Week 14: Clear/Virtualization

A topic this week that I found very interesting was virtualization. I had no idea what it was going into these lectures, but was able to understand the topic fairly quickly. In class we defined virtualization as "a technique for running multiple 'virtual computers' on a single physical host computer system." You can look at virtualization from an ability of small scale companies, running multiple operating systems on a computer or for a large company, where you can host multiple servers. A website where you can find the background and more information on virtualization can be found here.

There are many benefits to virtualization like testing and disaster recovery. Virtualization can provide better protection for your PC. I would like to do more research on virtualization and see what other benefits and things you can do with it because it seems very helpful in the business world today.

Week 13: Clear/Computer Security

This week we covered a topic extremely important to anyone who owns or uses a computer: Computer Security. There are many different ways for hackers or other people to access information you do not want them to see and use it against you. One of the simplest ways to protect yourself is just by being careful and smart. Many e-mails are sent back and forth everyday and a good portion of them contain spyware or some other type of virus. DO NOT open messages from an unknown source and NEVER open an attachment from an address you do not know. Computer owners also need to keep their anti-virus software up to date to better protect their computers and information.

It may seem easy to protect yourself from hackers, however people find ways around the most secure computers, including those of large companies. Twitter, for example came across an internet breach scare recently when someone hacked into an employee's e-mail and obtained private information from their account. This shows just how important it is to keep your activity on the internet secure and safe in order to prevent anything from going wrong.

A good article on how to protect yourself from hackers can be found here.

Secure E-mail Project

By completing the Secure E-mail Project, I discovered how important using security measures (like encrypted messages) is for companies and just people in general. The story found here about the hacking of Twitter employees' e-mails shows how helpful these security measures would have been to them and may have prevented this from happening. The hacker got access to an administrative employee's e-mail and was able to view private company information like spreadsheets, notes, and financial details. Luckily for Twitter, these documents were private however did not contain any information about account holders on the website. Companies like Twitter and Facebook are in the spotlight and should be even more careful about using secure e-mail. I think this was a wake-up call to Twitter and other social networking sights, showing how important secure e-mail is to them.

Week 11: Clear/Networking

This week in class we talked about communications and networks. I thought learning about networks was easy but also very helpful and useful. We learned about the different types of networks:

1. PAN-Personal Area Network-your own computer, mobile phone
2. LAN-Local Area Network-single, local buildings, about a mile across
3. MAN-Metropolitan Area Network-up to 50 mile span-facilitate economic growth
4. WAN-Wide Area Network-statewide, nationwide, etc.

We also learned about the benefits and disadvantages of networking. The number 1 benefit is that networks facilitate communication and give us greater productivity as consumers. Networking is efficient and less expensive for us, while also allowing us to work with software. Another benefit of networking is the ability to share data and information, as well as being able to transfer funds. The disadvantages of networking are cost, security threats and privacy. However, the users lack of privacy just comes down to trusting the other people working with your information.

Networking is a very important concept to learn for future work in the business world because you will interact with it everyday. Using your computer or e-mail on your phone is all considered networking and is increasingly becoming more important in our lives today. A website that answers questions and help with problems you have with your computer or networking can be found here.

Extra Credit: Second Life

Using Second Life has been the first time I have ever used a virtual world environment. It was a very interesting experience, I never knew there would be so many places to visit or so many things you could do. The images at the locations I visited were really cool to look at, especially at Memorial Wall. I found it amazing you could type in a person's name and be teleported to the place on the wall where the name was located. Interacting with others on Second Life was very intimidating to me because you don't know who these people really are and I had a hard time finding people who wanted to talk to me. The image taken above was when my character, Lela Turquoise was in London, the outfits the people in that area were wearing were crazy! There was a person dressed as a vampire near me, which made using Second Life even more interesting.

Extra Credit: Avatar

I used the website DoppelMe to create my avatar. I thought it was a lot of fun designing the avatar and playing with all of the different options. I was able to select a skin color, eye color, facial expression, hair style, hair color, clothing top and bottom. Other options I did not choose to use were glasses and hats. I thought it was cool to play around with the different options and see how interesting you could make the avatar look. I think it is great that the website let me create the avatar for free, there were also more options for clothing and accessories if you had an account with the website.

