1. Level 2 IT Users Qualification – Unit 1 Improving Productivity Beth williamson

2. I can describe the purpose of using IT in my work I used ICT to complete my coursework because it will look more professional and its simple. I used pictures in my presentation and newsletter to make them look more colourful and relate to what is being talked about. If I had not used ICT in my work then the pictures would have been harder to use because I would have had to find them from a book. Getting them from the internet using a Google was better because it saved time, I also included a Youtube video in my presentation because it will look more interesting. Without ICT, adding this video would have been impossible and would have made my work look less professional. My newsletter included articles which were not written by me but came from the internet. I used ICT to complete a Google search to find articles about technology. My business card, letter and newsletter were made using templates. These helped me in my work because saved time. My presentation included a range of additional ICT tools such as hyperlinks and logo. These enhanced my work because the tools I used made it better. If I had completed my work without a computer then I could have made errors but because most software has spellcheck so I was able to use it to auto correct my work. If I had not used ICT for any of this work it would have taken longer and included more mistakes.

3. I can describe the methods, skills and resources needed to complete my tasks successfully In order to complete my tasks successfully I had to know how to use the software. Each piece of software is different and this meant that I had to learn lots of new skills. In my presentation I had to know how to use a master slide and then had to add text and pictures. I thought about the layout and organised my slides accordingly. I used a main menu which included using a wide range of hyperlinks to link to the main menu to the slides. Using these made my presentation interactive and also made it effective. I also made it better by including a range of advanced features such as picture borders and transitions. These made the presentation look more interesting. Publisher enabled me to use a range of different methods to create my products. It enabled me to choose a design and colour scheme before starting my project so that I could then use a template which helped me create your work. Templates were useful because they enabled me to keep the design consistent whilst adding all of my own work. Using these saved me lots of effort but also meant my work looked really professional. For most of my work I needed pictures and I found these by Google search. I had to change the settings on Google when looking for my pictures so that they were copyright free. I also had to store them in a source and store table so I could follow the law. I also had to reference the websites articles and video’s I used in my work so that I didn’t break the law.

4. I can describe factors that might affect the task There are many factors which could have affected me from completing the tasks set. The first factor is to make sure that I have access the to technology to be able to complete the task. Without a computer I wouldn’t have had access to software and so wouldn’t be able to complete tasks in order to make my work professional. The computer or software could be out of date and this could affect the task because I might not have all the tools I needed. I used the internet a lot in my work so if there had of been problems with the internet, such as losing connection or sites being blocked then this could have prevented me from getting copy right free pictures or videos from youtube. Copyright could have been something else which might have affected the task because I had to search for images which were copyright free and sometimes the pictures I wanted to use weren’t available because they had copy right restrictions. Finally, the biggest factor which could have affected the task is me. If I could not use the software then I wouldn’t have been able to complete the tasks.

5. I can describe how the purpose and outcomes have been met by the chosen IT systems and tools I created my presentation using PowerPoint and my business card, letter and newsletter using Publisher. I chose PowerPoint to create my presentation because it had a number of things to help me in my work. Firstly, it included the ability to add text and photos. Writing directly onto the computer saved me time because otherwise I would have to write it myself.. Getting pictures straight from the internet was easy because you could search for them instead of looking in a book or magazine. PowerPoint was good to use for a presentation because it has a wide range of effective features, such as hyperlinks and sounds which made it perfect for my work. Publisher also had a wide range of style features but most of these were to do with the range of designs available. By choosing a design and colour scheme I was able to apply a template which did most of the hard working for me. This meant I could focus on making a cool logo and finding useful articles. Publisher also enabled me to save my work as a PDF. This was useful because it meant that anyone looking at my work could see it.

