Level 2 IT Users Qualification – Unit 1 Improving Productivity

Bradley williams

I can describe the purpose of using IT in my work

I used ICT to complete my coursework because using a computer made it easier for me and much faster to complete simple tasks. I used pictures in my presentation and newsletter to make them more visual to look at and relate to the information displayed. If I had not used ICT in my work then the pictures would have been harder to use because I would have had to find them from a book and scan them in. Getting them from the internet using Google was better because it saved time. I included a Youtube video in my presentation because it made it look more interesting and added another dimension to my work. Without ICT, adding this video would have been make it difficult and would have made my work look less professional. My newsletter included articles which were not written by me but came from the internet. I used ICT to complete a Google search to find articles about technology. My business card, letter and newsletter were made using templates. These helped me in my work because it saved me from creating my own layouts. My presentation included a range of additional ICT tools such as main menu or contents page. These enhanced my work because they allow users to find what they are looking for. If I had completed my work without a computer then I could have made mistakes but because most software has spellcheck I was able to use it to make all my spelling right. If I had not used ICT for any of this work it would have taken longer and included more mistakes.

I can describe the methods, skills and resources needed to complete my tasks successfully

In order to complete my tasks successfully I had to know how to use the software. Each piece of software is difficult and this meant that I had to learn lots of new skills. In my presentation I had to know how to design new slides and then had to add text and pictures. I thought about the layout and organised my slides so they looked clear. I used a main menu which included using a wide range of hyperlinks to link the main menu to the slide. Using these made my presentation interactive and also made it nice to look at. I also improved it by including a range of advanced features such as pictures borders and animations. These made the presentation better to look at. Publisher enabled me to use a range of advanced methods to create my products. It enabled me to choose a design and colour scheme before starting my project so that I could then select a template which helped me create my coursework. Templates were useful because they enabled me to keep the design consistent whilst adding all of my own work. Using these saved me lots of time but meant my work looked really good. For most of my work I needed pictures and I found these by Google search. I had to change the settings on Google when looking for my pictures so that they were copy right free. I also had to store them in a source and store table so I could show work didn’t belong to me. I also had to reference the websites of articles and video’s I used in my work so that I follow the law.

I can describe factors that might affect the task

There are many factors which could have affected me from completing the tasks set. The first factor was to make sure that I had access the to computers to be able to complete the work and search for things online. Without a computer I wouldn’t have access to software and so wouldn’t be able to complete tasks easily. The computer or software could be old and this could affect the task because I might not have tools which were up to date. I used the internet a lot in my work so if there had been problems with the internet such as losing connection or sites being block then this could have prevented me from getting free pictures or creative commons pictures. Copyright could have been something else which might have affected the task because I had to search for images and sometimes the pictures I wanted to use weren’t available because restricts. Finally, the biggest factor which could have affected the task is me. If I didnt know how to use the software and all of its features then I wouldn’t have been able to do your work to achieve the tasks set for my coursework.

I can describe how the purpose and outcomes have been met by the chosen IT systems and tools

I created my presentation using Powerpoint and my business card, letter and newsletter using Publisher. I chose Powerpoint to create my presentation because firstly, it included the ability to add text, headings and pictures. Writing directly onto the computer made it much easier than writing on paper first as a draft and saved time which could have been lost copying things out. PowerPoint was good for my presentation because it has a wide range of effective features such as video s and hyperlinks which can make it just what your looking for. Publisher also had a wide range of professional features such as making text appear in columns like a newsletter without having to type or organise the columns yourself. By choosing a design and colour scheme I was able to use templates which already existed and choose a colour scheme which matched my logo. This meant I could focus on finding useful articles which related to my topic and not waste time creating things. Publisher also enabled me to save my work as a PDF. This was useful because it meant anyone could view my work.

