End of the Road - Advice for New Students

Computer Skills with Ms. Belisle has been a great experience. My knowledge of computers and different applications has really grown, and the information you learn in this class will be applicable throughout your time at Trinity. My advice for new students is to always stay on top of the homework. There is not an excessive amount of work, but if you stay on top of it, you are bound to do well. Also, don't be afraid to email Ms. Belisle if you have any questions, she is always really helpful.

Favorite Websites

One of my favorite class websites was John's sport analysis page. John exhibited superior knowledge of design as well as integrating a unique topic, such as sports, into his webpage. His page provided a nice twist on the website project. Another of my favorite website was Taylor's. Taylor and I live in the same hall, so some of the pictures and his experiences at Trinity were more understandable and relative. I was also included in a few of the photos, which was a nice touch. Another of my favorite websites was CJ's page. Out of the whole class, his page layout was maybe the most creative or inventive with the use of the tigers on his navbar. It was a very unique page and very well done.

My Website

Please visit my website at www.cs.trinity.edu/~tnelin! Making my website was quite an experience, and with the use of Microsoft Expression Web, it was definitely easier than I thought it would be. The only other experience I had with making webpages was in high school, handcoding an entire website (very time consuming by the way). Expression Web helped make the process easier and allowed me to do more advanced things with my webpage. I am most proud of my travels around the world page because I incorporated my trips around the world with hyperlinks to more information about those countries. If I could change something, I might make my website more professional, but I just tried to make it clean and organized throughout. My biggest technical challenge was putting all of the pictures into tables. Not because it is hard to do, but because I forgot to do it at the beginning so I had to go back and reorganize every page. My biggest design challenge was making everything look professional. I ended up just making everything organized and neat in a clean fashion instead of getting overly fancy. I'll show my site to the rest of class when it is presented and probably family and friends as well to show off my accomplishment. I don't know when I'll need to make another website, but if I have to for another class, I will definitely be prepared!

HTML Code

HTML code is the basis and code for making websites on the internet. The importance of HTML code can be likened to the ability of students to learn basic math before using a calculator or program to figure out the problem. HTML code allows the website creator to understand and fully comprehend how the website is created and gives them a basis for making websites. Even if professional programs such as Expression Web or Kompozer are available, HTML code allows the creator to hand edit certain aspects of the page, or if something goes wrong with the website, the creator can use HTML code to hand edit certain aspects of the page without the use of the program. To fully understand how a webpage is made, one must understand the basics, so HTML code is very important to web design.

Pictures That Lie

I chose a picture of a great white shark to superimpose upon an image of a man diving for a frisbee. I chose these pictures because I thought it would be interesting to show a man jumping for a frisbee against a great white shark. The great white shark picture originated from National Geographic's website and the photo of the man playing frisbee was found searching a picture database. The picture was manipulated by making the man playing frisbee into a black and white picture and then decreasing the lightness to match the tone of the great white shark. The shark was outlined using the magnetic lasso tool and then moved to the picture of the man with the move tool. The shark was then made into black and white and the lightness was increased to match the man. The clone stamp tool was then used to create a more natural background for the shark and the blur tool was used to attempt to blur the line of the shark's fin in the water. It was manipulated as a joke, to show a funny or ironic picture of a man competing against a shark. The manipulation could be harmful if anyone believed the shark to be eating the man, but it is not really, as people would take it as a funny joke or image. This related to the researched article about an image that was photoshopped in a magazine article about Dustin Hoffman. The article showed how harmful altered images can be to the reputation of people or create false impressions to viewers of the false images. Although the image can be seen as satirical or a joke, caution must be employed to be sure that nobody's reputation or well-being is harmed by the alteration of an image.

1) Alex Kuczynski. "Dustin Hoffman Wins Suit on Photo Alteration. " New York Times (1923-Current file) 23 Jan. 1999,ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2006), ProQuest. Web. 11 Apr. 2010.

Favorite Powerpoint Presentations

All of the class did an excellent job with the powerpoint presentations, but my two favorite presentations were Taylor's and Blake's. Taylor's presentation was very professional. The template he chose was appropriate for his topic and the photos/videos that were incorporated into the presentation added a unique element. If I were not set in a major right now, Taylor's presentation would have been very helpful. Blake also did an excellent job with his presentation. The template that was used was very appealing to the eye as it drew the audience's eye. The presentation consisted of just the right amount of text and picture to keep the audience's attention as well. I also learned some very interesting facts about marketing and Blake seemed very passionate about his major and career choice.

Powerpoint Tips

Powerpoints are a tool that our generation has grown up with. However, this doesn't mean that making an effective powerpoint presentation is easy. My first guideline for making a powerpoint is to keep it simple. Don't get caught up with all of the special effects and custom animations, instead, pick one and go with it. There is nothing more annoying than watching a powerpoint with 50 different effects per slide. My second guideline is limit the length and number of bullet points and text, this will keep your audience more involved. My third guideline is to take advantage of certain charts and graphs that display visual evidence. My fourth guideline is to insert an audio or video clip, youtube videos can be embedded and these are great to keep the audience involved. My final guideline is to use images and graphics that are high in quality. Low quality graphics can lead the audience to be critical of the presentation.