1. Unit 1 – Improving Productivity Instructions ~ 100 words per box

2. 1.1Why did you use a computer? What other systems / resources could you have used? I use a computer because it faster then writing and much better and faster for finding research over going through a book, a computer has the internet were I can find information and pictures while doing my tasks when writing with a pen you can’t do these things all at the same time. A computer also gives us a more accurate and clean outcome it gives fonts and colours and also gives us text correction when something has been missed spelled. I can also communicate to others for free (skype) while using different programs. Also using a laptop I can bring all my work anyway instead of using a notebook to keep record and be all un organised I can have all of me data in folders in my storage on my laptop. When I make a presentation on PowerPoint it allows me to have slides which helps organize my work much better. Some issues I would have uncounted if I never had a computer would end up being un organised, waste time and energy writing when I can easily copy and past, wasting pens and pencils and could end up with sloppy writing unreadable. If I never had a computer I would have had all of these problems and mistakes un reversible. Without a computer I would have to present presentation much differently I would have to speak to a crowd with information I would have to research through books and having to write down my information and my lines I would have to say. And if I make a mistake I couldn’t go back and change it I would have to learn from it.

3. 1.2What skills did you need to learn in order to use PowerPoint? Some skills are saving constantly so you don’t lose any work if something goes wrong. A skill is knowing how to insert text with text boxes while also being able to change the letters font and colour. You should know how to add pictures to your work. inserting backgrounds and changing the colour. adding sounds and videos to your work is useful. And also cropping the sounds and pictures to size and making the sounds loop if needed. being able to animate your writing and pictures and doing different transitions. Adding tables and graphs from other programs. Inserting tables made on PowerPoint. Adding hyperlinks what take you onto websites on the internet or even to another slide on your PowerPoint presentation. Making a list or bullet point things. Making new slides. Knowing when adding videos or sounds they can be turned on and off on demand or automatically.

4. 1.2What resources did you need to make the presentation successful? I would use a program named power point what is used to make presentation and I would use the advantages and features it gives like letter font, letter size, letter colour, backgrounds animation, hyperlinks and other useful features it gives me. I would have to include pictures that I find on the internet that are not a copy write so it makes my slide look more colourful. I will able to edit these pictures with presentation packages like adobe Photoshop and Fireworks. I would include sound that I find off the internet what is appropriate and illegal to use and I could edit the sounds with special programs like audacity. I would include accurate research that I can present in tables and graphs using programs like Microsoft excel. I can also save my work at any point during my work so I can go and have a brake and carry on tomorrow. I can use the shared area provided by the school that gives resources that I can use freely in my presentation.

5. 1.4What factors might have affected how well you completed the presentation? (e.g. time / attendance / knowledge of software) Some factors are: my preparation of the work like planning and researching on the internet to give me ideas so when I come to start my presentation I have the knowledge with me already and means less time wasted. I also have the advantage of knowing the program I am using (PowerPoint) more then others so this gave me the advantage of working quicker the others. so I can use the resources it gives better and more accurate. Some bad factors that could effect my word are distractions during the lesson what would take my focus away from the work meaning in time loss and prevents any work being done. When I’m looking for suitable photos, videos and animation some of them are copy written or will be if I use them in presentation which means I have to look for another and wastes time. Exams that could move me away form my work what could affect my focus on the lesson's. Not knowing what resources I want or cant decide between what recourse I should use. If I time management before I begin my work I could save time by doing specific times to do certain things like pictures, presentation, etc. When am absent from school will take time away or being late for lesson what could add up over time being loosing a our of my lesson time,

6. 1.6Why did you use PowerPoint to make your presentation? What other software was available? Why did you choose not to use them? I use PowerPoint because it gives me access to different and more interactive features such as animation, hyperlinks, sound and video. The program was made to make presentation with slides and transitions while including other features that are used in other programs made by Microsoft such as word and publisher like fonts, word art, backgrounds and colours. Its much easier to present it to on a large screen to people rather then making a leaflet printing them and giving them out. Another program I could have used is Microsoft word, this program is very different this is more writing on a piece of paper and printing it rather then make presentation with slide, animations hyperlinks and more. Word can only have pictures and words if your planning to print it but you can add hyperlinks if you were to keep it on the computer for people to see and if you will have to print a copy to everyone what is very expensive and a waste of peper. Word doesn’t give you the range of accessibility and features as PowerPoint but gives a good use of making list or information pages.

