My Final Comment

Students taking this class next semester, do all of the homework and you will do just fine in this class!

Zack Garcia

My Favorite Websites

I thought everyone did an excellent job on the websites, but there were three really stuck out to me. The first one that stuck out to me was Karen's. I liked hers very much because on the title page she had pictures of her spinning in a circular motion which gave it a very good touch. The next website that really stuck out to me was Drew's. I like how he put hyperlinks to different things from his website and the overall look of it. I thought it looked very professional. The last website that really stuck out to me was Ashley Snow's. I thought it was a very good idea to include the hyperlink to the discus thrower. She designed her website in a way that was easy to follow and looked very appealing to the viewer. Like I said before, I thought that everyone's websites were very good, but these stuck out to me the most.

You can check out my website at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~zgarcia.


Zack Garcia

HTML Code

It is very important for web designers to know the HTML code. Even though the code is very long and can be very complicating, it's worth knowing how to use it. Say a web designer is creating a web page using Expression Web or Dreamweaver and there is a problem with his or her website. If they can't identify the problem on Expressions Web or Dreamweaver, they can look at the code to decipher what's wrong. Once they have identified the problem, they can simply type in the correct code so that it will fix the web page all together. This is just one reason why it's a good idea to know the HTML code. Another reason is that some web designers just flat out like using the old fashion way and like typing in the code themselves by hand. They know exactly what they are typing in and will know exactly how their web page will turn out. Even though we have highly sophisticated software such as Expression Web or Dreamweaver to help us create web pages, it is still important to know the HTML code and know how to use it to create a web page.

Zack Garcia

Great Power Point Presentations

I thought everyone did an excellent job on their PowerPoint's. Two really stuck out to me however. The first one that really intrigued me was Cristina's. I loved her topic and I could tell she was very passionate about it. She did an excellent job describing everything about what went into the production. When she talked about the costumes, I was stunned to see how some of them are very real looking. I loved how she incorporated some video as well of the play to really give me a perfect look of what it's like. She definitely enticed me to want and see the play, so I will definitely go and see it if the play comes to San Antonio. The other PowerPoint that I thought was very interesting was the one done by Jon. The reason for this was because I loved the topic he chose. Before his presentation, I didn't know the details about the Enron case, but now I do. He did an excellent job describing what happened and the major people who were involved. I like the background setting he used because it went perfect with his presentation. I felt that after he presented I knew way more about the case then I did before which was huge. Like I said, all the PowerPoint's that I saw were really good, but these two stood out to me the most.

Effective Internet Searching

I felt that I came away with very valuable information after class on Tuesday. Chris Nolan was a great speaker and had a lot of information for us. There were many things I learned. One huge thing that I came away with was google scholar. This is something new I learned and I now realize I can use that if I need scholarly sites. It will be very helpful in the future when looking for information online. I was not previously aware of this and I know I will definitely use it in the future. Something that surprised me was that people use the search engine called google the most and then after that yahoo the second most. Also, I learned when searching in google, the results that come up first are the most popular sites with many links to them. The scholarly sites will come after the popular sites. That's why it's important to use google scholar when looking for scholarly sources because it's more effective. I also learned that if there is a ".com" in the url, then it is a commercial site. If there is a ".gov" in the url, then it means it's a federal government website. Lastly, if there is a ".org" in the url, then it means that it's a non-profit organization site. I feel I learned a great deal by listening to Chris Nolan so I am very thankful I got the chance to. I will definitely take everything I have learned and will use it in the future next time I need to search for something on the Internet.

