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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edtech
Date:         Mon, 16 Nov 1992 23:09:38 EST
From:         Stephen Owens <E2CSOWENSFSU@FRE.TOWSON.EDU>
Subject:      Query - Are Intro to CS courses still worthwhile?

Hello from Western Maryland;

I teach in the Computer Science Department of Frostburg State University, a
liberal arts school in the University of Maryland system. We are geographically
isolated from Maryland population centers and are the only 4 year state school
west of Baltimore (145 miles west).

Our 'bread and butter' course is Introduction to Computer Science, which is
mandatory for all freshmen. Due to severe fiscal problems in our state, ways
are being explored to slice budgets throughout the University system. Our Intro
 to
CS course is in jeopardy. If it goes, our department will suffer and likely
shrink, perhaps to the point of non-existence! We feel strongly that an
introductory computing course and a Computer Science department is vital for
today's college students for several reasons.

We have been given 2 weeks to mount a defense for continuing to offer a
mandatory Intro to CS course. It seems logical to pose this situation to the
network community. If you teach in a CS department, or just wish to share your
opinions with us about our situation, pro or con, please consider the following
questions and EMail your thoughts to us. (E2CSOWENSFSU@FRE.FSU.UMD.EDU).


1. Should college freshmen be required to take an introductory computing
course? Why?

2. Does your school have an introductory CS course? Is it mandatory? What
school? What is the course enrollment in a semester?

3. If your school has this course, what is its content? (intro to the science
of computing or intro to using computers)

4. Should this course be taught by a computer science department as a service
course or should it be available in any discipline customized for students
studying in that area?

I only subscribe to a few lists and I'm sure there are others I should post to.
If anyone reading this knows of another, more appropriate list for our query,
please forward this message or EMail the list address to me.

Thank you!

Stephen Owens
Frostburg State University
E2CSOwens@fre.fsu.umd.edu
E2CSOwens@fre.towson.edu
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Date:         Mon, 16 Nov 1992 23:03:39 EST
From:         "Barry R. Rosen" <rosen@mazel.mro4.dec.com>
Subject:      Re: DOS BACKUP

Phil,

You obviously  like  your  Mac.   We have DOS machines and Macs at the
office (in addition to many other types).  I don't think the demise of
machines running DOS is  close  at hand.  Actually, I've found that in
the PC world, each type  of  machine  can  do some things particularly
well.

I did  discover  a product originally done by Phillips Info Systems in
Europe that installs  with  MS-Windows  and  provides  a number of the
behaviors you describe.   For  example, when double clicking on a file
icon, the application that created  it is "launched" and uses that the
file as its input.  I  can  do  things like click on a file icon which
was created by an application such as  Word  or Powerpoint and Word or
Powerpoint will run and load the file.   If I want to delete the file,
I would drag its icon into the wastebasket icon where it would sit for
N number of days before being deleted forever.  N is a variable number
or aging days.

I believe that the original name of the product in Europe  was  called
Sonata (it may still be the name there).  I believe that products like
this will begin appearing more often.  The windows environment(s) will
probably also start adding  additional  functionality similar to this.
One can already see a  major  change  from  Windows  3.0 to 3.1 -- not
a minor change as one might expect with just an edit change.

Barry


Barry R. Rosen
rosen@mazel.mro4.dec.com
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Date:         Mon, 16 Nov 1992 16:55:37 EST
From:         "Charles M. Savitt" <CXLEE@ASUACAD.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: DOS BACKUP

I too, would be very interested in learning an easy way to back up Macintosh ha
rd disks. Thanks!

Charles M. Savitt
Arizona State University
Educational Media and Computers
Tempe, AZ 85287-0111
(602)965-6558
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Date:         Sat, 21 Nov 1992 15:54:06 EST
From:         PF Anderson <pfa@casbah.acns.nwu.edu>
Subject:      Re: Kodak CD-ROM

I just returned from SCAMC where the Kodak Photo CD was one of
the rave items everyone was starting to use (Toolbook was the other).

Here's the scoop.

