Tips For The Next Class

I learned a lot from CS1300. You will learn how to use everything from excel to expression web. I recommend that you come to every class because there is so much information packed into every class, and it is easy to fall behind. I also recommend that you frequently check the class page to make sure that you don't miss any assignments. Don't leave things to the last minute. The projects are much more enjoyable when you are not rushed. Don't be afraid to ask questions! Good luck!

Student Websites

I really enjoyed seeing all of the student websites my classmates made! They were all so creative. One of my favorites was Nicole's. I really liked the colors that she used, I thought they all tied together nicely. I also liked the different pages she included and how they linked to one another. Another of my favorite websites was Lucy's. I absolutely loved her welcome design, and the navbar she made! It was very cute! I also liked that she included so many pictures. I also liked John's website. I thought his idea of making his website a place to comment on his favorite sports teams was unique and cool. Great Job!

Tori's Site

Please visit my website at www.cs.trinity.edu/~vcarey.

Making the website was easier than I expected. Both Expression Web and KompoZer made the whole process fairly easy and not nearly as complicated as I imagined designing a website would be. However, I did find it extremely difficult to insert images, and get them to go exactly where I wanted them to go. I used both Expression Web and KompoZer. I did not actually use hand code. I am most proud of my Favorites page. Even though it is extremely simple with only a collage I made in photo shop, I thought it was cool that I could hot spot particular images within the collage, making it more of an interactive page. If I were to change something, I think I would give it a more exciting background. My biggest technical challenge was getting the pictures to line up and go exactly in the right place. My biggest design challenge was picking a relevant theme. I will show my site to my friends and family. I can definitely see myself making another site in the future, either for a class, or even for fun!

HTML CODE

It is important for web designers to be able to know and use HTML code even if sophisticated web-authoring software such as Expression Web or KompoZer is available because it is easier to fix any random glitches the page might have, if the designers understand what the code actually stands for. If the designers can read the code, they should be able to easily diagnose the problem and quickly have the page running smoothly. They can also read the HTML code from other sites in order to recreate any effects they really like.

Pictures That Lie

I chose to manipulate a picture taken from my visit to the Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C. this past summer. I found pictures of United States soldiers fighting in Iraq from Flikr and then used the magnetic lasso tool to place them in the Korean Memorial garden. I placed the soldiers alongside the statues, and decreased their opacity and brightness to give them more of a ghostlike effect. I manipulated this photo in this manner in order to remind us of the detrimental effects of war. Despite knowing of the harmful ways ways of war, we as a people continue to partake in wars. I do not think that manipulation in this way is harmful. It is not trying to manipulate people to act in a certain way, it is just reminding us all that war is not in our past, or merely a monument, but part of our present and affects all of us today.However, it is quite obvious that this photo has been tampered with. Often times photo manipulation can be harmful. The article "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" offers several examples of how the manipulation of photos can impact society in a negative way. The article explains that as computers make altering photos easier, they [computers] "are destroying the credibility of photography, and it's getting worse." Photo manipulation is used not only to make statements as mine does, but to alter history, manipulate people themselves, and as this article explains, alter evidence. These are examples of how photo fakery can be taken too far.

Citation:
Curry, Andrew. "Now You See Him, Now You Don't." U.S. News & World Report 131.2 (2001): 46. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Apr. 2010.

Powerpoint Presentations

I thought everyone did a wonderful job presenting their PowerPoints! It was interesting to learn about all of the different opportunities out there. My two favorite presentations were Chelsea's and Lucy's. Chelsea had a very nice template, that was very relevant to her presentation on birds. She included beautiful and bright pictures which really captivated me. The video that she included really grabbed the audience's attention and provided a good laugh. Lucy also did a great job of keeping me interested throughout the presentation. Her picture were very nice, and she presented her information in a creative way, which really made me interested in neurology. The video that she included was moving, and was a great example of why someone might choose this major.

Powerpoint Tips

There really was a lot to learn from all of the links on PowerPoint presentations. The Microsoft Online Tutorial offered explanations for all of the major components of a PowerPoint.

The excerpt from "Really Bad PowerPoint" was very interesting. I liked that it gave a little background on the origins of the PowerPoint presentation. It also stressed to avoid distractions such as dissolving and spinning transitions, or greater than 6 words per slide.

The Top Ten Slides seems to be business oriented but I think that it is relevant to most presentations. It stresses the importance of simplicity while maintaining the quality with captivating graphics and well chosen fonts.

My Top 5 Tips:
1) Do NOT read directly from the slides. It is important to maintain eye contact with your audience.
2) Include audio/video. It really helps hold the interest of the audience. Plus it shows you are experienced with PowerPoint : )
3) Choose a relevant template. The template can really make the presentation. Make sure it is captivating, yet not too overwhelming.
4) Do NOT have too many words. You want your audience to listen to what you are saying, not frantically reading your slides.
5) Be enthusiastic. While enthusiasm can get on some people's nerves, it is much easier to enjoy a presentation from a presenter who enjoying themselves, than from someone who clearly wishes they were somewhere else.

