The Computer Skills Blog of Brandon

Closing Remarks

2009-04-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

I would say one great piece of advice would be to come to class everyday. Sometimes I did not, and you could miss a lot and it creates a gap in your knowledge throughout the class. One specific thing though I would say is to do your homework pretty much closely after it is asssignment because some of it requires creatvie ability and it might not seem so, but it does take some time. It is not pleasant to write your website while you have a term paper to write, trust me on that! But honsetly you might think that you know about computers, and you do, but there are some other crazy programs that might help you later in when your Professor says "Be creative". You can put one up on all those kids who shove in your face you do not know computers. You will be glad to understand how to do some of the awesome tools in programs liek Word, Photoshop, and Excel. Bon Chance!

Student Websites

2009-04-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Among my three favorite websites was Jessica's. Her website was set up very professionally with a fair amount of aesthetic appeal. The way she separated the sections of the website was also very enjoyable. Jeff's website I thought was also superb, with a black background that really made the words and pictures pop out of the website. He also included a proficient resume that is easily accessible so future employers. His photo gallery was also set up well. The third website on my top three list would have to be Kim's. Her website had so many interesting things on it that I thought it was very fascinating. The short stories and the pictures I thought were very unique and creative. But overall I thought all of the websites were amazing! If you desire you could view my website at www.cs.trinity.edu/~bshaw1.

The PowerPoint and the Pea

2009-04-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

The presentations on the second day of presenting explained really interesting topics. One of the most interesting I think was the presentation over the Nanowrimo. It seemed an interesting and it was something that I was not familiar with in the slightest. The slide design was interesting as well with the text and pictures being aligned as if they were in a book. It was very interesting to look at. The other presentations of the humanitarian topic of Mexico and les Medcines Sans Frontiers were well done also, and provided thoughtful commentary and slide designs that were very professional in the delivery. The presentation over marketing was done well also, as it presents surprising information with the aid of graphs and charts that complemented well his speech. Overall awesome presentations.

The Presentation and the Pauper

2009-03-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

The presentations were overall well informative and interesting, I thought. One that particularly stood out to me was Kim Ferrari's. Her presentation on Dante I thought was well researched and appeared very scholarly with the pictures and the summaries that created a story like delivery. It was also interesting to hear about the parallels between Dante's works and his life, and why he chose to be lead by such interesting characters through heaven and hell. Another presentation that I thought was interesting was Kaileigh Byrne's presentation. It was interesting learning about the octopus and the introductory slide with the octopus moving along with sound effects was both unique and creative and brought a sense of intrigue to the start of the presentation. The selection of graphics put into the presentation were also very well chosen and went along well with what she was trying to say about the such a magnificent creature. Both these presentations were well delivered and engaged the audience well.

PowerPoint: A Gift and a Curse

2009-03-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

The articles describe fallacies in PowerPoint that I believe are well deserved. Throughout my high school and college career I have come across instructors who have created rather monotonous presentations. But, reading through the articles I noticed that the majority of them seem to touch and the fact that the templates and pictures that Microsoft PowerPoint has set up for their users are not really of the best caliber. The animations and sounds are easy to get carried away with. Also I have noticed that during presentations in class if there is a lot of text on the slide it is almost a compulsion for me to copy down everything on the slide, and completely disregard the speaker. That is why I agree with the fact that the less that is put on the slide will provoke the audience to adhere to exactly what you are saying because the slide is just abstract data and phrases.
But I would have to say one of the most annoying things that can occur during a presentation, that I ultimately and completely despise, is slide reading. Turning your back away from the audience to read a slide both breaks the verbal connection you have established with your audience, and also devalues your intellectual capacity to communicate coherently the subject from which you are presenting. As for the general rules that I like to use when using a PowerPoint presentation, they are usually as follows:

1: Pick a theme that fits well with the subject that you are presenting on; set the mood for the information that the audience is about to here.

2: Pictures speak louder that words. I like to throw a few pictures up on a slide so that they can complement my speech, because in describing a picture or a chart you can often get more out of your information than just listing facts on a slide.

3: Looking at the audience is imperative because it can engage them more in what you are presenting. Move around and become more animated so that the audience feels like what you are saying is generally important. If you do so your audience is less likely to fall into a daze and more likely to get more out of what you are saying. Just standing there and dictating monotone information is not enjoyable for anyone, leastwise yourself.

