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.