Week 5 - Module 3:Information Management, 28th of August 2007

Lecture Summary

Today was about the importance of using files effectively to make retrieving documents simple and short. We were taught the difference between Atom-based and Bit-based information and Justine discussed the benefits for us as University students to set up folders effectively to save our documents in. This is because most of us will be at University for a number of years and when the time comes to retrieve a document we produced a year ago, the process will be simple, without having to remember the document name.

Workshop Summary

Task one was to create a favourite list with three folders in it with at least two websites marked as favourites. I have never used the favourites tool before this task and did not really understand its purpose. I see now that it is a great way to retrieve sites that I may need on a regular basis without having to type in the URL all the time. Below are some screen shots which is evidence of my completion of the first task. I created three folders, a music folder which contains music websites, my interests folder with a website on elephants and sports cars and a sentimental folder with a website of Carnarvon which is my home town and my high school website.



The second task was to read Negropnte's famous "Being Digital" archive online and write a short review on the content of the reading.

Short Review on the PROS and CONS of ATOMS and BITS

Atoms

Atom based information refers to anything that you can physically hold in your hand such as books, magazines and reports. Atom based information is good in a sense that you can see it because it is a physical hard copy of a document. It is however, costly to get and can take up allot of space and can go out of print. Take getting out a movie for example, it takes time and effort and costs money. These days you can download a movie off the net for free and watch it from your screen without fuss and hassle.

Bits

Bit-based information are electronically based such as the web which is very cheap and flexible, easy to edit and easy to reproduce and broadcast, yet there are some privacy issues as a result of it being so easy to access. Bit information doesn't go out of print and is easy to distribute and not bulky or requires much space. Bit information can be easy to lose so you should always have a back-up copy. Bit based is becoming more popular and will eventually dominate the the workplace in the near future.

Summary of the Readings

There were two readings, the first was a step by step guide on how to create a favourites folder and how useful it is when accessing a website that you may need to use on a regular basis. The instructions were easy to follow with the use of pictures guiding you through each step. The second reading Information management and electronic environments, explained what is required from us as University students in reference to the need to save information, copy and pasting, saving our work into designated files and making them easily available and accessible. The reading then discusses how this unit will show and help us to use relevant programmes efficiently to make these steps easy to follow.

Week 4 - Module 2:Communications, 21st of August 2007

Lecture Summary

Today's lecture content was on communications, discussing the different forms of communication through modern technology, referring to the use of email, chat rooms, web blogs, podcasts and so on. There are four types of communication, synchronous, asynchronous, place dependent and place independent. Synchronous communication requires two or more people actively communicating at the same time, such as on the phone or chat room. Asynchronous communication allows you to communicate at your own leisure such as writing an email. Place dependent and place independent refers to the place of communication, for example being place independent would occur when using MSN messenger.

Justine also discussed the advantages of using all of these communication systems, and how they benefit, not only students but businesses as well. We were also told what to avoid and look out for when using these systems, such as spam emails from people trying to access our details, forwarded messages and just to be weary of what personal information we give to those who we meet in chat rooms.

Workshop Summary

The first task was to go into our ECU email account and create folders for our four subjects. I did not realise how easy this was and how helpful it is when I want to search for my emails from a particular lecturer.

The second task had us searching for bulletin boards, by logging on to Google and selecting on the GROUPS tab, then selecting a category of interest to us and read through some of the messages posted in relation to our topic. Under the group tab I typed in Techno Music, the two top groups matching techno music were alt.music.makers.electronic and alt.rave. I clicked on the first one and it opened a page saying "discussion," then next to it had messages, title, author and date. When I clicked on one of the discussion boards it opened up to a page of comments referring to techno music and related topics. It was a little confusing because there was no introduction or outline that I could see. It was just a number of comments from different people, some not even named. I found this to be quite confusing and so I kept on searching and I eventually found what seemed to be a number of emails, being sent from one person to another and for every one to see. It seemed to be a group of young boys who went to a rave (techno concert) and were evaluating their experiences to each other.

The third task was very interesting. We had to visit a podcasting site and listen to a couple of podcasts of a subject of interest to us. I searched for Portuguese food and I found a podcast of a lady speaking in Portuguese and giving a step by step method for a recipe. It was very engaging. I did not know that I could find such a thing, I must tell my mum because she would love it. This podcast did not have any visual images but was still very interesting and the sound was clear. I also searched Podcasting@ecu and it basically discussed which podcasting systems are currently available at ECU and who to contact if you would like to create and post a podcast.


My Summary of Podcasts in relation to their use by students at university

I believe podcasting is very useful for students at university, especially for those who are unable to attend lectures due to circumstances such as illness, work commitments and so on. If the lecture is recorded and put on the net for podcasting, it would allow these students to access the lecture they missed which prevents them from missing out on valuable information due to their lack of attendance. Despite this being a benefit, students should really attend the lectures and tutorials and this system may cause them to start skipping classes and just rely on the podcasting of their lectures.

Summary of the Readings

There were three readings this week. The first guide to using email, gave an outline on the do's and dont's when composing, receiving and sending emails. A couple of simple points to remember are things such as avoiding to put across or perceive any sense of emotion through an email. Grammer and spelling still applies so proof read your emails before sending them and organise your messages under file names so that they are easily accessible when you are searching for a particular email from a particular person.

