CS180 Project for Fall 2008

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You have two options: write up a website using HTML, JavaScript and CSS, or create a website using WordPress. Because WordPress is so easy to use and so powerful, it is recommended that you use WordPress and customize and tweak a theme to meet your needs.
If you prefer to work with HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, go to the Project without WordPress Requirements for a different set of requirements than the ones below.

Time Line: Using WordPress

All items are due by 10am on the day specified!!!

No.	Points	Phase	Due Date	How to submit
1	1	Partner Choice or none and Topic Choice	Wed Oct 8	Post on RamCT Discussion board name of partner or none, and topic
2	4	Theme up	6pm Thur Oct 23	URL at freehostia.com posted to Discussion Board by one member. Theme is something other than default options.
3a	5	Blog #1	6pm Thur Oct 23	Blog #1 posted
4	15	Web pages	Wed Oct 29	See Phase 4.
3b	5	Blog #2	Wed Oct 29	Blog #2 posted

5	10	Widgets	Wed Dec 3	See Phase 5
3c	5	Blog #3	Wed Dec 3	Blog #3 posted

6	10	AdSense	Tue Dec 3	Meet in computer lab for lecture - help on AdSense, video making
6	10	AdSense	Wed Dec 3	See Phase 6
3d	5	Blog #4	Wed Dec 3	Blog #4 posted

7	15	Video	Wed Dec 3	See Phase 7

8	10	Presentations	Week of Dec 8	present in lecture
9	5	Presentation Feedback	Week of Dec 8	anonymous feedback to other groups
-	10	Overall
-	100	TOTAL POINTS

Grading on RamCT

Phase A [10 pts]: No 1, 2, 3a
Phase B [20 pts]: No 3b, 4
Phase C [30 pts]: No 3c, 3d, 5 and overall and XC for topic: due Wed Dec 3 10am right after Thanksgiving break
PRJ AdSense [10 pts]: No 6
PRJ Video [15 pts]: No 7
PRJ Present [10 pts]: no 8
PRJ Fdbk [5 pts]: no 9

TOPIC Persons Extra Credit

Downhill mtn biking Seth B.

College Baseball Report Matthew S.

KD CSU Leslie

O'Reilly Kendall S.

Online Stock Trading Evan M.

Relationships via Technology Chris L. Yes

Meta Search Engines Rumina J.

New Technologies Quinton C. Yes

Computer Networking Calvin M. Yes

Programming Basics Kristian Yes

P2P Robert H. Yes

4x4 trails in CO William D.

math Sarah L.

CSU Rugby Kaitlin.

Fashion Ashley

TOPIC	Persons		Extra Credit
Downhill mtn biking	Seth B.
College Baseball Report	Matthew S.
KD CSU	Leslie
O'Reilly	Kendall S.
Online Stock Trading	Evan M.
Relationships via Technology	Chris L.	Yes
Meta Search Engines	Rumina J.
New Technologies	Quinton C.	Yes
Computer Networking	Calvin M.	Yes
Programming Basics	Kristian	Yes
P2P	Robert H.	Yes
4x4 trails in CO	William D.
math	Sarah L.
CSU Rugby	Kaitlin.
Fashion	Ashley

Final Project:

For your final project, you may choose a topic related to this course "How the Internet Works" or your own personal interests and you will create a website related to the topic of your choice. If you choose to research an area related to this course you will receive 2 points extra credit towards your project grade for investing time in understanding the material in more depth. Please note that you must not plaigerize - penalty is a zero! Your website must meet the requirements as listed below.

You have the option to work with one other person or work by yourself. Either way you have the same amount of work to do (I encourage group work for the project!). Both people in a group must work about the same amount on the project. You may pick your partner. You may also advertise your wish to find a partner on the discussion board, and perhaps discuss what topic you would like to do.

Topic Choices

You will need to get permission for the topic that you choose if it varies from the list below (to ensure it meets with the requirements for this course). Permission granted via response in the discussion board.

Topics must be unique between groups. Therefore, topic choice will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sign up will be through the discussion board on RamCT.

Topic Examples

All topics require you to go in much more depth than what we covered in the course. This is a research project for you to discover a particular technology in much more detail.

