Demi's Computer Skills Blog

Websites

2008-12-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Everyone did a very good job on creating their websites. They were all very creative and interesting and fun to look at. I especially liked Emmalee Bannon's, Ashley Gabbert's and Katie Kies' websites. Their websites stood out to me because they were very unique. Ashley's was very artistic and I liked how she scanned in items to create her imagemap. Emmalee's was very different than all the other websites because her website was not about her.
Visit my website at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~dkeith1.

For The New CS Students

2008-12-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

Computer Skills is a very interesting class. I learned many things about different computer programs that I did not know before. I really enjoyed learning about creating websites and working with photoshop. I recommend to not procrastinate on your homework and pay attention in class.

HTML Code vs. Expression Web

2008-11-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

Before the development of sophisticated web-authoring software such as Expression Web amd Dreamweaver, web designers created websites by using their own knowledge of HTML code. Because of the development of these softwares, many web designers no longer possess knowledge of creating websites on their own. It is important to continue to have knowledge of HTML codes in order to have a form of control over your creation. If a web-suthoring software does not include a feature you want to include in you website and you have knowledge of HTML code, you can incorporate any feature you like. You also can make your website more unique.

Power Point Presentations

2008-11-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

Everyone did a very good job on creating interesting and unique presentations. It was very hard to choose my two favorite presentations. Out of all of them, I believe Ashley Snow's presentation on "The Taste of France" and Cristina Rodriguez's presentation on the musical "The Lion King" impressed me the most. Ashley's presentation was very interesting, including appropriate backgrounds, fonts, and color themes, along with pictures and a map of France. She also an animation of a wine bottle which was really cool. I believe Cristina's presentation got everybody's attention. Along with excellent pictures, she used a video clip of the musical "The Lion King" which included sound and alot of movement. Cristina was very enthusiastic about her topic and she knew her stuff. I was very impressed by all the presentations and the topics people chose.

Finding High Quality Information on the Web

2008-11-05T23:56:00.000-08:00

I learned a lot of valuable information and interesting facts during Chris Nolan's presentation on finding high quality information on the Web. Being the Assistant University Librarian, Chris Nolan is very knowledgeable about finding proper sourced of information on the internet. One very interesting fact that I learned is that Google.com is the most commonly used search engine on the internet, being use by 59.8% of the population. Other search engines such as Yahoo.com are used by 21.3% or less. Unlike Yahoo and other search engines, Google ranks things on how often other sites link to sites. Google is an excellent search engine which provides many resources to help you find what you are searching for. Some examples include which provides users full version books that can be read online, and , a sub-site of Google which picks out more scholarly sites. Unfortunately, popular sites are linked and appear more often on search engines than scholarly sites.
There are various other sites on the internet which can serve as reliable resources. Every website on the internet is created for a particular purpose. Websites ending in '.org' are run by non-profit organizations. Those that end in '.gov' are federal government sites, and those that end in '.com' are commercial sites. On Google, you can limit the type of site you are searching for by using that advance search.Also, titles that match with the keywords you are searching for appear first in the results list, in addition to how often the keywords appear in a site. Because words which occur in a phrase are ranked higher on search engines, it is not necessary to include words such as "and" or "on" are not necessary to include in a search box.

Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007

2008-10-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 is tool which helps display information through slide show presentations. Because PowerPoint is such an easy tool to use and offers a variety of multiple options for design, it is very easy to take all the tools for granted and make a very bad slide show. An example of this is using excessive sounds and animations throughout a PowerPoint presentation. Also, the use of uncoordinated color schemes and unnecessary text makes a slide show seem overwhelming. I believe there are 5 important guidelines:
1. Limit text
2. Use appropriate fonts and colors.
3. Limit sounds and animations
4. Use higher quality graphics
5. Keep it simple
In order to gain better knowledge of "Do's and Dont's" for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, I read the articles "Top Ten Slide Tips" and "Really Bad Power Point - and How to Avoid It". These two articles summarize the important guidelines to create a successful and well created slide show. I found these articles to be very helpful and informing so I can create better PowerPoint Presentations in the future.

Excel

2008-10-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

I have learned a lot of useful information about Excel that I can use academically and later in life at work. I learned some excel skills in high school in a mandatory computer class, but I had forgotten most of what I had learned. Before I took Ms. Belisle's computer skills class, I had very minimal knowledge of Excel. Now, I know how to function Excel properly, such as inputting functions and changing layouts.
Excel is a very useful tool when it comes to creating and formatting spreadsheets. I have already started using Excel on a daily basis to help me organize my money balance. It has helped me watch how much money I spend and calculate how much money I have total. I also use Excel to organize my grades and figure out what my overall grade is for certain classes. In the future when I have a job, I plan to use it to keep track of business records and spending. In addition, having a good knowledge of Excel always looks good on a resume.
I am very grateful of how much I have learned about Excel and look forward to learning how to use Photoshop and all it offers.

