Unit 1 – Improving Productivity

Kalem Ashby

1.1Why did you use a computer? What other systems / resources could you have used?

I used a computer because it is easier to use than other resources like paper or I pads. Computers are easier to use because they have more applications you can use e.g. PowerPoint, word, excel, paint and publisher. These applications have a range of things you can do with them like change the background and add word art/imagery.

Using computers are better than using paper because if you make a mistake you can delete it however if you make a mistake on paper you have to restart making it. Another reason using computers are better than using paper because it will have spell check.

1.2What skills did you need to learn in order to use PowerPoint?

The skills you need to learn for using PowerPoints are that you will need to learn how to make background and add text in places. You will also have to learn how to make shapes and angling them to what way you want. You will have to learn how to change the text size, font and colour so that you can see it and read it perfectly fine. You will have to have creative skills so that you can arrange things so they look nice and appealing, not all the things in one space so you cant read anything and its boring to look at.

Another one of the skills I needed were managing to use my time efficiently. And I attended catch up lessons

1.2What resources did you need to make the presentation successful?

The resources I needed to make my presentation successful were, a computer so that I could work all the things, Microsoft PowerPoint so that I had a software to make my presentation on easily. I also needed the internet so that I could access images, animated gifs and information about things that I can put into my presentation. Another recourse I used was the schools shared area, this contained pictures, videos and audio clips. It also included information about the school like the time tables, staff and the school uniform.

1.4What factors might have affected how well you completed the presentation? (e.g. time / attendance / knowledge of software)

My attendance had effected my presentation because I did not have as much time to do it due to my absence. This pushed me back in my working leading to me having to catch up on my work by attending after school catch-up sessions. My lack of knowledge using software had also effected me because I didn’t know how to use certain things like how to make backgrounds, add videos and add text. Other things that may have effected me are skipping ahead on the units, and helping other students in the class instead of doing my own work.

1.6Why did you use PowerPoint to make your presentation? What other software was available? Why did you choose not to use them?

I used PowerPoint to make my presentation because you can project it onto a screen so people can see it on a bigger screen. This will make the presentation easer to present. Another reason I used PowerPoint was so I could add animated Giffs because the only software animated giffs work on was PowerPoint. On PowerPoint you can make fancy backgrounds to attract the viewers but you cant on other software's. the other software's I could of used were, Microsoft word, Paint, Microsoft publisher and Microsoft access. I didn't chose any of these other software's because they would not play videos of animated giffs, the pictures can be hard to move around the screen.

1.7Were there any legal constraints or local constraints that changed the way you created your presentation? (e.g. copyright, file sizes)

In my power point there were some legal constraints like copyright issues. This is when you take images/information off the internet. For this I had to either get the owners permission to use the information/images or I would have to state the source where I found the information. Another legal constraint I had was file sizes. I had to change my PowerPoint because the videos that were in my PowerPoint had very large files and did not let me upload my work.

2.2Which tools within PowerPoint made it appropriate for your presentation?

The tools that helped me within PowerPoint were Transitions, that helped me to change the slide so it don’t get boring having the slide change automatically. Another tool was Animation, this changed the pictures and the text so that they can slowly appear in different ways. Using the tool Slide Show you can record the times you want each slide to stay on for, this helped my presentation because the slide automatically changed so the user did not have to change it.

2.4What improvements do you think you could do to your presentation?

The improvements I could of done to make my presentation better were adding more information so that there is a paragraph or two instead of a few sentences. This would of made the PowerPoint more interesting and gives you more information. Another improvement I could of made is having more picture animations to show that I have put a lot of effort into making it look interesting and appealing. I could of also change the font so it looks nicer, easier to read and more acceptable for year 6’s.

3.2What improvements do you think you could have done to improve your work rate?

I could have made some keyboard shortcuts to make it quicker to get to places on the computer like to get onto the internet, word, PowerPoint and the shared area. This would of helped me quickly access things so I don’t have to search for them and this would let me focus on my work more so I would of got more done and added more animations and transitions. If I sat by myself and managed my distractions I would have been quicker. If I came to catch up sessions I could have improved my work rate because I would be working twice as hard and I would be working more hours.