Here is a freely available online computer course from Harvard
Extension School, Understanding
Computers and the Internet. Learning content
offered by this course includes lecture videos, lecture slides, lecture
transcripts, reviews, workshop and review videos, problem sets, exams
with answers, and bite-sized videos of the week.
From the course's description: "This course is all about understanding: understanding what's going on
inside your computer when you flip on the switch, why tech support has
you constantly rebooting your computer, how everything you do on the
Internet can be watched by others, and how your computer can become
infected with a worm just by turning it on. Students leave this course
armed with a new vocabulary and equipped for further exploration of
computers and the Internet. Topics include hardware, software, the
Internet, multimedia, security, website development, programming, and
dotcoms."
Lecture Videos, Slides and Transcripts for Understanding
Computers and the Internet Course:
Lecture 1: Hardware.
Computation. Overview. Bits and bytes. ASCII. Processors. Motherboards:
buses, connectors, ports, slots, and sockets. Memory: ROM, RAM, and
cache.Available in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with jargon,
slides,
and transcript
in PDF.
Lecture 2: Hardware,
Continued.
Secondary storage: floppy disks, hard disks (PATA and SATA), CDs, and
DVDs. Virtual Memory. Expansion buses and cards: AGP, ISA, PCI, PCI
Express, and SCSI. I/O devices. Peripherals. How to shop for a
computer. History.Available in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with jargon,
slides,
and transcript
in PDF.
Lecture 3: Software .
It's the first of two movie nights for Computer Science E-1! A look at
"how modern day visionaries Bill Gates and Steve Jobs changed the
world" by way of Pirates of Silicon Valley, a
dramatization of the history of Microsoft Corporation and Apple
Computer, Inc.Not available.
Lecture 4: The Internet.
Networks: clients and servers, peer-to-peer, LANs and WLANs, the
Internet, and domains. Email: addresses; IMAP, POP and SMTP;
netiquette; spam; emoticons; snail mail; and listservs. SSH. The World
Wide Web: URLs and HTTP. Blogs. Instant messaging. SFTP.
Usenet.Available in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with jargon,
slides,
and transcript
in PDF.
Lecture 5: The Internet,
Continued.
Network topologies. The Internet: backbones, TCP/IP, DHCP, and DNS.
NAT. Ethernet: NICs, cabling, switches, routers, and access points.
Wireless: IR, RF, Bluetooth, and WiFi. ISPs. Modems: dialup, cable, and
DSL.Available in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with jargon,
slides,
and transcript
in PDF.
Lecture 6: Jeopardy!
Students versus teaching fellows!Available
in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats.
Lecture 7: Multimedia.
Graphics: file formats, bitmaps and vectors, and compression. Audio:
file formats and compression. Video (and audio): file formats and
compression. Streaming.Available
in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with jargon,
slides,
and transcript
in PDF.
Lecture 8: Security.
Threats to privacy: cookies, forms, logs, and data recovery. Security
risks: packet sniffing, passwords, phishing, hacking, viruses and
worms, spyware, and zombies. Piracy: WaReZ and cracking.Available in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with jargon,
slides,
and transcript
in PDF.
Lecture 9: Security,
Continued. Defenses: scrubbing, firewalls, proxy servers,
VPNs, cryptography, virus scanners, product registration and
activation.Available in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with jargon,
slides,
and transcript
in PDF.
Lecture 10: Website
Development.
Webservers: structure, permissions, and implementations. Static
webpages: XHTML, well-formedness, and validity. Dynamic webpages: SSIs,
DHTML, AJAX, CGI, ASPs, and JSPs.Available
in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with jargon,
slides,
and transcript
in PDF.
Lecture 11: Programming.
Pseudocode. Constructs: instructions, variables, conditions, branches,
and loops. Languages: interpreted and compiled. Scratch.Available in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with jargon,
slides,
and transcript
in PDF.
Lecture 12: Pictionary!
Students versus teaching fellows!Available
in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats.
Lecture 13: Dotcoms.
It's the second of two movie nights for Computer Science E-1! A look at
the rise and fall of the dotcom era by way of Startup.com,
a documentary that traces the history of govWorks.com.Not available.
Lecture 14: Exciting
Conclusion. Where were you? Where are you? Where can you go?
Available in Flash,
MP3
and QuickTime
formats, along with slides
and transcript
in PDF.
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