PowerPoint Do's and Dont's

Throughout my years of being a student I have been assigned numerous amounts of PowerPoint presentations. After reading all the information on PowerPoint, I now have realized how bad my PowerPoint presentations were when I previously did them. I took very valuable information away from reading the tips to making a presentation better. There were five main guidelines that really stuck out to me though. The first guideline was to keep the slides simple. I learned not to overdo any slide with adding things that are unnecessary or not pertinent. A second guideline would be to include visuals on the slides when necessary. Incorporating visuals act as aids to the viewers and will keep them interested because it will relieve them from reading text the whole time. A third guideline would be to use fonts that are easy to read and can be followed by the viewer. It's important not to use small writing where the viewer can't read, and also to write in a way that's easily followed by ones looking at the PowerPoint. A fourth guideline is to use animations that are appropriate, meaning not using animations just because you can, but being smart and putting them in only when needed. Too many animations will make the viewer bored and will make the presentation drag on and on. My fifth and final guideline would be to choose a color scheme wisely and keep it consistent throughout the PowerPoint. Keeping the color scheme in an organized way will make the PowerPoint look more professional and better as a whole. These guidelines should help tremendously when making a PowerPoint. I know that I personally get annoyed when I see a PowerPoint presentation and it's all text because I get bored really fast. These guidelines will help fix that problem and many other problems that people face with PowerPoint presentations. I am very glad I now know what makes a PowerPoint presentation a successful one.

Zack Garcia

My Excel Experience

I feel very fortunate to have learned so much in excel. Honestly, before taking this class I knew very little about all of the components that go into it. I particularly really enjoyed learning about all of the different functions that were available in excel. They came in handy on many of the assignments we did. I got a perfect score on the hands on part of the test where we had to do all of the functions. If I hadn't of taken this class I probably wouldn't have even gotten half of the points for that section. I feel like I can definitely use it in the future when I am creating a budget or when I am doing my taxes. If I go into business, I know I will use excel for many things so it is very good that I have learned skills that will help me be more of an efficient worker. Everything I have learned will be used at another point in time I know it. Especially in my future career in college I will be using excel for many things. I'm so glad that I took this class. I have learned so much in this short amount of time it's almost unbelievable. I know for sure I will take everything I have learned and will put it to good use when the time calls for it. Excel is something that I will use for the rest of my life and I have this class to thank for everything I have learned so far.

Zack Garcia

Helicopter-Shark Picture

I decided to pick the shark attack picture for several reasons. I picked this picture because my first reaction to the photo was Whoa! I thought it looked really cool how the shark was coming out of the water trying to attack the U.S. Air Force helicopter. The picture originated in 2001 and was originally a picture of a U.S. Air Force helicopter hovering on top of water with someone on a ladder coming out of the helicopter going into the water by what it looks like. The picture was manipulated with the addition of the shark. There was no actual shark attacking the helicopter, but someone added the shark to make the picture look more dramatic. The picture was manipulated because someone wanted the picture to have more of an effect on the viewer, and to maybe to emphasize the fact that being in the U.S. Air Force is no walk in the park, but a very serious job which could be very dangerous. I don't necessarily think that the manipulation was harmful because all it does is give the picture more of a dramatic effect. The original picture is interesting to look at, but the picture with the shark added is way more appealing to the viewer I think. Whoever added the shark just wanted to give the picture more flare that's all. No harm done. Overall, the picture is something that will definitely catch your attention and this is why I think I chose this one out of all of them.

Zack Garcia

Trip to the CLT

I am very glad I took a visit to the AT&T Center for Learning and Technology. Honestly, before I went down there I had no clue any of that equipment was even there. The first thing that really stuck out to me when visiting down there was all of the new technology that was offered for use. Another thing that really stuck out to me was that there weren't very many people down there and mostly everything was available for use. I thought the Digital Audio Lab was really cool with all the features it had with it. I learned that I can record music or anything that I want to incorporate into projects. They have everything they need from synthesizers to editing equipment which is very hi-tech. Another thing that I found very useful was the Studios at CLT. It had some high end computers, both windows and macs, which were easily accessible. It also had laser printers that were very nice as well as scanners on hand as well. This is a great place to come if I need to do some work because it has everything I need to do my work. The CLT is also equipped with the Media Presentation Lab which is a place were a class can come and present projects or any other things. I learned that there are rooms were a teacher can show movies or instructional videos to a class which is also very convenient.