Week 11: Clear/Information Systems

This week in class we learned about information systems and the system development cycle. I found the topic very easy to understand after we went through the entire cycle:

• Planning- where project requests are reviewed and then approved
• Analysis- completing a preliminary analysis where technology, objective, schedule, and cost are looked at and then a detailed analysis is completed where solutions are developed
• Design- figure out how to create the system, obtain the hardware necessary and sign off on the final plans
• Implementation- develop, install, and test the new program and train everyone to use it before converting
• Operation, Support and Security- look at the maintenance, performance, and security

I believe knowing about information systems is very important in the business world no matter what company you work for because you could be the one creating the system or the one learning the new system because your company is converting. This is very common in the real world and an article I found that dealt with this topic in the real world can be found here.

Database Project

The Database project taught me a lot about Microsoft Access. Watching the lectures from last week explained to me how to complete tasks, but actually using Microsoft Access through the project really familiarized me with the database. Importing the members document into the table that I had already started was the hardest part of the project for me. When I was finally able to figure it out, creating the query, form, and report were fairly easy. I also learned how helpful Microsoft Access could be for a real company. Using the database for the "local gym" allowed me to look at how an actual business would find it helpful and how they could use the database to benefit their company.

To improve the functionality of the members database I would add a few more fields including: e-mail address, picture, and last visit. The e-mail address would provide an easier way of contacting the members and updating them if anything was going on at the gym that they should know about. The picture would be helpful to employees to remember a customer's face and ensure the person using the membership is the member, not a friend or someone pretending to be them. Last visit would be a way for the gym to keep a count of how many people come each day, how often certain people come, etc. This would be helpful also for employees to familiarize themselves with the members that use the gym frequently.

Overall, I think Microsoft Access is a very user friendly database and is very helpful for real world companies.

Week 10: Muddy/ Microsoft Access

Before watching the lectures and completing the Access Scavenger Hunt this week, I was not familiar with Microsoft Access.  I have never had to use it for a class or project so everything was new to me. Database Management Systems seem so logical to me now but I had not put thought into how companies organize all of the data they deal with. I am now pleased to say that I have learned to create tables, import/export data, learn about queries and pretty much discover most of the tools used in Microsoft Access. 

The most difficult concept for me to grasp was working with external data in Microsoft Access. All of the options of what to do with the data made it seem a lot more complicated to me until I really focused on what was going on in the lectures. Once I realized what the teacher was doing with the data and that a delimiter separates data and a text qualifier shows access that the information is text, filling out the scavenger hunt made a lot more sense. Whenever I had trouble with the assignment I visited the Microsoft Access website to help me out. I am hoping that I will become more familiar with these tools when I complete the Database Project because I do think database management systems are very important to companies for organization and research purposes, like customer preferences.

Week 9: Clear/How to Use the Internet

This week in class we learned how to navigate the web and how to use it. This is a topic I feel very comfortable with because I use the web so often in my every day life. I use it for my own interest, school, work and research with news portals, social networks, etc. I pretty much turn to it for anything I need, as do many people around the world. I believe the four step process to view a website we reviewed in class was the most interesting part of the lectures this week. I am amazed at how fast computers work now and are able to access the internet in a heartbeat. Another topic we focused on was the parts of a web address: 

• protocol
• domain name
• TLD
• path
• file name.

I believe this was an important topic because the internet is so prevalent in our everyday lives, especially in the business world today. Knowing how it works could benefit us in the long run and give us a step up on the competition. To learn more about the history of the internet click here.

Presentations Project

Web 2.0 Presentation

By critiquing a peer's presentation, I was able to reflect on my own and decide what parts I thought I completed very well and what aspects of it I could have done better on. I believe the sequence of my presentation flowed nicely and that I anticipated questions but I think I should have done something more exciting in the beginning to grab the attention of the audience. The microphone on my computer is very limited and you cannot hear me very clearly so next time I would use a different computer to record. I think I did a really good job of explaining Dance Marathon at UF and what it raises money for as well as validating my statements. I did avoid clutter, but next time I think it may be better to use less text and just leave the majority of the explanations to the actual presentation even though I did say it and then show it, not just read off the slides.

I learned a lot about presentations through this project that I think will be very helpful in the real world. Employees have to make presentations a lot in the corporate world so learning about how to put together a professional one is very important. I learned how to add recordings, post power points online and how to give an effective presentation.

