Websites

I never thought that I would be able to make my own website, but thanks to the help of Microsoft Expression Web, I did! Watching everyone present their websites was a really neat experience because you could tell how hard we all worked. My three favorite websites were created by Cole, Tasha, and Anna. Cole's design was truly amazing. His choice to use the really cool typewriters against the black background with red accented keys was genius! Tasha also did a great job on her website. I loved the three pictures on the front page flipping from one to the next as a gif. What a great idea! It's amazing that she was able to save up and then travel the way she did before coming to Trinity. And I'm certainly glad she added a link to the website that helps find cheaper travel. Anna's website is on my list of favorites because it was so pretty. Even though it was done on iWeb and didn't convert over too well during the presentation, she did a really nice job creating it. I love that she was able to put up so many picture albums and share them with us. Her other pages, such as favorite foods page, were so pretty to look at that even if I didn't like something on there before, I probably liked it after looking at it on that site. 

Everyone in the class did such an amazing job on their websites! Feel free to look at my Website!

Advice for New Students

The best advice I could pass to any incoming computer student is to always do your work as soon as possible. It's surprisingly easy to lose chunks of your grade for small details, so make sure to stay on top of all your work. If you have a Mac, like I do, you're going to want to get as much work done in class as possible. Mac computers have sumilar applications to the ones we use in class, but the functions are not the exact same. If you make sure all your assignments are done in time, attend class, pay attention in class and possibly even take notes, you'll do great, and really learn a lot. I was impressed at the amount of computer knowledge I gained this semester alone. Good luck and enjoy!

HTML Code

It is important for web designers to be able to know and use HTML code even though many sophisticated web-authoring softwares are available. Expression Web and Dreamweaver are both softwares that can allow for a faster website-creating process, but even these programs can have their flaws. In class the other day, our teacher provided an excellent example for when knowing HTML code is useful. She was editing the class wiki and wanted to edit the font. She tried to bold, then un-bold, but nothing seemed to change. When she went into the site's code, she recognized that the wiki was written in a font that always appeared to be bold so she was able to figure out why it wasn't working. Luckily, this scenario was only for a class wiki, but had a similar situation occurred with a corporate webpage, someone's job (or even many jobs) could have been on the line. 

Chris Nolan's Presentation

Though there is an infinite amount of information available to us on the internet, where do we even begin to go about finding what we want? And how do we know if it's the right source? These are very common and valid questions that Chris Nolan, the Trinity Librarian, adressed when in class.
Personally, I was surprised to learn that 59.80% of Americans use Google as their search engine. I am included in that statistic, but I didn't realize they controled over 1/2 the search engines. Following behind Goolgle is Yahoo (21.30%), Microsoft (9.40%), AOL (4.80%), and Ask (4.70%). The reason for Google's popularity was because they were the first ones to rank the results in order of relevance. This goes back to one of the questions at the top- how do we know if it's the right source? Google ranks its articles according to relevance.
Another interesting fact Chris Nolan tought us was Google's stand with advertisers. According to Google, Google gets all its money from companies that pay to have advertisement on the sides and top of the page, but advertisements never affect the ranking of websites. In fact, Google says that they will block websites that try to up their rankings by advertising themselves.

Powerpoint Presentations

In class we created PowerPoint presentations representing a topic dealing with our intended majors or professions. Two of my favorite presentations were Cole's presentation on Autism and Nellin's presentation on OB/GYN's. 

Cole used layering very well and very often. His design was simple and easy to follow, yet very effective. I also really liked that he tied a personal connection in when he included his cousin's condition into the presentation.

I really liked Nellin's presentation because of the reason behind creating it. Her slides were very informative but her presentation is what sold me. She told the class that she wants to become an OB/GYN because of extremely high number women who die during child birth in Africa. Her presentation I think flowed smoothly and instilled her point very well. It left a lasting impression on her audience, me, proving the productivity of her PowerPoint.

I did my presentation on Ansel Adams because I have considered photography as a profession. Here is my presentation: Ansel Adams

What to avoid in a powerpoint

If you are wanting to make a powerpoint, there are some common things you should avoid. For more in depth explanations, you should visit techsoup.org, the site where I found most of my information.  

So what should you do when making a powerpoint?

1. Keep the slides simple. DON'T  jam all your info onto the slide

2. Use visual aides. Don't make them excessive. But all talk can put your audience to sleep

3. DON'T do too much animation. Animation here or there is okay, but no more. 

4. Use transitions sparingly! Again, simple is better

5. Don't make your fonts tiny and hard to read. You want your audience to be able to follow you, right?

6. Choose a color scheme that is appropriate for your project. Don't randomly choose your favorite colors and patterns. Make it look professional. 

7. ALWAYS proofread before giving a presentation or turing it in! In order to appear professional and intelligent, simple spelling errors cannot be frequently occurring in your presentation.

8. Prior to presenting, get a friend or colleague to give you feedback on your presentation. Don't ignore their suggestions! They may have really good ideas and their thoughts may correlate with your audience's. 

Good luck!

My experience using Excel

If I've ever told someone I enjoyed using Microsoft Excel... I was lying. Truthfully, I've always done anything and everything I could to avoid using this program. I can do simple tables and apply formulas and such, I sometimes think that Excel may just be a little above my level. My father LOVES making spreadsheets and tables using excel, but I unfortunately didn't get that gene. Since I've been in class, I have in fact learned a few new useful tools when using Excel. I learned how to use the "If" function which could be very helpful in the future. If a class project or even a future job has me make a spreadsheet and display which items are above or below a price, or number, I can use the "If" formula and easily get my answers. This handy tool will save me a great deal of time that I can use to accomplish other things. 

