This week in ISM3004 we learned about a database program called Microsoft ACCESS. I have never used it before, and I had heard very little of it up to this point until now. Most people might think this program is complex and difficult to use, but I thought it was a brilliantly designed program after watching the lectures about it from class.
It is like Microsoft Excel. It is very complex, performs numerous amounts of functions and can display large amounts of data. However, I thought it's interface was very user friendly. I think all the real world applications ACCESS has with companies is amazing. For all types of businesses, it is important to have relational databases to stay organized and efficient. It is definitely a software program I look forward to mastering to help better prepare me for the future workforce. Our lecturer spoke about how one of his former students made Tropicana's business operations much more efficient after creating a database with ACCESS.
One of the things I like about ACCESS is its versatility. It has templates for forms and reports that can hold a variety of information and fields. It is a great tool for orders because it can create the order, retrieve the order, update it and even delete it.
I look forward to completing the class project using ACCESS.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
WEEK 9: CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 we discussed the Internet and its basic infrastructure. As an Internet user for many years now, this content was very clear and refreshing.
For example, one of the lectures focused on domain names, which every Web site has. I had studied this topic for a previous class when I did a focus study on an NBA star named Chris Bosh. Bosh won a court case and was given the rights of nearly 800 domain names. The reason there was a legal battle was because the defendant had purchased many domain names of professional, college and even high school athletes. For example, www.chrisbosh.com. In purchasing the rights to these names, the defendant hoped to resell them back to each player for a significant price; however, the court did not agree and Chris Bosh won all of the names but offered to give them back to each player for free.
We also learned about Web 2.0 and some of its uses like enhancing communication and providing excellent business presentations. It was almost funny learning about the Internet, especially when discussing the days before wireless and we used telephone modems or cable connectors. Things have definitely changed for the better. We also discussed search engines like Google and other ways to navigate the Web.
For example, one of the lectures focused on domain names, which every Web site has. I had studied this topic for a previous class when I did a focus study on an NBA star named Chris Bosh. Bosh won a court case and was given the rights of nearly 800 domain names. The reason there was a legal battle was because the defendant had purchased many domain names of professional, college and even high school athletes. For example, www.chrisbosh.com. In purchasing the rights to these names, the defendant hoped to resell them back to each player for a significant price; however, the court did not agree and Chris Bosh won all of the names but offered to give them back to each player for free.
We also learned about Web 2.0 and some of its uses like enhancing communication and providing excellent business presentations. It was almost funny learning about the Internet, especially when discussing the days before wireless and we used telephone modems or cable connectors. Things have definitely changed for the better. We also discussed search engines like Google and other ways to navigate the Web.
Project 2.0
This week an ISM3004 we had to create a presentation. I used Microsoft Powerpoint and then used a Web 2.0 site called Slide Boom to upload to the Web. My presentation was about fundraising for the Foundation For Fighting Blindness in order to help find a cure for retinitis pigmentosa or RP.
I thought slides flowed very well from one to the next, and I immediately grabbed the audience's attention with a visual image of what a normal person would see looking at a beautiful landscape compared to what someone with RP sees. However, the audience may be left with some questions, but the topic is very scientific and complex. In order to answer everyone's questions, a long presentation would be necessary. I tried to cover the overall basis of the eye disease and ways that people could help by going to the foundation's Web site. I used a large font in order to have eligible text because you can never what size room you will be presenting in. It is very important to always be clear and concise.
Also, it was great having the opportunity to critique a classmate's presentation. The person I critiqued had a very well done presentation that really brought attention to some of the weaknesses and strengths in my own.
Overall, I think I learned a lot from this project and how I can use Web 2.0 tools to enhance my skill set in the business world. Presentations are an opportunity to really make a difference and differentiate yourself from your colleagues. I think using Slide Boom was very helpful. It very easy to use and create a presentation that you send around the world for instance if it was a global meeting. With the creation of Web 2.0, it is very exciting what the typical business meeting will look like in the future with all this new technology.
Here is a link to my presentation.
Foundation for Fighting Blindness Presentation
I thought slides flowed very well from one to the next, and I immediately grabbed the audience's attention with a visual image of what a normal person would see looking at a beautiful landscape compared to what someone with RP sees. However, the audience may be left with some questions, but the topic is very scientific and complex. In order to answer everyone's questions, a long presentation would be necessary. I tried to cover the overall basis of the eye disease and ways that people could help by going to the foundation's Web site. I used a large font in order to have eligible text because you can never what size room you will be presenting in. It is very important to always be clear and concise.