Week 7: Clear/Effective Presentations

Effective presentations are extremely important in the business world. Numerous jobs require you to create presentations in order to sell a product or an idea to a company. Learning how to make these presentations is important and helpful for future employment and could give you a head start above a competitor. The most important thing to think about when creating a presentation is your audience. The point of the presentation is to get something across to the audience and engage them. Make sure that in any presentation you focus on clarity and do not bore the audience.

The easiest and most efficient way to create an effective presentation is to first create a storyboard. A storyboard is a plan for what you will present. It includes all of the basic elements you need in the presentation and helps you to sell ideas and communicate aspects of your ideas clearly. The flow of a presentation is also extremely important, presenters need to make sure it is logical and their is a specific sequence. Effective presentations should start with a dramatic opening to grab the attention of the audience. When creating a presentation it is important to anticipate the types of questions the audience will ask. It is better to answer the questions before the audience asks rather than having them raise their hands at the end. An extremely helpful powerpoint about presentations can be found here.


Photograph found here.

Week 6:Clear/Multimedia Images

This week in class we learned about Multimedia-images, audio, and videos. I found learning about multimedia image types the most interesting and helpful out of the three. We learned about two different image types: rastor and vector. Rastor graphics are an array of colored dots or squares in a grid used to create the image while vector graphics are geometric objects, points, lines, etc. that can be expressed by a mathematical equation. To get a more in depth explanation of the difference that I used click here. 

Vector graphics give a better quality when adjusting the image and sizing up. With rastor graphics, you don't want to size up because of pixelation. We also learned about the different image file formats, such as BMP, GIF(which provides no loss of color), JPG (what the eye focuses on), and PNG. 

This topic is important in the business world because in order to create presentations and for certain products you will need to know how to create images in the most efficient way for your company. Skills with software like Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture will be very useful in the business world when it comes to employment. It is also important to know about multimedia images when working with digital cameras and scanners. I really had no knowledge about image types until this week during class, but was able to understand the information easily.

Excel Project

In order to familiarize myself with Excel, I completed a project in class that dealt with a fitness center owner determining the effectiveness of a certain workout. There were 500 participants that did a 15 minute workout and a 5 minute cool down where their heart rate was recorded each minute. I created formulas based off the data provided to determine the participants' maximum heart rate, target heart rate, highest heart rate, whether their target heart rate was achieved, and their percentage increase in heart rate. I also had to format the data in different ways, including using freeze panes and headers.

The part of the exercise I felt was the most challenging was the formula created to determine whether the participant's target heart rate was achieved. I used the Excel =IF() function, where I used whether the value for the highest heart rate was greater or equal to the target heart rate. Then I used "Yes" as the answer if the logical test was true and "No" as the answer if the logical test was false. I had to look up the information in my notes from last weeks lectures, but once I was able to find it our and create the logical test based on what the fitness center owner wanted it was easy to put together.

The following screen shot from the project represents the average percent increase in heart rates for the subjects, organized by age and gender. I was able to learn a lot about using pivot tables by using data from the original worksheet.

The skills I learned with Excel through this project will help me enormously next time I have to do any sort of work with numbers. This project taught me how many different formulas you can use, as well as how to copy formulas (relative and absolute), and how to format Excel spreadsheets. I believe these tasks will prove to be very important in the business world and in the real world in general.

Week 5:Clear/Excel Formulas

This week we learned how to use and operate Excel. We went over how to create formulas in an excel worksheet which I found to be extremely interesting and useful. To start a formula in excel you must begin with an equals sign (=). From there you fill out the rest of the equation and the order of performance in the equation is parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, then subtraction (aka PEMDAS).

The symbols for the different mathematical operations are:

• Addition (+)
• Subtration (-)
• Multiplication (*)
• Division (/)

Excel also has numerous functions that will help you with formulas. For example if you type into a cell: =SUM and drag the cursor across the cells you would like it to add together (=SUM(B2:E2), it will sum the cells for you. For an in depth list of math and statistical functions click here. Excel formulas and functions are important in the business world because creating an excel spreadsheet for a company while knowing how to create functions that you can copy into multiple cells can turn out to be time saving and efficient. Excel spreadsheets can look and seem complicated but once you learn how to work with them, they become easy and helpful.

Week 4:Clear/Application Software

This week in class we began the lectures by learning about application software. I have never put much thought into the software I use, even though I have realized that I use it a lot and without it I would really have no need for my computer. Application software consists of software that helps you solve your direct needs. Application software is designed for productivity and assisting with personal tasks like research or writing reports. Different types of application software include horizontal applications, vertical applications, software suites, and standalone applications.

