Anna's 1300 Blog

Advice for Students Taking Computer Class:

2008-12-04T17:30:00.000-08:00

Make sure to stay on top of assignments, even if they seem small and unimportant, because they do add up in the end.

My Favorite Websites

2008-12-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed many of the websites presented today in class, mostly because I learned a lot about my fellow class members. A few of my favorites were Cole's website, Reuben's website and Jordan's website. I really liked Cole's layout. The simple yet bold silver images of typewriters, etc... were not too cluttering yet they stood out. The consistent theme of black and red was also very nice. I thought it was clever how he highlighted certain typewriter keys in red and hyperlinked them as well. Secondly, I enjoyed Reuben's website because it was very personable and I learned a lot about him. He presented it humorously and included a video, which no one else did. Lastly, I really liked Jordan's website mostly because I could tell that he put a lot of effort into it. Due to the numerous links, his website was very informative. I really enjoyed all of the websites though. You can look at my website by going to http://web.me.com/akern4

Importance of HTML code:

2008-11-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

Although there are programs that make it easier to create your own website, it is still important for web desgners to be able to use HTML codes. If there is a mistake in your website while using a program such as web express, you can view the code tab and skim through to make sure there are no mistakes. Small mistakes can lead to big changes in a web site, causing certain details to not appear. Knowing codes allows you to be independent of helpful programs that may not always be available to you. Also, web designers can create there designs that may not always be offered on pre-made programs.

Power Point Presentations:

2008-11-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed many of the power point presentations due to their content as well as their design. But two that stood out for me were Chiara's as well as Nelin's.

I really enjoyed Chiara's colorful graphics and large pink paint brush. I too am interested in art and I can remember when I first started drawing. The topic was narrowed and interesting. She could have chosen certain drawing techniques, but instead Chiara chose a topic that everyone could relate to, experienced or not. I also enjoyed the simplistic backgrounds with the more detailed drawings such as teh example of the witch. She added humor and person aspects to her presentation, while presenting it casually. I loved that Chiara used her own images as well- very impressive.

Secondly, I liked Nelin's power point presentation. She used a subject she is interested in and applied it directly to her life. Her presentation gave us a great insight on what she needed to do while using great images. I loves babies as well and I am thinking about being a pediatrician so I really enjoyed her presentation.

How to Search the Internet:

2008-11-05T12:36:00.000-08:00

When listening to Chris Nolan, I learned a lot about how search engines rank websites and what they base the order of websites on. I always wondered why generally, the most useful websites came first. I knew this had something to do with the content related to the searched key words. But now I know the specifics. Google sorts articles according to their relevance, such as the where they key words are located or the frequency of key words. Also, if websites are fairly credible, meaning important websites link to that particular website, it will rank higher. For example, if cnn.com linked to one of the websites that popped up, it would most likely be ranked higher. Topics that are considered popular to the general public are most likely ranked higher because these sites are cited heavily. For this reason, it might be difficult to find particular scholarly articles because the general public may not understand the concepts in some scholarly articles.
What surprised me is that Google makes all its’ money off of advertising from companies that list advertisements on the side of the page. They do not get money from companies attempting to rank their website higher on Google.

How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

2008-10-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

I have created many power point presentations, as well as listened to a lot of power point presentations. After reading this articles though, I learned a few interesting tips on how to create a power point presentation that keeps the audience attentive and is effective in portraying your point. If I had to list five tips on how to improve a power point, I would list the following:

1. No lengthy bullet points. When students type sentence after sentence on one slide, the audience becomes bored and it is more difficult to understand the main idea of the slide. One of the articles suggested that slides should emphasize words, not repeat them. I agree with this.
2. Simplicity. Besides the text, I find it frustrating when people try to put so many images on one slide, that you cannot figure out which image to focus on. It is better to put one image that is of high quality, that goes hand in hand with your text.
3. Cool vs. Warm colors. In one of the articles, they suggest using cool colors as the background and warm colors for the foreground. When painting, I'm aware of the properties of these colors, but I never thought of it in regards to power points.
4. Variety in slides. After the 13th slide of the same color, background and font, the presentation can become dull and monotonous. The slides should fall under a similar color scheme, but not everything has to be identical.
5. Cue Cards. One article suggests to use cue cards. This goes along with the idea of limiting your bullet points. Type smaller bullets, but use cue cards to go into more depth about each bullet.

The Importance of Learning About Excel

2008-10-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

I remember when I first took the computer placement exam. I found that the difficult questions dealt with important aspects about excel such as functions and reference cells. Previous to this class, I had hardly any experience using excel.
After thoroughly studying Excel, I feel much more confident when using it. In my biology lab, we use excel often to create graphs and record our measurements. Now I know how to insert a graph and edit the graph to fit the data. Even simple skills such as highlighting columns and entering formulas comes in handy. We then can examine trends in the graphs to come to conclusions about our experiments.
I can see how useful excel can be in many situations ranging from your academic life to your career. As I mentioned earlier, I use excel during school all the time. My friends and I had a garage sale recently and we used excel to record and calculate how much money we each earned. We created three columns labeled with our names and entered in the money we each received. We used the SUM function to find the total amount of money for each column. I know that Excel will also be helpful when keeping track of bills. Excel is quick, easy, and most importantly, reliable.

