My syllabus for Fall 2019. Probably more of a "here's how the course is structured" then anything useful but still, feel free to join for the ride.

1. Welcome to IST 402!
“Who controls the past, controls the
future: who controls the present,
controls the past…”
- Orwell, 1984
Penn State
HAXTheWeb.org
Bryan Ollendyke
[at]btopro
Developer Activist

2. CIMG4000 by Scurzuzu, on Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/scurzuzu/271232366
Attack of syllabus week

3. Ugh. I know.
Been there.

4. I had class in this
room in 2005..

5. Stefan is not over 30
though so say hi
Stefan

6. Stefan Horgas
sth5182@psu.edu

7. Captain Horgas
sth5182@psu.edu

8. Today’s Agenda
- Talk about the structure of the class
- Tell you a bit about my experience,
skillsets, accomplishments and background
that brought me here today
- Check out systems that I’ve built PSU
students used actively
- We’ll do a short survey
- Stefan / I will do the first lab
- We’ll all start on Lab 1 before leaving
IST
402

9. Let’s get some things
out of the way 1st

10. Q1: Is this class
about making a start
up?

11. NO.

12. This is learning about
the technologies
start ups are often
built on

13. Q2: Do I need to be a
1337 (leet) dev to
take this class?

14. NO

15. This is about getting
”hello world” level skills by
doing hands-on labs

16. CIMG4000 by Scurzuzu, on Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/scurzuzu/271232366
Now. To the brain eating part

17. Emerging technologies [w00t]
- The class I wish I had in college
- Expose you to the ideas and technologies
that make the web work
- We’ll help shape the topics of the class
together though the first month or two
is mapped out here
- Learn about the magic behind major web
platforms
- Learn how programmers work, not
necessarily coding outright, though
we will at times.
IST
402

18. - Get hands on with web technology concepts
- Understand the magic behind many popular
services
- Establish an online identity as an IT
professional
- Setup a server and domain you control
(illustrating how easy this actually is)
- Learn about and apply concepts of the
industry
- Participate in and help inform the
creation of Open Source solutions PSU
uses for teaching and learning
IST
402
Course Goals

19. - Critique and feedback on previous lab
responses
- A short lecture (like this one)
- A baby step / practice activity / demo
- A series of labs, around 12 (80% grade).
you’ll “pair program” to have some one to
bounce ideas off of and ask questions to
- Do a blog post and screencast as evidence
of completion but also building your
brand as a knowledge worker
- Labs will be started in class, submitted
Monday of the following week.
IST
402
What this
course is, the
good news

20. - 1 mid-term exam (10% of grade)
I hate them but I have to give one
- this is 3 f’ing hours long..
Expect to take breaks hourly and have
free time for additional questions / open
lab time with access to Stefan and I
- Some labs may get extended for additional
class periods based on interest or
technical issues so we might not hit all
topics I’ve got planned. I’m flexible
- Hopefully that’s it ~(0_0)/~
IST
402
What this
course is, the
bad news

21. Assessment types breakdown
- 12 Labs, 10 pts/each, 120 pts
- 1 mid-term, 15 pts
- 1 Project, 15 pts
80% labs
10% test
10% project
IST
402
What this
course is

22. Lab assessment type
- Labs started in class Wed of each week
Due Monday of the following week
- Examples: Create a Github account, make a
new repo and write some example markdown.
Create a Pull Request and make a video
about how developers use git to track
file changes and where github comes in.
HTML – Log into code pen, fork this pen
and modify it to improve accessibility.
Go to cnn.com, go into the inspector
panel. Generate fake news by modifying
the homepage headlines.
IST
402
What this
course is

23. Lab assessment type
Labs and the final project will be assessed
based on the following questions
- 50% - Did you submit a written blog piece
and screencast video piece demonstrating
you did the lab work?
- 50% - Does it accurately explain the
topic and demonstrate understanding?
- Was it submitted on time?
(late is 10% off max per day)
IST
402
What this
course is

24. - This is not about getting famous
- This is about building an online identity
- This is about helping you communicate
more effectively about technical concepts
- Deprogram you of imposter syndrome
those in industry speak with confidence
as a result of constant failure
- If one of you goes viral and gets a
career in tech journalism as a result
remember us little people
IST
402
Why a YouTube
channel

25. Mid-term assessment
- Mid-term 15 questions
Makes sure you know what a technology
word is and a basic application of it
- Example:
What does git provide to teams?
A. Help developers Git’r Done
B. Version control to track changes
C. Server virtualization and monitoring
D. Another name for the Terminal prompt
IST
402
What this
course is

26. Project assessment
- Project A slightly longer lab write up
and pitch that is a culmination of ideas
and approaches this semester. Basically,
a double lab, don’t worry about it.
- Example: We’re going to analyze courses
you are taking and perform a basic
accessibility, user experience, and open
content audit.
What issues did you find in the audit?
How would you recommend the company use
technologies discussed this semester
to more effectively solve the problem?
IST
402
What this
course is

