CSCI 1100 does many things! During your first year here, you take 1100 and it will help prepare you for the rest of your college career, as well as your life. Let's look at several of the things you'll learn in 1100. We won't mention the newest incarnation from Microsoft (Microsoft Office 2007). "Where's the Save button?"
1. CSCI 1100 will start you on the right foot by getting your Z accounts set up (enabling access and use of the University Intranet resources), setup and training for your ETSU Goldmail accounts (accessible from anywhere on the planet that has internet access), and setup/training on your D2L web sites (used by 9 out of 10 smart professors for class enhancement). You will use these tools throughout your time at the university, and you will learn them "up front" so that they will be of immediate service to you for semesters to come! You will learn how to stop spam, phishing, and all types of malware so that you don't have dozens of these types of e-mail filling up your In-box.
2. CSCI 1100 will teach you to really use the Windows XP operating system. What's to learn, you ask? Well, the operating system does far more than allow you to point and click programs. You will learn to use the application functions of course, but you will also learn the secrets of Windows XP file management, optimization, and making that O.S run like new again. File management will give you the ability to find, store, move, and retrieve all of those pieces of information that you create or gather from other sources (take control of your information). Of course, you will also learn the secrets of problem resolution (not that your computer EVER locks up in the middle of a critical moment, loses data unexplainably, locks you out of a function for no reason, gets a nasty virus, or just starts slowing down to a crawl). You will learn to make Window run as fast and smoothly as the first week you used it. You will learn to be the boss of your computer!
3. CSCI 1100 will teach you Internet research literacy. Sure, you can find those .mp3 sites, and YouTube, but it is likely that those will not be a large part of your research needs in college. You will learn the secrets of the ETSU library's vast on-line resources and how to retrieve just the information you will need for that pressing term paper. You will learn how to tame the IE 7 tabbed browsing function (as well as other browsers) and how you can verify Internet information ("if it's on the Internet, it MUST be true").
4. CSCI 1100 will teach you word processing. Oh sure, you know how to use Word, and the body of an e-mail message will suffice for writing, but after all, you are in college! Microsoft Word 2007 will help you to create and revise documents (from scratch or from templates guaranteed to be just what you want) for calendars, brochures, business cards, invitations, and resumes as well as those thesis papers. You will learn to add and modify images, insert tables, convert other formats, and Word will do all of the popular outline formats. Not enough? Word can actually template all of the popular formats for term papers, footnotes and all. All you gotta' do is type the paper and leave the format to Word! Term papers never seemed so easy.
5. CSCI 1100 will teach you all about spreadsheets. Spreadsheets have the uncanny ability to manipulate numbers beyond belief. If you are on a fixed budget, you can not only keep track of your limited funds, you can use the "what if" function to examine what effect purchasing that new outfit will have on you three weeks from now. Spreadsheets are an integral part of business and accounting and CSCI 1100 will allow you to "step up to the plate" if you choose. If business is not your goal, then certainly the rest of your life can use this spreadsheet information. You can figure car payments, vacation budgets, investment income projections, your grade point averages, and on and on.
OK, these are just five reasons for CSCI 1100. We won't mention the audio/video portion, the social networking portion, the web development portion, responsibility, ethics, and on and on. Sign up and find out for yourself! It is guaranteed to be time well spent. We'll see you next semester!
