Two weeks ago I wrote how I was going to complete the ePrints 3 assignment. I ended up putting if off until this past Saturday. Truthfully, it scared me, I thought I had no clue what I was doing. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was the easiest assignment I had completed this semester, of course, by saying this I have just cursed myself. I probably did it wrong!
Initially, I had no clue how to log onto ePrints 3. I wasn’t even sure where to find it on the internet. Luckily, someone else had asked this exact question during our weekly chat session. Soon I found ePrints 3 and began exploring the site. I tried to upload an article but it didn’t work. After a few attempts, I got fed up and quit, vowing I would finish it in a few days. Of course that didn’t happen, for one reason or another. I made up a lot of excuses to put off doing this assignment, which is very unlike me, including going to see Transformers 2.
So, Saturday I figured I had to complete the assignment or it would never get done. I regretfully sat down and planned on putting in a good four hours on this assignment. I was dreading my Saturday afternoon. I started by going through EBSCOhost and finding several articles about computer networking. I ended up saving the articles to my computer before uploading them. I wasn’t sure if this was what we were supposed to do or if we were just supposed to upload the metadata.
After uploading the articles I couldn’t decide which type of display I wanted to do. Was I supposed to make it so that everyone could see it or one of the other two options? I quickly figured out the metadata for all of the articles and then it came time to put it up. Of course this part confused me a bit too. I had to make sure that all of my items were active. I almost missed this during my first time through ePrints 3.
After I was finished with my articles I went and looked for books on-line to help complete this assignment. I did not upload the books, because many of them were hardback, so I just quickly put in the metadata so anyone looking could find out the information about the books.
In the end, I’m still not sure if I completed this thing correctly or not. I guess when grades are given, I will find out. I’m just crossing my fingers until then!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The other text…not as much fun as the first?
The other text book we have for this class is smaller, which in my initial opinion made it better. However, after cracking it open and actually reading it, I miss the other one. Learning Web Design lacks the colorful images and sidebars that Discovering Computers 2010 had. Still I hope this book will get me through creating my own webpage for this course!
This week we were supposed to read Chapter 2, 3 and 10. Chapter 10 was the most informative, I thought. It paralleled what we learned in DC chapter 13. But it seemed to break each topic down a little further. Each page contained sidebars that included information that might be beneficial to the reader. Even though this book lacks the colorful images, it seemed to have more humor in its writing. I have no clue if that was just me or if that was what the author wanted. Either way, I think I might enjoy this book more. Reading boring books was the least of my worries this week.
This is very unlike me, I usually get all my homework done as early as I can, but I have put off doing the ePrints 3 assignment. I am going to have to complete it tomorrow or else it will end up being late. I am not looking forward to spending my Saturday doing homework, but it is my own fault. The only thing I can be thankful for is that I got all of my reading done early.
Well that’s all for now. Next week I will have posts that are definitely better and if not better at least more interesting. Thanks for bearing with me this week. Hope everyone has a good weekend!
This week we were supposed to read Chapter 2, 3 and 10. Chapter 10 was the most informative, I thought. It paralleled what we learned in DC chapter 13. But it seemed to break each topic down a little further. Each page contained sidebars that included information that might be beneficial to the reader. Even though this book lacks the colorful images, it seemed to have more humor in its writing. I have no clue if that was just me or if that was what the author wanted. Either way, I think I might enjoy this book more. Reading boring books was the least of my worries this week.
This is very unlike me, I usually get all my homework done as early as I can, but I have put off doing the ePrints 3 assignment. I am going to have to complete it tomorrow or else it will end up being late. I am not looking forward to spending my Saturday doing homework, but it is my own fault. The only thing I can be thankful for is that I got all of my reading done early.
Well that’s all for now. Next week I will have posts that are definitely better and if not better at least more interesting. Thanks for bearing with me this week. Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Unlucky Chapter 13....
On page 675, I found a table that was about the classic programming languages. I figured this would be really helpful and lead me to a better understanding of the material I was reading, since chapter 13 is like a different language. I think you need a degree to just read about these different types of programming languages.
The one section I did understand was the HTML and XHTML information. I took a course at Seton Hill University that was dedicated to creating web pages and both HTML and XHTML. I will admit once I was done with this course, I promptly forgot everything that we learned. I figured I would never need it in my future career; of course this was before I decided to become a school librarian. If I had known this was my career of choice, I would have tried to remember everything I learned. Lucky for me I still have my notebooks somewhere in my house.
Even though I’m not sure I understood the information in Chapter 13, I really liked the examples they showed us, as well as the program development life cycle. This cycle is very beneficial and it is nice that they had a visual to accompany the text. They also went into great detail on each step which helped me to better understand the material being talked about. I am a visual learner and this break down was something that I might use in my future classroom for other topics.
