Caitlin's cs 1300 blog

Advice for next year!!

2008-05-01T13:06:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

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

Pictures that Lie!

2008-02-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

My picture of interest is the photograph of competitors crossing the Columbus marathon finish line in 1993. This picture was thought to have fudged Rep. Jean Schmidt crossing the finish. A rival Nathan Noy first declared issue with the photograph but later admitted he had made a mistake. The photo was clean.

Today we have a problem within races of false finishes. In the running world many of celebrities have taken to competing in well known marathons. Inevitably there is always a photo taken of them finishing looking like they have not ran 26.2 miles. They are all clean and sweat free. Well let me tell you no matter how slow you ran 26.2 miles or what the weather was like, you would be sweaty. Either the photo has been altered to portray the celebrity in a good light or the celebrity never ran the full marathon. No matter how you look at it a false image has been created. This image lessens the accomplishment of all the real finishers, therefore is harmful to the running community. It is important as the running community receives more publicity that it is keep clean. The media should be focused on the true nature of the sport, hard work, dedication, self gratifying honor.

In this modern age, it is easy and may be cool to alter photos but lets as a people try to up hold the integrity of the beautiful art of photos.

Caitlin

Wireless Campuses

2008-02-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Trinity is among the few that allow students to access the internet literally anywhere on campus. As a Trinity student I have taken full advantage of this feature. I actually take full advantage all the time, my computer is never connected to the Ethernet. My computer always functions of the wireless system. One of the main purposes I use the wireless feature is to access the network for academic purposes. I am constintly using email, tiger paws or tigers layer. Also I use wireless internet for fun purposes too. I will openlly admit I am apart of the facebook fad. Here at Trinity we are lucky to be apart of the fore front of technology. I don't know what I would do with out my wireless internet. Students in this age are hooked on technology and most would not know how to function properly with out it. It is deeply imbedded into our lives as students.

Caitlin

Microsoft Office Experience

2008-01-28T21:06:00.000-08:00

I have previously worked with the older version of Office in a BCIS class that I took last semester. In this class we learned techniques how to use Office to create memo's, resumes and, create and save HTML pages. We also learned the basics of the program. I have had Office 2007 for the past couple of months. During this time, I have familiarized myself with Office 2007 a bit. I would like to learn where the placement of certain buttons and functions are located. Also, I would be intersted in further learning the ins and outs of Office.

Caitlin

Blue Screen of Death.

2008-01-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

It is 9:00 the night before Computer Skills class. I turn on my computer in my room to start the homerwork for tomorrow. All of a sudden I get a "blue screen of death." My first response would be to restart my computer a couple of times. After my computer failing to restart, I would use my roommates or teammates computer. If they were busy or not around my last resort would be to use a computer lab or the library.

About Me

2008-01-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hello my name is Caitlin Masse. I am from Katy, Texas , a suburb of Houston. I have lived in Katy for the past seven years. Before Katy was my home, I lived in Waterloo, Belgium for two years and Richmond for nine years. Here is a link to help you visualize my hometown Katy: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=29.801613,-95.817464&z=13&t=h&hl=en

Currrently I am a first year planing on studying pre-med. I would like to be a doctor that works with athletes. Also, I am a member of the Trinity's cross country and track team. This past cross country season, the team and I made it to nationals in Minnesota. As you can guess I am very enthusiastic about running. Alot of my time is spent running. Besides running, My other interests include any outdoor activites, reading and spending time with my friends and family.

As far as my computer skills go, I know how to operate word, excel, and power point on a moderate level. Last year I took BCIS in high school and we focused on learning Microsoft programs. In addition I am familiar with Facebook and email. Talking about email you can contact me at Cmasse@trinity.edu. I am looking forward to learning compter skills this semester.

Caitlin