Week 1

1
Introduction

• Week 1
• Information Technologies 1761055001
• - Fall 2008 -

2
Agenda

• Instructional Stuff
• Course objectives
• Approach for class structure
• Course overview
• Getting from here to there
• Grading
• Questionaire

3
Instructional Stuff

• Professor Smaranda Muresan
• Office CIL 108
• Email smara_at_umiacs.umd.edu (to be changed)
• Class web page
• http//www.umiacs.umd.edu/smara/550-IT/Fall2008.
  html
• Office hours Tue 230-400pm or by appointment
• TA Ying-Hsang Liu

4
Instructional Stuff - Bio

• Smaranda Muresan
• PhD Computer Science, Columbia Univ, 2006
• Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Maryland,
  2006-2008
• Assistant Professor, Rutgers University, Fall
  2008
• Ying-Hsang Liu
• PhD candidate, Rutgers working with Professor
  Nina Wacholder

Whats my research area?
5
Digital Libraries Humans and Machines
Information Overload
Intelligent Systems

• Millions of books in digital form
• Billions of web pages
• Multiple languages

Natural Language Processing
6
One Scenario Pathway to Healthcare
Can computers help?
Latest scientific findings
Large scale semantic analysis, inferences
Machine Translation
Terminology for Lay Users
Machine Translation
Point of patient care
Clinical decision making
7
Another Scenario Intelligence Analysis
Can computers help?
Intelligence analysts
Machine Translation
Large scale semantic analysis, inferences Deep
Question Answering
Write reports about new events and
individuals Who did what to whom when and why?
Latest news in multiple languages
Natural Language Processing
8
What was the main question?

• Can computers help?
• Instructional Objectives
• To help develop an understanding of basic
  concepts of information technologies
• To facilitate discussions on course topics
• To make you familiar with technology and software
  applications that you will need throughout
  graduate schools at SCILS.
• To dispel the myth that you need to be a nerd to
  be capable of using technology to improve your
  career prospects to arm you with knowledge
  needed in the decision-making in your profession.

9
Approach
Approach

• Readings
• Provide background and detail due before class
• Class sessions
• Provide conceptual structure
• Outline notes provided in class
• Slides available
• Assignments, lab sessions, project
• Provide hands-on experience
• Exam
• Measure progress

10
Course Overview (Topics)
Integrated Concepts and Tools Research topics
(MLIS courses)
Basic Concepts and Tools

• Computer basics Software applications MS
  Word/Powerpoint/Excel
• Operating systemsfile managementnetworks
• Internet and WWW
• Web design
• Web Languages dynamic web pages
• DatabasesMS Access

• Web-database Integration
• Human Computer Interaction
• Information Retrieval
• Computer-mediated Communication
• Digital Libraries and Multimedia/Multilingual
  Technologies

3 Assignments
Labs
Term Project
Exam
11
Computer Basics Software MS office
12
Computer Basics Software MS office

• By the end of this class, you will
• Have a basic understanding of computers
• Know how to think about space, time and
  speed
• Understand of how computers store data and move
  data around
• Know software basics and types of software
• Work with MS office software for text/tabular
  data processing and management

13
Course Overview (Topics)
Integrated Concepts and Tools Research topics
(MLIS courses)
Basic Concepts and Tools

• Computer basics Software applications MS
  Word/Powerpoint/Excel
• Operating systemsfile managementnetworks
• Internet and WWW
• Web design
• Web Languages dynamic web pages
• DatabasesMS Access

• Web-database Integration
• Human Computer Interaction
• Information Retrieval
• Computer-mediated Communication
• Digital Libraries and Multimedia/Multilingual
  Technologies

14
Operating Systems File management Computer
Networks

• By the end of this class you will
• Know what an OS is and practice with 3 of them
  (Windows, DOS,UNIX)
• Know different file types and formats, and files
  editors
• Know the basics of computer networks

15
Course Overview (Topics)
Integrated Concepts and Tools Research topics
(MLIS courses)
Basic Concepts and Tools

• Computer basics Software applications MS
  Word/Powerpoint/Excel
• Operating systemsfile managementnetworks
• Internet and WWW
• Web design
• Web Languages dynamic web pages
• DatabasesMS Access

• Web-database Integration
• Human Computer Interaction
• Information Retrieval
• Computer-mediated Communication
• Digital Libraries and Multimedia/Multilingual
  Technologies

16
Internet and WWW

• By the end of this class you will
• Know that Internet ? Web
• Internet collection of global networks
• Web way of managing information exchange
• Know different uses of internet
• File transfer (FTP)
• Email (POP, IMAP)
• Web documents HTML basics

17
Course Overview (Topics)
Integrated Concepts and Tools Research topics
(MLIS courses)
Basic Concepts and Tools

• Computer basics Software applications MS
  Word/Powerpoint/Excel
• Operating systemsfile managementnetworks
• Internet and WWW
• Web design
• Web Languages dynamic web pages
• DatabasesMS Access

• Web-database Integration
• Human Computer Interaction
• Information Retrieval
• Computer-mediated Communication
• Digital Libraries and Multimedia/Multilingual
  Technologies

18
Web design Dynamic web pages

• By the end of this class you will
• Understand the principles of web design
• Work with web authoring tools
• Know different types of structured documents
  (HTML, XML, XHTML)
• Know basics of web programming (CGI, JavaScript)
• Able to do assignment on developing a personal
  web page

