Advice

My advice for this class would be to stay caught up with your work and come to class everyday. It is important to be in class so that you can undersstand everything well to stay up with your homework.

My Favorite Websites

My favorite websites were Michelle Rangel's, Morgan's, and Courtney's.

I liked Michelle's because it was professional and organized. She did a great job of making it visually appealing and it seems like she put a lot of hard work into it.

Morgans looked like a website made my a professional. I loved her home page and navigation. If I saw this website, I would not have guessed it was made by a student. She did a great job.

I enjoyed Courtney's navigation as well. Like the other websites, it was professional and easy to read. All her information was good and the website was unique.

My Website

Please visit my website at: www.cs.trintiy.edu/~abuck1


Making this website was definitely harder than I thought. I did not realize it would take so much time to make small changes. I underestimated how long it would take and how it would be more difficult to be creative with it. I did all of my website on Expression Web. I was not able to make Kompozer work on my computer and I liked how Expression Web worked better than Kompozer. My pages are very similar, but I believe my favorite page would be the one for my brother, Willie. I like how the pictures and colors look together. I wouold have made an image map or a more creative navigation bar if I could do it again. When it came to the technical aspect, the biggest challenge was saving the website. I got a little confused in the process, but I was able to figure it out. The biggest design challenge was making sure everything was sized appropriately and center so that it would look nice and neat on the internet. I will probably show my website only to my family. I think they will appreciate it, if no one else. I enjoyed looking for all the pictures and I think they will enjoy looking at them as well. I'm not sure if I will make another website for another class, but I am very happy that this class was able to teach me how it needs to be done.

Larry Hechler Talk

Larry Hechler came to our class to talk to us about hardware. He shared a lot of information with us that I did not know! It definitely seemed like he preferred PC and i was not aware that all the individual pieces of Mac's cost so much more! If I every have a problem with my Mac and cannot use it any longer, I will consider getting a Dell now. I also learned a lot about the proper way to clean our computers and what is harmful. Larry Heckler said that products with acetone, ammonia, chlorine, or alcohol can't be sure on the LCD screen or anywhere on the computer because it can slowly ruin it! He told us that we should never spray anything directly onto the computer because it can drip down into the computer and if anything happens to the motherboard, our computers will not work anymore! I really enjoyed all the information that he shared with us and almost everything he said was new to me!

My PowerPoint Presentation

I have always loved art and art history, but more recently I have become interested in art therapy. I enjoy working with kids with disabilities and I have considered art therapy as a career working with both kids with disabilities and with at risk children. Because I am so interested in it, I chose to do my presentation on the importance of art therapy. I liked the set of of my presentations, but I wish I would have prepared more and included more information about how art therapy works. While creating this powerpoint I learned that you can put more information onto one slide than it seems. I was able to make one slide seem like five by using animations. I also learned how to put videos into PowerPoint, which I was not sure how to do before this project.
I enjoyed all of the PowerPoint presentations and thought all of them were well done. None of the used too many words and they all appeared well-organized. Two of my favorites, however, were Arielle's about Monsanto and Morgan's about Doctors Without Borders. Morgan knew a lot about the subject she chose and made her presentation very persuasive. The pictures and the organization of the PowerPoint were effective in making others see why her subject was important and why people should consider joining. It was well timed and the topic was very interesting. Arielle's also had a topic that interested me. Her presentation also had a good dramatic effect to persuade people to consider the cause. It was well organized and the lay out was effective. I did not think that any of the PowerPoint presentations were poorly done and I found each of them interesting.

Pictures that Lie

     Too often images are altered to such an extent that the public is unable to tell if they are real or fake. Nat Ives discusses the issue of using Photoshop in her article in "Advertising Age". She says,"Photoshop abuse is out of control at magazines, partly because celebrities demand protection from exposure to reality and partly because editors live and die by newsstand sales. An actually ugly Betty just wouldn't be good for anyone's business, even if it might represent something relatable." The one of the most frequently discussed issue of photo manipulation seems to be that of altering photographs of celebrities to make them appear flawless. I agree with the statement from Nat Ives. Photoshop is definitely being abused in the media and it has had a negative effect on many individuals. Ives makes several good points on why photo manipulation should be banned. There is no reason for them to make the celebrities appear "perfect" and it does not serve any purpose besides assuring that celebrities are not embarrassed by a couple extra pounds on a few common imperfections.

     Photographs can be altered to show people looking entirely different than reality or to convey an entirely different meaning. There are many reasons that people choose to manipulate pictures whether it be for political or social gain, to persuade, for entertainment, to make a point, or to harm others. However, a distinction between harmful and beneficial photo manipulation must be made.