I liked this chapter and found it actually sparked my memory from that class two years ago. Even though I am not really excited to create a website, I think it might be fun this time around. Who knows I might actually remember this stuff when I get a job or else I will be asking for student volunteers!
The one section I did understand was the HTML and XHTML information. I took a course at Seton Hill University that was dedicated to creating web pages and both HTML and XHTML. I will admit once I was done with this course, I promptly forgot everything that we learned. I figured I would never need it in my future career; of course this was before I decided to become a school librarian. If I had known this was my career of choice, I would have tried to remember everything I learned. Lucky for me I still have my notebooks somewhere in my house.
Even though I’m not sure I understood the information in Chapter 13, I really liked the examples they showed us, as well as the program development life cycle. This cycle is very beneficial and it is nice that they had a visual to accompany the text. They also went into great detail on each step which helped me to better understand the material being talked about. I am a visual learner and this break down was something that I might use in my future classroom for other topics.
I liked this chapter and found it actually sparked my memory from that class two years ago. Even though I am not really excited to create a website, I think it might be fun this time around. Who knows I might actually remember this stuff when I get a job or else I will be asking for student volunteers!
Websites....
I took a course at Seton Hill University and it required me to create a website. After I was finished with that course, I swore I would never create another one, it was just too hard and I did not understand what I was doing. Well here I am two years later, working on another website for a different class.
We were allowed to use a template in my other class and I did, because creating a website from scratch was more difficult then I had expected. My website was dedicated to an honor society that I was President of and we were planning on using it on the official website. This of course put a ton of pressure on me to complete it perfectly. I really wish they would have asked someone else to complete it, because mine was not that great.
The first problem I ran into was changing the font and background colors. I swear I followed the directions and did everything I was supposed to do, but alas the color never changed. This made me really upset and so I asked my professor to help me, which she did. I eventually mastered this technique and was able to move onto something else, which of course gave me trouble!
The two worst problems I had were the picture page and the hyperlinks. I ended up having to ask a student at my mom’s high school to help me because I could not get my hyperlinks to work and thus my pages would not connect. By this I mean if someone was on the homepage, they could not get to the FAQ page or the picture page. This student did not really help me, because he couldn’t figure out the problem. Eventually I was able to locate the typo error and fix the problem. The other problem was the picture page, since the template I used already had a table in it, it messed up the table I tried to put insert. It was not very pretty!
To make a long story short and avoid the gory details of my creation, I finished my webpage and I got a good grade on it. However, I am not looking forward to constructing another one!
We were allowed to use a template in my other class and I did, because creating a website from scratch was more difficult then I had expected. My website was dedicated to an honor society that I was President of and we were planning on using it on the official website. This of course put a ton of pressure on me to complete it perfectly. I really wish they would have asked someone else to complete it, because mine was not that great.
The first problem I ran into was changing the font and background colors. I swear I followed the directions and did everything I was supposed to do, but alas the color never changed. This made me really upset and so I asked my professor to help me, which she did. I eventually mastered this technique and was able to move onto something else, which of course gave me trouble!
The two worst problems I had were the picture page and the hyperlinks. I ended up having to ask a student at my mom’s high school to help me because I could not get my hyperlinks to work and thus my pages would not connect. By this I mean if someone was on the homepage, they could not get to the FAQ page or the picture page. This student did not really help me, because he couldn’t figure out the problem. Eventually I was able to locate the typo error and fix the problem. The other problem was the picture page, since the template I used already had a table in it, it messed up the table I tried to put insert. It was not very pretty!
To make a long story short and avoid the gory details of my creation, I finished my webpage and I got a good grade on it. However, I am not looking forward to constructing another one!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Google does have a book that actually helps you understand its apps!
This week we were asked to read Chapters 2-4 and 8-9 of the Google Apps: The Missing Manual. At first I had no clue where to locate this resource, so I tried using Google. Then when that failed, I moved onto the ULS, which is where I ended up finding this manual. I wasn’t really expecting a whole lot out of this, but was willing to read it. Now I finally know where to go when I have a question about Google; it’s the Google for dummies that I have been waiting for!
Chapter two talked about Google Docs and I felt this chapter was important because of the usefulness of Google Docs. My group in my Multicultural class is using this program to interact with each other, when we cannot meet face to face. This has been nice since I live 45-minutes away from campus and the other three members live in Pittsburgh.
