Last Blog!!

As sad as it is, this is my last blog entry!! My most important piece of advice for all future students in this course is to not put off projects and assignments! Do them as soon as you have free time, while instructions are fresh in your head. Also, don't hesitate to ask questions. If you wait to ask, you will just become more flustered. Professor Belisle is great at answering any questions you will have, and remember, there is no such thing as a bad question!

Student Websites

I really enjoyed Lauren's website about TU soccer. I loved the pictures, and I'm so proud of the girls! I thought her website's layout was aesthetically appealing, and very organized. I also enjoyed Nyk's website, it was very well constructed and I loved all the pictures of the food! Sophie's was also one of my favorites, because it was nice finally seeing all of the gorgeous picture from her trip to Italy!

Visit My Site!

www.cs.trinity.edu/~toliver2

Creating a website was harder than I thought. There were so many elements involved, and the layout was harder to create than I expected. I used Expression Web to create my website. I'm most proud of my Off the Runway page because I love the background and I think the colors flow very well. If I were to change something, I would have started earlier in creating my website! My biggest technical challenge was creating each of the pages and tabs in Microsoft Expression Web. My biggest design challenge was making sure all of the pictures fit together in a table. I would love to show the site to all of my friends!! In knowing how to create them now, I'm more motivated to create an even better one in the future!!

Larry Hechler Talk

Larry Hechler provided really great insight into what to look for when buying a computer, as well as showing us the different parts of desktop and laptop computers. He described how to take care of your computer, for example never using alcohol or ammonia based cloths to clean your screen. He said that although Macs may be more expensive, other computers such as Toshiba are just as good and may last just as long. I thought the parts of the computer were very cool, because they are so easily dismountable. it is very important to take care of your computer because each part of it is unique and may be very expensive. In my next computer I'm going to look at where the parts were made as well as the warranty on the computer.

Photo Fakery

I chose a picture from when I went hiking with my boyfriend Bryan and our husky, Boris. The nature was very beautiful and I thought the picture was funny because Boris is walking right beside me. The picture originated from the Salado Creek Greenway, where we went walking the other day. It was manipulated by changing the hue and the saturation, as well as the lighting. I also inserted a picture of a dinosaur and used the magnetic lasso tool in order to crop it to enter it into the picture. It was manipulated because I wanted to bring out the colors in the forest, accentuate the dinosaur by changing the lighting effects and focusing on him, and I was pointing in the original picture at nothing, so I thought it'd be fitting to put in a picture of some sort to draw the eyes to it. The manipulation was not harmful, just fun, unless people are traumatized by the thought of flying dinosaurs. The picture really didn't relate to the article, because the article I found mainly talked about photo manipulation in the newsroom, and the common public wouldn't think twice to believe this picture!!              

I thought the article was very interesting, because it discusses the harmful effects of photo manipulation pertaining to real life, focussing on the newsroom. The author discusses how photo manipulations occur in order to help defend a story or dismiss an opposing position, and even to create drama or draw interest fro the public. The author notes how it is more possible for photo manipulations to take place in big, complex newsrooms. She states how it is unethical to do so, and that photo manipulation when it pertains to news is unacceptable and does not follow ethical standards. 

Lowrey, Wilson. "Normative Conflict in the Newsroom: The Case of Digital Photo Manipulation." Journal of Mass Media Ethics 18.2 (2003): 123. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.

Powerpoint Presentations

My own presentation, on neonatal stress, was very fun to present because I am fascinated by this subject, and I would even like to focus on it when I have to give a presentation for my neuroscience experiment. I learned a lot more about the causes of this stress, such as neglect, as well as how pregnancy or (prenatal) stress affects newborns. I liked the fact that I was able to discuss the chemicals involved, and how cortisol plays a role in stress, which we have learned in my neuroscience course. I might've given more information on the chemical pathway of stress so that there is more background to understanding why stress occurs and why it can be so damaging.
I really enjoyed Katie Garrett's presentation on medical anthropology. This subject fascinated me. I thought the video was really important and insightful and the information she gave was very relevant to today's society and it needs to be brought to attention and focused on. I really liked the layout of the presentation as well.
I also really liked Sophie's presentation, because it was fun and I found it to be very interesting and I don't know much about even planning. I really liked the youtube video!! Also, the pictures and animations were beautiful! The content about the planning was very interesting because it seems like so many details are involved!

Chris Nolan Talk

Our Assistant Librarian, Chris Nolan, came to speak to us about search engines. He described several, and mentioned that one of his favorites was Bing. It was very interesting to learn about all of the capablilites of sites such as the Coates Library online database, and google. I learned that google offers many possibilities to narrow down a search, such as advanced search. Something new I learned was that you can simply define a word by writing define:word in Google. Google offers Google Scholar, which provides the user with only academic sources, which is very useful when writing research papers which I frequently have had to do. I also learned the importance of credible sources. Many sites contain false information, and I was surprised to learn that educational sites that usually end with .edu or organizations .org, have now been being displayed on websites that are not in fact educational at all, one example being wikipedia. When trying to figure out if a site is a credible source, it is important to note who the author is, and there should be a background provided about him/her, as well as other links to other works or their profile. 

PowerPoint

Bad PowerPoint presentations may consist of unorganized material. For example, text boxes that are cut off and if the presenter is unable to follow what they wrote. Bad grammar and run on and fragment sentences are also consistent with a bad presentation. I think if the presenter doesn't include the audience then they will not have their full attention. Another characteristic is if the text color and text background don't contrast enough, which makes it hard to read and is distracting. If graphics/charts are not included in the presentation it fails to backup the slides and the audience will appreciate seeing visuals instead of simply a bunch of words. Transitioning is also important. For example, making clear subject jumps.


