Nicole's Computer Skills Blog

Advice for New Students

2009-04-28T17:20:00.001-07:00

For new students that will be taking the Computer Skills course, always come to class and pay close attention to the homework. During class we learn how to use applications and programs hands on that will be pertinent to complete the homework. Therefore, if you miss class you will not understand how to do the homework and you will be behind in knowing the functions of the different programs. There is usually more than one part to the homework so make sure you are well aware of the homework so that you complete all parts to receive full credit. I really enjoyed this class and if you put forth a commendable effort you will learn important aspects of software programs that will be beneficial for future use.

Class PowerPoint Presentations

2009-04-01T17:50:00.001-07:00

I want to commend everyone on their creativity, research, and knowledge of their desired topic. All the hard work put into these presentations definitely showed through in the PowerPoints. I really enjoyed everyone’s presentations and feel like I have a better understanding for each person’s interests. Adan’s PowerPoint design and layout were very classic and organized. It was straight to the point by incorporating a nice and easy to follow design. Even though all the content of the presentation was not displayed on the slides, I learned a lot just from what he talked about and had to say. I am not familiar with the responsibilities of music producers, however after Adan’s presentation I was able to grasp the purpose of the occupation. I also think Adan demonstrated a lot of enthusiasm and passion in his presentation. He engaged the class and was humorous, while still being professional and well spoken. I really enjoyed every aspect of Hannah Linn’s presentation. It was well thought out and organized. I loved her design and theme of broadcasting that she followed throughout the presentation. It was clever for her to begin as if she was turning on the TV and changing the channel to the “Top Story. ” The manner in which she presented her PowerPoint was almost as if she was on the news reporting to her viewers. I thought it was great that she incorporated YouTube videos. It allowed the class to get a modern perspective of reporting the news in the real world.

The Do's and Don'ts of PowerPoint Presentations

2009-03-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

The articles that discuss the positive and negative features of PowerPoint presentations propose very valid arguments that I can personally attest too with my experiences in creating presentations as well as viewing them. I find it really interesting that the “Really Bad PowerPoint” article by Seth Godin stated that PowerPoint could be the most powerful tool on our computer, but it’s not because people do not know how to properly arrange a presentation. Often times the information that is trying to be communicated can be very resourceful and helpful and even presented by a great speaker, but can still be completely disregarded because of a poor PowerPoint presentation. Based on these accusations, the most important advice I could give my classmates would be to focus on the verbal communication of a presentation rather than the textual information presented on a slide. Efficient communication is the key.

Here is a list of helpful guidelines to follow when creating a PowerPoint presentation:

1. Focus on the text- You do not need to include every single sentence of your presentation on your slide. Highlight only the main points of your presentation on the slide so your viewer can visually see them and be reminded that it was an important point. A really bad presentation just has slide after slide loaded with text to the point where the viewer just completely loses sight of all important information because they are too distracted trying to read everything that is in 12 point font on your slide.

2. Spelling and grammar- It is ok to have short points that are not complete sentences as long as they make sense and the viewer grasps the idea. However, if sentences are incorporated make sure there is proper punctuation. It is extremely annoying when sentences on a slide lack punctuation at the end or even if one sentence has punctuation, but the following sentence does not. Also make sure all spelling is correct. Misspelling a word just demonstrates laziness and lack of preparedness.

3. Design- The layout design and color schemes are the attention getters of the audience. You want to have a presentation that flows with a color coordinated layout so that is looks presentable and professional. There is nothing tackier than a presentation layout with rainbow colors or extreme gradients that do not match. It is ok to incorporate some fill effects, but do not get carried away. I think the Microsoft templates are ok to use as long as you add some custom design features of your own.

4. Bells and Whistles- Sound effects once or twice in a presentation add entertainment. However, a sound for each word that transitions on the slide is over kill. Sometimes people that use too many sounds muffle there actual presentation because they just keep going off nonstop. It is also embarrassing if they are not programmed correctly and the presenter has to stop in the middle of presentation to fix it. It is just too distracting and takes away from the audience’s attention.