Manipulating Photographs!

2008-10-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

I chose number 13 in the series of photographs. This picture shows the mug shot of O.J. Simpson on the cover of Time magazine in June 1994. The first thing I noticed was how darkly shaded the mug shot was, creating minimal light spots on Simpson’s face. Mostly, the face is darkened, causing Simpson to look much more threatening. The original mug shot appeared on the cover of Newsweek. This image is brighter and people generally would agree that Simpson looks like an average person. The reason why Time Magazine manipulated the mug shot was to set the tone that O.J. Simpson appears intimidating and dark, therefore he is not innocent. Although this one cover shot most likely did not influence anybody’s opinion on the guilt or innocence of Simpson, it does create a biased article and in that way, the manipulation is unjust.

Visit to the First Floor of the Library

2008-10-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

When visiting the first floor, I discovered many new aspects of the library at Trinity. I knew that the library has many computers available for students to use. This is helpful when looking up information about books in the library, or simply to use for homework(especially computer class). I also found the scanners. You can scan documents or fragments of books so you do not have to carry an entire book back to your room. This is very useful when only a few pages of a book apply to what you are working on. Secondly, I visited the Digital Audio Lab. This is very useful for students who are working on projects dealing with audio sources. I know many people who play musical instruments and this room gives them the opportunity to record if they don’t already have the equipment to do so. I have seen the innovation studio previous to this visit, but I never knew that it’s purpose was to train faculty as well as the staff in important Trinity software such as blackboard. Because these programs are so essential to our university, it is nice to have a designated area for questions and general knowledge on important course management software. Overall, previous to my visit, I was aware that the library offered resources such as books and even DVDs, but I never knew the extent in which the library can help you. Everything from scanners to rooms designated to audio sources is available at the library, in order to create a studious environment.

Thoughts on Copyright Presentation

2008-10-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

I learned a lot of useful information about copyright laws and violations in the copyright presentation. It was a bit scary knowing that the RIAA, MPAA, and ESA all have the ability to search college campus networks to look for campus-based file sharing. This is mostly due to the fact that 4% of all file sharing occurs on college campuses. Even more shocking to hear, was the fact that Trinity has received a subpoena four times so far. Usually, when someone violates a copyright law, they receive a warning letter to erase any illegal files from their computer. But for one of these cases, a Trinity student simply received a letter that she was going to be sued over a copyright case. Trinity must release the name of the student involved in file sharing. Shockingly, the amount if found guilty ranges from 13,000-17,000 dollars!

What I find frustrating about copyright laws, is the issue with "orphan works". Orphan works are publications in which no author, copyright holder, or publisher can be found. In Canada, if you can prove for sure that you cannot contact the author(or that the work is truly an orphan work), than it will go straight to the public domain. I think the rules on copyrights need to be strict, but I believe that we should take Canada's stance on "orphan works" and the public domain".

How I Use Trinity's Wireless Network!

2008-09-17T12:49:00.001-07:00

Trinity's wireless network comes in handy for several different reasons. Without it, I would not be able to access my trinity email, blackboard to look up assignments, or email to communicate with teachers. I'm taking intro to biology this year, so it is very nice to be able to print out our professor's lectures before coming to class. He posts them on the Trinity Network. Trinity would not be able to function without it's wireless network- we use it to communicate in more than one way everyday. On the other hand, the network can be a social distraction for me. I find myself checking Facebook when I probably should be doing my other homework. But I am usually pretty good at knowing when I need to work.
Here's a link to a website that discusses the importance of wireless connection on a campus as well as the 50 top wireless campuses.
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2572

My first entry

2008-08-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hello, I'm Anna Kern and I'm from Dallas, Texas. Before I attended Trinity, I went to an all girl's school where we had to wear plaid, green and white skirts with oxford shirts. I'm the middle child of my family, in between two brothers. We are all very close in age and they love bothering me. At Trinity, I'm thinking about majoring in Biology and minoring in Spanish. Even though I'm interested in science, I like a lot of other things....so It's really hard to know if I actually want to major in that area. I enjoy studio art especially figure drawing with graphite and charcoals. I have a creek in my front yard, so ever since I was little, I've loved spending time outdoors. As far as my computer skills go, I'm very glad that I'm in this class. I use computers for practical purposes such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and of course the internet....but I don't know too much about computers obviously. In the scavenger hunt, my interesting fact was that I've had a pet hermit crab that I got from a science camp in pre-school. It's really old.

This is a link from Google Earth that shows the Inwood Theatre. It's a few minutes away from my house and my friends and I like to climb up these hidden stairs to the roof top.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.851093,-96.818779&z=16&t=h&hl=en