Advice for Taking CSCI 1300

It can be a little stressful trying to understand computers, but it will help you in the long run! Make sure you go the class.

Stumpers and Websites

Recently, I was able to look at the entire class's websites and stumper posts. I really enjoyed them. One of my favorite stumper pages was Katie's because she included an insightful commentary referencing her photo. I also enjoyed Daniela's because it was taken at a different angle than most of the others. Finally, I liked Mary-Alice's photo because the lightening in it went nicely with the stone table.
I also really enjoyed the class's webpages. Spencer's was nice to look through, and I enjoyed how he used lots of pictures. I also enjoyed Xin's because she included a link to her blog as well.

My Stumper Comments:

Katie

Daniela

Mary-Alice

My Web Page Comments:
Spencer
Xin

How Well Do You Know Trinity's Campus?

Can you guess where this picture was taken on Trinity University's campus? Only a true Trinity student would know!

My Website

I recently had to create my own website for my CS 1300 class. It'd be great if anyone wants to take a look, and I hope you like it!

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of PowerPoint

An important skill to have in today's technology driven world is compiling and creating a presentation on the computer. Microsoft PowerPoint allows us to do this, and this week we have been focusing on things to avoid when making a PowerPoint presentation. My top three class presentations were Kealey's, Katie's and Mary-Alice's. I liked that Kealey's was very structured, which made following along easy, and I liked that she made it interesting by adding a little humor. Katie's was good because she addressed three key features in PowerPoint presentations, and how it looks when you do them wrong: font, format, and animation. Finally, Mary-Alice's was well organized, and I enjoyed that she included examples of her points underneath them a a visual reference. There are several features that are good, and several that are bad, when making a PowerPoint.
Things to do:
1) Keep the presentation focused. It should consistently enhance or reflect the main point of your presentation.
2) Slides should be clear and easy to follow. The listener/viewer should be able to understand their purpose with ease, instead of struggling to figure the slide out (because then, they're not listening to you).
3) Format all the slides in a similar fashion. This will give the presentation flow.
4) Be consistent throughout the presentation.
Things to avoid:
1) Anything with excess is not a good thing: excess colors, font styles, animation, graphics. Keep it simple, but interesting.
2) Don't include information or graphics that isn't needed. Everything on the slide should be supporting your point.
3) Avoid distracting and disorganized formatting. One loud color is good, but five are not.
4) Don't create your slides so they are relied on for the presentation. They're there to support it, not to be the presentation.

Whitney Stanat

http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~wstanat/bad/Examples%20of%20Bad%20Features%20in%20Powerpoint_files/frame.htm

Above is a link to my Bad PowerPoint Presentation discussing what not to do when formatting your own PowerPoint.

Still Image Copyright Protection

Due to the increasing integration of information with today's modern technology, issues of copyright have become more complicated. People have an easier time accessing a huge body of information, and there are questions when they can or cannot use the information in their own works. Looking specifically at images from the web, these are some parameters to use of the image and whether the original source must be acknowledged.
An image becomes copyrighted the moment it is produced in a concrete medium of display. If the image was created after Jan 1, 1978, the copyright laws on the image last for the entire lifespan of the original author, and an additional seventy years after their death.
Under a policy known as "fair use", an author may use an image from another source without asking permission for the following purposes: scholarly work (example: students, professors, administration, nonprofit educational use), news reporting, parody, or criticism or comment. The author must cite the location they found the image, but still don't need permission to use it in their own works. Outside these context, the author does not fall under the fair use policy. For example, if a college student downloads copyrighted music, this is illegal because the download isn't functioning for scholarly use. Here, the student is just a person, not a "student".
The author cannot use the image as an example of their original work; this is plagiarism. By not citing where the image came from, it tells the reader that the image is an original work of that page. Taking credit for someone else's work, whether it's a portion, a paraphrase or all of it, is considered plagiarism.
If the use of the image does not apply within the parameters of fair use, the author must request permission from the original source for use of the image in their works. After permission is granted, they also need to cite where the image originally came from.

Sources
1)FACE: Friends of Active Copyright Education. Still Images Copyright Basics. 1 Oct 2007 http://www.csusa.org/face/stilim/index.htm.
2)"When Copying is Okay: The "Fair Use" Rule." Nolo: Your Legal Companion since 1971. Nolo Legal Companion. 1 Oct 2007 ..

Web 2.0

The use of the Internet as a tool for communication and learning continues to move forward as more advances are made on the technological front. A term has emerged known as "Web 2.0", which describes the Internet as a place where users can share information. Web users are able to communicate interactively, through new sites like Facebook, MySpace, Wikipedia, and YouTube. I recently read an article discussing this idea of Web 2.0 in reference to today's business schools, and their uses of it as a tool to further and facilitate learning.
Recently, INSEAD opened a virtual campus in the three dimensional computer world of SecondLife (http://www.secondlife.com/). They claim that this virtual campus allows more ready access to students around the globe, and makes communication much simpler. A student in Texas needs only to log into the campus to meet with a professor who lives in Spain, or India. Through this medium, more people have access to this type of education than before.
I think it's really interesting how far along technology has moved to allow us to interact and communicate with others. The possible benefits of having an online campus are enormous. From a logistical view, now people can meet and discuss more issues without dealing with travel or distance problems. Also, programs like SecondLife help make this online communication as real as possible. I know I'd enjoy an interview better if I was looking at a person instead of chatting with text online. However, call me old fashion, but I still think there's value in meeting and discussing issues face to face. It allows for more direct interaction, than through a computer screen. But who knows, maybe in ten years, technology will have moved so far forward to make what you see on your computer look just like the "real world".
Whitney Stanat
References: "What to Know about Web 2.0." BizEd 6.4 (2007): 64-5.

Word Processing

I have a fairly good grasp of the uses of the Word Processing program in Microsoft Office; however, I'm still learning where the commands are in the new Vista setting. Until now, I have only been familiar with Microsoft XP. I understand the different applications of setting up and editing a word document, like checking for spelling errors, using the grammar applications, and inserting different commands (ie. footnotes, page numbers, etc.). I could use some review of the commands in Page Layout, manipulating margins and changing the spacing of text in the document. I'm also unfamiliar with converting a Word document into HTML format for a web page. Hopefully, I'll soon have an understanding of all these things.
Whitney Stanat

Introduction

I'm Whitney Stanat, and I'm actually a junior here at Trinity. I'm originally from Colorado but am listed as an international student because I graduated high school overseas. Hopefully, after getting a B.S. in Biology here at Trinity, I'll go on to graduate school and get a Masters in Physical Therapy. I'm working as an Athletic Trainer for the Athletic Department and also spend time volunteering with middle school students downtown. I live in the Swashbuckler community on campus (BANGARANG!).
I have average computer skills. I surf use the Internet and word processing well and understand how to use campus resources like the library databases for research. I would say my graphic and Excel abilities are a little weak though.
More to come later!
Whitney Stanat