5. Last but not least, have fun with your presentation because if you are not having fun the audience is not enjoying it. Be interested and enthusiastic about what you have to say. No one wants a person that is going to give a monotone presentation with no rise or emphasis that is just going to read off the slides.

Experience with Excel

2009-03-18T23:47:00.001-07:00

Excel is definitely a very useful and extensive program. Excel was easy to learn as well as use and apply to accomplish various tasks. I knew most of the basics of Excel and how to navigate around the program, but I still learned many new features and shortcuts. I knew Excel incorporated formulas and functions. However, I was not familiar with all the possible functions you can search and apply to the cells through the functions box using the drop arrow. I was also not familiar with the significance of an absolute cell reference by anchoring a cell or formatting cells as currency, percentage, and decimals aside from typing in the symbols manually. I also thought the most interesting feature was being able to set a style to the cells. I learned what it meant to conditionally format cells as well as add particular styles and themes to cells to make them stand out or look more presentable and attractive. I knew how to incorporate charts and charts based on the information in a spreadsheet. However, I did not know the extent of the modifications you could make to a graph or chart with 3D features and various layout designs.

I would most likely use Excel to maintain my personal budget because of its accurate calculations and organized structure. Similar to the assignments in class, keeping track of monetary transactions and funds is a responsibility when handling money. This is also a way in which Excel is useful for businesses to keep track of companies spending and profits. In relation to businesses, Excel can also organize employees’ salaries and wages. Academic courses, specifically in Science, Economics, and Business, could utilize the features of Excel because the fields deal with formulas, computing numbers, and expressing statistics using graphs and charts.

All About CLT

2009-03-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

The informational visit to CLT (Center for Learning and Technology) on the first floor of the library was very impressive. I have heard of CLT and seen advertisements around campus, but I was not familiar with the resources it offered for students. Rob Chapman mentioned that the quality of help and level of technology available at CLT is more extensive than various other colleges and universities. CLT has multiple software programs, such as Adobe Photoshop, and computer hardware, such as scanners, that are readily available for student use. I really liked how the work space area was set up for web and graphic design, and audio and video editing as well as a separate Media Presentation Lab, Digital Auto Lab, and Video Conference Center. I also liked how the area is welcoming of students who are simply looking for a quiet and private place to work, research, or study. There are multiple open tables around the work stations that can be utilized for non technological related study. I like how CLT caters to both Mac and PC users with access to Mac and PC desktops at the workstations that are set up. Rob Chapman also mentioned that CLT does not always have to be used for academic purposes. If you are a member of a band and wanted to edit your song recordings or edit a music video to submit to YouTube, you could do so in the Digital Audio Lab. In the classes that I have previously taken, I have not had assignments that required me to use such resources. However, I am planning on double majoring in Business and Economics and I could definitely see myself utilizing the resources in CLT for my higher level major classes to make extensive graphs, presentations, and models. I can see myself going there to study because I prefer a more private setting to focus on my work. Since we are going to being using Photoshop and digital imaging for Computer Skills, I will probably make use of the editing software in CLT for assignments.

Real Oprah or Fake Oprah?

2009-03-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

The photograph I chose was the cover of TV Guide in August 1989 that displays daytime talk- show host Oprah Winfrey. The photograph on the CNet News site originates from Hany Farid, a professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth College. The picture was created by taking a head shot of Oprah Winfrey and putting it onto the body of actress Ann-Margret. The artist who created the photo used the body from a 1979 publicity shot of Ann-Margret taken for a Rockette special. I chose this photograph because I think it is one of the most common forms of picture manipulation used in media publications. With the use of computer picture editing software and techniques, such as airbrushing and enhancement, it is easy to make someone look any way the artist wants or thinks the viewer wants. These manipulated photographs on the covers of magazines are very deceiving to the readers that believe that what they see is what they get. The photograph was manipulated to make Oprah more attractive. In the altered picture, Oprah is displayed as being thinner and revealing more of her body in the dress she is wearing. The bright and sparkling dress also portrays Oprah as being glamorous and beautiful. By positioning her on top of a pile of money, the artist intends to emphasize her success and riches. I think manipulating the photograph was harmful because it was created without the consent of Oprah or Ann-Margret. The picture insults Oprah’s appearance and character. The picture suggests that Oprah’s body was not attractive enough. It demeans her character by revealing her body and displaying her as a materialistic person on top of money. The picture also exploits Ann-Margret’s body because it is being used dishonestly.