19
Course Overview (Topics)
Integrated Concepts and Tools Research topics
(MLIS courses)
Basic Concepts and Tools

• Computer basics Software applications MS
  Word/Powerpoint/Excel
• Operating systemsfile managementnetworks
• Internet and WWW
• Web design
• Web Languages dynamic web pages
• DatabasesMS Access

• Web-database Integration
• Human Computer Interaction
• Information Retrieval
• Computer-mediated Communication
• Digital Libraries and Multimedia/Multilingual
  Technologies

20
Databases
primary key
21
Another example - Registrar

• Which students are in which courses?
• What do we need to know about the students?
• first name, last name, email, department
• What do we need to know about the courses?
• course ID, description, enrolled students, grades
  

22
Student Table
Department Table
Course Table
Enrollment Table
23
Database Programming

• Natural language
• Goal is ease of use
• e.g., Show me the last names of students in LIS
• Ambiguity sometimes results in errors
• Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Consistent, unambiguous interface to any Database
  Management System
• Simple command structure
• e.g., SELECT Last name FROM Students WHERE
  DeptLIS
• Useful standard for inter-process communications
• Visual programming (e.g., Microsoft Access)
• Unambiguous, and easier to learn than SQL

24
Databases

• By the end of these classes (there will be two)
  you will
• Know basic concepts of databases and relational
  databases
• Practice with MS Access

25
Course Overview (Topics)
Integrated Concepts and Tools Research topics
(MLIS courses)
Basic Concepts and Tools

• Computer basics Software applications MS
  Word/Powerpoint/Excel
• Operating systemsfile managementnetworks
• Internet and WWW
• Web design
• Web Languages dynamic web pages
• DatabasesMS Access

• Web-database Integration
• Human Computer Interaction
• Information Retrieval
• Computer-mediated Communication
• Digital Libraries and Multimedia/Multilingual
  Technologies

3 Assignments
Labs
Exam
26
Computer-mediate communication

• Email
• Usenet News Groups
• Google/Yahoo Groups
• Bulletin Board Service
• ListServ Discussion List
• Wiki
• Blogs
• Chat room
• Instant Messenger
• Blackboard, WebCT
• Video teleconferencing

27
Course Overview (Topics)
Integrated Concepts and Tools Research topics
(MLIS courses)
Basic Concepts and Tools

• Computer basics Software applications MS
  Word/Powerpoint/Excel
• Operating systemsfile managementnetworks
• Internet and WWW
• Web design
• Web Languages dynamic web pages
• DatabasesMS Access

• Web-database Integration
• Human Computer Interaction
• Information Retrieval
• Computer-mediated Communication
• Digital Libraries and Multimedia/Multilingual
  Technologies

28
Examples

• Search Engines and Info Retrieval
• Google
• Powerset
• Multilingual Language Techonologies
• Machine translations (Google translate)
• Document summarization and clustering
• Google News

29
Course Overview (Topics)
Integrated Concepts and Tools Research topics
(MLIS courses)
Basic Concepts and Tools

• Computer basics Software applications MS
  Word/Powerpoint/Excel
• Operating systemsfile managementnetworks
• Internet and WWW
• Web design
• Web Languages dynamic web pages
• DatabasesMS Access

• Web-database Integration
• Human Computer Interaction
• Information Retrieval
• Computer-mediated Communication
• Digital Libraries and Multimedia/Multilingual
  Technologies

Term Project
30
Learning Objectives

• use of common information processing and
  management tools (e.g., MS Word, MS Excel MS
  Access)
• understand how computers and computer networks
  work.
• create Web pages using (X)HTML tags
• design and organize Web-based information
  resources.
• apply information technology to solve a practical
  problem

31
Getting from here to there
What you need to know
Nobody does this!
What you know now
32
Grading

• 3 Assignments 30 (10 each)
• Labs 0
• Exam 25
• Term project 35
• Class participation 10

33
Some notes on grading

• The exam is worth almost the same as the
  assignments
• Message Use the labs and assignments to learn
  the material
• Develop sound study skills early
• You need not be good at everything to get an A
• But you do need to be excellent at several things

34
The fine print

• Deadlines are firm and sharp
• Discuss with the instructors in advance if you
  cannot meet the deadline
• Academic integrity is a serious matter
• No group work during the exams!
• No plagiarism on assignments

35
Term Project

• Teams of 2 or 3
• Goal
• Design and implement some type of application in
  a way that makes substantial use of technologies
  learned in this class.
• Use your personal strengths, interests and make
  use of technology to help you emphasize them
• Have fun with it!!
• See examples

36
Questionaire

• Goal To help me assess your level of comfort
  with technology so I can develop a meaningful and
  helpful class for you
• The above syllabus can be changed based on this
  questionaire (e.g., more details on basics)
• We can set up additional lab time for you to get
  comfortable with technology

37
Main Message(s)

• 550 class is intended to teach you the use of
  computers technology TO HELP YOU with your own
  interests, skills
• Technology can be your friend
• Do not be stressed you do not need to be a nerd
  to succeed in the class
• Please contact the instructor with
  worries/concerns/questions during class/office
  hours/by appointment I am here to TEACH you