4: The animations and sound effects aspect of the presentations I often find can be distracting and sometimes unprofessional. Simple and tasteful animation is all right, but sometimes it can get in the way of what you are saying. I also find it effective to not have all the information appear on a slide, so that way the listeners have to listen to what you are saying before you proceed to the next point, whereas if it is all up there at once they might read it before you get to it and think that they have covered the important things without the adequate explanation to go along with the text. I hardly use the sounds effects, but sometimes I use music and little snips of songs to kick things up a notch.

5: Engineer each slide to be unique but correlating with the same theme of the entire presentation. One thing is to make sure that you to not always use the same layout, so that way the slides have some variation so the audience is not always looking at the same arrangement all the time. Another thing is to make sure that the font color you use is easily legible, because there is really nothing more annoying than a slide with light yellow writing on a white background that is nearly impossible to see.

One more side note is to practice the presentation. Nothing illustrates the presenters unpreparedness like a comment to the effect that he was unaware that one slide came next and as such now has to switch gears and break the natural rhythm of the presentation. Beyond that there is nothing that is a really horrible presentation or a really good presentation. The trick is to get a presentation that has more good elements than bad, because nothing is perfect.

Excel: The One and Only

2009-03-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Excel is an interesting program, and before learning about it in class I really did not use it at all or have any real knowledge as to how to use it correctly. The major thing that I learned was all of the formulas and functions that are used. The way that a vast amount of data can be analyzed will prove immensely helpful with my academic field. Being a Geology major, one usually works with long ranges of data and the majority of data collected tends to be of a highly quantitative nature. With Excel, it will be possible for me to now analyze data from new angles and derive more useful trends and interesting correlations. Also with the IF function I would be able to see which point meet a certain criterion based on a prescribed value versus mulling through the entire range of data by hand and looking for the desired representation. In the future I might also use it for financial reasons, either to use it for taxes or for keeping track of my account based on my acquired knowledge of this surprisingly useful program.

The Center of Learning Technology (a.k.a. The Basement)

2009-03-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

It is no real secret why many people, like me, have never really taken advantage or used the CLT: it is effectively tucked away in the dubious final floor of Coates Library. This is counter intuitive because it is a literal treasure trove of electronic capability. I have been by the CLT many times in search of some obscure journal, and gazed at the large screens and Mac desktops, yet did not realize that you could also check out cameras, video cameras and sound recorders, edit photos and films for projects, and mix music and create CD's with no charge. The most interesting I thought was the fact that you could check out sound recorders, because I do a fair amount of instrumental things, and it would be fabulous if I could record and create audio files.
I have a class this semester called Planetary geology and it would be great if I could create some type of presentation using some kind of software in the CLT. Later in the year I will also have a project to do on a French Author, and with the technology available at CLT, it could be much better using the workstations and the software to create a rather unique and interesting presentation. It is a great resource that is extremely underestimated.

Be[lie]ve

2009-02-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

Sifting through the altered pictures on Cnet news, one in particular stood out to me. It was a photo that had been altered so that Leon Trotsky, a member of the Communist party in Russia, had been eliminated due to his falling-out in the party. In his place there is inserted a gap, supposed to add a touch of 'realism' to the picture. He seems to be eliminated without a trace, as if he never was never really there. This picture stood out to me among all others because it reminded me of the novel 1984 by George Orwell, where pictures were constantly being updated and changed, and there was no standard conception of the past. The picture was altered to show that Trotsky never had any connection to any aspect of the Communist party. This picture could be harmful because it represents an alteration of the truth, yet it isn't really that harmful. In the grand scheme of things no one would really know, or be able to talk about it because it never happened. If you say it did, that is doublespeak, and not allowed. [IF you would like to view the picture, the URL is http://news.cnet.com/2300-1026_3-6033210-14.html?tag=mncol.

Chris Nolan and the Internet of Doom

2009-02-25T19:26:00.000-08:00

Chris Nolan's lecture was abound with many interesting facts and tips that proved helpful in navigating the endless waves of information. What I thought was the most interesting was how the search results are catalogued in order to show up correctly when a key word is typed in. For example, the "cached" button on Google, which is the very first source that would come up on your list of hits. Furthermore, it was interesting to know that it is not really how many times the keywords are referenced in a source that makes it appear high on the list, yet it is how many sites actually link to that one website. This, of course, lends itself to one of the things that surprised me, how people actually create blogs and link their sites on these and other webpages, in order for them to appear higher on the list when the subject of their site is referenced.
That was very fascinating because it is another aspect of blogs that can be brought up in controversy, as, not a tool to display ideals, but yet another way to cheat the system. It is yet another subtle reminder that things are not what they seem and you should not judge a book by its cover, or a website by its URL (martinlutherking.org).

