Power Points Creativity!!

After reading the articles provided, I learned some new techniques about improving my power point presentations in the future. The you tube comedy show made me laugh more because it is true. Most people have their own conceptial thoughts of how a power point should function and how it should flow. My best advice for all presenters is to:

1. Keep it simple. No one wants to see a whole bunch of cluttered words on a slide with loads of animations and sound.
2. Use color well. You can have a color scheme, but think about the color of the font as well. No one could see the words if the color of the font and background clash or blend in.
3. Spend time inside slide sorter. The slide show should have logic flow and clarity, and the slide sorter is very helpful in making the best judgement on which slide comes next. No one would be able to comprehend your project if the ideas are everywhere.
4. Limit bullet points/texts. The more white space you have, the better. The one thing I hate about a slide full of bullet points and texts, it encourages the audience to be less interested.
5. Use high-quality graphics. Clipart and pictures on the microsoft program are repetitive. No one wants to see the same graphics everytime and the childish picture. It is always best to use professional graphics and appropiate visuals for the audience.

Power points have their ups and downs, but the main focus is getting your idea across in an organized manner without boring the audience. Less is better and the visuals keep the audience involved into learning more about your project information.

Internet Searching!!

I was highly impress with Chris Nolan's presentation on internet searching under Google. Most think they know about searching through the internet system, but there are some techniques I have never heard of. I learned Google has an advanced search just like the Coates Library search engine, which comes in handy when specifying a particular topic. There are "limits" too that can be applied to a more specific subject. I can use the same procedure learned before to search on Google or any other search engine. One aspect of the presentation that I thought was surprising was that not all search engines are bad. Each one of the search engines can respond to different searches applied that may be better than Google. I was brought up on Google and never doubted the system, but now I feel more comfortable using other search engines to gather more of an academic research. All in all, Mr. Nolan's presentation taught me new skills for searching on the internet in a more proficient and effective way.

Copyright Rights!!

Today's presentation of copyright and plagarism by Ms. Graves taught me new thoughts about the importance of copyright. I never thought someone could get sued for the use of someone else' s work or violating the copyright laws. One particular issue is the use of a deceased author or creator and their work. Most believe anyone could take another person's work if they are dead because they are not benefitting from the proceeds. Others feel there are certain ways to go about copyrighting a deceased author's work. I agree a deceased author's work should be credited and copyrighted if in use by the public because the author might have signed for the proceeds to contribute to somewhere else. The proceeds of using the work could benefit a children's hospital or particular charity. So even though, the author is dead, their work could be the only factor to contribute to a certain cause. A person should be prosecuted if they were illegally copyrighting a deceased author's work without proper citation and a license of legal copyright. There are many laws and rules on what is "fair use" and what is not. Any person who so ever uses another person's work should be able to know the copyright laws and how to incorporate the laws into legal use. It is always better to copy right than to copy illegally.

Excel Experience!!!

I have learned more this time around about excel than ever before. My excel experience was limited to making charts and tables, but now I can incorporate many other essentials. I have learned how to keep a running balance, which I could use to double check my banking account information. I have learned how to compose a table for calculating commissions which includes an absolute cell. The absolute cell makes the task easier rather than entering a percentage in each cell. Now Excel 2007 have many ways to organize graphs, tables, headings, and formats to fit any enviroment that you might need. It is more convienient and accessible. I am a Chemistry major and I am required to take labs. The labs must incorporate an excel spreadsheet with every assignment. Now that I know more about excel, it will not take me long to accomplish a project. Excel can be used for other subjects such as Business and Economics. Such subjects have set formulas that can be easily entered into the formula bar and report an answer "as quick as a snap." Before, I used excel outside of school. I used excel to calculate service hours and the treasury amount of whatever club I had participated in. Now I can use more advanced techniques of excel to help me in any position I may take in the future. I am glad I know how to use excel more proficienty because I can go back home and teach my brother an easier way to run his private business.