The Discussion Board (DB) is part of the core of online learning. Classroom discussion in an online environment requires the active participation of students and the instructor to create robust interaction and dialogue. Every student is expected to create an original response to the open-ended DB question as well as engage in dialogue by responding to posts created by others throughout the unit. At the end of unit, DB participation will be assessed based on both level of engagement and the quality of the contribution to the discussion. At a minimum, each student will be expected to post an original and thoughtful response to the DB question and contribute to the dialogue by responding to at least two other posts from students. The first contribution must be posted before midnight (Central Time) on Friday of the unit. Students are highly encouraged to engage on the Discussion Board early and often, as that is the primary way the university tracks class attendance and participation. The purpose of the Discussion Board is to allow students to learn through sharing ideas and experiences as they relate to course content and the DB question. Because it is not possible to engage in two-way dialogue after a conversation has ended, no posts to the DB will be accepted after the end of
the unit. The Unit 2 Discussion Board has 2 parts. Complete the following for the Discussion Board: Please refer to the following for information about accessing and using LabSim: Click to refer to the instructions for the Unit 2 Lab tasks. Information technology (IT) professionals must understand the functionality of the various types of networking hardware and media. Without this knowledge, it would be challenging to design a local area network (LAN) and to specify appropriate components. Not only are the network hardware functions different, organizations may use devices from different vendors complicating the integration between them. Imagine that you are a consultant hired to install a LAN for a small neighborhood business. For a start, you may wish to consider the hardware and media used in your home or business to create a LAN. What exactly is required for Internet access? Begin by discussing the network devices and media used in your home to create a LAN and to access the Internet. Discuss what might be needed to expand this environment to accommodate a small office with six employees. Focus your explanations on the following: Review the posts of your classmates, follow up on their questions and comments about your scenario, and add your perspective of their choices.