In this chapter the first sentence really summed up what I like about Google Docs, “accessibility” and “collaboration.” It’s a great way to send information and read what others have written. It also documents everything, so my group can share with my professor as well as each other. The manual continues by stating that everything is stored on Google’s computers and can be accessed “from anywhere with an Internet connection.” This is really beneficial to those who use multiple computers throughout the week. I know when I meet with my group I use a computer on campus and if I forget my jump drive I’m in big trouble. I can e-mail it to myself, but that can cause a variety of problems. By loading a document onto Google Docs, I do not have to worry I just log in and there is my item. When explaining the benefits, the manual says that a person does not have to worry about losing a flash drive, which is very, very easy to misplace. When I was at Seton Hill, I was in a hurry to leave my class at the end and I accidently left my flash drive in the computer. When I realized I had left it, I went back to school, only to discover my flash drive had been taken. Google Docs eliminates that problem.
I did not realize that Google Docs allowed ten people to edit the same document at the same time. I thought you just loaded it and people looked over the document whenever they got a chance, similar to e-mail. I find that to be remarkable and a great tool; groups can have meetings and work on projects, in real time, without having to leave their houses. What the manual states is true, Google Docs is “redefining the whole concept of working together.”
After I was done looking over the chapters we were required to read, I went back to the table of contents to see what else the manual had to offer. I really liked how they broke everything down for you, especially with the chapter on Google Docs. It gave you the browser requirements as well as a step by step walk through of what Google Docs does, how to do, and what to expect. I really liked this manual. I even told my mom about it and she is thinking about purchasing one for her library.
I sincerely wish I would have known about this manual prior to starting all of my assignments, I think it would be a great introduction to this course and how to approach and use the applications for Google. I would recommend this to anyone who has never used the Google applications before. It is a great resource!
Chapter two talked about Google Docs and I felt this chapter was important because of the usefulness of Google Docs. My group in my Multicultural class is using this program to interact with each other, when we cannot meet face to face. This has been nice since I live 45-minutes away from campus and the other three members live in Pittsburgh.
In this chapter the first sentence really summed up what I like about Google Docs, “accessibility” and “collaboration.” It’s a great way to send information and read what others have written. It also documents everything, so my group can share with my professor as well as each other. The manual continues by stating that everything is stored on Google’s computers and can be accessed “from anywhere with an Internet connection.” This is really beneficial to those who use multiple computers throughout the week. I know when I meet with my group I use a computer on campus and if I forget my jump drive I’m in big trouble. I can e-mail it to myself, but that can cause a variety of problems. By loading a document onto Google Docs, I do not have to worry I just log in and there is my item. When explaining the benefits, the manual says that a person does not have to worry about losing a flash drive, which is very, very easy to misplace. When I was at Seton Hill, I was in a hurry to leave my class at the end and I accidently left my flash drive in the computer. When I realized I had left it, I went back to school, only to discover my flash drive had been taken. Google Docs eliminates that problem.
I did not realize that Google Docs allowed ten people to edit the same document at the same time. I thought you just loaded it and people looked over the document whenever they got a chance, similar to e-mail. I find that to be remarkable and a great tool; groups can have meetings and work on projects, in real time, without having to leave their houses. What the manual states is true, Google Docs is “redefining the whole concept of working together.”
After I was done looking over the chapters we were required to read, I went back to the table of contents to see what else the manual had to offer. I really liked how they broke everything down for you, especially with the chapter on Google Docs. It gave you the browser requirements as well as a step by step walk through of what Google Docs does, how to do, and what to expect. I really liked this manual. I even told my mom about it and she is thinking about purchasing one for her library.
I sincerely wish I would have known about this manual prior to starting all of my assignments, I think it would be a great introduction to this course and how to approach and use the applications for Google. I would recommend this to anyone who has never used the Google applications before. It is a great resource!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
iPhones the next generation of communication or just a glorified toy?
Over the weekend my parents received our cell phone bill. Once again Verizon had screwed it up. My mom wasn’t too happy and neither was I, because we had called them multiple times before about problems with our bill and those same problems seem to keep recurring. I even did billshrink.com to see if we were getting the best service at Verizon or if we should switch companies. I won’t lie, I’m really interested in getting an iPhone. One of my friends has one and it’s pretty cool. So I started looking around online to learn more about it and then I remembered I had seen information in our textbook about the iPhone.
Usually when I purchase textbooks, I really can’t figure out why I did it. I use them for the class and then they sit in my closet because I have no use for them. This was the first time I had actually used my book for something not related to class. The iPhone offers its users a chance to use the internet away from their computers. You can get applications for it to play games and you can use it as an iPod. What more could you really want from a phone?
Each iPhone has its own operating system that was developed by Apple. It’s all touch screen so there isn’t a key pad. The book even says that “users can manage contacts and notes, send and receive e-mail and text messages, take pictures, record videos, connect to the Internet wirelessly and browse the Web, check stocks, access maps and obtain directions, listen to music, watch movies and videos, and display photos.” Not many phones can do all that.
