Computer Skills Advice

Come to class and complete the homework everyday! It is usually not that difficult, and if you put in a decent amount of effort, you should do great in the class.

Website Creations

This project was the first website making experience that I have had. I was a little sceptical at first because websites seem so complex. I wasn't sure if I could handle it! However, new programs, such as Microsoft Expression Web, have made creating websites fairly simple. I was very impressed by how great of a job everyone in the class did on their websites. One of my favorites of Ashley's. She had a lot of great pictures that went well together and with the chosen backgrounds. I also really like Jeanna's. Her site was very professionally done. It looked like an expert had created it! It also worked well for displaying her work. Another one of my favorites was Lin's. Her site was very simple but also contained a lot of nice colors and photography.

You can visit my site at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~jheibel/.

That Difficult HTML Code...

With new programs like Microsoft Expression Web, it's hard to see why someone would want to use the old fashioned HTML code.  HTML code seems to take a lot more effort and work, especially to memorize all of the different symbols and codes.  However, it's important to know how to use HTML code, especially if you are going to be designing websites consistently.  For one, HTML code is universal.  Once you have the different codes down, you can use them on any computer, anytime, any place.  Different web designing programs may have different applications or ways to complete the same function.  This requires you to learn all the characteristics of the web designing programs that you may be using.  In addition, you can actually use HTML code on these programs, so if you can't figure out how to do something, you can HTML code to apply whatever you're trying to do.  Besides, there's always the possibility that a web designing program may not be available to you.  For example, I cannot download Expression Web on my Mac.  If for some reason I could not get to another campus computer, I would have to know how to use HTML code to complete my assignments.

Subject Presentations

I was really impressed by the all of the Power Points that were presented on Tuesday.  Everyone did a really good job and seemed to have put a lot of time, effort, and research into the assignment.  There were a couple that really stood out to me.  Jeanna presented first and set the standards pretty high.  Her Power Point was designed very well and had intriguing pictures that really related to her subject.  The animation she had of herself as a postal woman was great, and it added a flare of fun to the presentation.  She also did a good job of making the presentation very personable.  She did not just read out facts, but sort of had a conversation with the audience.  I also really liked Ashley's presentation.  The background she chose was perfect for the subject of communication.  Her slides were very professionally designed: the set-up was good, the information was readable and understandable, and she highlighted some very important points.  I also really liked her animation of the moving hand.  It was clever and fit well with her subject.  These two are just a couple examples of a job very well done!

The In's and Out's of Power Point Presentations

Power Point presentations are a fun and effective way to introduce material. However, there are certain ways to format the presentations so that they have the most impact on the audience. There are five things that I think make a great Power Point presentation. One of the most important things is to keep the slides concise. You should not have all of your information typed out onto the slide. That defeats the purpose of a presentation! Next, the slides should be readable. This means readable font and size and appropriate colors. You should also make the slides appealing with designs and colors, but not so much that it is distracting. In addition, the presentation should flow and be formatted in some logical order. Finally, you should not just read from the slides. The bullets on the slides should be used as a reference, but the bulk of the information should come from you. Following these guidelines usually makes for a successful presentation. This is important because bad Power Point presentations are very hard to take seriously. When there is too much information, pictures, designs, etc., on the slides, it is difficult to stay focused. Clutter and messiness is distracting! In addition, a presenter who just reads off of the slides is not very intriguing. It is important to engage the audience and make them think that you really know what you are talking about, even if you are not too familiar with the information.

Searching the Web

Whenever I need to find information, my first instinct is to go to google.com. Many other people have this same idea. According to Chris Nolan's presentation, 49.2% of the population uses google as their first choice search engine. Even though this site presents some good information, I was surprised to learn that it is not always a reliable choice. The websites that show up in google searches are ranked by those who pay, relevence, how often the words you type show up in the title, and how often people link to the website. None of these characteristics reflect the quality of the information. In addition, google is a 99.9% computer driven process. Since the highest quality information may not always be viewed the most, the more generalized information tends to show up first in google. Because of this, scholarly articles and journals and directories, which are lists that people put together of good websites, are more reliable resources to find high-quality information.

Copyright Frenzy

Due to recent advancements in technology, copyright laws and issues are more relevant than ever. Today, it is extremely easy for individuals to make high quality copies of files, music, movies, etc. and distribute them to thousands of people at a time. This is quite a contrast to the past, when people could only make copies one at a time, each copy with diminished quality.

Copyright laws are important because they ensure that authors and artists get well earned profits and rewards for their creations. These laws were first created to encourage individuals to make advancements and discoveries. People would not be willing to work hard if they would not get the proper credit. I was surprised to learn that the copyright for a work lasts 75 years even after the author's death. I also learned that those who use copyrighted information for spontaneous educational use, news reports, or spoofs fall under "fair use" protection.

It is very important for us as college students to understand copyright laws. Many of us will create works that we wish to be copyrighted. On the other hand, although it is said that only 4% of college students participate in illegal copying, there is still a large amount of individuals breaking copyright laws. This is especially true for the illegal downloading of music. I can understand why people participate in this activity. Programs such as iTunes charge $.99 per song, which can seem a little ridiculous, especially for those of us who love music and want to keep up with the latest hits. However, I think that it is unfair to the artist and all the individuals who put their hard work into creating the songs. They deserve to be rewarded for their accomplishments, and it is wrong for anyone to take that away from them. If individuals took the time to look at the situation from the artist's point of view, I think they would understand the importance of copyright laws.