Also, it was great having the opportunity to critique a classmate's presentation. The person I critiqued had a very well done presentation that really brought attention to some of the weaknesses and strengths in my own.
Overall, I think I learned a lot from this project and how I can use Web 2.0 tools to enhance my skill set in the business world. Presentations are an opportunity to really make a difference and differentiate yourself from your colleagues. I think using Slide Boom was very helpful. It very easy to use and create a presentation that you send around the world for instance if it was a global meeting. With the creation of Web 2.0, it is very exciting what the typical business meeting will look like in the future with all this new technology.
Here is a link to my presentation.
Foundation for Fighting Blindness Presentation
Sunday, October 10, 2010
WEEK 7: CLEAR
This week in class we learned about presentation design. There are many factors that going into a good presentation, and ultimately computers can be an enhancement to any presentation. With Microsoft Powerpoint, a visual slide show captivating your audience can be very beneficial when giving the best presentation to your audience.
Effective presentations use creativity while at the same time embracing constraints. You don't want to include everything, but you want to include the best pieces of information for your audience. There's an informational aspect as well as an emotional one, and it is important to achieve the proper balance when delivering your presentation. It is important for the information to flow, sell ideas, start with a dramatic opening and anticipate audience questions while creating your presentation.
The signal to noise ratio should be your guiding baseline. It's foundation is simplicity and it helps the presenter avoid noisy graphs, clutter and complication - making your presentation clear and deliverable.
When thinking about your presentation, a very helpful guide is Duarte Design's 5 Rules. This video contains the ways to make a great presentation.
Effective presentations use creativity while at the same time embracing constraints. You don't want to include everything, but you want to include the best pieces of information for your audience. There's an informational aspect as well as an emotional one, and it is important to achieve the proper balance when delivering your presentation. It is important for the information to flow, sell ideas, start with a dramatic opening and anticipate audience questions while creating your presentation.
The signal to noise ratio should be your guiding baseline. It's foundation is simplicity and it helps the presenter avoid noisy graphs, clutter and complication - making your presentation clear and deliverable.
When thinking about your presentation, a very helpful guide is Duarte Design's 5 Rules. This video contains the ways to make a great presentation.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
WEEK 6: CLEAR
This week in ISM3004 we learned about images, audio and video. With everything becoming more intertwined with multimedia, having the basic knowledge and skills to use image, audio and video files is very important as I look into my future career. Many job listing I see require skills with Photoshop - how to crop jpeg images and other tools.
There are a variety of easy to use programs to help you learn and use these various technologies. You can learn how to edit raw audio to get the perfect soundbite or cut a video into the perfect scenes. One of the programs I have used in the past is Animoto. This software program is free and allows you to create video slide shows from your images and add audio as well. It makes the presentation way more exciting.
Every summer, my two older brothers and I go to Southern California for a week and spend time with one of our older cousins who lives there and owns some great restaurants. If you'd like to see the video slide show of my California trip in 2009, click here.
Using these variety of platforms - images, audio and video - together can really make an exciting presentation.
There are a variety of easy to use programs to help you learn and use these various technologies. You can learn how to edit raw audio to get the perfect soundbite or cut a video into the perfect scenes. One of the programs I have used in the past is Animoto. This software program is free and allows you to create video slide shows from your images and add audio as well. It makes the presentation way more exciting.
Every summer, my two older brothers and I go to Southern California for a week and spend time with one of our older cousins who lives there and owns some great restaurants. If you'd like to see the video slide show of my California trip in 2009, click here.
Using these variety of platforms - images, audio and video - together can really make an exciting presentation.
Excel Project
When I first opened the Excel page "Raw Data" I was overwhelmed. There were so many rows and columns filled with numbers. At a first glance, there is no telling what it all could possibly mean. However, I really learned during this project that Microsoft Excel can take such a large amount of data and truly make it manageable - in other words - simply make sense. I was able to really dissect the data in a real world scenario. I created a formula for the highest heart rate achieved from the data using the MAX formula. In addition, in order to create a target heart rate using the number specified, 80 percent, I had to use absolute addressing in the formula to create the target heart rates for all the subjects. The pivot tables were an excellent way to show the data to the fitness center's owner is a visible fashion. I dissected the data according to who achieved and did not achieve their target heart rate, specifying between male and female.
Overall, the project was a great learning experience, and I definitely see all the real world application Excel has.
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