It’s truly amazing to see what technologies have come up with over the past several years. We have gone from the large cell phones that Zac Morris used to use (Save by the Bell reference) to phones that are literally ten things in one. I’m not sure if my mom, my dad, and I will switch from Verizon to A T& T or if I’ll have to wait until the iPhone becomes available through Verizon, either way I will have one, one day.
Usually when I purchase textbooks, I really can’t figure out why I did it. I use them for the class and then they sit in my closet because I have no use for them. This was the first time I had actually used my book for something not related to class. The iPhone offers its users a chance to use the internet away from their computers. You can get applications for it to play games and you can use it as an iPod. What more could you really want from a phone?
Each iPhone has its own operating system that was developed by Apple. It’s all touch screen so there isn’t a key pad. The book even says that “users can manage contacts and notes, send and receive e-mail and text messages, take pictures, record videos, connect to the Internet wirelessly and browse the Web, check stocks, access maps and obtain directions, listen to music, watch movies and videos, and display photos.” Not many phones can do all that.
It’s truly amazing to see what technologies have come up with over the past several years. We have gone from the large cell phones that Zac Morris used to use (Save by the Bell reference) to phones that are literally ten things in one. I’m not sure if my mom, my dad, and I will switch from Verizon to A T& T or if I’ll have to wait until the iPhone becomes available through Verizon, either way I will have one, one day.
Monday, June 15, 2009
ePrints 3...what happened to the first 2
Over the weekend, I took my last two Praxis exams! Thank goodness that is out of the way. Now I actually have time to focus on my four classes for this summer. I decided to start and hopefully complete the ePrints 3 assignment, between today and tomorrow. Who knows if this will actually happen, knowing my luck it will take me three or four days.
Well, it took me a while to figure out how to actually log onto ePrints 3. I had to go back to last week’s discussion and find the web address. Once that was done, I felt like I was all set to start. Except, I had no idea what ePrints 3 did. Was it a search engine or a place to store materials? After a few minutes of exploring I figured it out. So it was on to step two, finding sources. I went directly to the VPN network at Pitt and began looking through EBSCOhost, in hopes of locating some great articles. I found my first one pretty quickly, but I had no idea how to up load it to ePrints 3. So after poking around ePrints for a few more minutes I thought I had it figured out. I saved the article to my computer and then began the process of uploading it. It took forever for the system to upload and after ten minutes I closed the web browser and started over again. This time I was successful in uploading the article, the next step was to include extra information, but by that time I had lost the article (since I had to close out my other browser) and start looking for the article again. That’s where I’m at right now and I decided to take a break because it’s driving me crazy. I figured I would write a post and then go back and find at least ten items today. We’ll see if that happens, because ePrints might make me so stir crazy that I’ll give up for the day.
Looking over the rest of the week I’m guessing that I will complete the ePrints assignment and begin the next one. My hope is to get everything done well before the end of the course. The only problem with that is I’m not quite sure what I would blog about then! Okay, well I am off to work on this ePrints thing and do some other work. Have a great day everyone!
Well, it took me a while to figure out how to actually log onto ePrints 3. I had to go back to last week’s discussion and find the web address. Once that was done, I felt like I was all set to start. Except, I had no idea what ePrints 3 did. Was it a search engine or a place to store materials? After a few minutes of exploring I figured it out. So it was on to step two, finding sources. I went directly to the VPN network at Pitt and began looking through EBSCOhost, in hopes of locating some great articles. I found my first one pretty quickly, but I had no idea how to up load it to ePrints 3. So after poking around ePrints for a few more minutes I thought I had it figured out. I saved the article to my computer and then began the process of uploading it. It took forever for the system to upload and after ten minutes I closed the web browser and started over again. This time I was successful in uploading the article, the next step was to include extra information, but by that time I had lost the article (since I had to close out my other browser) and start looking for the article again. That’s where I’m at right now and I decided to take a break because it’s driving me crazy. I figured I would write a post and then go back and find at least ten items today. We’ll see if that happens, because ePrints might make me so stir crazy that I’ll give up for the day.
Looking over the rest of the week I’m guessing that I will complete the ePrints assignment and begin the next one. My hope is to get everything done well before the end of the course. The only problem with that is I’m not quite sure what I would blog about then! Okay, well I am off to work on this ePrints thing and do some other work. Have a great day everyone!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I’m starting to really not like technology…
I used to be a great lover of technology. I own a cell phone, an iPod, a TV, a DVD player and all the other basic items that make life interesting. However, when it comes to stuff online, I am clueless, which then makes me feel even worse. It’s a never ending cycle.