      For my pictures that lie project I did not choose to manipulate a photo in a way that was not harmful. I chose an image of an eye and another of a rock climber from stock exchange and pasted them together in a way that is obviously a manipulation of images. The same type of manipulation is often used in advertisements. I copied part on one picture and placed it overtop of the other. I changed to contrast and converted some of the picture into black and white. I used a photo filter and changed the saturation on the colored portion of the image. I manipulated this photo to show that there can be photo fakery that is harmful, and photo manipulation that is only for entertainment. Because this was not meant to look realistic, it is not a harmful manipulation. The point of the image in entirely different than that of the airbrushed celebrities discussed in the article by Nat Ives that attempt to "unrealistic ideals of body and beauty, to the detriment of women's health." When a photograph is meant to appear as though it has been altered, it is not harmful to society, but when there is confusion about whether or not the photograph represents reality, problems can develop.

Ives, Nat. "Despite talk of ethics codes, airbrushing is here to stay." Advertising Age 79.16 (2008): 24. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 Apr. 2011.

Chris Nolan and Search Engines

Chris Nolan, the assistant librarian, spoke to our class about search engines today. I found it very interesting that a large majority of people use Google when searching online. Chris said that about 66% of people use Google rather than other search engines such as Yahoo!, Bing/MSN, Ask, AOL, etc. Google has become popular because they have developed algorithms that provide us with relevant, recent, and popular articles. Google and many other search engines are free. Because of this, these search engines make money through advertisements that people pay them to put on their website. Google has not allowed people to pay for their website to occur on one of the first pages of results because they are trying to keep an objective standard. They do, however, let organizations and companies advertise on the sides of the webpage.
Google has been trying to fight the problem of companies finding other ways to get higher on the list under multiple searches. The advertisers and marketers at J.C. Penny even made fake websites that would link back to their page so that the J.C. Penny website would show up among the first websites when a variety of words were put into the search bar. Google has been trying to avoid this problem and changed their algorithm to make sure that J.C. Penny would appear lower in the results. Similar events to this have occurred and Google is constantly combatting the problem. I believe this is why Google has become so popular.

What I dislike about PowerPoint

     Creating an effective PowerPoint presentation takes practice. Most seem to put a minimal amount of effort into making it visually interesting or exciting. When the PowerPoint contains very few pictures, it seems repetitive. I appreciate when the person making the presentation takes the time to place a picture or two on each slide. I also do not like when there is a bunch of information on a slide. Too many words are overwhelming and I would rather the person only put key points on the PowerPoint and speak using those. When there is no background or change in font, the presentation gets boring. PowerPoint presentations are much more fun to look at when there is a little visual appeal and variation. A presentation can also have too many pictures or too many transitions and effects. Just as having too many words is overwhelming, so is having too many pictures. There should definitely be a balance of words and graphics. Less is definitely more when it comes to the animations.
     In middle school I had a history teacher who lectured with PowerPoint presentations every class. The slides generally had a white background or very generic template with a black generic fonts. There were rarely graphics unless there was something very important. Not only were his PowerPoints extremely boring, but he would also turn off the lights. With the combination of these two things, he usually put half the class to sleep by the end. The class could have been far more interesting if he would have had more interesting PowerPoint presentations. It takes a little extra effort to make a decent one, but it is usually worth it to keep your audience focused.

CLT

Last class we visited the center for learning and technology.It is somewhat hidden in the library because it is all the way on the first floor. We were given a tour by Robert Chapman and he was able to share all the uses of the CLT. In the lab there were both Macs and PCs. There were 14 Macs and 12 PCs. They have been updating the technology and do their best to have the most recent technology.

Robert Chapman shared that if there was software we needed, they would try to get it. They do their best to assure that we have anything needed to do projects. There are severval stations specific to what you may need in the center for learning and technology.

Excel Experience

Before starting Essential Information Technology I thought that Excel would be the most difficult for me to understand. Almost everything we have gone over in class has either been new information or a needed refresher. I could not remember how to perform most tasks on Excel. Going over it in class has made me understand the program basics well. I have not had any difficultly as I imagined I might. There are many classes that use Excel for various projects so being knowledgeable about Excel will be helpful to complete projects in the future. I am not sure that I will be using Excel in "real-life", however, I would like to know how to do certain things in case the occasion arises. I love the intelligence of the program. Its capabilities are impressive and it can perform complex functions, which is very helpful. The complexities of the program can cause a struggle. One quality of Excel that can be frustrating is if data or a formula is mistyped in one place it can ruin the entire spreadsheet.

