Adam's Blog 1300

The Final Chapter: My Advice To Next Semester's Students. . .

2008-12-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

Although obvious and simple, my advice to next year's students is to always attend class and complete all of the assigned classwork or homework. This course isn't difficult, but if you don't do either of these, your grade will suffer. If you do follow my advice and show effort, you will breeze through this class.

Adam's Top Three

2008-12-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

Even after viewing everyone's websites constructed through Expression Web, I still couldn't decide on which ones I enjoyed the most. I based my favorites on creativity and uniqueness. After some time, I finally chose Chiara's, Reuben's, and Anna's websites. I found Chiara's webpage extremely creative and unique because of her hand drawn navigation system. Her entire artistic theme was appropriate with her drawing galleries. Reuben's website was also unique in the fact that it was the only one with a video slideshow. I also thought Anna's website was different because of her design. I specifically liked how she set up her photo albums with rollovers and used a plethora of themes for all of her pages. Overall, creating websites was a great way to learn something new about everyone.

AND, if you want to view my website, click here. OR, you can copy and paste this URL into your web browser - www.cs.trinity.edu/~akapasi.

HTML Coding in Web Design

2008-11-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

In today's worldwide web, it is important for web designers to know and understand HTML coding. Granted, with web designing software such as Microsoft Expression Web, Dreamweaver, and KompoZer, it is easy for anyone to create a website, but first, one must learn the basics behind HTML coding. By knowing and understanding HTML code, a designer isn't forced to rely on web designing software. In addition to this, web designers gain complete control over their webpage. With some of these sophisticated programs, it is difficult to create a website exactly to one's liking. However, if an individual masters HTML coding, he or she can have free reign over the appearance and content of a website. Aside from providing some freedom to designers, HTML coding is important, because it is a fundamental skill is designing websites. By understanding the fundamentals, one can efficiently produce effective websites.

PowerPoint Presentations

2008-11-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

I liked all the presentations, because I learned something new about everyone. But for the purposes of this blog, my two "favorite" presentations were Jordan's and Tasha's. I particularly liked Jordan's presentation on Alexander the Great, because he knew plenty of information on his subject and presented it very well. Also, his PowerPoint was cleverly designed. I liked how Jordan used an ancient Egyptian type theme throughout his PowerPoint to connect it to Alexander the Great. I also liked Tasha's presentation on saving the Harpy Eagles. I had no idea that the Harpy Eagles were endangered, but now I know thanks to Tasha and her presentation. I enjoyed the sound clip she included in her PowerPoint showing the noises a Harpy Eagle makes. I also liked her background and how she faded so it wouldn't draw too much attention. Tasha also provided us with basic information on theses eagles including their size and their habitat. Both Jordan's and Tasha's presentations were very informative and elegantly presented making their PowerPoints seem professional.

If you want to check out my presentation, just follow this link: file://tucc-tiger/groups/computerskills/belisle/akapasi/19present/Tianamen_Square_Massacre

Chris Nolan's Presentation: "Surfin' the Net"

2008-11-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

I found Chris Nolan's presentation on finding better information on the web very helpful. Before his presentation, I didn't have a clue how to find scholarly articles through search engines like Google and Yahoo. It was somewhat comforting to hear that Google's results aren't influenced by advertisers. Also, Google now has a feature called Google Scholar that specifically looks for scholarly articles or journals rather than popular webpages. I was also surprised by how many ways you can narrow your search in order to get limited results. I wasn't aware that the "+" and "-" signs could be used in your search. The addition sign essentially means "and," while the minus sign excludes whatever you indicate. In addition to this, his presentation taught me how to evaluate a website. Nolan's criteria in evaluating the validity of a website is useful, because I can now judge whether or not I should use a particular website as a resource in my essays. In retrospect, Chris Nolan's presentation helped me greatly. In the future, I will be able to find better information on the web more efficiently and not resort to just using popular sites as resources in my homework.

PowerPoint DO's and DON'Ts

2008-10-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how bad my PowerPoint presentations are. After reading those articles, I now know how to create a good presentation. I found Seth Gordin's e-booklet the most helpful, because he discusses the communication aspects of PowerPoint presentations in addition to several basic things to avoid in your presentations. Five things I think are particularly useful in constructing a presentation are: (1) limiting bullet points & text in addition to (2) limiting animations throughout your presentation, (3) keeping it simple by leaving "white space" and (4) using high-quality graphics, and (5) choosing appropriate colors and fonts for the theme displayed in your presentation. The things I find most annoying in PowerPoint presentations are the abundant use of animations and the cluttering of information onto one slide. Doing this just kills your presentation and makes your audience confused due to the amount of information on one slide. It is easier to separate your information on multiple slides to deliver a clear message. Gordin's tips on communicating to your audience, in my opinion, are more valuable than tips regarding your PowerPoint presentation. If you're not emotionally and logically communicating with your audience, your entire presentation is meaningless. Logic cannot be the only factor, you must use emotion to convince your audience into buying your ideas - which is the whole purpose of doing a presentation. Overall, improving your presentations by considering these guidelines is extremely helpful, but communication is the key factor is any presentation.

My Excel Experience: Excelling In Excel

2008-10-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

I learned many helpful things in working with Microsoft Excel. When we began using Excel, the only thing I knew how to do was to enter data and create charts from that data. Now, I have a much better understanding of Excel. I know how to use functions in the formula bar and use conditional formatting to highlight certain aspects of my data in addition to much, much, much more. Now when I use Excel, I am more efficient and can get my work done twice as fast. The new techniques I learned in Excel will help me in many of my classes (especially in Bio Lab, since we have to make graphs every class period). I am positive I will use Excel in the future, not only in my classes, but when I begin working. Excel is a useful program, because it normally deals with statistical data. Excel is known for immediately calculating the provided data, which eliminates the hassle of doing it yourself. Overall, my experience in working with Excel was informative, because I didn't know much about the program. With technology becoming increasingly prevalent in today's society, it is essential to know how to use Excel and other basic computer programs.

