CS 1300- Krystal's Blog

Mr. Hechler's Lecture

2008-04-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Mr. Hechler's lecture was very intersting. He seems to know a lot about computers and handling them. I suppose that's why he's a Dell and a Mac technician. He was well equiped to answer any question we had at that time. And I thought it was really neat to see the inside of a laptop. I can't believe they charge that much for cheap plastic parts! It's incredible! Overall, his lecture and discussion on computers and their proper uses and maintenance procedures was incredibly informative. I learned a lot in that class period. I now know how to clean my computer properly and what to do in case of accidents. It should really help me keep my computer functioning at maximum capacity for the rest of my college career!

Presentation Critique

2008-04-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've provided a link to my presentation. Please leave me some feedback!

PowerPoint Presentation

Krytal Kohler

My Presentation Topic

2008-03-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

Since I am planning to major in Drama, I figured I would research the father of Method acting and acting in general as an art form. I am very passionate about Drama, so this should be a fun presentation.

Krystal Kohler

Presentation Tips

2008-03-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

The articles that Dr. Semmes has linked to the class page were very helpful. They were all so neat and interesting. For example, the article about choosing color to set the mood was really fascinating. I read once that color affected animal behavior, I suppose it makes sense when applied to humans as well. Nonetheless, the other websites helped a lot in establishing what a good power point presentation consists of and such. I completely agreed with all the articles and what they discussed. This is what I took away from the articles. I think these five traits should be taken into account before presenting:
1. Present information with confidence and a degree of passion. Otherwise, it seems like the presenter just doesn’t care and is uninterested in his own topic.
2. Consider who your audience is. (I.e. do not use a large vocabulary when addressing middle schoolers. This will not hold their interest on account of not being unable to understand you.)
3. Do not put every sentence on the PowerPoint. This just makes it seem that you are not prepared and detracts from total effect of the presentation.
4. Project when presenting. It is unbearable when one cannot hear the speaker.
5. Do not make the presentations too showy. This just make the presentation distracting.

Presentation Tips

Video of what not to do

Krystal Kohler

Chris Nolan's Presentation

2008-03-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

Chris Nolan’s presentation was very informative. I definitely learned a lot from him. For one I had no idea Google had a scholar section or that you could limit keywords to better locate what you need. I also now know how Google and other such sources rank the sites. The sites that are at the top are the ones that have the most links to them. I did not know that! Also those examples Mr. Nolan used when he was lecturing on checking the credibility of websites was very entertaining and really interesting. That Martin Luther King site that was really created by a white supremacist group was something I did not expect. Usually sites about such important historical figures are created for informative purposes and as a tribute to their actions. To have a group such as the White Storm do that was just shocking to me! It really shows how racism and prejudice still exists in our country.

Krystal Kohler

Photo Copyright Infringement

2008-03-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

They stole and image of my son and only had to pay $4000

I think that what this company did was wrong. And considering that copyright laws here in the U.S. seem to be much stricter, I think they probably would have to pay a lot more than $4000. I completely agree with the man who wrote the article. A simple apology and a little compensation might have been acceptable, but what that company did was still wrong. Even though a photo appears on the internet, you can’t just take it and use it without permission. Stock exchange photos had a really good idea with what they’re doing right now. With more sites like that, copyright infringement would probably decrease.

Krystal Kohler

Powerpoint Presentations

2008-03-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

I think an effective PowerPoint consists of paraphrased information with helpful and effective visuals. The speaker should make points, insert them into a presentation, and then elaborate on the material himself of herself. All the information should not be on the presentation. That would only make it dull and would not hold the audience’s attention. Neither should the presentation be flashy and packed with animation. This would detract from the overall effect and prove to be distracting. Also, the PowerPoint presentation should not be very long, but instead be used only as an aid to inform.
I, fortunately, have not had many classes where the professor used only PowerPoints. Only in high school did they appear, and if then only rarely. In my personal experience, I do not enjoy having a class taught purely on PowerPoint. While beneficial in some respects, it is not so in others. For example, since the material is paraphrased and more than likely not very detailed, looking back on such a presentation would force you to fill in the gaps. In doing this, a lot of important information could be left out. On the upside however, a PowerPoint allows you ample space to jot down your own notes. For people who are not good with taking notes, this poses a problem.
Overall, my experience with PowerPoint presentations has not been agreeable. I utilize them only when I am required too. Although they are convenient in and of themselves, they just seem cumbersome to me. I am more of an auditory learner. I’d much rather prefer a boring lecture over an amazing powerpoint.

Krystal Kohler

Word Experience

2008-01-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

My experience on Word is very limited. Until recently, I've used Word Processor because that's what came with my computer. I'm barely getting used to Word 2007. I've been poking around and experimenting with it just so I can get used to it. But I would really appreciate just a big crash course on it, that way it won't take me two hours to finish an assignment. I'm getting better at navigating around Word and I now know how to set the language, but I still need help! I promise I'm not a complete ignoramous, but when it comes to technology, I'm worthless.

Krystal Kohler

My Computer Experience

2008-01-23T19:40:00.001-08:00

In all honesty, my computer experience is pretty pathetic. I’ve gotten better, but to say the truth, until recently, I could only play games on my computer and access the most basic applications. Now, I can sort of use Excel! Still not a great feat, but I’m getting better. I am also very guilty of only just installing the Microsoft Office 2007.

I have a pink Inspiron Dell laptop (which took me about four months to actually receive). And I just really hope this class will teach me how to adeptly use my computer. Overall, I anticipate this class will teach me many a new trick, and I will probably be forever grateful for it! I did just learn how to access the Y: drive and all that and I must say, I was very excited. I’ve also learned the difference between group folders and class folders. For those of you who are clutching your gut laughing at me, I’m sure you were at this stage once. Now if I can only survive the rest of the semester, I will be great!

Krystal Kohler

2008-01-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

Hello! As you can see from my video, my name is Krystal Kohler and I hail from Green Bay, Wisconsin. I’ve lived there since my second semester of eight grade. However, I was born, believe it or not, in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico, where I’ve spent most of my life. I don’t really have a passion for technology, and if I did, it would probably be for something silly like my cell phone. However, I do have a passion for the arts, especially the dramatic arts. I intend to double major in Drama and something else and hopefully pursue some kind of career that would allow me to perform and still make some money. I also hope to someday live and/or study abroad in Europe.
San Antonio is one of my favorite cities of all time and I’m so glad I chose to come to Trinity. Not only is it much warmer down here in comparison to Green Bay, but there is also so much more to do rather than the usual after-dinner cow-tipping! (It also smells a lot nicer down here!) Not that I’m completely bashing Wisconsin. I’m sure a lot of people enjoy the smell of manure in the morning accompanied by the odor of sulfur from the nearby paper factories. Yay for them! But on a less callous note, the people there really know how to make you feel at home and entertain you with the simplest household objects. And I’m sure a lot of them are crushed by the latest Packers defeat.
Either way, with me you get what you see. I’m very honest and empathetic. I’m very loyal to my friends and I am always there when they need me. I also try to see both sides of a situation and I tend to be a little too cheerful at times. But in general I try to do what is right and do my best not to offend anyone while doing so.

Krystal Kohler