Part 1:
Kodak Photo CDs are being written as multisession CDs. This means
that the CD can be written to multiple times rather than just once.
Unless you have a multisession CD player, you can only read the
*first* session. You can get the new CD drivers for the old
CD players, but what I plan to do is wait for the new
Apple Multisession CD player to be released (January target date)
which will be accompanied by the new drivers.

Part 2:
Yes, they are PICT files (I don't believe an interpreter is
required, but I may be wrong on that). The demonstrators
at SCAMC were just opening the files directly into Adobe
Photoshop. *Everybody* doing this was using Photoshop.
I see this as a word to the wise ...

Part 3:
Each image written to a PhotoCD is being written at *several*
resolutions (I believe 8 levels of resolution). These are
not compressed files. You can treat them just like regular
files -- copy them to your hard drive for editing, etc.

Part 4:
One booth I stopped at (not a Kodak booth -- a developer)
showed the same image digitized from three difference
sources. The original was a slide. First digitized image was from
a print scanned on a flatbed scanner. A little blurry, but good
color. The second was from a video feedin direct to the computer.
Better resolution, but the colors were off true. The PhotoCD
image was crystal clear and true vibrant colors. I *was*
impressed!

Hope this helps!

Pat Anderson
Barnes Learning Resources Center
Galter Library
Northwestern University
303 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago IL 60611
pfa@nwu.edu
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Date:         Sun, 22 Nov 1992 00:49:45 EST
From:         "Phil M. Jones" <pjones@rvgs.vak12ed.edu>
Subject:      The Macintosh Desktop Metaphor

                                        The subject of this
article is the Macintosh Desktop.

                                        The Macintosh system
uses a desktop metaphor. This means that when a Mac loads in
system and opens up you see a Mostly empty screen that is
called "THE DESKTOP".

                                        This is to be thought
of as the top of a standard writing desk with nothing on it.

                                        On the DeskTop will be
seen the menu bar at the top. In the desktop lower down and to
the right side you will see two or more Icons. Typicallyyou see
the icon of the internal Hard Drive, and the Trash Can. If You
have any external devices such as external Hard Drives, Tape
Drives, CD ROM Drives, their icons appear on the Desktop.
Floppy Drives do not appear on the desktop until a disk is
inserted.

                                        You have two methods to
open a device (hard drive, floppy; etc.). You can either place
the mouse ar over the desired "Icon" and click one time to
highlight; then move the pointer to menu bar choice called at
the top of the desktop, called file, click and hold the mouse,
and highlight the choice "Open". The second and preferred
method is to simply move pointer over desired file/folder and
double-click rapidly--this takes the place of all the the other
steps after clicking one time in the first method.

                                After opening the device the
device opens and what DOS people call a "Window" (Mac folks
call it an "Open Desktop") opens to reveal icons in the shape
of either a "File Folder" (representing a folder much like in a
"Filing Cabinet", or a "Sheet of Paper with a folded down
corner" representing a "Document" or Application" file, that
would be inside the folder.

                                        This window has a
"close" box in the top left-hand corner, a "Size" box in the
upper right-hand corner and a Drag Box" in the lower right-hand
corner. The "close" box when the mouse pointer is placed over
it and the mouse is clicked; closes the file or application.
The shape and size of the "open desktop" is altered by clicking
on and draging the drag box either up, down, side to side, or
diagonally to desired position. You can alternate between two
different sizes by clickin on the "size" box by clicking inside
the smaller of the two squares.

        This is the end of of this lesson

Phil M. Jones, CET
pjones@rvgs.vak12ed.edu
From: SDIA@SLUMUS.BITNET (SDIA000)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edtech
Subject: Re: Cable TV on Campus
Date: 17 Nov 92 21:34:08 GMT
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Here at St. Lawrence, we leave it up to the student to arrange for the
proper reception of the tv signal in their rooms. We are using channels
2-22 for our instructional programming and the students are told to
either get a cable ready set, cableready vcr or a converter box. The
added hassles of distributing, collecting, replacing defective boxes is
just not worth doing.

