Computer Skills Blog

Advice for New Students!

2008-04-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

The best advice I could give to new students taking this course is simple: Come to class and listen! We go over everything in class so homework goes by quickly. If you don't come to class and follow along, homework and tests will be made much more difficult. If you have a question, ask. Once you understand the concept, you can use it for fun or practicality outside of class!
Good luck!

Great Websites!

2008-04-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed Emily Gray's website. I thought that the background really accented the images she used. My favorite pages of hers was her music and favorite artists pages. It was nice that the music artists were linked to their page where you could listen to them.
Another website that stood out to me was Daniel's. The backgrounds pertaining to each of the sports teams were very fun and a great idea. The links were very useful and a good use of thumbnails.
However, my favorite website was Emily Hilliard's. The colors were great and all of the image maps really caught my attention. I could easily browse through her website and the links to the candidates views and websites are very informative. The overall layout was creative and visually appealing.
Check out my website at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~abusch
Thanks!

HTML Code

2008-04-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

HTML is important to understand when designing websites no matter what software is used. HTML is like the alphabet of websites and in order to advance in design it needs to be understood. Web designers should be able to use HTML code because that is the foundation of what they are doing and in case something goes wrong they need to be able to work with HTML to fix it.

Great Presentations

2008-04-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed many of the presentations, but there were a couple that stood out to me due to their unique designs and clear layouts. One of these PowerPoints that I especially liked was one about Golf Pro Instructors by Dan Maurer. I knew very little about this topic and his presentation did a nice job presenting the information with great pictures and creative additions. I liked the original background and the bouncing golf ball animation. He used the perfect amount of text that supplemented the verbal presentation with relevant information. The use of links in the presentation enhanced the presentation along with the use of video.
The second PowePoint that I thought was especially good was Mica Segal's. The story she presented was very interesting and was made even more interesting with the attention grabbing images on every slide. The color scheme complemented the pictures and the lack of text made the audience focus on what she was saying. The fact that she had her slides timed was very impressive. Her images helped tell the story without the use of text and helped the class gain an deeper understanding. Overall, these two presentations did a great job in presenting the information and did so in a visually appealing way!

The Do's and Don'ts of PowerPoint

2008-03-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

I have seen a lot more PowerPoint presentations than I have given, and from viewing the good and the bad I appreciated the advice given in the article "Top Ten Slide Tips." There is nothing more annoying than a PowerPoint that you cannot read because of lime green font against a pale yellow background, or five different images and animations going on at once. I think the most important tip given in the article is number one, "Keep it Simple." As long as your PowerPoint has images that are relevant and supplement your presentation, they will not overbear the rest of your information. Too many unnecessary visuals end up distracting the audience instead of engaging them. In order to keep their attention you must have an attention grabbing, yet clear PowerPoint. One of the other articles talked about the use of clip art. I never thought about how unprofessional these really are and how much better your PowerPoint could be if alternative images were used. After reading these articles I made my own list of guidelines that I find important:
DO
1. Clean, Clear and Simple
2. Visually Appealing, but Relevant
3. More Visual (images), Less Text (bullet points)
4.Use Backgrounds and Animations that Allow the PowerPoint to Flow
5. Use Video and Charts Only When it Enhances Your Message
DON'T
1. Use Hard to Read Fonts
2. Clip art You've Seen Before
3. Distracting Animation
4. Write Everything You're Going to Say
5. Write Sentences or Paragraphs

Searching on Google

2008-03-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

What I found most interesting in Chris Nolan's presentation were the facts about exactly how Google works. I use it all the time and have always wondered why some searches were separated from others, and how they decide what order to put the websites in. When you search something on Google, usually an extremely long list of websites turns up on your screen. Every time there are a two or three websites that are separated at the top. From the presentation I finally found out that this is because these websites are sponsored. This is the same for the websites that appear to the side. This is how Google makes its profit. As far as the rest of the lists of websites go, relevancy is the determinant of order. Google ranks these websites by the words in your search that are frequently mentioned. Popularity also plays a part; the websites at the top of the page have more links from other websites, which usually means they're more relevant and reliable. For example the CNN websites has more weight because it is a major website. This is good to know when searching on Google. After learning about Google's search process, I understand why most people, including myself, only browse through the first page of a search and now I know that this is also the most efficient way of searching Google as well.