Photocollage

This collage is meant to stress the importance of recycling by showing how much trash we create.

Searching the Internet

Chris, Nolan, the Assistant University Librarian, talked to our class today, and had some very interesting things to say about searching the Internet and using search engines. I learned a lot of things about Google, the most popular search engine that I was not previously aware of. I never noticed that there were advanced search options, right next to the search button. I learned how I can narrow my results by simply typing in a few extra things into the search bar. I also did not know that Google takes over 200 factors into account when organizing search results. Google uses computer algorithms to organize the results. I was very surprised to find that different search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, provide fairly different search results, and organize them in a very different order.

Pictures That Lie

I chose this picture because it is an example of how media manipulation can reach the general public at anytime, and exposes it as a common practice. This is a picture from a New Year's Eve report on CBS, which aired in December 2000. It seems completely natural, depicting a typical New Year's celebration in Times Square. However, it has been revealed that the CBS emblem in the background was originally the NBC logo. The logo in the background was changed because the show was aired on CBS news, and they wanted to promote their own station, not NBC, their competitor. I don't think that the manipulation is as harmful as it is disconcerting. With this technology it is easy for businesses and companies to promote themselves by manipulating a lot of the broadcasting that reaches the public. This makes it difficult to know what of what we are viewing is actually real, or whether it is merely a ploy by these companies. Everything, even the news, has become an outlet for advertisement.

CLT

Our visit was very informative. Robert Chapman, the Instructional Support Manager for Trinity, showed us the AT&T Center for Learning and Technology in the library. We first were introduced to the CLT Studio, which was an open room where people have access to Macs and PCs equipped with all of the latest software, as well as printers, scanners. Next, we saw the Digital Audio Lab, where you can edit your audio and and video. These computers have the editing software necessary for projects involving audio and video. We also saw the Media Presentation Lab, where students can give presentations in a private room and make use of the video projection equipment in the Trinity classrooms. Students can also partake in Conferences, for in CLT there is access to conference facilities. Faculty and staff can also be trained to use certain software in the CLT facilities, and sometimes students can too. This is a great place to go if you have a multi-media presentation and your personal computer does not have the necessary software. If a class needs to have a conference call with someone, such as an influential figurehead, they can use the CLT facilities.

Copyright Issues

I learned a lot from Jason Hardin's, the manager of access services, lecture on copyright issues. I t was good to have someone clearly explain what exactly copyrights entail, and how to avoid any infringement issues. Having something copyrighted means that the government acknowledges you as the creator of your own intellectual works, and protects your right to control the reproduction and profit of your work. This provides incentive for intellectuals to continue producing creative and innovative works.

There have been many copyright issues involved with illegal downloading and file sharing of files. College campuses are now being monitored closely for such illegal activities. What students download can be traced to their IP address. If the activities infringe upon copyright laws, the industry can ask the school for the students name, and then take legal action. While I understand it is important for the industry to uphold the law, this seems a bit extreme, as do some of the consequences. However, the Higher Education Opportunity Act which requires the university to explain copyright and downloading policies to students and offer alternative resources for downloading seems like a reasonable approach to the issue.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

My Trinity Network Diagram

It was cool to see all the computer equipment on the tour, and learning how our network actually works. The diagram helped me to actually visualize how it all works.

Tori's Top Tech Tip

There were many things that I learned from the class lecture. However, the fact that I found most useful was how to keep my mac updated. I didn't realize it was as simple as clicking on the Apple logo at the top of the screen and clicking software update. I will try to remember to do that often. : )

Scavenger Hunt

I enjoyed reading all the class blogs. There were some really interesting facts! I commented on Ana's, Steven's, and Hinna's blogs.

Introduction

My name is Victoria Carey, however, I have always gone by Tori. I am from the San Francisco Bay Area, the East Bay to be more specific. I enjoy many things, such as reading, traveling, playing the viola, listening to music, finding good movies, sewing, and skiing. I am interested in all kinds of things, and am always happy to learn something new. As of right now, I really do not know what I would like to major in, but I know I would like to minor in creative writing, and I also enjoy psychology.

Here are some of my random favorite things. My favorite color is green. My favorite food is sushi. My favorite TV shows are Weeds, Dead Like Me, and Firefly. Oh, and I have been swept up in this current obsession of Glee. I do not have a favorite movie (I love so many) but my favorite director is probably Alfred Hitchcock. I have been watching his movies since I was little. My favorite book, for now at least, is Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, though I am nowhere near as cynical as Vonnegut. My favorite place to be is on the coast of Northern California, called The Sea Ranch. I have the greatest peace of mind when I am at the "coast house" that my family and I built ourselves there. It is nice to be surrounded by tall trees and so close to the ocean.

A random, or secret, fact about myself is that I cannot roll my "r's". My friends and family like to give me a hard time for this impediment of mine.

My computer background is very BASIC. I know how to use Microsoft, Itunes, Facebook, etc. , however, I know there is a lot more I could be using these for, and I would really like to be able to create more invigorating powerpoint presentations, tables, and the like with Microsoft.

You can email me here.