The second reading Chat room Primer discussed the use of Internet Raly Chat (IRC) through the use of channels to converse with people in real time, such as Efnet. Efnet for example has
12 ooo channels and each having a different topic at the one time so you can converse with a number of people and sign up to different channels.

The third reading, The problem with Spam, gave a detailed outline on Unsolicited Bulk Email, otherwise known as SPAM mail. It describes how to avoid spam, how to deal with it, what to do, what not to do and basically how popular it is due to it being free for the sender. It really emphasises the effects of spam on our email system and how spam emails can be used to retreive our personal details, without us being aware of it.

Week 3 - Module 1:Presentation Skills, 14th of August 2007

Lecture summary

Today's lecture gave an insight into different types of presentation styles used at university, mainly focusing on MS PowerPoint. Justine discussed what the main components are to a presentation. When preparing the content for a presentation there are many areas to consider. These areas include the main point or idea to be discussed or explained, the audience type, introduction, body and conclusion content as well as what information you should use to engage the audience effectively. The introduction is very important and should be interesting and grasp the audiences attention from the very beginning.

Workshop summary

This weeks task requires us to create an MS PowerPoint document on a topic of our choice of a biographical nature. This task should teach us to use visual aids to create a PowerPoint that will enhance an oral presentation. It is essential to learn how to use basic software to create work that is of a professional standard. Not only is this important for university courses but also for jobs which will require such knowledge and skills.

The task also required us to read the tutorial slides and reading links on oral presentation and PowerPoint in order to construct a list of the top five strategies to creating a top-notch presentation.


Top Five strategies to create a top-notch presentation


1- Plan and decide what your main topic is and what statement or information you want the audience to remember. At the same time keep in mind who your audience is and then structure your presentation to be appealing to your audience.

2- Structure your presentation so that it makes sense. Organise the content in a suitable order which is professional but simple to follow. Have an introduction which briefly describes the topic and outline what you will talk about in your presentation. The main body will include the basis or content of your presentation and should be interesting and easy to understand. The conclusion needs to summarise the main idea or topic behind your presentation and should leave the audience thinking about the information they just gathered from you.

3- Practise your speech and use hooks to involve your audience. Asking your audience reflective questions will make them develop their own thoughts and opinions towards your presentation content. Even though they are not physically involved they are being mentally stimulated which keeps them interested.

4- Use visual aids such as a PowerPoint slide using animations and pictures (if relevant) to enhance your speech.

5- Conclude with a statement the audience will remember. Summarise what the purpose of your speech was and what vital point you want the audience to reflect on.

Evidence of a MS PowerPoint slide show created as an example for a mock oral presentation. The topic is on best friends and laughter, aimed at young students who's whole lives at the moment revolve around their friends. The main statement being portrayed is that best friends are the best source of laughter. The content then discusses what characteristics makes a best friend and why laughter is so important. There are areas of reflective questioning which is used to engage the audience on a personal level. I have then added a personal funny story and then ask the audience to reflect on their own personal experiences. It concludes with an overall reflection of the main idea and the importance of best friends and the times you share with them.

Summary of the Readings

There were two readings this week Oral Presentations and PowerPoint tutorial. The first reading basically outlined the essential component to a presentation such as the content, purpose and preparation. It also discussed what not to do when presenting a presentation such as being unprepared, not using eye contact, reading straight from your notes and so on. The second reading was a very easy guide to producing a slide show using MS PowerPoint. I found it very useful because since I have not used PowerPoint for such a long time, it helped to refresh my memory on the different links and tabs to creating a professional presentation.

Week 2 - Module 1:Office Applications, 7th of August 2007

Lecture Summary

Today's lecture gave us a basic outline of the common PC applications commonly used by university students. Such applications include, spreadsheets, word processing, emails and so on. Justine basically touched on areas that most of us learnt at school and explained that how we used these applications in high school will differ to the university standard. I have a general understanding of most of the systems but there are areas of excel, power point and methods of storing files that would be beneficial for me to re-visit, to gain a better understanding.

Workshop Summary

This week consists of two tasks. The first one is to use MS word for APA writing style, learning how to adjust margins, spacing and typeface to name a few. The second is to create a spread sheet and graph using Microsoft Excel. All the steps are online in blackboard and are easy to read and follow. We were given time in our tutorial to start on the tasks with an opportunity to ask the tutor any questions. Below are screen shots of these activities which is evidence of my completion of the tasks.

Evidence of completion for week two tasks, refining an MS word document, inserting margins, spacing, font type, font size, adding header and footer and so on of APA standard as well as creating graphs, charts and tables using MS Excel.

Summary of the Readings

This weeks readings, Graphic file formats using MS word for APA tasks, as well as the Internet tutorials on MS word and Excel were very useful. I now understand why following all the steps were necessary in creating screen captures for last weeks tasks. I learnt the difference between file types such as jpeg, tiff, psd and so on. A jpeg file compresses the picture, reducing the size and image quality depending on the level of compression. When it is opened it becomes decompressed, yet the picture quality will not be the same as the original picture. Information like this helps me relate the steps to the work I am producing. The APA guide will be very useful in my other units. I did not realise the huge difference in the way that a university paper is structured compared to a high school paper.