Hands on Advice

As the semester slowly comes to an end I find my self reflecting on how much I've learned and how much I thought I knew but didn't until taking this class.  I must say taking this class will be a great asset for me in the future.  The skills learned in this class will not only help you get through your courses in college efficiently but will also help you excel thereafter in the future.  From mastering new techniques for common programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel to learning completely new skills for not so common programs such as Expression Web and Microsoft Assess, the skills taught in this class can be appreciated by any group of people. From statistical wizards to artistic proteges, this class will meet the needs of everyone.  I've really enjoyed this class and have learned so much. No longer do I sit at my computer with a puzzled look when trying to finish my lab report using Excel or glare angrily when figuring out how to format a specific document. My advice for incoming students is to come to class with the intent of learning something, because no matter how technically equipped you think you are you WILL learn something new.  Be sure to finish assignments on time and don't forget to save them in the right folder. In addition don't hesitate to be creative on assignments, but just be sure to know when it is the right time to show your your imaginative side. 

Sights on Websites

With a blend of professional designs and creative motifs, the websites made by the class offered something new and unique to see and learn.  The websites were all well structured and offered ingenuity in numerous ways.  Although, I personally enjoyed visiting all the websites three of my favorite websites were those of Kim's, Kaileigh's, and Elena's.  

Each of the websites offered something innovative and appealing.  I really liked the layout of Kim's website. I found the idea of relating a story of one her characters very creative and the comic strips and stories were really entertaining to read.  In addition I found the colorful scheme of the website very appealing especially since it correlated to the subject of her website.  Similarly I found Kaileigh's layout very well structured and creative.  The use of different colors and the reformatting of pictures by adding borders made her website aesthetically appealing.  I particularly liked the movie page, which provided short reviews and whose background correlated to the theme of the page.  Elena's website likewise offered something innovative.  The use related styles of the page made the website fit together.  Each page offered something different, but at the same time correlated to the main topic of the website.  The pictures were fun to look at and the tips and details entertaining to read.

 Along with being well designed, all the websites created by the class held something personal, creative, and new to share, which is a sign of a good website and a job well done.

P.S. you can visit my website www.cs.trinity.edu/~emahmood

With a second group of PowerPoints came a second batch of enlightening presentations.  The PowerPoints presented Tuesday were all extremely well crafted and presented equally intriguing topics in an entertaining manner as the previous group of presentations.  A specific presentation I truly enjoyed was that of Elena Grout's.  Her presentation on Nanowrimo was well designed from the individual slides used to the layout of text and photos applied.  Her layout related perfectly to her topic, making her presentation more cohesive and effective as a whole.  She also had great control of the topic and presented it eloquently making it really enjoyable to be part of the audience.  Ending on this note, I must say, I really have learned a lot from the presentations and thought that every one did a wonderful job of sending across a message through the use of effective PowerPoints.

An Octopus and Crater Prevail!

With an array of topics and diverse applications of PowerPoint features, the presentations from class were both entertaining and informative. From the the topic presented  to the features used, each PowerPoint presentation had something different to offer. From following the rule of adding images to convey a message to adding text in varying amounts, each presentation offered something new and enabled us as an audience to determine which method and application of a presentation seemed most effective.  

Although I genuinely enjoyed each of the presentations and all of them offered something interesting and beneficial as both on a PowerPoint and general knowledge standpoint, two presentations I thoroughly enjoyed were Kaileigh's "Evolutionary Biology: Case Study of Octopuses"  and Brandon Shaw's "Planetary Biology: Crater's".  Both presentations effectively utilized animations, media, text and intriguing topics and were presented in a way to appeal to any audience.  

 

Kaileigh's presentation applied effective use of images to convey a message.  In addition the layout for the presentation was consistent and was well related to the theme of her topic.  Her personal animation with sound was also a great touch, bringing the presentation to a whole new level by making the audience better relate to the topic. On a similar yet subtly different note, Brandon's presentation was equally as effective and entertaining with its application of media, via a video clip and personalized slides.  Brandon had great control of his topic and articulated it in an enjoyable yet informative fashion.

 Both of these presentations as well as all the others presented provided me with a wealth of information on general non-PowerPoint related subjects as well as PowerPoint related matters.  Each presentation was unique, effective, and informative in many ways.

