Before Classes Start: Getting Set Up

Buy the textbook: Understanding the Digital World by Brian W. Kernigan, 2nd Edition (2021). You will be reading sections from Chapters 1 and 3 before class on Friday.
Read the Syllabus to learn more about the course and what hardware and software you will need. (There will be a "Syllabus Quiz" by Friday of 1st Week.)
Create a Class Folder:
Microsoft Teams: Download the Microsoft Teams app for laptops, desktops, or mobile devices. Alternatively, you can use Microsoft Teams from a web browser. You will sign in to Microsoft Teams (app or web browser) using your K email address (for example, Buzz.Hornet20@kzoo.edu).
- Join the CS Collaboration Center team (code whllu3o). Turn on notifications for the General channel in the Collaboration Center team. (Go to the team and click on the "…" next to the General channel to find channel notifications.)
- Watch the Welcome to the Collaboration Center video. (5 min) [Fall 2023: Note that the in-person Collaboration Center is in the Hicks Computer Lab (bottom floor of Hicks, below the game room) this term, not in OU 312 as the video says.]
Course-Specific Software:
- Most students choose to use their own laptop running MacOS, Windows, or Linux for this course.
  - Follow the instructions in Installing VS Code to download Visual Studio Code. You will use this for completing reflections and activity write-ups (unless you are familiar with using another tool to generate Markdown files, in which case you may use that).
    
    If you have difficulties downloading VS Studio, there will be CS majors and/or instructors available in the CS Collaboration Center (Olds/Upton 312 Hicks Computer Lab) and in the online CS Collaboration Center in Microsoft Teams. The schedule for the Collaboration Center can be found here.
- Some students use K College computers throughout this course instead. If you plan to use College computers, they already have VS Code installed on them.
- In theory, it is possible (although not recommended) to successfully complete the course using a Chromebook. If you plan to use a Chromebook for this course, speak to your instructor. A student has done this in the past, but some of the software we use has changed since then.