PowerPoints are very useful because they provide a way to clearly present and involve your audience. PowerPoint offers a variety of tools to use in order to gain the attention and to express ideas clearly. At a Mindscience lecture I attended about a month ago, a Dr. in Psychology presented her thesis using a PowerPoint presentation which was full with experiment information, appealing graphics, and solid outlines of her ideas. She even included animated visuals of brain scans, which were very interesting, attention grabbing, and supportive of her thesis.

Trip to CLT

Last Thursday our class took a tour of CLT (Center for Learning and Technology), located first floor of the Coates Library. Robert Chapman gave us the grand tour and described the many possibilities that CLT has to offer to not only staff but students. Video conferences are hosted in CLT for teachers, and this is done by a webcam where teachers are able to communicate to someone in a whole different room. According to Robert Chapman, students can utilize CLT for converting VHS movies to DVDs, record presentations, use scanners, and even organize and alter personal music. Now knowing all of the things CLT has to offer, I will definitely use these resources, possibly in organizing my music, and even scanning diagrams in my neuroscience book! For this class I could utilize the scanners and get more experienced in photoshop. it is also very helpful that the Macs are there, which will help me become familiar with my own that I just bought! In counting the computers, I discovered there were 14 Macs and 12 PCs, which total 26 computers. There were also 11 scanners, which are always available for use. I will definitely be using CLT in the future, and taking advantage of all of the resources it provides!

This picture represents the impact of photoshop on an image.This shark has been posted in the top picture below a U.S Air Force helicopter in 2001, and has been creating an uncomfortable stir. I chose this picture because it creates a significantly drastic mood than the previous picture below. The picture was manipulated by reversing the direction of the helicopter and a shark was pasted in the picture. It was probably manipulated in order to entertain an audience, and cause a stronger reaction out of the viewers. I think the manipulation is harmful, because it diminishes the reality and the severe heroics of the displayed Air Force soldier.

I think this video is useful and important because it shows you how to perform color corrections for your photos through Photoshop. Through this tutorial you can learn how to color correct and blend the colors of your images. The message of this help session is to prove how important colors affect your images, and how correcting even the slightest color can affect the picture overall.

Excel

I really have learned a lot about Excel. I've enjoyed using absolute and relative cell references. It makes making graphs and tables super easy, which is helpful for school assignments, daily life, and businesses. I had no idea how much Excel can do for us. I really appreciate it more now! Before, I didn't know how to make graphs and do all of the formula work. I will now be able to make more professional graphs for my labs, and it will make the math calculations much easier! In my real life it can help me keep track of my spending. What I dislike is that sometimes Excel isn't too obvious, which makes it difficult to remember all of the procedures.

Copyright Notes

Copyright Notes by Tess Oliver is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at tessoliver.blogspot.com.

My Trinity Network Diagram

The tour of the server room in Halsell was very interesting. I definitely received new insight into the detailed process that the communication of the wide world of the internet around our school, as well as the importance of such files as Y-drives and firewalls, which protect us from the outside world! The diagram project also helped me show my understanding of the system of our school.

Trinity Mystery Spot

This "mystery spot" might be familiar to all of those dutious students getting their studying done. The privacy of it makes it easy to accomplish all the work of the day, and if you need to look something up, your resources are right there! I chose this location because it is nicely hidden, yet immediately the view may be obvious. In Picnik I really wanted to bring out the bright green color of the grass, contrasting with the blue, so I increased the saturation and lowered the temperature of the picture. This caused a florouscent look, which I was going for. I also increased the sharpness, which made the colors and the picture more pixalated and precise. I love nature, so I added a few stickers to give the picture a more fun and light feel. Guess where this is?? It's not as simple as it looks.

Best Tech Tip

Joe Hatch's survival skills talk really gave me some good insight. I honestly don't know that much about computers, and his talk was really eye-opening. The best advice I think was definitely understanding the difference between "crackers" and "hackers" as well as describing why sometimes our computers are running slow, and being extremely aware of popups that look legitimate, but prod for your information. As he explained, these fake programs make millions of dollars scamming and draining bank accounts. This really freaked me out. I also thought it was very interesting about how businesses are still using PCs, which are more trusted. Training employees to use MACs would be costly, as well as the programs being used.

Hey everyone!

My name is Terese Oliver, but I named myself Tess when I was two years old, and it just stuck.
I was born and raised in San Antonio, but I have family in Florida as well. My mom and dad are divorced, but remain good friends. I have a brother named Max, he's sixteen and has grown so far to become six feet two, so we definitely don't fight anymore. I also have a stepdad, Fede, who is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In high school I played tennis and I had been playing cello since fifth grade, but stopped (or retired, as I like to call it) senior year of high school. I love swimming, playing tennis, and hanging out with my sorority sisters. I have a boyfriend named Bryan, and he's twenty two years old and is pre dental. I'm a sophomore at Trinity and I'm a neuroscience major, and a SPUR. I'm living with two other SPURS, my roommate AnneMarie and suitemate Neyaz. A little known fact about me is that I have a Siberian husky named Boris, who is a sweetheart. Bryan says not to call him that. "He's a beast", he says. I'm kind of technologically challenged, but I did take a class way back in elementary school on how to make a website, a typing class in middle school, and a computer skills class in high school, where we did numerous projects with photoshop. I've had to make numerous power points and presentations, but I'd like to become more familiar with Excel. Luckily, my roommate AnneMarie is an avid blogger!

email me here!