Week 6, Information Management, 04-09-2007

The week 6 lecture was all about Endnote. From the lecture, Justin discussed about what endnote is, how it works, why use endnote and gave an example in front of the whole lecture how to do one. The main point about endnote is to make life easier. Endnote is a program that can be accessed on ECU’s computers and also be downloaded off the Internet. The use of endnote is to reference. What you do is place the needed information in the boxes provided and the program automatically moves the information around correctly to the APA 5th. This program makes life so much easier so a student that is doing an assignment doesn’t have to spend hours on end writing the reference list.

The main point of having a reference list is to give your work evidence and also to give the readers a place to go to get their information according to Justin. Many people lose marks over incorrect use of referencing and this program takes that element of risk out if used correctly. It is another way of managing your information. When you do an assignment, you will have many references, so different files can be set up to store this information. To find it again is very easy as the information is stored in alphabetical order. One major thing, which is highly pushed by Justin is that all information must be backed up encase something happens and you lose all your work to numerous problems.

The program is not very hard at all to use, but in saying that you are not expected to know how to use the program straight away and get a hang of it. “Have fun” was strongly recommended by Justin as a tool to discover how to use the program and getting use to it. Another helpful hint is to use standalone application. There are two different methods of using endnote and the other is integrated in MS word, but first time users should not use this as it may cause confusion. Standalone is the method of tracking your references and also eliminate any clutter.

This is a very good and useful program. As a high school leaver I never learnt how to reference properly. In UPC0003 we did an assignment on referencing. I found it a bit hard to work out which headings I should put in italics etc. This program just takes out the element of risk that is involved in typing up the references, which will give me a bit more confidence in what I am doing. Also as a first time user of referencing I will take long periods of time in writing up the simplest ones. I would assume that this program would halve the amount of time I need in making up a reference list.

The tutorial was manly about getting use to the program. In the tutorial we had to do eight different references. Theses references where all mixed up, in different formats. The end products are as follow:

By l_mason at 2007-09-10

By l_mason at 2007-09-10

By l_mason at 2007-09-10

By l_mason at 2007-09-10

By l_mason at 2007-09-10

By l_mason at 2007-09-10

By l_mason at 2007-09-10

By l_mason at 2007-09-10


I found this task a little difficult as I found it hard to work out what type of reference each one was. I believe that most were journals as couple were conferences.

For week six there was no resources for readings. The information that was provided was mainly for endnote. The point of this resources is to provide first time users how to use endnote. It provides arrange of information on templates, tips, styles etc.

Week 5, Information Management, 28-08-2007

Week 5 lecture was all about Information Management and the many different ways that information can be stored within the computer and also the Internet. The lecture went into great detail about atom and bit based file format. There are many different pros and cons on these two forms of storing information. The lecture also went into detail about how to organise and retrieving the information that was stored, for example word and not looking through hundred different files looking for that one file.

Atom-based information is things that can be generally held by hand. So the user is able to touch that information, so the information is made up of atoms making it a solid object. Examples of this are books, papers, and reports. This method is slowly being wiped out by Bit-based information.

Bit-based information is information that cannot be held. These are the sort of things that can be seen and not touch, mostly on a computer screen. The make up of the information are of bits, which is terminology from computes because everything that is stored on the computer are made up of megabits etc. examples of these are digital reproductions and also electronic content. As bit-based format is growing, the use of cds, e-mails and banking all change to suit change of information systems.

In the tute we just played around with favourites. We had to go onto the Internet and sort our favourites out into different categories. The point of this is to show us how professional students, should sort out their information they gathered. In this I sort out my favourite into different categories as follow:

By l_mason at 2007-09-09

We also had to list the pros and cons of using bit and atom information in detail. In conclusion I have come up with this.

Bit-based: they are information that can be sent, stored etc mainly on computers. They then can be viewed whenever needed as long as the viewer has access to such things as a computer. Bit-based are electronic content thus meaning people are unable to touch and handle it. Pros to using Bit-based are very easily move from one format to another making it very cheap. This also means it is easily mass-produced and easily edited. The cons are that the information could be unreliable, as it could have been tampered with. Also this means that people can clam this work as their own. Also the information that is found, many people find it very tempting to just click the print button, thus making it a very expensive act to do.

Atom-based: it is information that is solid and can be held. Examples of this are such things as books, magazines etc. The pro of using this, is we can easily find the information because we know where we have put it. This information can be easily protected and difficult to change making the information more reliable to use. The cons are that it is bulky and cost large amount of money if mass-produced. More harder for it to be sent around for other people to use it, also making the information, say out of date, hard to be edited. This sort of information is slowly being wiped out. As bit-based information grows, atom-based will slowly be wiped out. Not totally as there is always a place for bit-based information for everyone.

Another point of the lecture was all about the management of your files. All of the information that is stored in the computer all should be stored so that it can be easily found. For example keep all your social stuff away from university work. One way is to create named folders that are directly related to the information stored in the file. Extend the files so that you are able to find the information more easily. Just make sure when naming the files as Justin states, that you should be smart as you may need to find it in many years to come. When the information needs to be located use the search button. Type in the file name and the information should be easily found. Another method is metadata, which works similar way.

I believe that I use a very good method of storing my information. I try and keep the information for example my social life away from my university studies. I have set up a web style for my files to be sorted. I have separate files for each unit and they branch off to weeks, for some of them. I find it much easier to find documents unlike high school where I had used no form organization, just putting the information under my name that’s all.