So after a few more hours of studying I decided to take a break and start the next assignment, so I would have something to actually blog about. However, I am clueless as to what the heck I am doing. This is the assignment for class, “A collection of 25 items should be built on a local instance of ePrints3, with appropriate metadata for all items. The subject matter should be related to social computing and/or social networking. The assignment is due June 28. (20 points)” I understand I am supposed to use ePrints3, but am I using it to locate the information or just to store it. So I am pretty much lost. I am looking for anything dealing with social computing and/or social networking on what the internet, in databases, or in a library. I’m just very confused and again have to wait until Thursday to discuss with the group. Of course, the second I am done writing this post I am headed over to the discussion board to see if anyone else is having issues. Oh, well. I guess I will try to figure it out, hopefully I completed it right.
Now that I have skyrocketed my frustration, I’m headed back to studying only a little time left before I take these tests. I’m still really nervous, so next week will definitely be better. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
So after a few more hours of studying I decided to take a break and start the next assignment, so I would have something to actually blog about. However, I am clueless as to what the heck I am doing. This is the assignment for class, “A collection of 25 items should be built on a local instance of ePrints3, with appropriate metadata for all items. The subject matter should be related to social computing and/or social networking. The assignment is due June 28. (20 points)” I understand I am supposed to use ePrints3, but am I using it to locate the information or just to store it. So I am pretty much lost. I am looking for anything dealing with social computing and/or social networking on what the internet, in databases, or in a library. I’m just very confused and again have to wait until Thursday to discuss with the group. Of course, the second I am done writing this post I am headed over to the discussion board to see if anyone else is having issues. Oh, well. I guess I will try to figure it out, hopefully I completed it right.
Now that I have skyrocketed my frustration, I’m headed back to studying only a little time left before I take these tests. I’m still really nervous, so next week will definitely be better. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Memories…
This week has been crazy so far. I am taking my last two Praxis exams, content knowledge and the library science, on Saturday. All of my free time has been taken over by studying. I’m still freaking out, no matter how much I study. So word to the wise, if you are taking the Praxis, take them early and start studying at least two months beforehand.
For this week I planned on writing two posts on the Jing assignment, but it didn’t take me as long to do as I thought! Well, this left me with a blog to write and nothing to talk about, which happens to be a new concept to me! In the end I decided to reflect on the past several weeks and the assignments we have already completed.
Honestly, I do a lot of reading in my classes. This class does not have as much to read as some of my other courses, but it sometimes takes me longer to get through the material. I love using technology, but I’m not as keen on reading about it. I really have a hard time getting into the readings. It still makes me feel good that I actually have a clue what the book is talking about. However, I sometimes put off the readings as long as I can.
Before I started this course I had never heard of or used many of the applications. Scopus, was one of those, I had seen it but never used it to locate sources. I found it easy to work with and it located what I needed quickly, which is a plus. What came next was not a friendly relationship with Google Reader. However, even after the little bump in the road during the WorldCat assignment, I like Google Docs. It has made group work so much easier for me. I am an on campus student, but I live about forty-five minutes away, and with gas prices on the rise I do not always want to drive in for a brief meeting. Google Docs has allowed my group to work effectively from our homes and still get the assignment completed and turned in on time. Even though I have continuously played around with it, I still do not get or like Google Reader (and I will leave it at that.)
The WorldCat assignment was really interesting. I have never used WorldCat before; however, over the last three semesters I have used PittCat. WorldCat did not have some of the features I liked about Scopus, but it did give the user places they could locate the material. But I did end up having trouble exporting it as an RIS format and as an excel file. I posted to the Discussion Board and everyone was very helpful. I’m still hoping that I completed it properly. I guess I will find out when I get my grades!
The Jing assignment was really frustrating, since I kept having to rerecord due to outside noise and my own flubbed lines. I really found it interesting that we can record what is on our screen and create our own tutorial videos. I’m actually thinking of using this source in my future library. It would be an easy way to demonstrate items that children might have trouble with. The only other problem I faced was deciding how to embed it into my blog. Again, I will find out if I did it correctly when I get my grade.
I’ve actually come to enjoy blogging, which really surprised me. I will never have a personal blog, because I’m not really interested in others reading about my life, but I have found it interesting doing it for this course. I can now write about my frustrations with all of the assignments. I’ve found that I complain less when things go wrong and I do not feel like the only one who doesn’t understand.
Well, I’m about out of time (I’m on a study break) so I’m off to study!
For this week I planned on writing two posts on the Jing assignment, but it didn’t take me as long to do as I thought! Well, this left me with a blog to write and nothing to talk about, which happens to be a new concept to me! In the end I decided to reflect on the past several weeks and the assignments we have already completed.
Honestly, I do a lot of reading in my classes. This class does not have as much to read as some of my other courses, but it sometimes takes me longer to get through the material. I love using technology, but I’m not as keen on reading about it. I really have a hard time getting into the readings. It still makes me feel good that I actually have a clue what the book is talking about. However, I sometimes put off the readings as long as I can.
