Chris Nolan

Today in class, Chris Nolan provided us with a lot of valuable information focusing mainly on how to use many of Google's awesome features. The most useful thing I learned is how to narrow down the results on Google by using the advanced search option. We can actually specify the language of the articles we are looking for, the file type, the domain and many other things. Professor Nolan also showed us other features like Google books, Google scholar that are very helpful in searching for articles needed for academic work. The piece of information that surprised the most is how Google organizes the list of search results. I used to think that it was only based on the title and how many times the word actually appears in the article, but it also has to do with how frequently the webpage is cited in other sites. By knowing this information I will now be able to find better quality articles on Google and in a much faster way.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint presentations can be extremely useful and effective when used correctly. In many of my classes, professors use PowerPoint presentations to point out the main ideas of the lessons, and as they speak they elaborate on each topic. This is a very efficient way of teaching, but there is so much more in creating a valuable presentation that one does not actually imagine how important it is to take certain details into account.  
1. When creating a PowerPoint presentation, it is crucial to include only the key words or sentences that describe the main idea you are trying to point out. If you put too many words, listeners might get overwhelmed and not focus on what is actually important.
2. It is also very important to keep the backgrounds simple and professional. If there is too much decoration it becomes very distracting.
3. On the other hand, it is also important to include some pictures or graphics and not just plain old boring data. Including pictures related to the topic makes it more enjoyable to the human eye.
4. When choosing the text color, one has to select certain colors that really stand out from the background. I have seen some presentations in which the text color is very similar to the background color, making it almost impossible to read.
5. Finally, organizing the data into bullets, in my opinion, is extremely important in making the presentation appealing to the audience.
Creating a PowerPoint presentation can actually be very helpful in presenting your objectives, thoughts, conclusions etc., but only if you actually know how to create a powerful one.

CLT

This past Thursday we visited the AT&T Center for Learning and Technology which is located on the first floor of the library. Honestly, I had no idea this place existed and it is simply the BEST PLACE on campus!!! Mr. Chapman explained to us about the wonderful resources that can be found in this place. There are 26 computers in total (14 Macs, 12 PCs) and eleven scanners. Apart from having the basic tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.  each computer also has advanced features like  Photoshop and web-design tools. With all its amazing equipment, this is where you want to be whenever you need to work on a multimedia project. There are even student workers and employees who will gladly teach you how the programs function. 

The CLT also has its own video conferencing system (in HD) that provides the communication with students who are studying abroad, professors who are not at the university etc. From what I understood, this software can actually be downloaded by students and staff. 
 In general, the AT&T Center for Learning and Technology is a great place to "explore the world of educational technology" or even a nice, quiet place to study. I will definitely go back and take advantage of everything that is available to us. 

Pictures That Lie

 

I  found this picture on news.cnet.com and apart from being an  interesting image I have to admit I did laugh quite a bit when I first saw it. This picture was used as the cover of TV guide in 1989. It was altered by cutting out the head of Winfrey,placing it on Anne-Margret's body and adding color to the image since Anne-Margret's picture was in black and white. The person who created the composite did it without permission of Winfrey or Anne-Margret and it was eventually detected by Anne-Mergret's fashion designer who recognized the dress. In the Hollywood world, I guess artists have to be "perfect" in all aspects. Oprah is definitely admired by millions of people by her public speaking ability, presentation skills, sense of humor etc., but the fact that she does not have the "barbie" body, desired by all Hollywood stars, is a huge disappointment for many people and maybe even for her. As shown in this cover Oprah is falsely portrayed as having this "perfect" body and so now she is definitely "perfect" in all aspects of life, making her a true Hollywood star.

This is the total opposite to the idea that people had in the Renaissance period when being overweight actually made a person more important. Back in that time it meant that this person had the money to nurture himself/herself.
The manipulation might have been disturbing to Oprah since it is kind of saying that her body is not good enough, but the public in general would either find this image attractive or simply not even care.

In this two minute video about Photoshop, we are shown how to add a layer mask to a photo. The purpose here is to blend two faces together. By choosing the correct commands and using the appropriate tools, the instructor is able to line up the inserted face to the background painting. I chose this video because I think it fits in really well with the Oprah/Anne Margret picture I found. My guess is that the person who created that composite definitely used this adding a layer mask technique.