Copyright laws and Illegal Downloads

2008-03-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

I thought it was very interesting to learn about the history of copyrights and how they have changed from the past. Now that the copyrights have been extended from 14 to 75 years, the protection of copyright on this group is coming to an end. Before the guest speaker, I was unaware of the effects this extension had. However, what I found most intriguing was the process that goes into identifying and notifying a student if they have broken a copyright law. I had heard previously that college students were the primary targets for finding illegal downloading. This seems absurd when the actual percentage of total song downloading traffic by college students is 4%. The reason for the suspicion of high education is the fact that fast networks are involved. Although the percentage is small, it may still be a problem that is only developing. I understand the business side of this issue because illegal downloading has a severe impact on companies' profits. It is necessary for them to take action when their work is stolen and being distributed freely. Although I am a student who does not take advantage of illegal downloads, I believe a compromise can be reached between the money making businesses and students and citizens who are involved in this illegal traffic. The extents that the businesses go to in order to find such specific downloads is unnecessary, along with the extreme fines that most likely follow. I don't see the need to take such drastic measures, but suggest a happy medium be found.

I Love Excel

2008-03-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

I am so glad we learned about Microsoft Excel this semester. When we started I really only knew how to enter data into the cells, now I can use functions and make nifty charts and graphs! I had no idea there was so much to the ribbon in Excel and how many different things you could do with one graph. This semester I am taking financial accounting and Microeconomics and once I started using Excel to do my homework it made everything easier and more organized. Then I could just copy and paste the chart into a word document! I am planning on majoring in business so I know Excel can be very useful when making charts/graphs, preparing presentations, and especially when recording business transactions in accounting!

Pictures That Lie

2008-02-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

I chose this picture of dark smoke covering the Lebanese capital that had just been air raided by Israel. I chose it because before reading the description of the manipulation I could not figure out what part of the photo was not the original. The picture was taken by Adnan Hajj, a Lebanese photographer. The photo was manipulated by making the smoke more abundant and darker. This was done in order to influence the viewer's initial response to the photo. The darker smoke makes the photo more severe. The manipulation was harmful because it was not an honest representation of the event.

Trinity's Wireless Campus

2008-02-01T08:50:00.002-08:00

I find the wireless network on Trinity's campus very helpful. Although it does provide easy access to distractions, it also is extremely helpful in the academic aspect as well. I would say I probably use the wireless network for academic purposes more than for distractions. If you'd like to read more on what other students think about wireless campuses check out this out!

Microsoft Word

2008-01-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

I have had a good amount of experience working with Microsoft Word, mainly due to the numerous papers I have written in the past few years. Through trial and error I have discovered most of the things I know now. I am familiar with the basic functions of Word, but not as confident in some of the other applications, such as Track Changes. Last semester one of my professors used this technique with one of my papers and I wish I had understood how to work with it. Other functions, like Tabs and Tab Stops, I have not had very much practice with. I would like to review these along with the shortcuts that can be used in Word.

Backup Plan

2008-01-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

If I sat down to my computer and found that it showed me the "blue screen of death," I would run into my suitemate's room and ask her if she is able to fix it! If she is not able to, or is not there, I would ask my roommate if I could use her computer in order to finish my homework. Since she has a Mac and I am not familiar with working with one, I would most likely go to a nearby computer lab to work. Or I would go across the hall to Dan's room and inquire what he advises since he is in the same computer skills class as me and is more knowledgable about the subject.

About Me

2008-01-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

My name is Adriene Busch and I am from Tempe, Arizona. It's right outside of Phoenix, here it is! http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.421948,-111.93993&z=12&t=h&hl=en I have lived there all my life and love the Phoenix Suns. Over Christmas break I went to a game and sat second row!

I enjoy photography and I play volleyball here at Trinity. I have been playing volleyball for the past eight years. Towards the beginning of the season this year I partially tore my ACL so I was not able to play for a few months. I am just now finishing with physical therapy. Here is a picture of my brother and I after my knee injury.

I just recently went from a blonde to a brunette and I have never had a cavity. I have never taken a computer class before and I haven't had the best luck with computers.
You can email me at abusch@trinity.edu