AT&T Center for Learning & Technology

2008-10-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Trinity University has done an excellent job of providing its students and faculty with many various resources. The AT&T Center for Learning & Technology provides different types of technology and is located on the first floor of the Coates Library. It includes computers, a video conference center, a digital audio lab, a media presentation lab, and scanning and copying centers.

Modern Picture Manipulation

2008-10-20T17:07:00.001-07:00

I decided to analyze the photo of Katie Couric which was first released by CBS and later by Watch magazine. I chose this photo because of the fact that the use of picture manipulation has increased greatly in the world of media and the influence it has on body image. Very distinct differences are apparent between the picture used by CBS and Watch magazine, even though the same picture was used by both sources. By comparing the picture used by Watch magazine to the original used by CBS, the use of not only color manipulation becomes evident, but also the use of body distortion. In the original picture, Kate Couric has a fuller body structure, whereas in the Watch magazine picture she is slim. Ever since the use of body manipulation has become the leading influence on media, the number of anorexia cases has noticeably increased. Even though digital body manipulation may not have a harmful intent, many have acquired unhealthy ideals of the "ideal body". Regardless, picture manipulation is an art which takes talent and creativity.

Copyright

2008-10-02T03:56:00.000-07:00

I learned many new interesting facts about copyright during Diane Graves' presentation. Because Trinity University is an internet provider for its entire student body and faculty, it must have a copyright officer. Despite the fact that the first copyright law was passed in 1790, preceding the Declaration of Independence, still to this day many misunderstand the importance of copyright and its rules and regulations. For example, many students participate in file sharing using programs such as Torrent. Because of this, the RIAA, ESA, and MPAA focus their interest on campus-based file sharing. These organizations monitor file-sharing and send subpoenas to universities in order for student names to be released to them. The fine for file sharing ranges between $13,000 and $17,000, which is not provided by universities. I also learned a few key terms that relate to copyright. For example, materials that are publicly available and can be used without copyright permission belong to the Public Domain. On the other hand, if a source is no longer in print or if the author of the source is no longer alive, it no longer belongs to the public domain. Publications which have no reference to an author, copyright provider, or publisher are called Orphan Works.
I am very happy I attended Diane Graves' presentation. I had some prior knowledge of copyright, but I feel like I know a lot more about copyright issues which affect every student. After the presentation, I deleted programs on my computer which could be a possible source for file sharing. I do think that the fine for file-sharing even just one song is ridiculous, but even so, I rather be safe than sorry.

Trinity's Wireless Network

2008-09-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

Being listed among the Top 10 Wireless Campuses in 2005, Trinity University has provided an excellent wireless network to the attending students and faculty. I have found Trinity's wireless network to be very convenient and helpful, especially concerning homework, keeping in touch with faculty, and social activities. I use Trinity's wireless network every day. The wireless network has been very helpful when I am working on homework, research papers, and projects.

Trinity University’s wireless network can have a downside. Since the internet is available to students 24 hours, 7 days a week, programs such as AIM, MSN, Facebook, and Myspace become common distractions among the student body. Nevertheless, I believe that the way Trinity's wireless network is used depends on the individual. It can be manipulated as a distraction, or used to enhance one’s academic career.

Here is a link to an article about wireless networks on college campuses:

http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/circuits/articles/20camp.html

Introduction

2008-08-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Hello. My name is Demetra Keith but I usually go by Demi. I was born in Houston, Texas but because I am a Greek-American, I consider Greece to be my true home. As a matter of fact, Greek is my first language. Every summer, I travel to Greece to visit my friends and family. My family has a house on the Island Lefkada, which is located in the Ionian Sea, close to mainland Greece. Greece is a very beautiful country, full of history and beautiful temples dedicated to the ancient gods. I hope that one day I can live there. Here is a picture of Lefkada from a Google Earth link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lefkada,+Greece&ie=UTF8&ll=38.719805,20.641251&spn=0.298938,0.659866&t=h&z=11&iwloc=addr
Other than traveling to Greece and other European countries, I like to hang out with friends, play with my cats, spend time with my boyfriend, go to concerts, getting tattoos and piercings, and dance at the Greek festival. I also am an artist and I enjoy working with ceramics, metal, make jewelry, and draw. In fact, I have won several art medals and awards in the state of Texas and nationally. During my senior year in high school, I was one of the 10 winners at the National Ceramics Convention. Concerning music, I like to listen to Metal, Industrial, and Greek music. On campus, I am a proud member of the sorority ZX, and I plan to major in psychology and possible art.
In general, I know a lot about computers and common computer programs. I actually started learning about computers at a very young age while attending schools which required computer classes. During one summer while I was still in high school, I took a class on Photoshop because I wanted to learn how to use it for my artwork. In this class, I hope to refresh my knowledge of Photoshop and find out if I would like to work with Graphic Design.