Excel is very useful for some academic fields and businesses because they, too, can use these same tools. The beauty of using such an advanced program as Excel, allows the user to create the spreadsheet they want without using up all their time. 

Though I was once semi-against using Excel, I think I've come to terms with it and won't avoid it (as much) anymore.  

Katie Couric

After reviewing pictures on the website maintained by the CNet called Pictures that lie, I found myself in awe and the realistic appearances of misplaced objects. I chose to focus on a picture of Katie Couric. I chose this picture because I like watching Katie Couric on t.v. and think that the alterations made present a theme prevalent in society today. The picture originally was released in May by CBS. The image was manipulated to make Couric appear slimmer before appearing in the September issue of Watch magazine, which is owned by CBS. The reason for the manipulation was to make Katie Couric look slimmer. CBS would like to lead the public to believe she is thinner than she really is because sex sells in today's world. Most viewers are more interested in a thin, pretty woman than they would be in a larger-figured woman. Though the picture may not cause immediate harm to Katie Couric or the viewers who see this picture, it's harmful in that it adds to the idea that you need to be ridiculously thin to be pretty. The tabloids do enough harm to young girls convincing them to be thinner, and the news stations contributing to such ideas is harmful in the bigger picture. The original picture of Couric does not make her look fat, rather it makes her look like a normal woman. Personally, I don't think CBS needed to alter her appearance and size and should rethink doing so again. 

AT&T Center for Learning and Technology

On my adventure to the CLT, I found that we have many useful resources. Within the CLT we have numerous rooms including the Media Presentation Rooms, Technology Classroom, and Seminar Room. The Media Presentation Rooms consist of Library 101Q and the Integrated Learning Center (Library 103). These rooms are equipped with a presenter's computer, DVD/VHS player, video data projector and document camera. 101Q seats 15 and the Integrated Learning Center seats 32. The Technology Classroom (Library 310) seats 27 in a three-tiered semicircle. Each student workstation has a computer connected to a switching system that allows the instructor to take keyboard, mouse & monitor control of or all student computers as desired. The Seminar Room (Library 209) seats 16 and has a projection screen, dimmable lights and chalk boards.
In addition to the facilities, the CLT provides a complete range of media production. Services offered include audio, video, graphic and photographic work, in digital as well as traditional analog formats. Some of these are also available to students for use in classroom presentations. Having such amazing resources and facilities is very useful as a student. In fact, one of my classes has already used the Technology Classroom. Learning in an environment like that allows for a lot of hands-on activities which help me learn better. The CLT might be used in our class or in other classes because of the cornucopia of opportunities and choices. Not only are the resources and facilities accessible, but the people working in the CLT are readily available to help.

Copyright

Like most students my age, I have heard of Limewire and other music downloading programs. I can honestly say I've never illegally downloaded music off the internet, but that's just because I was too scared of getting caught. Little did I know that my chances of getting caught at home were so slim. I've learned that now that I'm in college, my music downloading activities are being highly monitored. College campuses are so closely watched because four percent of downloading occurs on college campuses and our computers are easily traced. 

When Dr. Graves came to class to speak with us, I actually learned some very useful facts. Did you know that it is a felony to commit a copyright infringement involving more than ten copies and a value of more than $2500? Well, if you didn't, you do now. When it comes to the controversy of illegal music sharing, I'm not too certain where I stand. I absolutely love music and will listen to just about everything. Especially now that I'm in college, I don't have much extra money to spend on all the music I want. With downloading so easily accessible, it's tough to turn down the idea of free music. However, I see it from the other perspective as well. If I were a musician trying to make in the entertainment industry, I wouldn't want people ripping me off either. The $.99 we could pay to get a song can save us thousands of dollars in comparison to what we would pay if caught for copyright infringement. So my advice... pay for your music. And if you really just want to risk getting caught, wait until you're no longer affiliated with any college campus. 

Wireless Network

I use the Trinity wireless network daily. I use our wireless network to check my email as well as complete research for my classes. Since I'm not always able to connect my computer to the ethernet cable in my room, I used the wireless network so I can work in another room, or even on my bed. Since the Trinity network provides us access to the internet, there are always distractions- facebook being the biggest.
If you want anymore information on wireless networks on college campuses, follow this link:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/circuits/articles/20camp.html

About Me

My name is Jennifer Wight but I prefer to be called Jen. I was born and raised in the music capital of the world, Austin, Texas. I love animals and was an active volunteer at the Town Lake Animal Shelter back home. Continuing to follow my passion for animals, I am participating in the animal shelter volunteering opportunity this weekend. I am beginning my college experience undecided as to what my major will be. I would love to leave college and become a zoologist or work for humanitarian aide. Between my school completion and beginning an eight-to-five job,  I plan to join the peace core. I love spending time outdoors, especially doing outdoor activities such as jogging, cycling, hiking, camping, etc. 

My background working with computers is limited but I'm willing to learn. I love photography and am excited that graphic design and photoshop is part of our curriculum. Though I know basic operations of Microsoft Excel, I would like to obtain a higher level of understanding so I can apply them to my class work and future jobs.  

My Trinity email is jwight@trinity.edu