You might get ideas of what you will do to earn your grade from reading the supplement to the syllabus.
Write a paragraph or two about yourself. Let me know where you grew up, why you are attending AWC, any family issues that might influence your work in class, if you have a job outside of class, and your experience with computers.
Include a section describing the extent of your computer experience and what you would like to be sure to learn in this introduction to computer class.
What are your hobbies and or interests?
Check your document for grammar and spelling errors.
If you have a public online presence such as through Facebook or a blog, please provide me with the address.
Do some initial research on the topic then write a few paragraphs about the topic as you now understand it. Be sure to include a definition, why the topic is important, and where you did your research.
All writing should be in your own words.
Your paper should be in good format.
You can use one of the topics provided at topic list or choose a different computer related topic. You will be using this topic for a class presentation and for your final paper.
All topics must have my approval.
Your site should have at least one graphic, no spelling errors, and at least two links to places that you think are interesting. Describe your links. You might consider using some of the material you created it task one for the content of your web page.
In class print out your page from the website or online Email me a working link to your website.
Create a discussion area on your SS to discuss what you found out about the total amount paid versus the size of monthly payments. Try changing the interest rate by a point. How much does that change the amounts? What would your considerations be if you were taking out a loan? What term would you choose if you were getting a loan?
We will use Windows Movie Maker to make the movie. Movie Maker is found on your computer using Windows Explorer (Windows Key - E) and looking in the "C:\program files\Movie Maker" directory. Just double click on Movie Maker to start it. If you want to use Movie Maker often, drag the icon into your start button then into all programs.
There is a 50 Meg (very large) movie that you can edit at Ben.wmv or you can use a video clip of your choice but your starting clip must be a clip that you can use legally. I.E. Don't use a downloaded clip unless it is public domain.
After you have your selected clip, edit it down to one minute. Your completed movie should include:
- A title at the beginning
- Transitions with an effect
- At least one video effect on at least one segment.
Message 1: Go to the Blackboard website and put a message in the message area discussing your topic and why it is important. This is the topic that you selected in task 2 and that you will write your paper on.
Message 2: Put a question or observation about chapter six (The Internet) in the Blackboard discussion area.
Messages 3 & 4: Question or comment on two fellow students' messages in message areas 1 & 2. Visit again a couple days later and respond to any students' questions. Your message should be more substantial than just saying something like an "interesting topic," "Good Post," or "I agree."
- Save a copy of the AWC phone database to a known location such as "user files" on campus or "my documents" at home then open it in Access. Note: If you just open this link the database will be read-only and unusable. You must save.
- If the ribbon is minimized, right click the ribbon bar and uncheck the minimize option.
- You want to create a query that looks like this. Select the "Create" ribbon and press the "Query design" button.
- Add TableAWC then close the "Show Table" option
- Add the "Department," "Name," "Title," "Phone," and "Email" fields to the query in that order (it's easiest to do this by double clicking on them in the Table AWC list)
- Select Ascending by pressing the triangle that appears when you click below the field name on the sort line for Department and Name. This will sort first the department then the name.
- Filter the names by adding "*prof*" to the Title Criteria line. Note: the wildcard * matches any text before or after prof.
- If your Query looks like the example, use the save option. Save the query with the name Query Profs. .
- Select the "Create" ribbon and press the "Report Wizard" button.
- Insure that Queryprofs is showing in the "Tables/Queries" drop down selection area of the first report wizard screen and select all the fields in order (it's easiest to press the ">>" button. Click Next to get grouping
- Select "Department' and press the > key. Group by Department only and press next.
- Use the pull down selection area to sort by Name
- Use the "Stepped layout" and the "Landscape" orientation (use landscape to insure that each record fits on a line). Note: If you do not see the "Stepped Layout" option you made an error on an earlier step. Leave the adjust field width option checked and press Next.
- Accept the default "Office" style or choose one you like more and press Next.
- Title your report "AWC Faculty List by Department" and press Finish.
- Note that the department names and some other fields are truncated (cut-off). Press the "Close Print Preview" button to enter the report design view so you can fix the truncated fields
- In the Department Header area, click "Department" and make the text box wider by hovering over the right line of the box until you get the two way arrow the click and drag the box bigger.
- Add a label by clicking on the "Aa" button in the "Design Ribbon" and draw a label box in the "Report Header" area. Type your name, class section, and "task number 8: Addresses" in the address bar.
- From the Office Button list, select print preview and check that your report is acceptable.
- If acceptable, print just the first page of your report or send the file if you are taking this class online.
- Follow this link to sign up for a Gmail account.
- Optionally you might want to have email to this account forwarded to another account. If you want to forward your email, enter your Gmail account home page, visit settings, then forward to the email account you typically use. Save your changes.
- Enable your account for Google Docs by going to Google Docs and signing in.
- d me an Email at Charles.Balch@azwestern.edu with your Google Docs activated account.
- I will then send you a message that invites you to collaborate on a document.
- The information you will add is created when you complete the learning tests at Kolb Learning Style and Jung Typology Test. Take the tests and review your results. Be sure to explore the various analysis options so you can discuss your results.