I can describe any legal or local guidelines or constraints that apply to the task or activity

I completed my coursework at school which meant that I worked from my own login. It is important that my account is protected so that other people can not make the changes. I also completed my work in school which meant that I had to follow school policy when using the computer. This policy included use the commuter respect and only going on websites which I was authorised to go on. Some software the school has in free but some software has been paid for which means it needs a licence. Software licences are all different, some can restrict how many computers and others can restricts what tools you should use. If you don’t buy a licence then you are breaking copy right law. Copyright was very important stuff in my coursework because I wanted to use pictures from internet and video’s from you tube without making them myself. I followed copyright law by using a source and store table which showed lots of information about the asset I had found online such as the url and the web link. This evidenced that I was not pretending the work was mine when it actually wasn’t.

I can describe whether the IT tools selected were appropriate for the task and purpose

Many of the tools I used in my coursework were appropriate for the task and purpose because they were tools to help save you time and make your work look better. For my presentation unit , I was able to create a master slide so that all my slides could be matched in design, layout and colours which made my work look better. I was able to use hyperlinks to create an interactive main menuand slides which could be linked to from anywhere in my presentation. I was able to add pictures, text and videos using a range of tools so that the presentation was nice to look at and this made the presentation suitable for my audience. Desktop publishing software enabled me to create number of products such as a business card, letter head and news letter by choosing a design which looked the same. The tools in desktop publishing software included allowing me to write my articles in sections and this made my work look more like a news letter. Desktop publishing software also allowed me to save my files as a PDF so that any one could view them. Finally, online tools such as vistaprint helped me to design a logo in a quick and easy yet efficient way.

I can assess the strengths and weaknesses in my final work

When completing my presentation I thought that my hyperlinks were very good because they were tested and all worked correctly and took you to any place in the presentation you wanted to go. I felt my main weakness was the contents itself because I found the writing difficult and wanted to include lots of video’s and pictures but knew that I had to explai n the video’s and pictures aswell or the viewer wouldn’t know what they were.

When completing my business card, letter and newsletter I thought that my layout was one of my strengths and while this was a preexisting software feature, I was able to apply it to all my publications and use it to save me time as well as make my work look more professional. I thought my letterhead the best of all three publications because of its design, colour and matching logo. I thought that I could improve my news letter by including articles which were more specifically geared towards music production.

I can describe ways to make further improvements to my work

I could have made further improvements to my presentation if I had consider different software such as Prezi. If I had used Prezi then I could have made something more unique with different features to Powerpoint. Many of the features of presentation software are the same but so many presentations are made using Powerpoint that its get boring. I used Powerpoint because I had used to before but looking back my work could have been better if I had used something else. I could have improved my newsletter if I had include more music technology articles and less gaming articles. I would have also liked to of made a longer newsletter with extra pages if I had more time.

I can review the benefits and drawbacks of IT tools and systems used in terms of productivity and

efficiency

There were many factors which affected me in terms of productivity and efficiency but the one I noticed the most was knowing the software. Some of the tools in Powerpoint and Publisher were tools I had not used before which meant that I lost time having to learn how to use them. An example was that some of the designs in publisher were not available so I had to spend extra time making sure all three publications had the same designs available. As I had to follow the law, I lost time when creating my newsletter as I had to search for copyright free material when using Google and YouTube etc. I could have been more productive if I had not copied articles twice but this was something that had to do as I wanted to evidence my articles in a research document. Each lesson I had to log on and sometimes this took ages. During some lessons internet didn't work and this affected me because I couldn’t always get online to find the things I wanted as quickly as I would have liked.

I can describe ways to improve productivity and efficiency

There are a number of ways I could have been more productive and efficient in my coursework. The first is if I had focused more. There were many lessons where I did not make much more progress and if I had of been more same as then I could have been more productive. Sometimes, when starting something new, I spent ages as I had to make sure I understood what I need to do and how I needed to do it. Some of the tools within Publisher were new to me so I had to learn and practice using them before using them in my work. This meant that I had to work more slowly until I was as ready as I wanted to be. Throughout the project I kept my files tidy which made me more efficient as I was able to get set up quickly. I also only wrote the contact details for my company once then copied them so that I could be more productive with my time. The use of design helped me as it only had to be done once made me more productive because you didn’t have to re design each product.