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Week 1 Announcements
Monday: This Week in CSIS 1 — Hardware, Software & Operating Systems
Hey everyone -
Welcome to Week 1. We're jumping right in with the fundamentals — what computers actually are, how they work, and what all the pieces do.
This week you'll be able to:
- Identify the main hardware components of a computer (CPU, RAM, storage, I/O devices)
- Explain the difference between system software and application software
- Navigate your computer's file system — create folders, move files, find things
- Convert between units of digital storage (bits, bytes, KB, MB, GB)
- Describe what an operating system does and name the major ones
What's due this week (all due Sunday 11:59 PM):
- Practice Quiz (unlimited attempts, ungraded — do this first)
- Discussion: "What does being 'digitally literate' mean to you?"
- Real-World Task: Hardware & software identification
- Weekly Check-In Quiz (2 attempts, graded)
Where to start: Open Module 1 in Canvas. Read the OpenStax chapters first (Ch. 1 and 2), then watch the GCFGlobal Computer Basics tutorials if you want extra help.
Monday Demo tonight on Zoom — I'll be taking apart a computer (well, showing you what's inside one) and walking through the OS basics. These are optional but I really recommend them, especially in Week 1 when everything is new. Link is in the Module 1 page.
If anything's confusing, message me on Canvas. I'm here.
-peter h
Wednesday: Mid-Week Check-In
Hey everyone -
A couple things I want to flag:
Tip: Know where your files go. When you download something, do you know where it ends up? On most computers it's a "Downloads" folder. Get in the habit of saving things to a specific folder you create — not just dumping everything on the desktop. This sounds basic but it'll save you headaches all semester.
Keyboard shortcut of the week: Ctrl+Z (undo). Messed something up? Ctrl+Z. Changed your mind? Ctrl+Z. It works in almost every program. Start building that muscle memory now.
Common question I'm getting: "Do I need Microsoft Office?" Nope. Google Docs/Sheets/Slides works fine for everything in this course. So does LibreOffice (free). The textbook covers both Microsoft and Google — use whatever you have.
Don't forget the discussion post is due soon. It's a low-pressure intro — just share what you already know and what you're hoping to learn.
-peter
Friday: Week Wrap-Up
Hey everyone -
Quick reminders as we wrap up Week 1:
Everything is due Sunday at 11:59 PM. Quiz, discussion, and the hardware/software task. Don't wait until 11:55 — Canvas doesn't care about your internet connection dying.
Mistakes I'm seeing on the practice quiz:
- Mixing up RAM and storage. RAM is temporary (wiped when you shut down). Storage is permanent (your hard drive or SSD). Think of RAM as your desk and storage as your filing cabinet.
- Confusing the operating system with applications. Windows is the OS. Word is an application that runs on it.
Make sure you did the practice quiz first — it's unlimited attempts and ungraded. It's there to help you figure out what you know before the real quiz.
Next week: We're getting hands-on with Word and Excel (or Google Docs and Sheets). You'll build a formatted document and a budget spreadsheet. If you haven't used a spreadsheet before, don't panic — we'll start from zero.
Have a good weekend. See you Monday.
-peter h