- When you are ready to share and discuss your scores, logon to Google docs and share your results with the class. Note: If you can't edit the document, you have not logged on with your "new" Google account.
Using French and Spanish as examples (you may use any language), create a document with the following headers:
English
English to French
English to French to English
Discussion of French Round Trip
English to Spanish
English to Spanish to English
Discussion of Spanish Round Trip
General Discussion of Computer Language Translation
In the English section write a few paragraphs introducing yourself to a resort manager in a foreign country.
1) Introduce yourself and whomever you plan to travel with by name and relationship to you.
2) Briefly describe where you work, study and live.
3) Briefly describe some activities you wish to participate in while visiting.
4) Say that you are looking forward to having fun on your visit.
5) Paste your in at http://translate.google.com translate to another language (such as French).
6) Paste the translation into your document in the appropriate area then go back to the original translate your content back to English and place it into your document under the appropriate heading.
7) Discuss the final result. Is it humorous? Accurate? Would you understand it if you read it?
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Repeat the above procedure using a different language (such as Spanish).
Finally, discuss the general value of language translation software. Do you think it is good enough for business use? How about personal use? Would you trust it for description of medical problems? Did the translations give you some idea of the usual problems that people learning English encounter? If you are fluent in either language you selected, discuss the quality of the first generation translations.
Find a monthly retirement savings amount that you think you can be happy with both now and when you retirement. Include a discussion about the amount of money that you will save each month towards your retirement and the amount of money you will have to spend after retirement.
You can get an idea of some realistic interest rates at
Note: Some of you managed to complete this exercise when we tried it earlier this semester. You will receive full credit for the exercise in both areas if you complete this exercise now or have already completed the exercise.
Only print and hand in the first two letters.
Also print a copy showing your merge fields.
You can get stock information at Yahoo Finance.
Solver is an Excel addin that uses linear programming to discover the optimal mix of different variables. To add solver, press the office button, then Excel options at the bottom of the pop-up window, select add-ins, press the manage add-ins button, and check the solver checkbox. Solver is no available to you in the "data" ribbon. You will use solver as one method to find the seven product mixes described in the solver spreadsheet.
The solver SS can be found at solver.xls.
You can create Solver scenarios by selecting "Solver" from the "Data" ribbon.
There are also two macros associated with this spreadsheet. You can review the macros by going to the "Developer" ribbon and selecting view code. (Make the developer ribbon available by pressing the office button, selecting Excel options, and then check the "Show Developer Tab in the Ribbon" option.
Run the macros by pressing the associated buttons next to their scenarios in the SS.
Instructions: We will be using the Freeware program GIMP to do our editing.
- Get a copy of GIMP or GIMP Portable. If you are in the lab, you can get a copy portable GIMP from our lab->Balch->Portable Apps->GIMP area. On campus, put your copy of GIMP someplace you have control of like a flash drive.
- Right click and save as to a known location the following pictures Alex in Agde and Tropical Beach.
- Launch GIMP and from the Tool Palette use the File Menu option "Open" to load the Tropical Beach and then from the picture
- Use the File menu option "Open as Layer" to open Alex in Agde pictures (FYI Alex is my wife).
- From the Picture Window use the File menu select "Save As" and save the file with the GIMP XCF file type selected.
- Select the lasso from the Tool palate and loosely select Alex, then invert your selection, and remove everything but Alex and the background close to her with Edit -> cut.
- Change your image zoom level and eraser size to carefully remove all of the original background from Alex and let the beach image show
- Use the four way arrow tool to move Alex to the bottom left of the beach (but not exactly like I did below)
- Use the Dodge Tool to brighten up Alex's face
- Use the image file menu to "Save a copy" and select the file type extension JPEG. You will be warned that this will flatten the image but that's what you want so press the Export button.
- In class, print a copy. Online, send me the picture as an attachment.
Your picture should look something like this but put Alex a little more to the right so I know you didn't send me a copy!
Your presentation should be in good form and include slide transitions. Good form means that you have only five to seven words for each point you want to make. Do not put the entire text of what you intend to say on the slides.
Here is a good PowerPoint review that supplements your text.
You will make your presentation in class.
Wed. Dec. 10 8:30-10:30 AM
Mon. Dec. 8 1:40-3:40 PM
Thr. Dec. 11 8:30-10:30 AM
Tue. Dec. 9 1:40-3:40 PM
Your paper should be mostly in your own words. All words that are not your own must be within quote marks with an attributed source. According to the AWC Code of Conduct plagiarism is "passing off the ideas or work of another as one's own without crediting the source." Further, as stated in the catalog, plagiarism is academic dishonesty and grounds for an automatic "F" on your paper.
Useful links
- My notes on document automation provide a good start on learning how to use APA.
- AWC Writing Lab
- AWC Library
- APA Reference
- Easybib Automatic Bibliography composer
- APA Crib Sheet
- OWL at Purdue
- Check your paper for plagiarism at DocCop
- Topic selection list