Making Tutorials Collaboratively

This was an extremely challenging assignment. It was very late on the night of September 10 when my group finished upgrading our computer. Understandably, we were anxious to get home, so we did not spend much time planning how to produce the tutorials. We got some video and some still shot of the process. So, we decided that I would produce some labeled and captioned still shots as well as slides for formatting a hard drive, installing OS, and learning about computer security. Roslyn and Gina would write scripts. Roslyn would get the video to Jil, and Jil would edit it all together to create the tutorials. All these moving parts were fairly challenging to coordinate.

The first thing I did was to post all of my photos to Picasa so the other group members could use them as a resource for their tasks. I used PowerPoint to create the slides, and saved them as JPEG files. Unfortunately, I discovered that PowerPoint will save slides only at 92 dpi. I thought that would not be good enough for the tutorial, so I found out how the change the registry key forcing PowerPoint to save JPEGS at 200 dpi. That was an interesting exercise.

Since I had not done much of anything with Movie Maker before this project, I had to quickly learn how import clips, create a timeline, add audio narration, and render a movie. I can see myself using those skills in the future.

Through working on this project I was reminded of how important planning is for any group effort. I am pleased with the final results of these tutorials, and I believe we will do a better job planning for the next batch of tutorials. It's all about learning by doing!

See the Artifact section for links to the tree parts of our first batch of tutorials.

The Nuts and Bolts of a PC

The next part of the assignment was to tear a computer down to the bare bones and build it back again to its original, functional state. The experience of putting hands on the various computer components and seeing how they all fit together made the information I read in the notes and handouts more real to me and thus easier to remember and integrate with what I already know.

One would think that disassembling a computer would be a very easy task – just unscrew or unplug all the pieces and lay them out on the table. However, we soon found that computers can be stubborn things. Throughout the process we dealt with stuck buttons, uncooperative latches, and unyielding hinges. Perhaps the most frustrating part to remove was the heat sink because of its unusual clip. After several tries, Gina was able to get it off. Also, we struggled to remove the power supply unit, an effort which proved to be as challenging as any three-dimensional puzzle. Nevertheless, with nimble fingers and firm determination, all the components were finally dispatched.

Once the case was completely empty we took a quick breath and began to put it all back together again. Actually, it seemed easier to get the parts together than it was to take them apart. At the proper time we inserted an extra memory card into the motherboard, making sure that it was properly seated and fastened on each end. A secondary hard drive was placed in position within the rack, and the master and slave jumpers were adjusted. The jumper operation, a delicate manipulation carried out with tweezers, was particularly interesting to me. Our final upgrade was to add a CD writer which slid into its bay with ease. Reconnecting the ribbon-like cable from the motherboard to the two hard drives proved to be a trial-and-error adventure.

With our upgrades in place, we followed the directions for formatting the hard drives. Then we installed Windows XP, a lengthy process, with the help of the installation wizard. As the clock slipped past 9:00 pm, our reborn computer booted up successfully to my great sense of relief.

Building a Computer

To view the artifact for this project, please use the links to the right.

The team for IT662 Networks in Education consists of Roslyn Warren, Jil Wright and myself. The first team assignment was to build a personal computer for instructional use in the classroom within a budget of $1000. It was stipulated that the computer be built of individual components rather than ordered as a complete system. The design goal was to create a computer that could run multimedia instructional software with excellent graphic and video capabilities, rich sound, and responsive interactivity. The computer would also be used for administrative purposes such as creating documents, designing classroom posters, using gradebook applications, and maintaining a student database. Versatility was a factor in the design. One reason for building a computer from scratch is the ability to upgrade and add new features through time. Thus the initial investment will pay off in a system that can be altered to incorporate many improved technologies and features as they become available.

The team began by determining which components would be necessary for the computer. A working spreadsheet was created as a Google document that all team members shared. The spreadsheet contained cells for recording all the pertinent information about each component. Then the team members researched the options available and selected each component based on how it contributed to the design goals and fit with the budget. Specifications were carefully examined for compatibility between components. Features were analyzed to ensure all the desired functionality was provided. Each component was carefully considered.

The most challenging part of selecting components was sorting through the wide variety of features and options available. Most of the specifications were highly technical in nature, with cryptic acronyms and unfamiliar details. We discovered that most components are offered for sale by several vendors and that some websites are more helpful in the selection process than others. Narrative descriptions and product reviews provided valuable assistance in understanding the features and benefits of each component.

The Adventure Begins

Even though it has been 30 years since I studied Computer Science in college and worked as a computer programmer, I have kept my hand in the world of computing over the years. I owned a Radio Shack TRS-80, one of the first mass-marketed PC's, and created various practical applications using the BASIC language. Our storage device was a cassette recorder! The word processor we used at that time was a hoot - a half second delay on every character. I was an early user of Prodigy on-line service. Later we purchased an IBM-PC and became very familiar with the DOS command line. I used Lotus spreadsheets and created applications in dBase to help my husband with his business

Now I use computers even more for my work and for fun projects. For example, I designed the invitations and programs for my for my daughter's wedding and created a scrapbook for her, all using Phototshop. I created a Sudoku helper using Excel. And I even use several computer applications to help me with my stained glass patterns. At work I constantly use Word, PowerPoint and Excel, I have been able to teach myself how to use some of the more advanced features such as macros, mail merge, string editing, animation, and user forms.

With all my informal education in computers, I am greatly lacking in knowledge of networking. That is why I am glad to be taking this class. I want to get a foundation in networking which I can build upon, and maybe one day even teach a class in it. So, I begin yet another adventure in computing.

photos http://www.atariarchives.org/basicgames/pages/pagecover-trs80.jpg
http://www.landsnail.com/apple/local/design/images/computers/trs80b.gif