Good PowerPoint Gone Bad

Useful, Convenient, Fun; PowerPoint presentations have become an eminent tool utilized by nearly all. From high school students, to professors, and business executives, PowerPoint presentations enable one to efficiently convey a message in a meaningful and entertaining fashion.  Implementing various tools offered by PowerPoint, one is able to dress up a dull and often difficult to visualize presentation into eye appealing narrative.  Although creating a PowerPoint presentation is relatively straightforward and easy, creating a good   PowerPoint presentation seems to be difficult on various accounts.  As the author of the article "Really Bad PowerPoint- and How to Avoid them" Seth Godin proclaims, "Almost every PowerPoint presentation sucks rotten eggs".  However, this by no means is the fault of the creator.  Living in a technologically advance era we tend to rely on technology to complete tasks easily, which is highly beneficial, but often times we forget the intuitive thought that must also be applied to these tasks.  Using the preset templates, fonts, colors, and textboxes we hope to fly through the process of creating a PowerPoint, which often turns out to dull and difficult to conceptualize.  Recognizing the various takes on what makes a good or bad PowerPoint from the articles given, I believe there are 5 major considerations one should make while creating a PowerPoint such as;

1. Keeping it clean and simple

2. Adding vital and major text only

3. Applying a self-created theme

4. Utilizing high quality graphics 

5. Using colors effectively

The degree or amount of text used is often a debatable matter when creating PowerPoint presentations.  The authors of the articles argue that limited text is the best in the case of a PowerPoint.  Arguing that text in PowerPoints should be limited as 6 words per slide or considering 1 figure as "even better" I find the articles guideline questionable.   Although I agree text should be limited as long arrays and bullets of text can make a slide dense and difficult to understand the main points, I find the limit to be too drastic.  The amount of text added should be sufficient enough to not only stand on its own but also not be completely void of detail as this could lead to vagueness.  

Alas my final advice to those seeking to make a good PowerPoint is to have fun or at least be interested while making it.  For in the end those that are personalized and intuitively conceptualized stand apart as the good PowerPoint from the bad.

The Greater Good of Excel

Expertise on Excel can be vital for many purposes.  The perfect tool for almost any type of statistical or graphical analysis, the program has been a predominant media source used in many science and mathematic courses.  These two fields by no mean limit the scope for which Excel can be used.  It is also a great tool for managing personal accounts and simply getting a better understanding of a certain set of given data.  

For long my experience with Excel has primarily revolved around the basics.  From entering data to creating charts, my general perspective on Excel was using it for simple tasks for a set of lengthy data. However, through this course I have learned that Excel can be utilized for many more complex and meaningful functions.  By learning how to incorporate the different functions, specifically the "IF" function and understanding how it can be applied to a variety of situations both for academic and personal reasons is something I really appreciate.  In addition learning how to select contiguous cells was an extremely helpful method.  I have constantly been left befumbled, questioning how I could combine different sets of data for a single chart, often leading me to, sadly, copy and paste numerous times.  I have already started applying the variety of skills and techniques for Excel in many of my classes and let me say I now spend more time comprehending the actual data and purpose of many labs rather than wasting my time venting out frustrations on how to actually use Excel!

Aspiring to enter the scientific field, one where labs require analysis of statistics and graphs, Excel will continue to be a valuable commodity to me and the material learned in this course can be greatly utilized to enhance dull graphs into professional documents and analyze large sets of data through simple means.

The CLT for the needs of all..

Often times we overlook the many utilities offered to us or simply find it tedious to learn how to use these new utilities.  We fail to realize how these utilities can be used for our benefit.  The AT&T Center for Learning and Technology located in the first floor of the Library is one such utility that can be highly useful and used for a number of projects.  In addition managed by a group of highly skilled and helpful staff learning how to use new equipments seems far from difficult. Including resources like computers, scanners, cameras, recording studios and much more, the CLT center can be accessed for multiple academic projects or used to enhance one's personal interest in a specific subject.  

The CLT is conveniently organized into five areas each used for specific tasks.  These areas include the Studio, the Digital Audio Lab, the Media Presentation Lab, the Video Conference Center, and the Innovation Studio.  Each lab holds high-end equipment needed for any type of project.  From media presentations to art projects, the labs in the CLT can be utilized by any student with any major.  The Studios at the CLT provides students with an open area workstation complete with Windows and Macintosh, color and black laser printers, scanners, and media editing software.  The Digital Audio Lab equipped with synthesizers and digital audio editing hardware offers students the chance to record and mix their own music or composition.  While the Media Presentation Lab offers video projections for viewing presentations, the Video Conference Center allows students to engage in video chats with people across the world.  When one needs training or wants to develop new programs, such as possible lecture podcasts, the Innovation Studio is the perfect place.

The utilities offered by the CLT are convenient for class projects.  For example, the scanners and video recording equipment can later on help in the production of personal websites for this class.  In addition these equipments could be used to create and highlight professional scientific documents by using the digital cameras and scanners provided to add photos to reports.  

No mater what task is at hand the CLT is equipped with the equipment and helpful minds needed to create professional and needless to say mind-blowing projects.