Stan Diamond
St. Lawrence Univ.
(315) 379-5303
SDIA@SLUMUS.BITNET
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Date:         Mon, 16 Nov 1992 23:06:37 EST
From:         DRINKEII@jcvaxa.BITNET
Subject:      Re: Cable TV on Campus

I think that leasing the converter boxes would be a very good solution. Just
charge like whatever the amount you would like to lease it for in the
beginning, along with the price of the cable tv, and then refund the money at
the end of the semester/year. Similar to what is done with refrigerators...


From the keyboard of David Rinke II
                     FireFighter
                     First Responder
                     All Around Genius and Great Guy!
                     And, of course, DRINKEII@JCVAXA.BITNET
                                  or DRINKEII@JCVAXA.JCU.EDU
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Date:         Thu, 19 Nov 1992 16:13:46 EST
From:         Jeff.Gordon@UC.Edu
Subject:      re: Toolbook

The address for Asymmetrix is:

110 - 110th Ave N.E. Suite 717
Bellevue, Washington, 98004

Phone 206-637-1500

And yes there is a listserv for toolbook. It is:

TOOLB-L@UAFSYSB

The help on it is terrific. There is also an FTP site at Indiana but I
don't know the address. If I find it I will put it up on this board. I
would definitely say that Toolbook is the hyper text of choice on the
DOS side.

Jeff.Gordon@UC.EDU
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Date:         Mon, 23 Nov 1992 15:06:52 EST
From:         WIGNALL@VALPO.BITNET
Subject:      RE: QuickTime

Charles,
Anyone who wants to use Quicktime in a solid interactive manner can
use Hypercard 2.x with the Quicktime XCMDs (either add the XCMDs with
a resource mover utility or simply get the stacks pre-set).

Hypercard allows you to build a quick and effective presentation
using its recognizable card format, and also play back Quicktime
movies in windows. Other programs now allow Quicktime access but
Hypercard is available on every Macintosh, and has a huge pool of
developers.

By Spring rumor has it that we should be able to convert Qmovies
over to PC format to run in Toolbook etc.

Eric
WIGNALL@Exodus.Valpo.Edu
Manager, Instructional Media Center
Valparaiso University
From: cdavis@tenet.edu (Chuck Davis)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edtech
Subject: Re: DOS BACKUP
Date: 17 Nov 92 21:43:14 GMT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
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> I did  discover  a product originally done by Phillips Info Systems in
> Europe that installs  with  MS-Windows  and  provides  a number of the
> behaviors you describe.   For  example, when double clicking on a file
> icon, the application that created  it is "launched" and uses that the
> file as its input.

Yeah, but what happens if you stick a blank, unformatted disk in either
type of machine?

Chuck


Chuck Davis
cdavis@tenet.edu
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Date:         Mon, 23 Nov 1992 15:08:09 EST
From:         Bruce Carter <bcarter@claven.idbsu.edu>
Subject:      Re: News submission for va-pen.mailing-list.edtech

Greetings,


>The Finder is what makes the MAC easy to use. It places the
>menu commands in the same order the top of the screen,
>regardless of the the type application. In other words, except
>for minor differences such as commands specific to a type of
>program (drawing as opposed to a wordprocessing program) if you
>learn the commands and their location in one program you know
>how to use them all. And in fact you can almost do without even
>reading a manual on a MAC program in order to use it.  This is
>absolutely one thing that can't be done in DOS programs.

This is not exactly accurate.  The Finder has nothing to do with menu item
placement in anything other than itself.  The Human Interface Guidelines direct
how menus should be positioned, but there is actually nothing that forces this
to occur.  A programmer can set up his menubar any way he wants to.  It's
Apple's production of the HIG and the Mac community's demand that they be
followed that produces uniform application menus, not anything intrinsic to the
Finder.
                                     <->
Bruce Carter, CBI Product Development                bcarter@claven.idbsu.edu
Simplot/Micron Instructional Technology Center       amccarte@idbsu (Bitnet)
Boise State University, Boise, ID  83725             (208)385-1851@phone
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Date:         Tue, 17 Nov 1992 23:41:49 EST
From:         Tony Dean <tdean@cs.uow.edu.au>
Subject:      Re: distance ed

Dear Terry, my university is also in the process of gearing up to make use of
visual media, including TV (broadcast), and I was with your commentary until I
reached the acronym towards the end - ie NAPLPS - would you please be kind eno-
ugh to unravel the meaning of this for me?

