My Course Content and its Relevance

In the past weeks I have been able to apply all that I have learned to my own computer system. At the beginning of this course I was all set and ready to learn but my computer stopped me short in my tracks. I was faced with a unprotected system that had multiple virus issues. Prior to this discovery I was so frustrated with the rate my system processed any requests, it was slow and always shuting down on me during class. From I learned from my own system was to always have protection and the research I conducted during this class led me to wonderful software purchases that now how my system running much faster. My favorite part of this course was the virus research, I was able to gain a full understanding of what was occuring in my system and why. I will definetly be able to share my knowledge successfully with my colleagues and friends.

Computer's need protection too.....

I understand what it truly means to improve the management of the computer. In the past weeks I have been informed that my computer was infected with several different viruses. For a long time I could not understand why computer was running so slow, and I removed several non-significant files from my system but the run-time was still not functioning correctly. The discovery of the malware, spyware, and trojan viruses really brought to life the class 3 lecture. I believe Dr. Skonecki said "DON’T ever run without antivirus" and yes I did run my system without my system on a expired McAfe subscription. I have learned my lesson!!

From this experience I will always remember to run my system with Antivirus protection. I also learned to back up all my files and important data not only onto extended hard-drive but onto to my online drop box. Having my files available while my computer was away was essential to my all my daily activities.

Personally and professionally it is essential for the computer to be protected regardless of what sites and activities I am performing on my system (I just never assumed I would encounter any malicious activity). I will keep in mind what I learned this past week and that is to not open suspicious emails, keep my browser and operating system up to date, keep the firewall turned on, always back up my files, and to protect my wireless connection with a firewall and password.

Understanding Hardware Components of an Operating Systems

I am on to my third week of class and I am still loving every bit of information that I am learning. This past task about learning the computer from the inside was quite an undertaking but I was able to really get a glance at the system that makes the computer function. As I was watching the Triumph of the Nerds I saw a few slides of the inside of the computer and I was very intrigued to get started on looking into my own. I can now say that I have the seen the motherboard, the processor, and the hard drive of the computer. Now if you ask me what exactly they do I guess I can admit that I am not quite sure. However, now that I have a visual image of these main compnents of the computer I am even more interested in learning more about them including the production process and what makes them able to process so much information in seconds.

Hmmmm...what do I really know about Computers??

I have been operating on my laptop for the past three years and I know how to run the basic operations of the machine but when it comes down to the a full understanding of how this thing works I have no clue! I can create all types of documents, search the net, and upload pics/documents to to different online storage devices. When it comes to fully understanding how this device works I really am at a loss; however, I am very eager to develop my knowledge on the under-workings of this great machine.

I can say after watching the Triumph of the Nerds video that there is a lot of time and effort gone into the development of these machines and their programs. One thing I am positive about is that I am not quite sure how a programmer develops the programs, but that to is something I would like to add to my educational resume.

I came into this program fresh with a small amount of prior knowledge on the subject but my mind is open and ready to learn. I would like to share a small secret with the cyber world and that is I fear that I may fall behind because of my lack of knowledge. I am praying that is not the case, so I try to do a little more than the rest just so I can stay on top of all new information given to me.

My Personal Computer History

My first computer experience was with my Aunt's Commodore computer. It was the most exciting thing we ever seen, not only could we type on an actual screen(lol) but we could also play the Wheel of Fortune game (my favorite television program at the time). In school we had an Apple 2e and we used it to type our documents if time permitted (because we only had one computer in the class). The Apple was nothing like what we use today, this computer had a green screen and an equally large and loud printer that sounded more like a typewriter. For the most part most of my computer experience was limited until my sophomore year in High School, the typewriter was more the available means for drafting a document.

Attending school in the late 80's early 90's was much unlike what the students have available for their use today. I can remember drafting all my papers by hand or by the dreaded type writer. Yes I did say the typewriter, I had to take Typing 101 and I remember having to place a piece of typing paper over my hands to avoid looking at the keys. Not to mention straining my eyes to verify what I just typed. My sophomore year brought great joy to all of our hearts when we were able to use the computer in place of the typewriter. The computer lab opened to all students and we all able to go to the lab to draft our documents onto this screen that was colorful and user friendly (Microsoft Office Word) (Not to forget the wonderful printer that zapped out the document in just a few moments).

In the years to it became commonplace for me to use the computer for most things I do, I guess that is what brought me to this course. I want to navigate not only myself around a computer proficiently but also my students. I am looking forward to my near future venture of opening my computer and examining/identifying all the components that make up the computer.

Just checking if this link works...

This is my son (future Green Bay Packer Safety). I just wanted to see if this link actually works from my Dropbox account....please let me know if you can view this picture:)http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5345700/chris%201.jpg

On to Week 2....

Whew...after an exhausting week of adjusting back to being a student again, I must say I am rather enjoying this new classroom experience. This past week was very educational for me because as much as I use the computer and navigate around the web I have yet to discover all that is available in cyber space. The browser activity was the most beneficial for me, let the truth be told I only use Internet Explorer as my browser. So discovering the other browsers available made me very intrigued to try something new. In my research I discovered that FireFox is the most widely used browser and is compatible with the various operating systems on the market. I am so amazed at my ignorance of all this, (I can not believe I am sharing this little tid bit of information) but I am so excited to learn something new and apply it to my professional and personal cyber life.

As the weeks goes on I am looking forward to learning and improving my technological skills (say goodbye to the help button!)