7. 2.2Which tools within PowerPoint made it appropriate for your presentation? Master slide is used for the menu of the slide where the audience can have the freedom to go wherever they want. Hyperlinks are a great and appropriate tool to use because it gives the audience the freedom of going to websites and different slides on the PowerPoint and helps give a better understanding. Text and textboxes are good for giving the presentation a good impression and look I can make text large small colourful and change the font and also put it on a slant and in different area on the page. Animation is good to show how you have taken the time to make this presentation to the best of its abilities and to make the slide good looking if you out it on a timer or something to make it automatic. I can make tables that help with supporting or giving a better version and understanding of the statistic work. I am able to save my work at any point during my work turn the computer off and come back later when I've had a brake and it also gives a little reminder and short cut that appears when you open your work back up that will take you back to the slide that you were last working.

8. 1.7Were there any legal constraints or local constraints that changed the way you created your presentation? (e.g. copyright, file sizes, AUP) If your searching the internet for a good picture or a good animation or sound there is a copywriter restoration what means you are taking something that needs permission or needs to be paid for to use other wise you will be braking the law. The way you can avoid gaining legal information is asking first, paying for it or if its already been used by you is take it off. Data protection act is if you can identify a person or student you will have to blur your face or change their name to hide their identity. This applies to music, animation and videos too, you will have to shorten the videos animation and music because of being noticed during the time its on there and your videos will end with the quality of the music, video and animation being lowered because of cutting it at a point when its legal to use. You may have to cut the video not just to make it legal but also to make it fit the file size to make legal because there are rules about the it fitting the maximum slide so this could lead to lower quality and shortened videos. You will have to use the proper file type as well other wise your whole work could end up being deleted.

9. 2.4What improvements do you think you could do to your presentation? In my presentation I could add colours and fonts to my writing to give it a better look and I can change the colour for different subjects making it more organized and easier to find things. I could add animation for example gifs or cartoons to improve the boring pages look. I could add pictures that relates to the slide and the presentation and shows I have made a effort to improve the look of my presentation and helps people understand the subject and the meaning of the slide. Videos is something I could add to summaries the writing or it could be a substitute to the writing for people who are young or have disabilities and find it hard to read. I could have a voice over to read the writing what is another add to young people and people with disabilities making it easier and people tend to understand more when its read out to them. If I already have pictures I could look and find a better quality or even find a new better looking one to improve the look and impression my presentation gives off.

10. 3.2What improvements do you think you could have done to improve your work rate? (keyboard shortcuts, file names & locations, backups, work after school, templates, planning) I could have planned and prepared my work before hand giving me idea of what I’m doing. I would give myself smart targets what will help my preform better because I know I musty hit these targets and it gives my a reminder on what ill be doing and how I should be working. This targets would be based on giving a good performance and give your work a good impression while also giving practical targets like certain amount of words, explaining my answers, etc. I would give myself a time plan on times when I should work on the presentation and when I stop and in that time what I'm going to work on this could be pictures, writing, titles all things like that. I will have to manage my time if I was to give myself a time plan so I have to not get distracted, not go to the toilet, not being late, collecting resources (gathering pictures and sounds for particular slides) things that I could have done before hand or I could do later and caused me to lose time what I cant get back what could have been used to do something more useful.. I would place the presentation in files that I can locate easily with no hassle of loosing it so I would paste it in my area in a slide ladled presentation in the open where its easy to find. So I would save it often just in case something goes wrong and I don’t waster time having to do it all again because of my not saving. I would pick simple colours that are the same colours the whole way through the presentation so I don’t spend time picking colours for words and the background of the slides. I would use keyboards shortcuts such as control+c to copy and control+v to paste and control+s to save quickly while I’m typing. I would save my work on a memory stick just in case a computer with my login is not by and I cant do my work so I c an use different computers like my one at home.