Week 10 - Muddy - Database

I was fairly confused by the topic of Databases this week. The scavenger hunt didn't help me understand the topic as much as I thought I would. I still can't really wrap my head around the concept of database management. I don't understand exactly why and when I will use Microsoft Access and how it relates to Database Management System. I understood the different forms to access each view: Form view, Layout view, and Design view but I had to keep re-watching lectures to fully understand. And I am still lost. The terminology was quite confusing to me. I found an article that cleared up some information for me.

The article relating to Database Management Systems helped to clear up some information. I understand that Microsoft Access can be used to develop software and build applications but I don't see it as being very useful for the average person such as myself. However, it can be useful for sharing, editing and updating work without having to overwrite it, if a network is used to store or house a database. This and other features such as its ability to create tables, forms, reports and manipulate data are all practical uses for the program in the business setting. It is good for linking two sets of data together that may be in different locations.

I was also confused as to what the difference is between Excel and Access. There is a difference in some terminology, for example what is called a row in Excel is called a record in Access. Also Excel is not a database management system but is spreadsheet software. Excel uses worksheets and Access uses tables that use querying to relate sets of data stored in different places together. I found an article relating to the difference between Access and Excel to clear up my confusion.

Web 2.0 and Presentation

After critiquing my classmate’s presentation I saw some areas I could have made some improvements upon as well as some areas that were strong. In some presentations I looked at, the pictures didn't really tell a story whereas in my presentation I decided to add a lot of pictures and media in order to capture the audience’s attention. I aligned the pictures in a way that I thought was more aesthetic to the public eye and added my own voice in order to gain a more personable feel with my audience. In my presentation I tried to describe the event with as much detail as I could, without boring the audience. I don't think I anticipated the questions very well. I tried to keep the information on slides concise so as not to be too wordy, but this technique may be lacking and thus cause the audience to not fully comprehend the content. I proofread my presentation many times and elaborated on my slides with audio and video. My goal was to captivate the eye of my audience and encourage them to have fun and be engaged because of the nature of the event- Homecoming.

Presentations like the ones we create in this class are very much needed in the business world. Presentations are constantly used in business to sell a product or illustrate a strategy for a product launch or restructure. They are great tools to deliver a message and elaborate on findings or ideas. Presentations present information in a logical and systematic way, if done so correctly. If ever I need to persuade someone in the field of business I would feel better prepared.

http://www.myplick.com/view/5I1qhj6Nls1/soulfest-final-last?invite=1vdv7690qUS

Below is a new link to my presentation on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPUevU5rX3Y

Week 9 - Clear - Internet and the Web

Since I've enrolled in this class I have began to see the internet in a who other realm. I didn't know anything about web servers or any other details about the intricate functioning of the world wide web. Now when I surf the internet I will think about how domain names are translated into their own IP addresses through DNS servers. The internet is a great resource for people to use and I'm glad I'm gaining a better understanding of it.

The internet is so vast and accesses you to a myriad of valuable information at your fingertips. Most of the time I use Google's search engine primarily because it is reliable and is in my comfort zone. Google is very popular and it even has its own phrase..."Google it." I use gmail and Yahoo the most for emailing for the same reasons. Times have changed with people using the internet instead of phone books.I think it's crazy that some companies and organizations don't have websites. Confusion about basic information as well as some details could be alleviated by creating a website.

Below is a Video about how some people believe Google is a Conspiracy

Week 7 - Clear

One thing that stood out to me when discussing presentations is the powerpoint slides. I hate giving presentations because I never know how much to say. Reading directly off of a slide is one of my biggest pet peeves. I feel like people should be able to read without you doing it for them. It seems so pointless to me unless people paraphrase. It is so important not to boggle the slide down with so many points. People don't want to eat all of that. This can negatively affect the signal-to-noise ratio and people will not want to listen to the presentation any longer.

Good communication skills and precision with presentations is crucial in the business profession because ideas need to be thoroughly explained but not in a manner that is redundant or unimportant. I found a YouTube video offering some good advice on making good presentations.

Excel Project

Excel is a program that definitely increases the efficiency of data calculations and the analyses of data and is very useful in the business realm. I had to opportunity to complete a project this past week that enabled me to act as if I worked for a fitness center and do various analyses to observe the effectiveness of a particular workout. I began by manipulating the data by adding and formatting columns, using the freeze panes option and using various formulas to find heart rates. I changed the page setup to ensure that the worksheet would print in landscape view with rows 1 and 2 and a header and footer on every page. Then I created two pivot tables to determine if the subjects reached their target heart rate after during the exercise regimen and the average percent increase in heart rate based on gender and the grouping of ages.

This project definitely helped to expand my knowledge about Excel. I had no idea the capabilities it has and how helpful it could be. This was actually the first time I have ever used the application and I found it to be rather clear. There were some parts that didn't click to me at first, such as how to make the formula apply to more than one cell without writing it every time. After I checked the discussion board things began to click. I value this experience because I feel this is another skill I can add to my toolkit. I found it interesting to change numbers to percentages and also pick how many decimal places to round the number. I learned how to use logical tests such as =IF(F3>E3,"YES", "NO") to compare sets of data and how to create pivot tables, something that I never knew existed. I was surprised to observe how helpful pivot tables are and how quickly they can manipulate information at the click of a button. I think Excel is a lot harder than it seems but I think even computer-illiterate people such as myself can get it with some practice.

Week 6 - Clear

Learning about multimedia is a helpful tool in the business world, especially since in global business technology such as teleconferencing, video podcasting, and website creation is becoming increasingly utilized. The lectures on the basic concepts behind images, audio, and video gives me a clearer understanding as to how I can incorporate multimedia into my projects, and allows me to differentiate between the various aspects of each category. For example, I did not know that WAV files were not compressed files, and that it would be most useful to store in that format if I needed the original version for the purpose of editing. I also did not know that there were two different kinds of graphics: raster and vector. I always wondered why some pictures were so blurry when I zoomed in, and some were very clear no matter what size I zoomed into. I thought all images were created with pixels, and that the clearer ones were created with really high tech equipment.

In practical terms, people in several industries such as music, motion picture, or even education, are heavy users of multimedia. It is crucial to understand the logistics behind images, sound, and video to give your audience the best possible experience. For example, if I am designing a movie with particular sound variations that required plenty detail, I probably would not want to use the lossless method if deciding to compress the sound file. Similarly, if I was a professor at a University, I could apply my knowledge of the PNG formatting of pictures to have a transparent background on an image so that it could blend well with my lecture slides. I always listen and download music online, but never understood where they came from, or the copyright principles behind each file. To help me further comprehend what Digital Restriction Management was and the logistics behind the analogue hole and how it is removed, I read this article.