Programming JavaScript
How to blog and set up RSS feeds, the underlying architecture of how it works
How FTP works both via the browser and an FTP program
Internet Architecture - TCP/IP and all the layers
Streaming audio architecture - servers, protocols
BitTorrent architecture and underlying structure and how to use it
P2P networks, how they work, the debate over legal issues
Evolution of the Internet from initial concept, ARPANET, Internet and Internet 2.0. Issues with current internet..
How Search engines work, different search engines, backend technology, AI behind it
Encryption: PGP, RSA - the math behind it, why it works, how it works, how hard to break
Viruses, worms, trojan horses and phishing. Differences, how they're written, why they work, how they work, what they do
Underlying structure of MUDs, how it works in real-time,
How to create Facebook applications - demonstration of creating one, architecture of how it works on multiple users' accounts
Analysis of web design patterns in various domains or fields. Structure and layout. Variants between news/education/business/social sites. Genre of a web page. Statistics and design demonstrations. Critiques of design - good/bad.
Understanding Client/Server technology, what technologies are client-based vs. server based, what the data looks like as transferred from one to the other
Packet Sniffing. How to do it, when it works/doesn't work, types of networks it works on, what you see, how to modify packets
Paying for the Internet. How the Internet is supported. Issues of scalability.
E-commerce. Legal issues across governments, countries. Merchant accounts, taxes, customs. Auctions vs. credit card sites, PayPal and Google Checkout.
Different features of windows-based vs. Linux-based web servers. Demos. Client/Server technology differences.
Ad-Aware and Spybot - why we need these, what they do, what technogies are used to snoop on our personal computer activities, Cookies, surveillance, issues of privacy
Ask if you have your own idea

The following are the requirements for your project.

Misc.

You must cite all your resources. Plagiarism is a serious offense and will result in a failure of the course! Cite your sources.

Phase 1 (1 pts)

ONE person in group is to post to the discussion board their name, their partner's full name, and a 3 sentence description of their project topic.
I will post a response if the topic is rejected.

Phase 2 (4 pts)

ONE person in group is to post the URL link to your website hosted on freehostia.com that has a theme up and running. The theme must be something other than the default ones available - e.g., you must find one off the Internet, download it to your computer and upload it to freehostia and get it to work.
If there are two of you working on the project, you must each have separate accounts on your blog (not on freehostia), so that each time one of you posts or edits a file, that person's name is associated with the post/edits.

Phase 3 (20 pts) - (5 pts each)

Blogs submitted most weeks on Wednesday - do NOT submit all four at the same time! They are to be submitted weekly, as in the real world you want to update your subscribers with neat new information once a week. You can schedule the release date and time in WordPress, so go ahead and write them up early and have them ready to go. Blogs

You must have a blog set up where each week for 4 weeks you post a blog about your topic. Each week should cover a different aspect of your topic. See examples on the web.
Each blog must be signed at the end (or beginning) as who the person is who wrote it.
Each blog must be submitted on Wednesdays, one week at a time. You can schedule this release in WordPress.

Phase 4 (15 pts)

Web pages must include: about me/us page, contact me/us page and at least one other page. These are done in WordPress under Write - Pages. You must also include a link to the CS180 website.

Web Page

You must have at least 3 web pages. One must be an About Me/About Us page. One must be a Contact Me/Us page.
All your web pages must adhere to good web design
You must include your names as authors at the bottom of each page (whoever worked on that page). This should be automatic based on who is logged on when editing/posting - make sure you got it right if you are working with a partner.

Phase 5 (10 pts): Widgets

Add widgets to your blog: tag cloud (fancy or standard), RSS feed works, archives. Ensure they all work.

Phase 6 (10 pts): AdSense

Add your own AdSense to your blog to start making money!

Phase 7 (15 pts)

Video. I should be able to easily find it on your web blog/pages.

You must include a video on your website that you create.
- Must be at least 1-3 minutes in length
- Must include your name(s) in the credits
- May either be video of yourselves or video of screen capture with your voices
- Must discuss some aspect of your project topic
- May use any video software. www.jumpcut.com
- Make use of call-outs/titles and transitions.
- Do not make a video version of a power-point slides presentation.
- Grading based on how good the content is and flow of the video and creativity.
- Extra Credit: For adding your voice throughout the video.

Phase 8 (10 pts)

Present your site to class during lecture. Presentation guidelines presentation on your project that may cover topics from the following (not inclusive):

Who are you? Introduce yourselves
Project Topic - What is it?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of your topic?
Who could benefit from your project
What is the future of your topic?
What else is interesting about your topic?
Design: Show us your website
Short demonstration including the video
Both people in the group must speak for at least 1 minute each.
Full presentation must be between 4.5 minutes and 5.5 minutes only

You have freedom of artistic license to present this how you like - in other words, you need not follow the orthodox methodology of how courses are taught by professors. If you want to be creative with it, go ahead!

Phase 9 (5 pts)

Anonymously give good feedback to the groups presenting.

Phase 10 (10 pts)

Overall: What is the overall look and effort put in to your website.
This includes your design, features, content, color coordination, widget placement, any extras included. Does your site look professional/clean/good/usable.