27. - NOT Busy work
If we’re not building toward your
career, I’ll try as much as possible
to skip it.
- NOT A programming intensive course
Opportunities to code will
be available but not advanced logic
- NOT Using Canvas
They tracks & build learner profiles to
manipulate future learners via data
No employer you go to will ask what LMS
you experienced
Grades will be posted there, that’s it.
IST
402
What this
course is
NOT

28. - Hear about a topic and why it’s important
- Then practice the topic in class
- Then finish up a lab over the next week
- Then write about the topic
This practices technical writing skills
- Then record a screencast about the top
This practices presentation technique
- Both forms of output help you refine your
communication skills about technology
while creating artifacts on the web
for others to learn from / know your
abilities!
IST
402
What / why
we’re doing it
this way

29. - After creating the video, add the link
At the bottom of the blog post
- Then submit it to the associated slack
channel
- We’re using Slack because it’s a
simple method of communication that
allows for useful integrations w/ other
applications
- and because industry uses it heavily
IST
402
What / why
we’re doing it
this way

30. Office hours:
Stefan Horgas
Thursday 4:30-5:30
sth5182@psu.edu
Me;
By appointment only
Mon, Thurs
Contact me on Slack

31. - Wed – Lab time as expressed
- Thurs-Mon – You work on Lab / ask
questions via Slack channel in #general
or attend office hours.
- The blog post, video and posting to Slack
about it, are due by 11:59pm Monday
- Tues - Stefan and I will review
submissions
- Wed – We’ll start out class discussing
a sampling of the submissions and
critiquing techniques utilizes
The loop then repeats
IST
402
Our
responsibility
/ workflow

32. Most importantly. We are
resources here for you!
(Use this, you pay for it. Literally.)

33. But..Who the hell are
you?

34. But... Who the hell
are you?
(it’s weird he didn’t start there
isn’t it?)

35. - 2X IST grad BS ‘08 MS ’15, Loves PSU
- Loud / abrasive / swears often
- Dresses strangely / wears jerseys
(obviously..)
- Loves his wife & kids
- 2010 National Champion RH coach
Coach at heart - pushes individuals
to achieve more
Bryan Ollendyke
”normal” Human

36. - Graduated from IST in ’06 and ‘15
- Penn state A&A since ’07
Office of Digital Learning
- I contribute 100% to FOSS
- core commits to Drupal CMS
- million+ contrib project downloads
- hundreds of web components
- ”Full stack” developer, aka unicorn
[at]btopro =
Developer

37. - 60+ talks / trainings accepted at
dozens of national events
- as keynote a few times
- as invite of CIO few times
- many interviews, articles, blog
posts, 2 awards
- Have organized multiple Developer
events in Pitt, PSU and in Oct, Duke
3 different events, 8x ~100 ppl each
- IST Master of Sciences thesis in
studying Drupal adoption at PSU
- Which I was a catalyst for
[at]btopro =
Organizer

38. - Multiple offers to leave (F that)
Improve education, improve society
- Decentralize silicon valley
monocultures using open source and
ideas as vehicles of change
- Embedded in education to development
technologies society needs to shift
beyond what current market norms
will ever produce
- Create a more vibrant education
landscape through ecosystem shaking
ecosystem of learning opportunities
and technologies
- I’ve found my purpose; I live it
[at]btopro =
Developer
Activists

39. [at]btopro = Activists
Unplugged. Unnormal.

40. [[date]] – <when-i-started-coding date=“1996”>

41. I made sites like this with a lot of practice by 1999

42. I learned to code on a website like this ‘98 – ‘02

43. - Build systems for online courses in A&A
- Used in Eberly & parts in other colleges
- Online systems include:
- Content presentation
- Art Studio space
- Media management / internal systems
- 100s of PSU courses use ELMS:LN and
#HAXTheWeb based technologies
- 10k+ students a year experience and
improve these platforms through feedback
What I build

52. So what classes did I
take to learn how to
do all these things?

53. None.

54. None.
Err... I mean.. IST

56. School is nothing.
Access is everything.
Life has been on the job
training

57. Any questions?
course, expectations, or
meaning of life

58. So. This isn’t all
about the crap I do.
Let’s get back to what
you’re going to do

59. Welcome to
IST 402!
Let’s
actually do
something
Penn State
HAXTheWeb.org
Bryan Ollendyke
[at]btopro
Developer Activist

60. Start up? Tool up!
- Let’s figure out what makes web start ups
- Let’s get a window into what people do
- Let’s experiment & learn via trial/error
- Let’s build a brand in the process
IST
402

66. https://paveldogreat.github.io/WebGL-Fluid-Simulation/

73. Short break
then we’ll get into
the course website

74. Linked in Canvas too
oer.hax.psu.edu
/bto108/sites/ist402/

75. Skills survey

76. - Create a Slack account & join IST 402
- Create an identity as an IT professional
Lab details are on course website
- Register accounts
- Github, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn
- Create a Playlist on YouTube
- Create a screencast that’s ~5 min long
- Post link to the video on your socials
- Post to #lab-1-brand-management Slack
channel
Lab 1