Photograph Manipulation

This photography of Oprah Winfrey was displayed on the cover of TV Guide in 1989. I chose to discuss this picture because it shows how media relates fame and wealth to attractiveness and glamor. The editors took a picture of Oprah and placed her head on the body of actress Ann-Margret from a publicity shot in 1979. Neither Oprah nor Ann-Margret gave permission for this to be done. It appears that they did not believe that Winfrey's body fit the ideal. Because they believed "the richest woman on TV" should not only be wealthy, but also attractive, they placed her face on a more ideal figure. I do not know that anyone was harmed by this particular photo, but it is still a lie. It gives people the wrong idea about how people actually look. We are tricked by the images of celebrities shown in the media into thinking that is how people are supposed to look when in reality, many of the photographs are photoshopped to make these stars appear as close to perfect as possible.

This video is a bit longer than suggested, but it explains the retouched celebrity photographs.

Ethics of Employers Searching Online Profiles

          With new Internet technologies developing employers searching online social networking profiles of potential employees is becoming more common. It is increasingly important to assure that ones online profile is kept clear of any incriminating photographs or evidence. It is a controversial debate whether or not it is ethical for employers to look into the lives of their prospects and base hiring decisions partly off of online profiles. People in search of a new job must be aware that there is a chance that employers are checking online and take necessary precautions to make sure that there is nothing online that will prevent them from being chosen for a job.

          In the discussed case, a recent college graduate was not hired at a law firm because of pictures posted on Facebook, that he was unaware of, taken his junior year at a fraternity party. Though it is legal for employers to perform these kind of investigations, I do not believe it is necessarily ethical, or reasonable at that. The graduate was confident that his interview was successful and believed that the employers thought he would be a quality person to hire. The interviews should have focused more on what they found out about the man applying for the job in the interview rather than the picture they found online. There are a large number of college students who attend parties during their college experience. I would even say it is probably a majority of students. One picture taken at a party does not mean anything about the students’ work ethic, responsibility, or competency in a career.

          In an article by Greg Fish on the business week website, he states, “With a few pictures and a strategic paragraph, a shy and quiet intern-to-be can easily make himself look like a party-hopping raver.” This is true. There is a chance that this was the only party that the potential employee attended during classes. If his resume showed that he was qualified for the job because of involvement in the school, other experience, and the grades he received, then that is what the employees should consider. Not a single photo online.

          I do believe that the man was responsible for this photo, however. It was his job to assure that his profile did not have photographs that could get him into trouble. His profile should have been set on a private setting. The friend who posted the photo is not at fault because it was not his responsibility to assure that there were not photographs of his friends. Though, it would be a good idea for him to take these pictures down because assumptions can be made about him as well. It was not necessarily ethical for him to post the pictures online in the first place. I would suggest that in the future, he set his profile so that other people who are not his “friends” cannot view it. He should also assure that no photos could be attached to him that shows him participating in illegal activity. He should ask his friend to take the pictures off of Facebook so that it will not cause future problems.

          Greg Fish also reminds us “job seekers already have to contend with background screens, drug tests, credit checks, and verification of employment history, education, and income.” If the person trying to get the job can pass these tests, a picture from the past should not have an influence on whether or not a person should get a job. He was obviously qualified and likely could have performed the job well. He missed his chance because of a photo online and that is not fair to the young man searching for a job. I do not believe that employers should base their decisions of whom they will hire off of online profiles. These are often times not representative of the person and there are more ethical and appropriate ways to discover who the person is and how they will perform in a career.

