. Overview. Bits and bytes. ASCII. Processors. Motherboards: buses, connectors, ports, slots, and sockets. Memory: ROM, RAM, and cache. Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with jargon, slides, and transcript in PDF.
Lecture 2: Hardware, Continued. Secondary storage: floppy disks, hard disks (PATA and SATA), CDs, and DVDs. Virtual Memory. Expansion buses and cards: AGP, ISA, PCI, PCI Express, and SCSI. I/O devices. Peripherals. How to shop for a computer. History. Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with jargon, slides, and transcript in PDF.
Lecture 3: Software . It's the first of two movie nights for Computer Science E-1! A look at "how modern day visionaries Bill Gates and Steve Jobs changed the world" by way of Pirates of Silicon Valley, a dramatization of the history of Microsoft Corporation and Apple Computer, Inc. Not available.
Lecture 4: The Internet. Networks: clients and servers, peer-to-peer, LANs and WLANs, the Internet, and domains. Email: addresses; IMAP, POP and SMTP; netiquette; spam; emoticons; snail mail; and listservs. SSH. The World Wide Web: URLs and HTTP. Blogs. Instant messaging. SFTP. Usenet. Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with jargon, slides, and transcript in PDF.
Lecture 5: The Internet, Continued. Network topologies. The Internet: backbones, TCP/IP, DHCP, and DNS. NAT. Ethernet: NICs, cabling, switches, routers, and access points. Wireless: IR, RF, Bluetooth, and WiFi. ISPs. Modems: dialup, cable, and DSL. Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with jargon, slides, and transcript in PDF.
Lecture 6: Jeopardy! Students versus teaching fellows! Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats.
Lecture 7: Multimedia. Graphics: file formats, bitmaps and vectors, and compression. Audio: file formats and compression. Video (and audio): file formats and compression. Streaming. Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with jargon, slides, and transcript in PDF.
Lecture 8: Security. Threats to privacy: cookies, forms, logs, and data recovery. Security risks: packet sniffing, passwords, phishing, hacking, viruses and worms, spyware, and zombies. Piracy: WaReZ and cracking. Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with jargon, slides, and transcript in PDF.
Lecture 9: Security, Continued. Defenses: scrubbing, firewalls, proxy servers, VPNs, cryptography, virus scanners, product registration and activation. Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with jargon, slides, and transcript in PDF.
Lecture 10: Website Development. Webservers: structure, permissions, and implementations. Static webpages: XHTML, well-formedness, and validity. Dynamic webpages: SSIs, DHTML, AJAX, CGI, ASPs, and JSPs. Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with jargon, slides, and transcript in PDF.
Lecture 11: Programming. Pseudocode. Constructs: instructions, variables, conditions, branches, and loops. Languages: interpreted and compiled. Scratch. Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with jargon, slides, and transcript in PDF.
Lecture 12: Pictionary! Students versus teaching fellows! Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats.
Lecture 13: Dotcoms. It's the second of two movie nights for Computer Science E-1! A look at the rise and fall of the dotcom era by way of Startup.com, a documentary that traces the history of govWorks.com. Not available.
Lecture 14: Exciting Conclusion. Where were you? Where are you? Where can you go? Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats, along with slides and transcript in PDF.
Reviews
Review Session: Exam 1. Review hardware, software, and the Internet! Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats.
Review Session: Exam 2. Review multimedia, security, website development, and programming! Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats.
Workshops
in-depth segments on topics related to lectures
in-depth segments on topics related to lectures
Workshop 8: Digital Audio. Learn how to create digital audio! Available in Flash, MP3 and QuickTime formats.
The Podcast
filmed in Cambridge, Massachusetts
September 2006 – January 2007
September 2006 – January 2007
Rei Diaz, Head Teaching Fellow
Dan Armendariz, Teaching Fellow
Eugenia Kim, Teaching Fellow
Chris Thayer, Editor
Chris Mehl, Videographer
Dan Armendariz, Teaching Fellow
Eugenia Kim, Teaching Fellow
Chris Thayer, Editor
Chris Mehl, Videographer
This course is all about understanding: understanding what's going on inside your computer when you flip on the switch, why tech support has you constantly rebooting your computer, how everything you do on the Internet can be watched by others, and how your computer can become infected with a worm just by turning it on. In this course we demystify computers and the Internet, along with their jargon, so that students understand not only what they can do with each but also how it all works and why. Students leave this course armed with a new vocabulary and equipped for further exploration of computers and the Internet. Topics include hardware, software, the Internet, multimedia, security, website development, programming, and dotcoms. This course is designed both for those with little, if any, computer experience and for those who use a computer every day.
Copyright © 2008, David J. Malan. Some rights reserved under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States. Computer Science E-1's podcast is generously hosted by Switchpod.com.
Problem Sets
Problem Set 1: Hardware. Reinforce your understanding of hardware! Available in PDF.
Problem Set 2: Hardware and Software. Reinforce your understanding of hardware and software! Available in PDF.
Problem Set 3: The Internet. Reinforce your understanding of the Internet! Available in PDF.
Problem Set 4: Hardware, Software, and the Internet. Reinforce your understanding of hardware, software, and the Internet! Available in PDF.
Problem Set 5: Multimedia. Reinforce your understanding of multimedia! Available in PDF.
Problem Set 6: Security. Reinforce your understanding of security! Available in PDF.
Problem Set 7: Website Development. Reinforce your understanding of website development! Available in PDF.
Problem Set 8: Programming. Reinforce your understanding of programming! Available in PDF.
Exams
Exam 1. Test your understanding of hardware, software, and the Internet! Available in PDF.
Exam 1: Answer Key. Answers to Exam 1. Available in PDF.
Exam 2. Test your understanding of multimedia, security, website development, and programming! Available in PDF.
Exam 2: Answer Key. Answers to Exam 2. Available in PDF.
Videos of the Week
bite-sized segments on topics related to lectures
bite-sized segments on topics related to lectures
Vol. 1: Hardware
Changing PC BIOS Settings. Learn how to access and change a PC's BIOS settings! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Dissecting a PC. Learn what the inside of a PC looks like! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Vol. 2: Software
Browser Wars. Learn about alternatives to Internet Explorer! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Finding and Installing Windows Updates. Learn how to find and install the latest Windows updates for your PC! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Vol. 3: The Internet
Hosting Options. Learn how to select a host for your website! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Registering a Domain Name. Learn how to register a domain name of your own! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Vol. 4: The Internet
Vol. 5: Personal Tech
Vol. 6: Multimedia
Buying a Digital Camera. Learn how to shop for a digital camera! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Vol. 8: Multimedia
Vol. 9: Security
Desktop Firewalls. Learn how to protect yourself with a desktop firewall! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Disinfecting a PC: Ad-Aware. Learn how to protect yourself against adware with Ad-Aware! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Vol. 10: Security
Vol. 11: Website Development
Vol. 12: Web Browsing
Browser Extensions. Learn about extensions that enhance Firefox's functionality! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Vol. 13: Code Warriors
Vol. 14: IT
Bad Ideas in Technology. Learn (if not laugh) about some bad ideas in technology! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Dot Bombs. Learn (if not laugh) about some failed dotcoms! Available in Flash and QuickTime formats.
Vol. 15: Fun