Pictures That Lie

2008-10-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

When I browsed through the "Pictures That Lie" website, I was amazed at how the pictures were manipulated. Most of them seemed realistic, and I would have never known that they had been digitally altered unless it told me so. I found the picture of the British soldier in Basra particularly interesting, because the picture looked very controversial. The soldier is holding a gun directed toward the Iraqi civilians. The picture is a digital composite, meaning that the picture was put together in separate parts. In the original picture, the British soldier is relaxed and is not "threatening" the Iraqi civilians. However, the threatening pose was pasted into another picture to create the dramatic effect. This picture appeared on the front page of an April 2003 issue of the Los Angeles Times and stirred up some controversy. This digital manipulation was harmful, because it took two completely different pictures, put them together, and caused the public to feel uncomfortable. In fact, the British soldier wasn't doing anything wrong, but due to the manipulations, he was portrayed as an aggressive and hostile soldier. Brian Walski, the creator of this image, was fired when his editors discovered that he had manipulated these photos to "improve the composition" and create a dramatic and suspenseful image. Digital manipulations can be useful and even comical, but when used in the wrong manner, it can cause serious problems and result in unwanted consequences.

My Journey to the Center of the Earth (or Center for Learning and Technology)

2008-10-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

Upon entering the AT&T Center for Learning and Technology, I was immediately blown away. It's like stepping into a different realm of the library. On my visit to the CLT, I learned many new things. For instance, the CLT is equipped with both Macs and PCs designed for various uses such as video editing and graphic design. I then ventured off to the Innovation Studio where instructional workshops take place. Right now, Trinity faculty is learning how to operate TLEARN in order to make an easy transition from Blackboard to TLEARN (which is occurring in the near future). Next, I traveled to the Digital Audio Lab, a private room where students and faculty can record music or manipulate audio. In this room is a keyboard, guitar, and any other instrument imaginable in addition to computers equipped with specialized audio software and a turntable. After that, I journeyed to the Video Conference Center, which is now a storage room thanks to the mobile Polycom. With the mobile Polycom, there is not necessarily a use for this area, because video conferencing can occur anywhere in the CLT. Here, I also met Ruben Rodriguez, the guy in charge of TigerTV. His work includes helping students record videos for their classes, editing videos, and essentially everything else dealing with video media. He's the "go to guy" if you have any questions regarding video editing or any sort of matter dealing with videos. Lastly, I stopped by Pat Ullman's office. Here, Pat services computers that are in the CLT. Near Pat's work station is a closet that contains all the equipment needed to broadcast TigerTV, TriniTV, and MTVU.

Overall, I found the CLT to be a beneficial resource I could use for a number of my classes. Our class can use the CLT to experiment with programs such as Adobe Photoshop and iMovie. This area of the library is extremely useful in several different aspects. I don't think I will be using the resources the CLT has to offer in any of my classes this semester (besides this one), but I will take complete advantage of it next semester...

Copyright Issues

2008-10-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today's presentation by Diane Graves was informative and helped me in understanding several issues regarding copyright. Originally, I didn't know how many legal issues surrounded copyright infringement, but now, I understand the consequences of copyright infringement. Although some of the punishments of violating copyrights overdo it, they are put in place to prevent such things from happening frequently. One particular thing that bugs me about copyright is all the technicalities in not violating copyright laws. For instance, if I wanted to make a copy of a document that was published years ago, I would have to ask permission to copy it in addition to paying for every copy I make. Honestly, this seems a little ridiculous. Who would actually do this just to make a copy of something? However, I can understand where these types of laws come from. If I was an author, I wouldn't want everyone to have access to my work without my permission. That's why there is a $2500 fine for copyright infringement involving more than 10 copies of an original work. In addition to learning about these hefty fines, I also learned that copyright laws not only apply to books and literature, they apply to other media such as movies and music. If it were up to me, I would change some of the punishments for copyright laws, but since I can't, I guess I'll abide by them...

Wirelessly Networking TUgether!

2008-09-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

I find Trinity's wireless network extremely convenient, because I use it for my homework. Many people say that a wireless network would be a distraction in class, because students can access sites such as Facebook and Myspace. However, Trinity's wireless network also makes life easier for teachers. Instead of handing out assignments, teachers can email their students an assignment. In addition to this, teachers can access the Internet in class to show or demonstrate things to students. Personally, when I use the Internet in class, I use it strictly for academic purposes, but in my dorm, I can get very distracted surfing the net. To me, the wireless network is useful for all of my classes. All in all, Trinity's wireless network has its advantages and its disadvantages, but with anything nowadays, people will become distracted. There's only so much you could do...

Here's a USA Today article regarding technology advances in schools: http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-10-02-gennext-tech_x.htm

All About Me!

2008-08-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Adam Kapasi. I was born in Northwest Houston and have lived there all of my life. I have an older sister named Sarah who is also in college. Both of my parents were born in Tanga, Tanzania and left their families to move to the United States. I enjoy many things including swimming, hanging out with my friends, and art. Another thing people don't know about me is that I am an Eagle Scout. Finally, I don't possess any "special" computing skills other than just operating one. Some programs that I've worked with include Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere (both of which are complicated). If you want to know anything else about me, please feel free to ask.

Adam Kapasi

akapasi@trinity.edu