Horizontal applications are programs that can be used in any industry for all types of programs that any business can use. An example of a horizontal application would be word processing or web browsing. Vertical applications are programs that are specific to one industry. If a business outside of that industry tries to use it it won't meet the same needs, an example would be a restaurant ordering system. A Software suite is a set of programs that is created and implemented in a common way so that the entire suite of programs shares those features. Microsoft office is an example of a software suite with word processing, spreadsheet, etc. A standalone application is something that is not integrated with any other program and is seen as on it's own, like iTunes or Mozilla Firefox.

To get a broad overview of what application software is and what the different types are click here.

Week 3: Clear/ Ergonomics

This week we continued our discussion in class about how computers work and what their different components do. We learned about ergonomics, which I had never even heard of before. Ergonomics is how you fit workplace conditions and jobs to your workers. This includes things like how you are sitting at your desk, where your computer screen is at (the top of the screen should be at or slightly below eye level), and avoid cradling a phone between your head and neck, use a speaker phone or an ear piece. I learned in class that one-third of MSD cases are caused by work related injuries that could be potentially prevented if ergonomics is a part of the work place.

At first, I really didn't think this topic was very important but then I went to the United States Department of Labor website and realized how much it really impacts the business world, workers and their performance. The website explains that if you follow the rules and principles of ergonomics you will provide your workers will a safer work environment that they will be happier in which can increase productivity among the workers. I was amazed that something as simple as teaching your company how to arrange their desks and how to sit could potentially increase profits. The website also lists the type of work that leads to injuries and MSD which are jobs that require a lot of heavy lifting, straining of body muscles, and awkward positions for the body. 

I believe it is really important for companies to take ergonomics seriously in order to ensure the safest work environment for their employees. Not only will this help ensure their safety but it could also increase a companies productivity.

Week 2: Clear/Computer Hardware

I have never really put much thought into how computers work. This seems kind of ridiculous to me after I think about how much time I spend on the computer, but after the lectures I watched about computer hardware this week, as many elements as there are to a computer it wasn't that hard to understand. From what I gathered from the lectures, everything begins with the motherboard and the large circuit board inside the computer. Then we go on to the Central Processing Unit which performs most of the computations in the computer system. And from there you can focus and learn about a number of factors: how fast the computer works, the memory, the aspects to take into consideration when buying a computer, etc.

To talk about the ins and outs of the computer can take a very long time, as shown by the amount of information we had to learn this week. However, I never really felt overwhelmed because I found it very easy to understand if you took the concept and just went back to how this impacts the way you can use the computer. This week made me realize that in order to be successful in the business world, you need to know how computers work. So much business is conducted over the internet that to not understand the hardware of how a computer is built, would be silly because you wouldn't be able to work with everything possible.

After the lectures, even though I felt confidant in my understanding of the information, I still wanted to learn more about the way memory works. I found very helpful diagrams here! The labels for input and output devices made the concept clearer to me and the chart with different types of storage was also extremely helpful. I am very happy I decided to take this course because I believe learning how computers work will be extremely important for me to know now and in my future career.

Week 1: Clear/ Fair Use

Fair Use is a topic that many people find hard to understand. I found it difficult and slightly confusing until this past week in ISM3004. Fair use is limitations on how a person can use copyrighted materials. Many people either think they can use most materials as they wish or that they can't use any copyrighted materials at all, but this is not correct. You are only able to use copyrighted materials if you follow certain guidelines: what you use the material for, how much of the material you borrow, and whether or not the way you use the material changes the original work's value. 

What really helped me grasp this concept in class this week was the "Disney Copyright Law" video on YouTube. I think it was an awesome way to show what Fair Use is and bring the idea together at the end by saying that if Fair Use is a valid use for copyrighted material, than their video on YouTube is protected. Sources the video listed as available for people to use copyrighted materials under fair use are news, parody, and critical comment.

A good example of fair use is cited in the case of Bill Graham Archives (BGA) v. Dorling Kindersley (DK). BGA took DK to court because DK published a book that had seven Grateful Dead poster reproductions in it without licensing from BGA. An article about the case can be found here: http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/05/6876.ars. This article is great for understanding fair use and copyright laws because it lays out exactly how the court made their decision. The court went by the three guidelines mentioned earlier in the article and came to the conclusion that DK was protected under fair use.