Copyright: An Infringement

2009-02-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

The presentation on copyright illuminated facts about copyright that I both liked and those I never knew. I remember learning what copyright was, but I never knew how long it lasted. Seventy years is a very long time for something to be shut off from being free for the public. But the idea of Public Domain was a breath of fresh air, because the things we write will eventually be free for everyone to use, which I think is the purpose of publishing ideas. But conversely, I think it is interesting that people write some things to enlighten to public, and then make you pay them for use. That aspect seems counter intuitive; however, I find solace in the knowledge that people cannot take things that I write without contacting me and gaining permission, because I wrote some very interesting critical essays in high school on the Heart of Darkness and Grapes of Wrath and it is nice to know that they are "fixed in tangible format". I would be very irate if they were cited as original ideals.
There is an issue with copyright going on right now is the copyright system of the infamous Youtube website. The EFF (Electronic Fronteir Foundation) talks about the issue, and it can be seen here: http://www.eff.org/press/mentions/2009/2/3-0. People are being taken off for performing copyrighted material and their videos deleted. When a teenage-girl is taken off for singing "Winter Wonderland"? I understand it is coyprighted and they want a right to the music, but this is too much. How can their music even be performed if you need to ask them to even sing it on the fly? It is not like people are getting personal gain and money for posting something on Youtube. I think that this is becoming a gray situation that needs to be watched, but in the end people like to sing, and as long as my critiques are not being downloaded off the Internet, I am content.

Facebook: The Final Frontier

2009-02-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

Facebook. Today among the younger generation it can be used as a word in itself "Dude, we on for tonight?" "Don't know yet, I'll facebook you and let you know." I use Facebook, and I admit if it were not useful I would get rid of it. I use it for the most part for communicating with friends that are far away, to see how their life is fairing since I have seen them last. But honestly I have used it for more academic reasons, like when I forgot the directions for an assignment. On facebook I can just contact someone in my class and ask, without having any of their personal information but their name. In this sense facebook is more secure because not everyone who contacts you has your e-mail address, home address, or phone numer.
The article "Facebook: A campus fad becomes a campus fact" by Cristian Lupsa supports opposing views, about how it can affect your employment by people judging you on how you conduct your social life, and how it separates the normal sense perception of people and situations. But honestly, that can occur regardless if you are in a face-to-face senario or a cybenetic one. I think it is a valuable resource, that like anything else can be used irresponsibly by people; however, that is the fault of the persons involved and not that of the inherent set-up of Facebook.

2009-01-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Brandon Gregory Radoman Shaw, but I just go by Brandon. I do not believe that I am from one singular place, having lived in three countries and four states. However, I currently reside in the city of San Antonio, where I have lived the past two years. Some of my interests are playing the string bass, which I do in the Trinity Symphony Orchestra, listening to music, and reading along with Greek culture and literature which I placed first in the nation in my division at the National Latin Competition. My interests also include Geosciences and French which, so far, are my two majors, with perhaps a minor in music. On campus at Trinity I work in the library at the Circulation Desk.
My secret fact is that I lived at the base of the Italian Alps for four years of my life, which was spectacular to say the least. As I am not from anywhere, my favorite place would have to be the woods behind my old house in Sterling, MA, which were very peaceful and always provided a place to leave the troublesome world behind for a while and walk among the birch and spruce trees. (the link to google maps is: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.426213,-71.805956&z=18&t=h&hl=en)
It is no big secret that computers are not my strongest point in my arsenal of skills. I have had about two years of computer training, however, the courses did not encompass much of Microsoft Office, but more of Auto CAD and engineering software. I would like to think that I know a fair amount about computers, but that knowledge is restricted to basic Microsoft Word and I do not know much of anything when it comes to Excel and rarely use it unless I need to make a graph of some sort. The majority of my abilities are in set-up procedure, windows picture manager and e-mail, where I can be contacted at the address bshaw1@trinity.edu.