6. I can describe any legal or local guidelines or constraints that apply to the task or activity I completed my coursework at school which meant that I worked from my own login. It is important that my account is protected so that my work is kept in my own account and nobody can touch it. I also completed my work in school which meant that I had to follow school policy when using the computer. This policy included using the computer respectfully and not searching things on the computer which have inappropriate language. Some software the school has is free but some software has been paid for which means it needs a licence. Software licences are all different, some can restrict how many computers the software can run on and others can not allow you to do certain things. If you don’t buy a licence then you are breaking the law about copyright. Copyright was very important in my coursework because I wanted to use pictures from the internet and videos from youtube without making them myself. I followed copyright law by using a source and store table which showed lots of information about the asset I had found online such as the ULR and other important information. I found pictures using a copyright free Google image search to make sure that the person who made it was happy to share.

7. I can describe whether the IT tools selected were appropriate for the task and purpose Many of the tools I used in my coursework were appropriate for the task and purpose because it made it more efficient. For my presentation unit I was able to create a master slide so that all my slides could be matching in colours, layout and design which made my work look better. I was able to use hyperlinks to create a main menu. This made the main menu and individual slides more interactive. I was able to add pictures, text and videos so that the actual presentation was nice to look at and this made the presentation suitable for my audience. Presentation software allowed me to choose from a range of animations and transitions. While these made my work look good, I was not able to make my own. Desktop publishing software enabled me to create range of publications such as a business cards, letterheads and newsletters by choosing a template which looked the same. The tools in desktop publishing software included, allowing me to write my articles in columns and this made my work look more in sections. Desktop publishing software also allowed me to save my files as PDF so that anyone could view them. Finally, online tools such as vista print helped me to make a logo in a quick and neat way. Overall, the tools I used were appropriate for the activity because they helped with everything I wanted to do.

8. I can assess the strengths and weaknesses in my final work When completing my presentation I thought that my hyperlinks were very good because when you have hyperlinks its good because people can get to your things more easy. I also thought that my design was effective because it matched everything and it was really bright. I felt my main weakness was pictures because I didn’t really have that many pictures but also that my animations could have improved because I didn’t really have that many and if I did they were all the same and it looked stupid. When completing my business card, letter and newsletter I thought that my choice of design was one of my strengths and while this was a preexisting software feature, I was able to choose it to fit in with my logo. I thought my newsletter was the best of all three publications because the colours were good, it stood out and it had the most writing, plus I just think it’s better than the others. I thought that I could improve my letterhead by putting more writing and putting the text bigger.

9. I can describe ways to make further improvements to my work I could have made further improvements to my presentation if I had consider different software such as go animate. If I had used go animate instead then I could have made something unique. Many of the features of presentation software are the same but most presentations are made using Powerpoint that just gets boring. I used Powerpoint because I’ve used it before but looking back on my work, I could have been better if I had used something else. I could have improved my newsletter if I had made it longer. I was pleased with the finished newsletter but felt that there was room to make It longer which would have improved it.

10. I can review the benefits and drawbacks of IT tools and systems used in terms of productivity and efficiency There were many factors which affected me in terms of productivity and efficiency but the one I noticed the most was knowing the software. Some of the tools in Powerpoint and Publisher were tools I had not used before which meant that I lost time having to learn how to use them. An example was that some of the designs in publisher were not ready for me to use so I had to spend extra time making sure that the one I chose was available. As I had to follow the copyright law, I lost time when creating my newsletter as I had to copy and paste articles. I could have been more productive if I had copied straight from the website but this was something that could not be allowed to happen. Each lesson I had to log on and sometimes this took me ages. During some lessons the internet didn’t work and this affected me because I couldn’t do as much as I wanted to.

11. I can describe ways to improve productivity and efficiency There are a variety of ways I could have been more productive and efficient in my coursework. The first is if I had focused more. There were many lessons where I did not make much progress and if I had of been more focused then I could have been more productive. Sometimes, when starting something new, I took longer then I wanted as I had to make sure I understood what I was doing. Some of the tools within Publisher were new to me. This meant that I had to work more slowly until I was as confident as I wanted to be. Throughout the project I kept my files tidy which made me more efficient as I was able to always find what I was looking for. I also only wrote the contact details for my company once then copied them so that I could be more productive with my time. The use of templates helped me as it only had to be done once which made me more productive because I didn’t have to re-design each product.