Before I started this course I had never heard of or used many of the applications. Scopus, was one of those, I had seen it but never used it to locate sources. I found it easy to work with and it located what I needed quickly, which is a plus. What came next was not a friendly relationship with Google Reader. However, even after the little bump in the road during the WorldCat assignment, I like Google Docs. It has made group work so much easier for me. I am an on campus student, but I live about forty-five minutes away, and with gas prices on the rise I do not always want to drive in for a brief meeting. Google Docs has allowed my group to work effectively from our homes and still get the assignment completed and turned in on time. Even though I have continuously played around with it, I still do not get or like Google Reader (and I will leave it at that.)
The WorldCat assignment was really interesting. I have never used WorldCat before; however, over the last three semesters I have used PittCat. WorldCat did not have some of the features I liked about Scopus, but it did give the user places they could locate the material. But I did end up having trouble exporting it as an RIS format and as an excel file. I posted to the Discussion Board and everyone was very helpful. I’m still hoping that I completed it properly. I guess I will find out when I get my grades!
The Jing assignment was really frustrating, since I kept having to rerecord due to outside noise and my own flubbed lines. I really found it interesting that we can record what is on our screen and create our own tutorial videos. I’m actually thinking of using this source in my future library. It would be an easy way to demonstrate items that children might have trouble with. The only other problem I faced was deciding how to embed it into my blog. Again, I will find out if I did it correctly when I get my grade.
I’ve actually come to enjoy blogging, which really surprised me. I will never have a personal blog, because I’m not really interested in others reading about my life, but I have found it interesting doing it for this course. I can now write about my frustrations with all of the assignments. I’ve found that I complain less when things go wrong and I do not feel like the only one who doesn’t understand.
Well, I’m about out of time (I’m on a study break) so I’m off to study!
Monday, June 8, 2009
I’m ready for my close-up
After a nice weekend of studying for my praxis exam (which is next Saturday), I realized that I needed to get started on my Jing assignment. I did not go into this assignment thinking I would get it done quickly. So today after I finished doing some other work, I set aside a few hours to work on this assignment. Lucky, I did, because I had several problems!
First things first, I had to hook my microphone and headset up to the computer. So I moved my computer desk out and went looking for the corresponding colored holes. After a few seconds of searching I found both and was able to hook it up to my computer. After I finally got everything back in its place, I realized that I could have easily plugged my headset into the front of my computer. This made me very upset, since I had taken time to move things in order to hook up the microphone! So when was all said and done I ended up moving the microphone connection to the front of my computer. I figured it would be the easiest way to unhook it when I was done.
One problem fixed several more to go! Now it was time to practice using Jing with the microphone. I quickly recorded something, just to see if it would work and of course it didn’t. So I went back and realized that I had left the microphone on mute, so it didn’t record. After fixing this problem I started my recording for this assignment. And 20 times later, I was still messing up the first few sentences. And if I got through those, I messed up in the end. I was feeling really bad about this assignment, and pretty angry that I just couldn’t complete it quickly. Each time I did the assignment, I had to uninstall Zotero again and again. Well, that must have made both Firefox and Jing upset, because they both shut down and refused to load again. Both desktop icons disappeared as well. Now I was really angry and pretty much sat and threatened to destroy my computer by taking a baseball bat to it. Of course, this did nothing. So I restarted the computer only to have it freeze. I had to restart it twice more and wait at least 10 minutes between them before it would work. By this point I was ready to just give up and quit for the day, but I couldn’t. I have to study for the praxis all week, so I have been trying to get all of my homework done today. I continued on, upset and dejected.
This time through, it only took me two takes before I completed the assignment. I was thrilled!!! I quickly saved and uploaded it to screencast. When I logged onto screencast, I was not too happy to learn that it did not save. To make a long story short (too late) I ended up embedding it as a screencast URL onto my blog. I really hope this works! Onto the next assignment…yeah!
First things first, I had to hook my microphone and headset up to the computer. So I moved my computer desk out and went looking for the corresponding colored holes. After a few seconds of searching I found both and was able to hook it up to my computer. After I finally got everything back in its place, I realized that I could have easily plugged my headset into the front of my computer. This made me very upset, since I had taken time to move things in order to hook up the microphone! So when was all said and done I ended up moving the microphone connection to the front of my computer. I figured it would be the easiest way to unhook it when I was done.
