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

2. 1.1Why did you use a computer? What other systems / resources could you have used? I used a computer because it is easier to access the information I need and is easier to present. I used copy and paste in order to finish my work faster. I could stand in front of a group to get my point across better however a disadvantage could be I may come across as boring or I might not go into enough information. Making a paper presentation can be a good way to make the presentation more personal but It wouldn’t be as smart because there's nothing to show.

3. 1.2What skills did you need to learn in order to use PowerPoint? In order to use PowerPoint I needed good ict skills and I also needed to know how to use good spelling techniques. I also need to learn how to make a layout on PowerPoint. I needed to learn how to make hyper links so my power point is easier to use and to give access to websites with more information on my PowerPoint. Learning to print screen helped me make the power easier to lay out and make. Another skill I needed doing this unit was good time management, however I only grasped this towards the end of the unit as a lot of time was wasted due to distractions.

4. 1.2What resources did you need to make the presentation successful? To make the presentation I needed to take pictures by using a digital camera or by taking them of the internet and using them to describe what the school is about. I used pictures in my presentation that were either taken with a digital camera or taken of the internet for use in my PowerPoint. The internet was a huge help and resource used in the making of my PowerPoint, I used the internet to get information and the majority of my images.

5. 1.4What factors might have affected how well you completed the presentation? (e.g. time / attendance / knowledge of software) During the creation of my presentation there were a number of factors that effected how well I completed my presentation. One factor was my knowledge of power point, even though I have used PowerPoint in the past I have never used the advanced features such as custom animation, slide show timings and slide master. It took me a while to perfect these new tools. My attendance during the presentation unit was good however due to distractions It took me longer to complete the unit. I also spent a long time making my PowerPoint look visually attractive, I think my time would have been better spent improving the content instead.

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 have been using PowerPoint since an early age so I know the basic skills of PowerPoint. PowerPoint is a versatile presentation software, it allows users to add interactive features such as spell checks and sound. Knowing how to use PowerPoint from an early age gave me the advantage over using it to my presentation which hents the reason why I only chosen PowerPoint as my program source and not word or other computer programs. There are many other presentation applications that I could of used for example Mach ware mediator and a online presentation app called Prezi however I did not use these because I would of had to learn how to use these from scratch and they would of also cost the school additional money to use the program.

7. 2.2Which tools within PowerPoint made it appropriate for your presentation? In the creation of my PowerPoint I used various tools. One of the tools I used were transitions to make the PowerPoint flow better and to make it run smoother. I also used custom animation to add effects to my text and images, once again custom animation was used to make effects and engage the users. I used the slide master tool to make my presentation look consistent and professional. I used the slideshow timing tool to add timings to each of my slides to enable it to be played in a loop. I also used the spell check tool to check my spellings for any errors.

8. 1.7Were there any legal constraints or local constraints that changed the way you created your presentation? (e.g. copyright, file sizes, AUP) Copyright law protects a persons work from being copied or used without there permission. When I completed my presentation I had to make sure that the images, videos, sound and text that I used was all my own work and also when I obtained these from the internet I had to wright a reference to insure the creator of the work was credited. When I saved my images and videos into my hard drive I had to make sure the file sizes were suitable as my hard drive space is limited, I did this by compressing or optimizing my videos and images. The college has a AUP which dictates what I can do on the school network, I made sure that I followed all the school rules when I created my presentation.

9. 2.4What improvements do you think you could do to your presentation? In my presentation I could of added more detail on each subject, there was enough information as a whole each subject individually wasn’t explained as well as they could have been. Another thing that needed improving was my timings, the timings were a little to slow which made people stare at a screen for a few more seconds after they had read it which was a bit annoying. My PowerPoint could of used more sounds as I had only incorporated two or three sounds into the presentation. I found that the background of my power point was a bit dull and boring, I had initially had my background like this to make my presentation look more professional but I realised after that although the background looked more smarter it looked dull and wasn’t appealing to the people watching the series of slides during my presentation. My PowerPoint needed another video but I was unable to as I did not have enough time to put more detail into each topic I touched on let alone try and find another video.

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) In order to improve my work rate there are a number of steps that I needed to take, here are some of the steps I could of taken but missed out on. Two hours a week wasn’t enough to complete all units in time so we were offered the chance to come back after school to continue on our work but I didn’t take the opportunity to do so which lead to me falling behind a unit less than others in my class. During lesson time I am easily distracted by others which gave me a lack of progress during the lesson, this also aided in the events that lead to me being one of the last pupils to finish there presentations. When I got bored or impatient with the work we were coursing through I would either sit there on my phone or play games on the internet which was a big mistake I made as this was one of the main reasons I had fallen behind the work set for us. Another way I could have prevented myself from falling behind is by planning how I would lay out my presentation instead of thinking of it as I went along, I had a minor plan for the PowerPoint but not developed enough to take me through the entire PowerPoint.