I want to take this opportunity to thank my Computer Skills for the Information Age teachers, Dr. Brendan Calandra and Mr. Tim Hicks, for an outstanding job of teaching this class. I have learned so much more than I expected. This course is good not only for the incoming freshman at Georgia State University, but also for a seasoned educator as myself. I cannot believe that I now have a webpage.

Thanks again teachers!!!

Allen

Three New Design Tips I learned

The first tip that I learned in regards to developing a good website is to create a sitemap with a storyboard. The organization of the website can be done visually by the sitemap. Microsoft’s Word Smart is an excellent tool to create a sitemap

The second web design tip I learned was to make the font styles, colors, and page layout consistent. The example of the white background with black text with blue hyperlinks was most helpful.

Lastly, I learned that the web designer must be versed in the art and science of interface design. GUI is acronym for “graphic user interface”. The Graphic User Interface is important because it is everything that the computer user interacts with and experiences on the designer’s web page. Excellent graphic design and visuals are important for good user interactions.

Three Things That I learned from Blogs Written by Garr Reynolds and David Epstein

A very important tip that I received from these two blogs is to keep the PowerPoint presentation simple. The old adage of “Simplicity if Golden” is to be used. I also learned that it takes more effort of thought on the author’s part to get his or her ideas across for the audience to digest with ease. One of the most effective tools is to use story-telling techniques in making presentations.

The second important that I learned regarding making a PowerPoint presentation is to begin with the end in mind. What is it that I want my audience to know? What is the focal point or climax of the presentation? This important tip came from Garr Reynolds. For the presentation to be effective, it must be focused. Both authors recommends starting the slides last, Always start writing down with pencil/pen and paper to get the ideas that you want to come across before starting with the PowerPoint software. Both authors believes that the less text the better. The reasoning’s are for audience interest on the subject being presented and that it brings more focus on the presenter.

The third tip that I learned from Garr Reynolds is to use the San-Serif font (Helvetica or Arial) rather than the Serif font (e.g. Times New Roman). The Serif fonts are easier to read at small point sizes like documents, articles, and books filled with lots of text; but, get lost on screens due the relatively low resolution of projectors. Garr Reynolds recommends using the Gill San-Serif font because he believes that it is “somewhere in between a serif and a sans-serif font and is professional yet friendly and conversational”.

Online Career Resource

The Georgia State University’s Career Services Center resource that I found to be most interesting was the Online Career Resource Center. Here you will find career planning assistance from anywhere without going to the university. The most attention-grabbing area of this site is the Panther Career Net (PCN) which is a 24/7 online job and internship board. Students can apply for jobs on and off campus from here. There are other career assisting areas as well.

The Virtual Interview Practice Stream (VIPS) is an online interview practice system that allow students to record answers to real interview questions. With a web cam, a student can meet with a career counselor and get positive feedback from any location.

Another interesting area of GSU’s Online Career Resource Center is the Glassdoor resource. This area provides the student a plethora of job seeking information including company employee salaries, relevant interview questions, company reviews and a job search tool.

The Online Career Resource Center area of the Georgia State University’s Career Services Center is a powerful tool to help students investigate, prepare, and acquire the job of his or her choice.

I enjoyed the Acadia University Tutorial Review. It was very informative and the exercises were challenging and thought provoking. I did well on the exercises because I have taken classes that demanded the use of citations. The most important thing that kept me out of trouble for plagiarism is the acknowledgement that I am not the authority of another person’s work or thought. Therefore, I cite direct quotations and references of my opinions.