One problem fixed several more to go! Now it was time to practice using Jing with the microphone. I quickly recorded something, just to see if it would work and of course it didn’t. So I went back and realized that I had left the microphone on mute, so it didn’t record. After fixing this problem I started my recording for this assignment. And 20 times later, I was still messing up the first few sentences. And if I got through those, I messed up in the end. I was feeling really bad about this assignment, and pretty angry that I just couldn’t complete it quickly. Each time I did the assignment, I had to uninstall Zotero again and again. Well, that must have made both Firefox and Jing upset, because they both shut down and refused to load again. Both desktop icons disappeared as well. Now I was really angry and pretty much sat and threatened to destroy my computer by taking a baseball bat to it. Of course, this did nothing. So I restarted the computer only to have it freeze. I had to restart it twice more and wait at least 10 minutes between them before it would work. By this point I was ready to just give up and quit for the day, but I couldn’t. I have to study for the praxis all week, so I have been trying to get all of my homework done today. I continued on, upset and dejected.
This time through, it only took me two takes before I completed the assignment. I was thrilled!!! I quickly saved and uploaded it to screencast. When I logged onto screencast, I was not too happy to learn that it did not save. To make a long story short (too late) I ended up embedding it as a screencast URL onto my blog. I really hope this works! Onto the next assignment…yeah!
Jing Assignment
http://www.screencast.com/users/anh55/folders/Jing/media/3ba09fc4-d729-4d88-aab1-7dc5068a8f95
Here is my Jing assignment....hopefully it will work!
Here is my Jing assignment....hopefully it will work!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Microphones…need I say more
For the Jin assignment we need to purchase a microphone. So today I decided to actually go out and buy mine, since the assignment is due next Sunday. I figured I would go to Best Buy and get mine, come home and do the project. Finding the microphone happened to be the easiest part.
I really assumed it might be difficult to find one of these microphones, since I figured you have to fit the microphone to your computer. However, I was wrong and the salesperson at Best Buy was able to help me locate and find the perfect microphone for me. Best Buy has several different makes and models ranging from cheap to expensive. I ended up purchasing one that looks like it belongs to a telemarketer. It’s a headset and microphone in one. This will be nice when we do live chats, that way I will have no distractions while I work.
Now I just have to figure out where to plug it into my computer. Then I will be able to actually get to work on this assignment. I am really nervous about doing it, since I have a tendency to talk really fast when I am nervous. So, we will see how this goes.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
I really assumed it might be difficult to find one of these microphones, since I figured you have to fit the microphone to your computer. However, I was wrong and the salesperson at Best Buy was able to help me locate and find the perfect microphone for me. Best Buy has several different makes and models ranging from cheap to expensive. I ended up purchasing one that looks like it belongs to a telemarketer. It’s a headset and microphone in one. This will be nice when we do live chats, that way I will have no distractions while I work.
Now I just have to figure out where to plug it into my computer. Then I will be able to actually get to work on this assignment. I am really nervous about doing it, since I have a tendency to talk really fast when I am nervous. So, we will see how this goes.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
DIMDIM…sounds more like a video game than a way to communicate
Last week we had our first chat session using DIMDIM. Once again I had never used this type of online communication before this course. It was definitely a new experience. DIMDIM offers users a live video chat, a public chat session and other interesting features. At first, no one knew where the public chat sessions were located, but afterwards it seemed to flow smoothly.
The chat session was nicely formatted as well. We had an agenda that we kept to and it helped keep everything organized. I was glad I was not the only one having issues with the WorldCat assignment. I have since (hopefully) figured it all out! The live chat feed of Dr. Tomer was also a good idea. For those who had never had him before it was a chance to “meet” him. The only problem with this is the feed sometimes froze and it would take a minute to come back online. The chat session was just like a discussion in class and they help us to communicate and get to know one another. Another tool that we use in this course is the discussion boards in Courseweb.
The Discussion Boards have been great. They allow us to ask and answer each other’s questions. When I had a question concerning the WorldCat assignment I posted it in the discussion board and within a few hours I had an answer. The only issue with the discussion board is that the feedback takes time. With the chats that feedback is instantaneous. Still, if you have a question on Monday (and the chat is on Thursday) the discussion board is a great place to go!
This week’s discussion is on a game night! EEK! I know some of my friends want to go and I can’t because we have the discussion. Hopefully it will be quick and we won’t miss too much of the game. GO PENS!!
Hope everyone has had a great week so far, I will talk to you all tonight during the chat!
The chat session was nicely formatted as well. We had an agenda that we kept to and it helped keep everything organized. I was glad I was not the only one having issues with the WorldCat assignment. I have since (hopefully) figured it all out! The live chat feed of Dr. Tomer was also a good idea. For those who had never had him before it was a chance to “meet” him. The only problem with this is the feed sometimes froze and it would take a minute to come back online. The chat session was just like a discussion in class and they help us to communicate and get to know one another. Another tool that we use in this course is the discussion boards in Courseweb.
