The End of the Road, IS101 Experience, Slide Master Facts

My IS101-3003/5 Experience

    How was my experience with IS101? Overall, I really enjoyed this class. This is easily one of the best classes I have taken in my college career. The course highlighted the importance of having Microsoft certifications, and made it feel meaningful. The class was very well structured and easily understood. Assignments let me apply the skills I was learning and ensured I was retaining the knowledge. 

    I especially appreciate the effort Professor Wu put towards maintaining contact and helping us students. This stood out to me because, I'd never had a teacher put anywhere near as much effort into this as he has. Another unique aspect were class recognitions. I found these really motivating and they helped me enjoy and get through the course. I can tell Professor Wu loves his job and truly wants to see students succeed.     

6.5.4 Slide Master Facts 

    Section 6.5.4 of LabSim Chapter 6 was one of the most notable sections for me. I had never heard of the Slider Master feature of Microsoft PowerPoint before. Slide Master lets you easily manipulate the entire layout and theme of a slideshow, specifically the templates. Previously, I would have to tediously change every single slide one at a time. Now with this knowledge I can change everything all at once. This makes editing slideshows a breeze. 

A5 Presentation 

    For my A5 presentation, I chose to cover 3 techniques to improve photographs. Excluding the rule of thirds, all images were taken by me, and a brief overview is included below. 

    I really did enjoy this class. Everything about it felt very friendly, and I believe the content will be extremely useful for my future. I want to thank Professor Wu for being a wonderful teacher, and my classmates for being amazing. I wish everyone the best!

Phase 2 Reflection, Chart Facts, Skill Application, Phase 3 Prep

Phase 2 Reflection:

    How do I think I performed in Phase 2? I think that I did great overall. I kept up with deadlines and got through a good amount of LabSim early. I have already completed A6 Spreadsheet Analysis with Trailer, and I'm happy with how I did. The assignment also helped me see how the skills I have learned can be applied. 

Section 5.8.3 Chart Facts:

    Lesson 5.8.3 in LabSim taught me how to use charts within Excel. Charts are an excellent tool that allow you to display a large amount of data in an easy to digest way. There are many types of charts in Excel, but the most commonly used ones are: column, line, pie, and scatter charts. Column charts show the difference between sets of data. Line charts show the change of data over time. Pie charts show data as part of a whole. Finally, scatter charts show the connection between variables. 

How can I apply what I have learned in Phase 2 outside of IS101?

    How can I utilize the skills I have learned in Phase 2 outside of IS101? I believe the most helpful skill I learned from this phase is function use. I have previous experience with coding, so the idea of functions and formulas is not new to me, but I have never used them with a spreadsheet before. I took an accounting class in my prior semester, and this class relied heavily on Excel. These skills, had I known them, would have been useful at the time. Future careers or classes that rely on Excel will be much easier now that I have this knowledge. 

Will I push myself to perform at my best for Phase 3?

    Will I push myself to perform at my best for the next phase? Yes, I plan to do so. I will strive to get through and complete Phase 3 and MO-310 on time. 

 

Phase 1 Reflection, Document Editing Tips, MO-110 Preparation

Phase 1 Reflection:

    How well did I perform during Phase 1 of IS101-3003/5? I think that overall, I did well. Although, there are some areas where I could improve. For the majority of this first part, I was simply keeping pace with deadlines. In the future, I think getting well ahead of assignments would benefit me more. 

4.6.7 Document Editing Tips:

    Lesson 4.6.7 in LabSim taught me how to edit documents and what general rules to follow when doing so. One of the most helpful tips I learned was the replace tool. This tool allows a user to find and replace all examples of a word or term in a document at once. This can help me outside of IS101 by allowing me to cut down on the amount of time spent editing documents. 

How did I prepare for the upcoming MO-110 Word certification exam?

    I prepared for the MO-110 Word exam by going back through LabSim and reviewing each Word chapter. The practice exams in C.2 and C.3 were especially helpful for me. After going through each practice exam, I felt confident enough to say I was ready for the real MO-110 exam. 

Introduction, IS101 First Impressions, Experience with Computer Components

About Me:  
 
Hello, my name is Scott Channon. I am a second-year student at CSN, but this is my first year going full time. Previously, I enrolled in only two or three classes a semester. I grew up in North Carolina, but I have visited family in Las Vegas every year since I was little. In 2024, I decided to go to school here instead of North Carolina. I am currently pursuing an Associate of Science Degree in Physical Sciences, with the intent to transfer to Arizona State University and achieve a degree in aerospace engineering.  
 
IS101 First Impressions:  
 
My first impressions of IS101 have been good. I like the content so far; it feels meaningful and is useful outside of the classroom. I was surprised, glancing through the course and seeing just how extensive Microsoft Office is. There are many features I am not familiar with, especially with Excel, that I am excited to learn and put to use. I feel motivated and want to achieve all certifications. 
 
Experience with Computer Components: 
 
For Part 2 of Discussion 2, I chose to talk about 2.1.3 PC Hardware Components, and the skill of understanding basic internal computer composition. I have a good amount of experience with skill, as I have continuously upgraded my desktop from 2018 over the years. Most computers have four main internal components required to function. The central processing unit (CPU), random-access memory (RAM), a storage device, and motherboard. The CPU is like the brain of a computer; it takes the instructions given to it and executes them. RAM can be compared to short-term memory; the CPU stores the data it is working on here, but this data is lost when a computer restarts. A storage device such as a solid-state drive is used for long-term memory, and this data is retained upon restart. Finally, the motherboard is similar to the nervous system; the motherboard connects everything together and brings data from one component to another.