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? Using a computer allows you to perform more efficiently and allows you to present things more interestingly with ease. If you were to do a presentation in an assembly in school for example it would be much easier to use computer software's such as PowerPoint or Microsoft Word than to use posters on paper. Also if you were to have to produce posters or Word documents in bulk it would be much more efficient if you were to create it on the computer and print say 200 copies than to hand draw or write 200 copies. Also using a computer appeals more to a wider audience and is then more accessible to others.

3. 1.2What skills did you need to learn in order to use PowerPoint? Before learning how to use PowerPoint you first need to learn how to use a computer which I did from an early age. In order to use PowerPoint you don’t really need that many skills. Some of the skills that are necessary are how to hyperlink, how to add a new slide, how to add images, how to change the colour and change the size of fonts. Most of the skills necessary for PowerPoint are necessary to make the PowerPoints look attractive and interesting. You can make a PowerPoint with the basic skills that you learn on programs like word however if you use the skills I mentioned earlier it makes it look more professional and will lead people to have more faith in the point you are presenting.

4. 1.2What resources did you need to make the presentation successful? To make a presentation successful you will need the school website to gather all of the necessary information about my school so that my PowerPoint was accurate, I used RM shared to get information for my PowerPoint that is already on the school system, I used the support of my class mates around me to keep me focused and working at a good rate and I used Microsoft Word to plan out my presentation and check everything before I presented. I used the internet to get hints and help about my presentation and how to make it look professional.

5. 1.4What factors might have affected how well you completed the presentation? (e.g. time / attendance / knowledge of software) I think that the time that I had to complete the presentation was more than enough as long as you attended every session and worked solidly each session to get it done. I believe that knowledge of the software and knowledge of the topic of the presentation are the biggest limiting factors. I think that if you know the facts about your topic then it eliminates the tie taken by research and if you have the skills on the software you are using as well as the basics you can complete your presentation to a professional and good quality in the first attempt rather than getting it sent back to you because it isn’t of a high enough standard.

6. 1.6Why did you use PowerPoint to make your presentation? What other software was available? Why did you choose not to use them? There were many other software's that I could have chosen to use such as word, or publisher but I believed that PowerPoint would be the best and most appropriate software for my presentation. Instead of ignoring the other software's I used them to assist me in the process of making my PowerPoint. I used word to plan my work and I used publisher to make my PowerPoint look more professional. I used the internet to research the information that I was going to put on my presentation so that it is accurate.

7. 2.2Which tools within PowerPoint made it appropriate for your presentation? I used many tools on PowerPoint to set my presentation apart from others to make it more interesting. I used animations and videos to make it seem more professional and to make it look more appealing. I used images to make the information I provided more visual and to provide evident examples. I liked the fact that I could put different information from different topics on different slides so that I could split up and categorise the information to make my presentation more structured.

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 means that images or text can be owned by a particular person or business. I altered the way I created my presentation by putting all of the information I provided in my own words so that I didn’t brake the law and so that I couldn’t be blamed for anything linked with the information according to the acceptable use policy. I didn’t do anything different due to the size of the file because I didn’t think it would really matter in terms of my presentation.

9. 2.4What improvements do you think you could do to your presentation? If I was to make any improvements to my presentation I would create my own evidence rather than using everything from the shared area like I had to in this presentation. For example with the videos and pictures I could hire a professional photographer or collect the images and videos myself from the school as I attend it. This would take more time but I could collect images and videos that are more suited and more appropriate to my presentation.

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 think that my work rate wasn’t bad as I completed the project on time however if I was to make improvements I would work on my own to avoid distractions and possibly put calm music on to help me focus. I would save my work regularly just in case my computer freezes and I have to start again. I could work after school but when I am in school time I am in a school mind-set and tend to work better. I planned well but I planned on a different program so next time I could plan each slide on the side and just expand it rather than transferring the information. This is a more direct method and would save time.