The Discussion Boards have been great. They allow us to ask and answer each other’s questions. When I had a question concerning the WorldCat assignment I posted it in the discussion board and within a few hours I had an answer. The only issue with the discussion board is that the feedback takes time. With the chats that feedback is instantaneous. Still, if you have a question on Monday (and the chat is on Thursday) the discussion board is a great place to go!
This week’s discussion is on a game night! EEK! I know some of my friends want to go and I can’t because we have the discussion. Hopefully it will be quick and we won’t miss too much of the game. GO PENS!!
Hope everyone has had a great week so far, I will talk to you all tonight during the chat!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Sometimes I feel like I’m just treading water and really not getting anywhere…
The first day of class, whether it was in high school, undergrad or at Pitt, I always have that freak out moment. You know the one where you are hearing about everything you need to complete and what is required of you to do during that semester and suddenly you feel like “Oh crap, I so cannot complete everything you are asking me to do.” Yeah, that moment is one of the worst. But by the end of the semester you have finished everything and have passed. Well, for this class, I feel like that moment has been stretching on and on for the past two or three weeks.
I’ll be honest, I’m totally freaking out over these assignments. I start out being confident that I will be able to complete them fairly quickly, but then comes the moment of dread and anger when I hit a brick wall and have no clue what I’m doing. The chat sessions are a great way for us to get answers to our questions, as are the discussion boards, but I feel like I need a flashing neon sign telling me when I am on the right track and when I’m headed for a dead end.
When I was in high school or at Seton Hill I always based my assignments on the first assignment or test. This first test/assignment always gave me an idea on how to approach the remaining ones. Did I need to make more flashcards, read deeper into the questions, etc. However, we have yet to get feedback or grades on our first two assignments, so I feel completely lost in the next one. Grades are extremely important to me and I do not want to lose points because I have absolutely no clue what I am doing.
So with that in mind let’s explore the next assignment. I had never heard of Jing prior to this class. I am realizing that I am not as tech savvy as I originally thought I was. This is actually quite disappointing. But anyway back to Jing. I am going out tomorrow to purchase a microphone for my computer (which I will probably never use again). I really have no idea what I am looking for and again wish for the neon sign that points directly to the item I need to purchase. Then after I do that I must create a demonstration and save it to screencast. Now I really shouldn’t comment on whether or not I think this will be easy, because with my luck it will just be really really hard. Then I get to embed the presentation into my blog. This is so not a good idea for me, but I will try it. Hopefully, it will work but I am not holding high hopes. Tune in soon to see how well this goes over, but expect complaining and tears. Good luck everyone else!
So after I cringed over Assignment four, I turned to assignment five. My thinking was that I would be able to complete it before I went in search of the perfect microphone. Boy was I wrong again. The hyperlink to local instance was broken (Does anyone know where the hyperlink was supposed to take us?) and I’m actually not quite sure what this assignment is about. Nevermind, I just re-read the assignment and now get what I am doing, this could all change very very quickly. Until next time!
I’ll be honest, I’m totally freaking out over these assignments. I start out being confident that I will be able to complete them fairly quickly, but then comes the moment of dread and anger when I hit a brick wall and have no clue what I’m doing. The chat sessions are a great way for us to get answers to our questions, as are the discussion boards, but I feel like I need a flashing neon sign telling me when I am on the right track and when I’m headed for a dead end.
When I was in high school or at Seton Hill I always based my assignments on the first assignment or test. This first test/assignment always gave me an idea on how to approach the remaining ones. Did I need to make more flashcards, read deeper into the questions, etc. However, we have yet to get feedback or grades on our first two assignments, so I feel completely lost in the next one. Grades are extremely important to me and I do not want to lose points because I have absolutely no clue what I am doing.
So with that in mind let’s explore the next assignment. I had never heard of Jing prior to this class. I am realizing that I am not as tech savvy as I originally thought I was. This is actually quite disappointing. But anyway back to Jing. I am going out tomorrow to purchase a microphone for my computer (which I will probably never use again). I really have no idea what I am looking for and again wish for the neon sign that points directly to the item I need to purchase. Then after I do that I must create a demonstration and save it to screencast. Now I really shouldn’t comment on whether or not I think this will be easy, because with my luck it will just be really really hard. Then I get to embed the presentation into my blog. This is so not a good idea for me, but I will try it. Hopefully, it will work but I am not holding high hopes. Tune in soon to see how well this goes over, but expect complaining and tears. Good luck everyone else!
So after I cringed over Assignment four, I turned to assignment five. My thinking was that I would be able to complete it before I went in search of the perfect microphone. Boy was I wrong again. The hyperlink to local instance was broken (Does anyone know where the hyperlink was supposed to take us?) and I’m actually not quite sure what this assignment is about. Nevermind, I just re-read the assignment and now get what I am doing, this could all change very very quickly. Until next time!
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