PowerPoint Presentation Drive Me Crazy!

PowerPoint can be very annoying. It is so easy to go wrong with a PowerPoint presentation. From reading the websites, I have realized that even though I have been trying to use PowerPoint right, I have been doing projects wrong. PowerPoint projects have become so mundane that people do not even pay attention anymore. Nowadays, presenters have to be very creative to gain AND KEEP and audience’s attention. An interesting fact I learned was that you should not use clip art. Some of the articles are old in computer time, and clip art has much improved so I do not see anything wrong with using it especially because it has photos in it. When I first used PowerPoint, I was in middle school and was excited about all the options and effects and tried to use them all in a thirteen-slide presentation. There was a different color, effect, and transition on every page. I thought it looked cool and my teacher did not mind, but now I know how distracting and bad that presentation must have been. It was not until high school that I effectively could make a PowerPoint presentation. After reading the articles, I realize I still have much to work on starting with these five guidelines:

1. Do not read your slides word for word.

2. Be creative and try to use you own pictures or graphics.

3. Do not be too wordy on your slides.

4. Do not cram too many things like graphics, words, and animations on one slide.

5. Explain your points, not what you wrote on you PowerPoint.

CLT: Coolest Location at Trinity!

Going to CLT was so cool. Even though I had been there before, going there is so much fun. I did use a Mac for the first time on this visit and it was an experience. I knew Macs were different from PCs, but I never realized how different until I was actually on one. The entire desktop was different and I could not find any of the programs because there was no start menu. For about ten minutes, all I did was click around, opening random programs that were on the bottom of the screen because I did not know where anything was. I did eventually find all the applications and saw some of the cool tools like sticky notes and Garage Band. I liked how I could have about six windows open at the same time and see them all at the same time. In addition, the windows were very portable. I also went to Illustrator and just played around for a while. When I was done, I had to ask Trevor how to log out because I could not figure it out. The Mac was confusing, but I finally saw what all the hype was about. It is a very cool computer.

I think CLT will come in big handy for future projects and for class. I have already worked with Illustrator, Flash, and Photoshop so I know I want to take classes that use those programs. Also because I want to look into a double-major with Communications and Business, and I know I can use those programs for Communication classes. In addition, my hall wants to create a music video or just a cool video together and having CLT is an easy way to access video editing software. The programs are so expensive that it is good to know I have a place where I can access them. I work at the library so it is very convenient to stop by to work on computer class assignments after my shift ends. Also just messing around with the programs is fun because you can create such interesting projects. I am glad I came to a university that provides such amazing, high-tech equipment for all students and not just students in certain classes. Thanks AT&T and Trinity! = )

Excel, Excel, Excel!!!

Excel is not my favorite program, but I find it very helpful especially in class projects. I knew many basics from my high school computer class, but it was before the new Microsoft came out. In my class now, I learned where everything is on the new format. I also learned the “If” function, which I did not know before. That is something that can come in handy in the future. My major is Business, possibly a double major in Communications, and I know Excel will be used in those future endeavors. Already at my job in the library, my supervisor asked me to make a table on Excel_­. It is a useful application for many academic fields because it is a great way to organize information in an easy to read format. In many fields especially Business, there is going to be a lot of calculating numbers, comparing information, and creating graphs so Excel is a necessary tool. Excel is also a time saver because you do not have to crunch the number; Excel does it for you. I think Excel is great and I am glad I learned it.

Chris Nolan

Chris Nolan was a very good speaker. I learned so many new things that will help me for school assignments. One of the most impressive things I learned was about Google Scholar. I did not know about that feature, but I will certainly be using it in the future. I also liked hearing about the Easter eggs on websites. I will definitely be searching for them especially the flight simulator on Google. It was cool also to see the comparison of sites for a topic between Google and Yahoo. The most surprising thing I saw was when we had to look up a website and analyze it. I looked up the Martin Luther King Jr. site (www.martinlutherking.org/) and at first did not really notice anything too disturbing. It was when I started clicking links that I saw that something was wrong. I went to the chat boards and saw they were powered by a group called White Pride and fully realized that this website with Martin Luther King Jr.’s entire name in it, that ends in “.org”, and that pops up on Google as a top site was a white supremacy site against Martin Luther King J. I was completely baffled. I think Google needs to fix their search because that site, no matter how popular, should not be one of the top sites when searching for Martin Luther King Jr.

Fake Katie Couric

The picture I chose was of Katie Couric being completely doctored because as a female I think it was wrong of the editors to do that. They made her into something she is not and showed everyone especially little girls how females "should" be seen as. They showed something that is not true also. The person they made does not exist because it was not truly Katie Couric. The picture was originally CBS's official first picture of Katie Couric. Watch magazine took the original and doctored it for their September issue. The picture dramatically slimmed down Katie Couric in her body and face and changed her skin tone. Also her suit was darkened. It was manipulated to make her look better in the eyes of the magazine. They wanted her to look more "appealing" to readers. The manipulation was harmful because it made an unreal person. Katie Couric is an average woman who can appeal to average women across the nation, but the magazine turned her into something she is not. Girls can see the picture and think they have to be skinny and develop disorders that are unhealthy. They would try to change themselves into someone who does not exist and that needs to change. Magazines need to leave pictures alone and let the true inner stand out.