Advice for next year!!

Hey yall,

After having spent this past semester in this class. The adivce I would give is stay on top of all your work, do all your hw. If you pay attention in class you will do fine. This class is a really a fun class. Ms. Belisle is a awesome teacher!

Student's Websites

I have enjoyed browsing through all my classmates websites. All of the websites had their own personal flare to them which made them fun to look at. All of the websites were great but my three favorite are....

Importance in understanding HTML codes

The knowledge of HTML codes can be useful in this modern day and age. With this basic knowledge, you gain the ability to design websites from scratch, read and proofread websites that may already be existing or new. Not to add that most of Internet users, have no idea to how websites are set up. They just click on the Internet button and it opens up displaying colorfull. interconnecting and interactive websites.Knowing some basic HTML codes has deepened my understanding to just how the Internet works. I think it is benefical to learn HTML codes instead of using other programs like Expression web. Expression web saves time when creating a website, but if something failed to work and you did not know HTML codes then you would not be able to correct such a mistake. Internet users who have and will create websites should know HTML codes to be able to correct and create new features. Software programs are helpful and help cut down on the time it takes to create a website using just HTML codes. I must say that I am thankful for them.

Caitlin

Elements required to make a sucsessful Powerpoint

Everything I have read points towards a more simplistic Powerpoint design. The text should be minized, there should be ideally no more then six words on a slide. Also no use of transitions between slides for they distract the viewer which ultimalty subtracts from the presentation. A Powerpoint should aid in the presentation. Therefor the speaker should not read the slides as if they were cue cards. The main goal of slides are to evoke emotional cues.
What irritates me about PowerPoint presentations, is all the comotion that goes on during the presentation. When a presenter has loaded their Powerpoint with a whole bunch of anitmation, sound and trasition, I become distracted and am unable to focus on the message. Finally, I dislike the use of multiple slide colors that have no purpose and are just added because they are pretty colors. The five tips that I have found to be very helpful are 1) use a consistant font, letter size and background color through out a Powerpoint 2) Use only animation, graphs and picutures that will add to the presentation 3) As a presentator do not read the slides as cue cards 4) when in doubt create a simple Powerpoint 5) give the note material to the audence after the presentation, so that they will listen to you and be able to make emotional cues.

I hope these tips are helpful to you all.

Chris Nolan's lecture

Searching the web can some times be frustrating. There are so many websites that have been created and still many are created everyday. During Mr. Nolan's presentation, I learned that to limit a search on Google you can specify what kind of websites you want listed in the results. The different kinds of websites are distinguished by the last three letters after the dot. For example, .edu is a university or research website, where .gov indicates a federal government site. Along with site identification, I found that all countries have a two letter code at the end of their URL really interesting. The Internet is a vast form of communication, that has many facets. All of these facets are interesting to learn about.

Copyright Laws

After our class lecture on Copyrights, I think it would be really neat to author a good novel. Then my novel would be protected by copyright laws for all of my life plus 75 years. That could be a long time of copyright protection. Though on the other hand, author's life plus 75 years is a little bit excessive. Does a book really need to be kept out of curious student hands for all that time? As cool as it first seems, I think that the time lenght should be shortened. Along with company, copyrights. Company copyright laws should be like patents, in the regard to shorter protection and possible renewel after copyright protection. All of these extended copyright time protection time frames limit the publis access to these materials, that could be benefiting to those pursuing a higher eduction.
During class on Tuesday, I learned many new facts including the details on what is public and private, Copyright laws in general, the time frame of protections, and institutions that enforce violations of Copyright laws. The most intersting fact to me was how long Copyright laws have been enforced. 14 months after the Declaration, the Copyright law was formed.
With all of that said, as citizens we should try to do our best to cut down on Copyright violations.

Caitlin Masse

Excel

Excel is an excellent tool for recording, organizing and charting information. In this class I have learned how to navigate Excel 2007. One of the most useful tools that I have learned is the function ability. In the future, this week I will be able to apply this learned information to aid me in my Bio lab write-up. Not only will I be able to use Excel efficiently in school but I can use Excel to keep my budget. In this growing aid of technology, many people are learning to rely on computers to organize and save bits of information. What I have learned in this class will help me tremendously in all my years of schooling and in my future job in the scientific Field.

Caitlin Masse