In all, I was very impressed by everything I saw in the CLT. I will definitely use it's resources when the time calls for it. I know in the future the CLT will be very helpful when I need to use hi-end software and technology.

Zack

Copyright Issues

I felt I learned so much from today's lecture in class. I learned that a subpoena is given to a student who has performed illegal downloading which results in that student getting sued for a copyright infringement. I also learned that a take-down notice is given to a student for doing the same thing, but is a warning and that student doesn't get sued. I learned from Mrs. Graves that the getting of a subpoena or getting a take-down notice is random, and that she has nothing to do with deciding which thing a student gets for committing a copyright infringement. I feel that this presents an issue to the students receiving these subpoenas and take-down notices.

Only four students here at trinity have ever gotten a subpoena. I'm guessing they had to have been mad because everyone else got warnings without getting sued. A settlement for a copyright infringement averages between $13,000 and $17,000 which is alot of money! The ones doing the suing feel that it is right since the students shouldn't have been doing it in the first place. I feel like it is really unfair to get a subpoena without getting a take-down notice first. If I were to get a subpoena without getting a take down notice, I would be extremely mad. I think that everyone should get the chance to at least get one take down notice first, so that they can be aware that sooner or later a much larger penalty is about to occur. I am very glad that I got the chance to learn all of this new information because I feel much more informed about the consequences of copyright infringements.

Now knowing the concequences, I'm not going to even think about illegal downloading. Going to school here is expensive enough, and adding on another $13,000 will only leave me even more broke when I get out of college!

Zack Garcia

Wireless Advantages On Campus

I feel extremely lucky to attend a university like this where I have the capability of accessing wireless Internet virtually anywhere on campus. Trinity is voted as one of the schools in the top ten wireless campus' in the country and now I know why. College students throughout America find it very important to use the internet for studying and such. Pew Internet Project has taken many statistics to verify how much college students us the internet and the article can be seen here at http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/Pip_College_Report.pdf. It is so nice to be able to take it to my classes and having Internet with me at all times. The weather these past couple of days has been absolutely amazing. It's been so nice being able to take my laptop outside and doing my homework where ever I feel comfortable. My teacher for English class has given us permission to take our laptops to class, therefore I have been able to work on essays and such during that time instead of taking the time to do them in my room. I love how the wireless connection is fast as well. As soon as I turn on my computer I have the Internet right away which is really nice. Having Wireless Internet helps out so much when it comes to researching things on the Internet for assignments. To sum things up, the wireless network here is outstanding and something I should not take for granted.

Zack Garcia

Getting to Know Me

Hello Everyone! My name is Zachary Garcia but my friends and all of you can call me Zack. I am from Dallas Texas and went to Lake Highlands High School. If you don't know where Lake Highlands is you can check it out here http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl. I come from a family of six, and loved growing up in a big family. I am the oldest child with three younger sisters! I had a solid group of friends back home, and have already made many friends here at Trinity. I also love being active. I am very competitive and play basically every sport there is. My favorite sport however is soccer. I am currently on the Men's Varsity Soccer team here at Trinity. I am very excited for this season because we have a very good team this year. Some other interests include reading, hanging out at the beach, being with friends, and talking in general. I love laughing as well. If I hear something funny I have a tendency to crack up louder than everyone else in the room. My friends think I have the funniest laugh ever since it's so loud, but to me that's just the way it is and that's that. I am looking forward to this year and everything that is going to come with it. I can't wait to see what challenges and adventures this year has in store.

As far as my computer background goes, I would say I am definitely average. I'm not a huge computer gamer or anything so my time on the computer is limited. I will admit I do have a facebook, but trust me I am not always on it like some girls usually do. Usually I'm on the computer to check scores for NFL football games, or even soccer games that are played in other countries. I hope that this class will sharpen my computer skills, and make me more knowledgeable of the applications on my computer.