For week five there is two readings. The first one is all about favourites. It shows the reader how to set up a favourites system. It shows how to keep it all organised and all in their separate folders etc. The point of this is to have all the websites set up so that for example, personal life is separated from university life. The second reading is by Dr Jim Mullaney. It is about correctly storing the information for example notes on the computer away properly so that it can easily be traced back again. He also talks about atoms and bits and makes it clear that not everything needs to be printed off, as there is a cost involved.

Week 4, Communications, 21-08-2007

Week four lecture was all about communication. As for communication it has change so much since Justin Freeman first started doing her University course. One of the main changes of the years has been Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Week four lecture was all about the different types of communication between two or more people. The reason why communication through technology is used because most people have access to this technology and it makes life easier. There are several different ways to communicate with other people. Some different ways are:
· Pod casts
· Wiki
· Chat rooms
· Internet phone
· Blogs
· Emails etc

The lecture also included information about emails. Emails are a very useful way to communicate with other people. They are useful as a lot of people are connected to the Internet and they have some sort of email bases. This can be used to get information about an assignment of another peer or writing to family or friends in a social way. Also have to be cautious with email as the message can be miss read or if using out look express the users details can be hacked.

In week four tute we looked at organizing the folders in your email account. This is just like store information in word etc in different categories. This becomes very handy when storing information from different subjects making it easy to find. I have done mine as follow:

By l_mason at 2007-09-09

We also look at pod cast. There are many different reasons for students to use pod casts. It gives the students many different ways to learn especially the ones that find it hard to learn the first time. I mean recording of the lecture. Some people find it hard to learn when the information is played once. Having pod casts will enable the student to go home and listen to the information or just a certain part of it to get the main points. This will enhance the students learning and also note taking.

There are four different types of communication that are used by everyone at least once. They are the dependent (same place, example online games), independent (anywhere, example MSN), synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous in where all the people that are communicating are all in the same place at the same time for example a phone call where as asynchronous people that are communicating take turns in having there say for example writing letters.

From this lecturer I have learnt that communication is not only a major factor of university life but also life in general. I use MSN a fair bit to keep in contact with the people that have left school, who I rarely get to see anymore. I also realize that such things as university emails and getting other students emails is something that I should use to help myself and also other peers for doing such things as assignments. Using ICT is very good as it is usually free and enables the user to look for information. I am surrounded with communication resources, its just a matter of knowing which one to use and use it correctly.

There are four readings for this week. The first two readings are about emails that are used as guides to using emails. The first reading by tech soup is all about what a person should and shouldn’t do. It gives examples of a situation that may occur and gives helpfully information of what to do in that situation and also what not to do. The second is about having an appropriate email. Now in university all emails should be appropriately addressed, no spelling mistakes etc. Its all about etiquette with an email so that the person that has written it comes across as very professional. The IRC prelude reading is about chat rooms. It talks about how you can easily talk with many people that are also on the net. But this also opens to hackers etc to shut you down. The last reading, ‘the problem’ is all about Spam email. It describes exactly what spam email is, its low point of what it can do and also gives some solutions of what can be done.

Week 3, Presentations Strategies, 14-08-2007

Week three lecture, was all about oral presentations and how to affectively present one. An oral presentation is all about how it is presented and keeping the audience attention so that they can retain the information that was said to them. The structure of the presentation is bit like writing an essay. It should have an introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction of the presentation should be the attention getter and like Justin Freeman says create curiosity and also don’t use humour if your not a humours person. Also make sure the introduction has a clear thesis so the viewers have a clear idea of what is going to be said in the speech. The main points of the body are that it should take one third of the whole speech. Making sure between each paragraph that it flows through amongst each other. Also making sure that there are references to back up the ideas so it doesn’t sound like a story. The conclusion is all about re-asserting the thesis. This is to remind the audience what the speech was about.

The tutorial task was to use PowerPoint and do a presentation on you. Such things as animations had to be used, colour etc to enhance it and be creative. It had to consist a minimum of six slides, which includes introduction, body and conclusion. The end result looked like this:

By l_mason at 2007-09-03

By l_mason at 2007-09-03
By l_mason at 2007-09-03

By l_mason at 2007-09-03
By l_mason at 2007-09-03

Also had to do five tips for a speech:

By l_mason at 2007-09-03

I’m like most other people that do not like to do presentations. I hate the fact of standing in front of class and doing a presentation. By using the information that Justin has given out I am more confident in how I m going to do it. In the past I did not mind doing a presentation but at university it is in front of a group of people that I have never meet before so be interesting in how Ill go. All I have to remember is that I think is most important is to be ready before the presentation, which I believe will go a long way into presenting a well clear speech.

What I also found interesting from the lecture is the use of such things as PowerPoint. Through my high school education, I have only used PowerPoint once, which was in year 12. From this experience I never really had the grasp of how to use PowerPoint to enhance the presentation. The main point about using PowerPoint is the kiss principle should be implemented. The presentation should not have to many animations through it and also as stated by Justin that the less you use the more better it becomes. The background should be subtle and also avoid using sounds. These are all very helpful hints in using PowerPoint. As I said before I rarely used PowerPoint in high school and never really show how to really use it.

I am confident that I can structure a presentation well enough so that the audience has a good understanding of what the presentation is about. I have to make sure I prepare for the presentation the day before and be all organised. I should also make more that I have the audience attention to have a well-presented speech.

The first reading is all about oral presentations by Mark Hill. In this he gives advice on how to give a good presentation. He also lists the many different speeches that are used in. In the reading it is about developing a good speech and Mark Hill gives good hints in doing so. Also under the heading “how to give a bad talk” gives many reason why people go wrong, namely the lazy ones. These tips can be used to create a good helpful speech.