Copyright

   Today, Jason Hardin came to our EIT class to discuss copyright laws, fair use, creative commons, etc. I learned that copyright is the governments assurance to creators that we can control distribution of our work and profit from it. Some people associate copyright with plagiarism. However, copyright and plagiarism are not the same thing. Copyright deals with unauthorized copies and distribution and is a feral crime. Plagiarism is unethical and deals with taking someone else's work as your own and can only get you in academic trouble. United States copyright laws date back to 1790 and precede the Bill of Rights.
   Copyright is important to society because it encourages innovation. People have a reason to create because they do not have to worry about the security of their work with copyright laws. A copyright lasts through the authors life plus seventy years and their heirs can benefit from the author's work. A document can be called copyrighted as soon as it is in a fixed, tangible medium.
   Every computer has a unique IP address that can be traced so you are never anonymous on the internet. At Trinity students receive take down noticed when they are caught downloading or sharing any files illegally. Once you receive a take down notice you should immediately delete file sharing software and and illegal downloads.
   The technology of LimeWire, BitTorrent, Kaza, etc. is not illegal. It is the downloading and sharing that becomes a legal issue. When on YouTube you are generally safe if you are only watching streaming videos. However, when you are uploading, you must be sure that you are uploading your own content and not someone else's. When you are downloading videos from YouTube you must be careful also.
   Four things determine when usage of content is considered "fair use". Purpose of reproduction, nature of the reproduced work, amount of the reproduction, and effect on the market for the work are all involved.
   Jason Hardin also told us about Creative Commons. Creative Commons is a non-profit agency that has developed alternative copyright licenses. People can use this to copyright their material the way the want it copyrighted rather than using the inflexible Title 17.
   The case of Harper v. Maverick was also discussed. A San Antonio student, Whitney Harper, downloaded thirty seven songs illegally off of the Internet when she was seventeen. She was sued for $27,750 dollars. $750.00 per song that was illegally downloaded. She tried to claim that she was an "innocent infringer" which would have reduced her fine to $250.00 per song. However, the Supreme Court and the fifth circuit court of appeals did not let her claim this. They believed that she should have assumed copyright laws on the songs.
   I disagree with the courts decision to fine her for such a large amount of money. I do realize that Harper was in the wrong, however, it was only 37 songs and I believe this is too large of a sum to pay for a few songs. Whitney Harper was not trying to make money from the illegally downloaded songs by selling them and was not purposefully trying to do any damage to the industry. Her punishment was far to harsh for the crime.



Copyright by Alison Buck is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Trinity Network Diagram

The Trinity Network uses Ethernet cables and fiber optic cables to keep it running efficiently. Students are able to connect wirelessly anywhere on campus. Trinity has a great system that is able to keep the students and faculty pleased with the way it functions. A firewall and security help to keep its users safe from hackers and the back up equipment prevents lost information.

Trinity Mystery Spot

I chose this spot for the "Trinity Mystery Spot" project because I see it on a regular basis. Usually I find other students studying or working here. It most likely recognizable to the Freshman living in Herndon or Beze, but others should recognize it as well. It is a popular place for students who are tired of being inside their dorm rooms.

First, I changed the saturation, contrast, and exposure to alter the photograph so the location of the photograph wouldn't be given away so quickly. Then I used a posterize and soften effect to make it less recognizable. Finally, I added a few bird and text to the picture.

Best Tech Tip

Yesterday Joe Hatch came into our class to share a few computer "Survival Skills" with us. He gave us numerous tips on how to deal with computer issues and important things we should know. Joe Hatch explained various causes of slowed computer performance. I had thought that it was the network and not my computer. However, Joe Hatch shared with us a couple programs to help clean out unneeded documents and files from out computer that also help to keep us safe from hackers and viruses. CCleaner can be used for windows and Onyx for Mac's. By deleting these files our computer will perform more to our liking. I thought that this information was the best tech tip from Joe Hatch.

Network Server Diagram

This is a diagram of the Trinity Network server. It works well for students and teachers because there is room for both to have their own files as well as a place in which they can share files.

Introduction

My name is Alison Buck, but to my family and hometown friends I'm Nina. I will answer to both names and have no preference.
Most of the children in my family were born in Houston, Texas, but shortly after I was born, we moved to Boerne. I have three older brothers. Clint is twenty-six and attended Austin College in Sherman and is now at law school at Texas Tech. Josh is twenty-one and my parents adopted him when he was a baby. He is still living with them and taking online classes with the University of Phoenix. Willie is twenty and is currently at Southern Methodist University, but he will be transferring in the fall. My mother is a pediatrician and my dad works at a bank. I get along well with each of my brothers and my parents even though we are all vastly different.I enjoy spending time with my family and I see them often.

I am undecided as to what I will major in. However, art, art history, sociology, and psychology interest me. I have considered being an art therapist in the future. I have yet to join a group on campus. I do not plan on joining a sorority, but I am in the process of finding another group that is interesting to me.
None of my high school friends came to Trinity University, but I have continued a relationship with my boyfriend, Austin, who is going to school at UTSA. I enjoy art, reading, music, cooking, and the outdoors.
When it comes to computers I manage fairly well. I took a computer technology class, a BIMM class, and a BCIS class in high school as well as a digital photography class in which we used photoshop often. I have since forgotten much of what I learned, but with reminders I should remember some of it. Microsoft Excel will likely pose most of the problems I encounter.

Please feel free to email me at: abuck1@trinity.edu