E-SPEAIT

In Short

• The course is an English-language counterpart to the Estonian-language original that ran on Wikiversity from 2009 to 2020 and continues here since Autumn 2020. Originally born of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020 (before, it was only offered by conventional means), it will likely go on (as an option) in future as well.
• The IT College wiki is open for anyone to read, but editing requires logging in with the Uni-ID. Those who do not possess it (e.g. short-time exchange students) should send their edits to the lecturer via e-mail instead.
• In the Spring term of 2021, the course will be offered to the students of Cyber Security Engineering B.Sc. programme at the IT College of Tallinn University of Technology (Tallinn, Estonia).
• The typical form is almost pure e-course with a face-to-face kick-off meeting (to explain the course system and answer potential questions right away) and face-to-face exams at the end (see the course guide below). During the Spring 2021 run, the volatile circumstances with COVID-19 will possibly mandate turning both of these events into full-scale distance versions as well - the opening lecture will go online and the format of the final exam will be decided later on.
• Supervisor/lecturerː Kaido Kikkas
• Course code: ICS0006
• Programmeː at the TTU Study Information System
• Volume: 6 ECTS credit points

Course information

See the following:

• Course Guide
• Why Such a Course?
• Netiquette Guide
• Reading List
• Participants' list
• Group papers
• Exam information
• Course Forum

The most important document here is the Course Guide - it should have everything you need to know about the course (if not, let the lecturer know!).

Announcements

• 24.01 - the kick-off meeting/lecture will be arranged in a hybrid manner this term, at the IT College lecture hall 316 (ICO-316) at 10.00 (10AM) on Monday, January 24. Those who are able to, could attend - the course system is a little bit different from most courses and I will try to explain everything (and also answer questions). Those farther away can watch the direct broadcast or (later) the recording - the links will appear here as soon as they become available. But this very wiki page here is also the home page of the course - please read at least the Course Guide which explains the course system as well. All questions are welcome over e-mail.

Weekly Topics

1. From ENIAC to iPad: Moments from IT History January 24 - January 31
2. From ARPAnet to Facebook: the Story of Cyberspace January 31 - February 7
3. From Usenet to Twitter: The (Not So) New Media February 7 - February 14
4. Information Society: What's the Difference? February 14 - February 21
5. Computers and Laws I: Can Property Be Intellectual? February 21 - February 28
6. Computers and Laws II: Software and Content Licensing February 28 - March 7
7. Tarzan in New York: The Quirks of Online Communication March 7 - March 14
8. The IT Pro March 14 - March 21
9. IT, Risks and Ergonomics March 21 - March 28
10. "The Fool Gets Beaten Even in Internet" March 28 - April 4
11. Censorship, Privacy and the Internet April 4 - April 11
12. The Historical Hackerdom April 11 - April 18
13. A Practical Example: the Story of Linux April 18 - April 25
14. A Different Kind of IT: Accessibility and Assistive Technology April 25 - May 2
15. IT and Ethics - May 2 - May 9

Noteː these texts contain many links to Wikipedia articles. These are not meant as actual sources (references are used separately) but rather as quick pointers for further reading and sources. Remember that Wikipedia articles should not be used academically as direct references - they are a secondary source by definition. Using them to get a quick overview and find some links about the issue is fine, but do not point to them as sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Where can I find information about the course system, tasks etc?
• A: From the Course Guide

• Q: Where can I find the weekly blogging tasks?
• A: At the end of each weekly text ("Study & Write")

• Q: Where can I find the weekly points?
• A: This is agreed upon at the kick-off meeting in every course. In the Spring 2021 run with no physical meeting at the start, the location of the points table will be mentioned in the initial lecture and will be sent out (together with the password) for potential participants in the initial e-mail letter.

• Q: I have zero points for the Week X, but I did write something!
• A: Any sensible on-topic post with meaningful volume (i.e. longer than 1-2 sentences) will not receive zero points - therefore, please send an e-mail to the supervisor and let him know. It is probably his mistake (unfortunately it sometimes happens during large courses and workloads) and will be fixed ASAP.

• Q: I have less points than usual for the Week X!
• A: The problem is not in the 'wrong' answer. Less points is a signal about the work being either a) clearly too short, b) notably badly written, or c) submitted well over the deadline.

• Q: I would like to write my paper on the topic X, but it's already taken!
• A: In general, the topical areas of the course are large enough. So, as long as you don't pick exactly the same title and shift the angle a bit, it should be fine. Still, it is recommended to contact the lecturer and ask over to be sure.

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The content of this course is distributed under the Creative Commons Attibution-ShareAlike 3.0 Estonian license (English: CC Attribution-ShareAlike, or CC BY-SA) or any newer version of the license.