Searching the Internet with Google

2009-02-25T22:09:00.000-08:00

Chris Nolan’s presentation about searching the internet with the use of search engine sites was very helpful. Most of his presentation focused on the features of Google because of its popularity among students when searching for information. He gave us an overview of the way that Google operates when compiling lists of results based on our searches. Google indexes sites and uses these sites to find results related to your search. The results are filtered by relevance and straight matching of the terms used in the search. Google will filter the results based on whether the searched words occur frequently in the site and if the site has the exact phrase and word order. It can be assumed that a cited document with the searched words occurring in the title is more related to the topic than a cited document that just has the searched words in the excerpt. The results are also filtered by popularity based on how many links point back to that site or link to that page. The cached hyperlink next to the website URLs of the result sites was an interesting feature that he explained. I had always seen it on the Google results lists, but I never knew what it meant or what it was used for. Cached is a copy of the web page made by Google when it indexes the site. The copy has all the key terms from the search highlighted. It is a helpful tool if the web server is down or the site is busy. You can just get a copy of the page from Google. Also if the web page has changed, you may be able to get the original information from the copy Google made depending on when they made it.

I knew Google supported advertisement and that agencies paid Google to have their links come up either at the top of the list highlighted in yellow or on the side of the results list, however I was surprised by the way in which agencies manipulate how often and how high on the list their link could come up. Agencies have used Meta tags to manipulate hyperlinks and company blogs to link to other sites, while also mentioning information about their company and their products and services. I find it interesting that Google has caught on to this and now has a blog score that may penalize the agencies by giving them negative relevance scores. I also was not aware that Trinity has affiliations with Google Scholar in relation to eText, which Google sets up through libraries. It connects the results with the Trinity library site, where you can view to see if the text is available at Trinity or another library where you can then proceed to have Trinity request it for you.

He also taught us some helpful hints when searching for businesses, restaurants, and movie times on Google. When searching for a business or restaurant, the quick way to find directions, maps, and addresses is to type in the city or zip code and the service that business offers or the type of food the restaurant serves. For example, if you were searching for Chinese food near Trinity, you would search Chinese food 78212. Likewise, if you were looking for movie times and theaters, you would search movies and the zip code or city. This search could also link you to buy tickets online.

Copyright

2009-02-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

The copyright presentation by Jason Hardin was very informative and interesting. I knew copyright laws were important and offenses, such as plagiarism and copyright infringement were illegal, however I did not know the extensive provisions of copyright laws and what exactly is protectable under these laws. I found the use of copyright within the educational system most interesting. Throughout my schooling, I have always experienced teachers using external sources of copyright for supplements to academic lessons, whether it was a handout of an article, information from a scholarly journal posted on class pages to be accessed online, or simply a poem on the projector during class to discuss and analyze. I thought that as long as the teacher gave verbal credit to the author or documentation of the creator of the work it was ok to distribute, reproduce, or use the work for educational use. I did not know that the rights holders of the work, or the publisher or copyright company in the case of orphan works had to be contacted and paid royalties to for permission to use the work. For example, the library at Trinity University has to maintain the procedure of contacting the rights holder and paying royalties to have permission to reproduce film and electronic works on reserve to make sure they are abiding by copyright laws. Most often teachers are protected under the spontaneity of usage clause, which states that if you do not have time to seek out proper copyright permission you can use the work.

Despite the purpose of the use of work, whether it is for profiting, educational use, or personal use, copyright laws are intended to protect an author’s original work. For an author or creator is it important to have copyright laws to insure the progress of their work. On the contrary, educational use is thought to be the most upstanding use of a work. The most valuable intangible attribute is knowledge and to create a work that is useful enough to educate another should be more rewarding than any potential profit or monetary gain to be earned from the work. I personally believe that educational works should be in public domain for anyone to access without permission. I think that any educational tools should be rightfully available to us.