Many thanks
Tony Dean
university of Wollongong
Australia
email tdean@cs.uow.edu.au

>
> In Colorado, copper and fiber-optic systems carry compressed video/
> audio/data for distance learning.  Also, ITFS (low-power television),
> audio-graphics, broadcast television, satellite downlinks/uplinks,
> ASCII text telecommunications, and a unique use of the vertical
> blanking interval of a broadcast TV signal for shipping NAPLPS
> graphics+audio bridge.
>
> bcnu, ters
>
> Terry Smith
> ters@csn.org
>



Submitted to EDTECH by:  Tony Dean  tdean@cs.uow.edu.au
From: cdavis@tenet.edu (Chuck Davis)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edtech
Subject: Re: DOS BACKUP
Date: 17 Nov 92 21:42:34 GMT
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> For those of us who can't afford an extra hard drive, is there a simple
> method or a software program that makes backing up a Mac's hard drive to
> floppy disk an easy process?

I know you've ruled out an extra drive, but I have to mention SyQuest
removable cartridges (they come in 44 & 88 MB sizes).  They make backups a
breeze ... so much so that I actually do backups now.

Chuck


Chuck Davis
cdavis@tenet.edu
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Date:         Sun, 22 Nov 1992 19:24:46 EST
From:         Pierre Tanguay <Pierre_Tanguay@UQTR.UQuebec.CA>
Subject:      Pointing device

        Dear netters,

Two years ago i've visit a museum and in the hall there was a hypercard tour
of the museum.  This stack was build with a "Screen touch" pointing device.
Anyone know about this. Is it an init and where can I find it.

Thank's for your help...


**************
Pierre Tanguay
Universit  du Qu bec   Trois-Rivi res
tanguay@neptune.uqtr.uquebec.ca
***************

8*)
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Date:         Mon, 23 Nov 1992 15:15:43 EST
From:         Bob Kamper <KAMPER@NERVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Opening Documents on the Mac

To add to Phil Jones' comments about PageMaker...  The Pagemaker for Windows
 and Pagemaker for Mac programs are very nearly identical in appearance and
operation/performance.  Likewise the latest version of Word for Windows and
Word for the Mac are virtual twins.  The inter-platform compatibility of the
software and the files they create is a big plus; it means you don't have to
deal with system hassles like running your files through Apple File Exchange
or MacLink Plus in order to use them on different hardware.
The fact that the software files are compatible across platforms is an importan
t thing to note.  Users are interested in getting work done, not dealing with
the hardware.  Consistency and compatibility are the keys to efficiency and
effectiveness in the human-computer interface.  Whether you get that on a
Macintosh or an IBM doesn't really matter to the user.

Bob Kamper  Kamper@nervm  (These are only my opinions at this moment in space
and time and are not those of my employer....) etc. :)
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Date:         Wed, 18 Nov 1992 10:29:43 EST
From:         Dean Ginther <DG5444@ETSUACAD.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Software to format documents

Dennis,

There is an APA stype manager (editor) that is available from APA,
althought I think it is actually published by some other company.
However, unless you use APA very frequently, I am not sure that it
would be worth the additional effort to learn the new commands and
procedures. If you need more information concerning the source, let
me know.

Dean Ginther
dg5444@etsuacad.bitnet
dg5444@etsuacad.etsu.edu
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Date:         Mon, 23 Nov 1992 15:11:54 EST
From:         Paul Deveau <PED8C@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA>
Subject:      Bibliography software

Are any of you using bibliography software.  This should be specialized
software that helps with the creation of bibliographies.  I don't mean
something like endnotes in WordPerfect.  Anybody have names of sofware
and company addresses, and perhaps prices?