Facebook

2009-02-02T21:25:00.001-08:00

The Facebook network is a very interesting subject with various positive and negative arguments for and against its use on campuses. Personally, I am an avid Facebook user. However, I am not an avid user in the sense that I am not constantly on Facebook updating my profile, adding applications, and searching for new friends. I enjoy Facebook as a social network to stay in touch with my close friends. It’s a convenient, fast, and fun way to communicate with friends far and near.

I do not agree with the issue of university faculty and staff encouraged to utilize Facebook as an academic tool mentioned in the Christian Science Monitor article. Systems of higher learning, such as Blackboard and TLEARN, exist for the academic communication between faculty and students. I would like to keep my social interactions separate from academics. I do not find it appropriate or educational to log on to Facebook in order to find my homework assignments. However, I would strongly encourage student organizations on campus to advertise on Facebook with Groups pages and Event invitations because it is socially between students. I have received Sorority Rush information through Event pages and found it very useful to manage upcoming events. However, these events are still separate from my academics.

I also do not think it is ethical for employers to search their employees or future employees on Facebook. I believe it is very vital that an employee keep their career separate from their social life. An employee should be equated by their attitude, innovation, and performance in the work environment because the success of the company relies on those aspects only.

Despite the separation of my social interactions from my academic and professional environments, I do not portray myself as anything different than the person I am. I do not portray myself in a negative way online that would disrupt my character in reality.

Read the Christian Science Monitor article Facebook: A campus fad becomes a campus fact.

MS Word Readings and Experience

2009-01-27T08:29:00.001-08:00

I have always been familiar with Microsoft Word as I have continued to use the application throughout my schooling. However, I am still not a 100% familiar with the 2007 version. It is not so much the content of the application that I am not familiar with, but more so the new arrangement and set up of features and how to locate them. Getting more familiar with the 2007 version has been more of a trial and error learning process for me. I have used Microsoft Word for just about everything it is intended to do. I have used it to write reports, send e-mails, write letters and résumés using the designated templates, draw pictures, transfer information to excel, and chart, graph, and table information. After reading Chapters 1-3, I learned proper terminology for features and commands and the correct location of these within the tabbed ribbons. I do not think there is anything specific I need to review. Most of the material covered in the chapters was a review for me of basic commands and features, such as spacing, editing text, spelling and grammar, and cut, copy, and paste. The material I found interesting was the ways of reviewing a document. From reading, I learned how to track changes in a document and make comments by interesting balloons. These commands would be very useful in editing and revising rough drafts for papers.

About Me

2009-01-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Nicole Remling. I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I currently live on the Northeast outskirts of San Antonio in Universal City, which is about 25 to 30 minutes away from Trinity. I attended Incarnate Word High School, an all girls catholic school, across the street from Trinity. I am sure most of you have seen the high school just driving outside of campus. I have one younger sister, who is a freshman there right now. Ironically, Trinity was the only school I applied to in Texas. My plans were to definitely move away and go out of state. However, at the end of the whole college process, I decided to move right across the street.

So far, I am content in my decision to attend Trinity. I am really enjoying playing on the Varsity Tennis Team. We have recently just started our practices for the spring season. I have been playing tennis since I was 10 years old. I have played competitively in my teenage years through the United States Tennis Association and achieved state and national rankings. I also played for my high school team and was literally one point away from winning State my senior year in Doubles, but my partner and I finished in second place. Academically at Trinity, I feel very strongly that I want to double major in Business and Economics. I am not too sure what concentration of Business I want to study. I like Math so maybe I will lean toward Finance.

I like going shopping, listening to techno music, being spontaneous, and having fun with my friends. My secret fact is that I have hypodontia, which is the condition of naturally having fewer than the regular number of teeth. I have three primary incisors, or bottom teeth below the two upper front teeth, instead of four. From information I have read, the prevalence of primary teeth not developing is less than 1%. As far as my computer experience goes, I took two intensive computer courses in high school. I used Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, and Movie Maker. I still remember how to do some things in these applications, but not everything. I hope this class will help me to recall what I have previously learned as well as get more familiar with Windows Vista. My email is nremling@trinity.edu.