Thanks,

Paul

Paul Deveau
PED8C@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA
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Date:         Thu, 19 Nov 1992 16:16:20 EST
From:         FRIGANIOTIS@DARWIN.NTU.EDU.AU
Subject:      RE: A new LCD panel

I note your comments about the Sharp QA-1150 LCD panel.  Sounds interesting.
Can anyone make a comparison between it and the Proxima Ovation LCD panel?
If not, I'd be interested in general comments about the Ovation panel,
in particular its suitability for use both as a computer projection panel
AND for showing videos via a VCR.  The reason for this is that we are
considering an LCD panel purchase instead of a videobeam projection unit,
mainly for portability purposes, and in greater ambient light conditions.
I realise that there are plusses and minuses when considering video
projectors and LCD panels - any user views?

Cheers,  Mike Friganiotis,
Director, Educational Technology,
N.T. UNiversity, Darwin.

FRIGANIOTIS@DARWIN.NTU.EDU.AU
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Date:         Mon, 16 Nov 1992 16:56:01 EST
From:         "stat-RX" <BNOBLE@UMKCVAX1.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: distance ed

<We operated a demonstration in distance ed for several years.  The processes th
   at work in the class are not portable to the screen.  The use of visual
reinforcements, the changing of the visual image to maintain interaction, and
the awareness of the importance of sound quality would be good places to start.
The viewer really wants an interactive experience with strong visual and auditor
   y quality.
Elizabeth Noble, PhD
University of Missouri
Kansas City
bnoble@vax1.umkc.edu
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Date:         Mon, 23 Nov 1992 15:10:01 EST
From:         Bruce Carter <bcarter@claven.idbsu.edu>
Subject:      Re: Opening Documents on the Mac

Greetings,

>        The MAC document has two portions to it the "Data fork"
>and the "Resource fork".  It is the "Resource Fork" that
>contain information about the document as to the "Authoring
>Application" among other things. DOS only has a DATA fork.

Umm, no.  This is not the mechanism that the Mac uses to open documents.  In
fact, some Mac documents have only a data fork and no resource fork.  For
example, TeachText documents containing only text have no resource fork.
HyperCard stacks with no added external resources have no resource fork.  The
information that allows the Mac to open the application that created a file is
stored in the TYPE and CREATOR codes assigned to the file.  There is also an
easy way in System 7 to assign a default application to open documents for
which you do not have the creating application.
                                     <->
Bruce Carter, CBI Product Development                bcarter@claven.idbsu.edu
Simplot/Micron Instructional Technology Center       amccarte@idbsu (Bitnet)
Boise State University, Boise, ID  83725             (208)385-1851@phone
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Date:         Fri, 20 Nov 1992 01:19:07 EST
From:         Wayne Debly <DEBLY@ADMIN.HumberC.ON.CA>
Subject:      RE: A new LCD panel

We had a shoot out between various projector companies.  The projector unit
-Infocus TVT600- won hands down over panels for TV viewing and VCR viewing.
When it came to computers it was slightly behind the panels.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 FROM:    WAYNE DEBLY                  | OFFICE:  (416) 675-3111 X4121
          ACADEMIC COMPUTING  RM:H233  |          (416) 675-5040
          HUMBER COLLEGE               | FAX:     (416) 675-9528
          205 HUMBER COLLEGE BLVD.     |
          ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO  M9W 5L7  | INTERNET:
          CANADA                       | DEBLY@ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA
From: ters@csn.org (Terry Smith)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edtech
Subject: Re: distance ed
Date: 17 Nov 92 21:33:07 GMT
Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc.
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In Colorado, copper and fiber-optic systems carry compressed video/
audio/data for distance learning.  Also, ITFS (low-power television),
audio-graphics, broadcast television, satellite downlinks/uplinks,
ASCII text telecommunications, and a unique use of the vertical
blanking interval of a broadcast TV signal for shipping NAPLPS
graphics+audio bridge.

bcnu, ters

Terry Smith
ters@csn.org
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