Powerpoint 2011 for Mac

In addition to the links listed in our CIS1200 class this week, I am also posting these Powerpoint 2011 for Mac Youtube videos for future reference. While Powerpoint for Mac and Windows is basically the same, some of the commands for Mac will be different. Also, our class covers Powerpoint 2007, and since I have an updated version, I think some of the buttons are arranged differently. I found these videos to be helpful in completing my assignments this week. Youtube is full of great how-tos when it comes to software.

Powerpoint Presentations

I can't believe it's the last week in CIS1200 already! Time has really flown by. This week we're reviewing how to use Microsoft Powerpoint and some tips on how to create and present better presentations.

From: http://www.atrixware.com/blog/wp/what-makes-a-powerpoint-slide-good/

Here are the Powerpoint links that I've looked at so far:

http://www.microsoftbusinesshub.com/News_and_Updates/Presenting_With_PowerPoint

http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/powerpointinbusiness/tp/bus_pres_tips.htm

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2005/12/the_102030_rule.html#axzz0svfkdioL

I plan to look back over them in the future, because I know I'll probably be creating more Powerpoint presentations in other classes.

Now for some tips that I've learned.

• Using the Powerpoint image example above, you notice that the background is kinda busy. This background might work well if you were selling vacation packages or presenting a personal presentation on your summer vacation. Otherwise, in other settings, it might not look professional. Although using vibrant colors is important, it's also important to keep the presentation simple. If a beach theme doesn't reflect your topic, then don't use it.
• It's also best to avoid fancy fonts. The heading of the example is a fancy font. While, to me, it looks okay as a heading, it would not look okay if all of the text was set in that font. If you had twenty slides and all of the text was in that font, it would be annoying to read after a while. It's best to use a standard, tried-and-true font like Times New Roman or Arial.
• With that said, the link to the 10/20/30 rule blog post was very insightful. It's a good idea to limit the presentation to 10 slides, only 20 minutes, and use 30-point font. You certainly want everyone to be able to read your slides clearly and you want to hold people's attention spans.
• Make sure that the presentation can run on any computer! This is especially important for me, since I'm on a Mac, I've got to make sure that my Powerpoint presentations will work on any Windows computer that I use.

APA formatting

Here are some good youtube videos on APA formatting:

For Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows:


For Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac:

Using GALILEO Search

Some of our assignments this week call for using library databases, such as GALILEO. I found a very helpful Youtube video titled "Getting Better Results in GALILEO" that I wanted to share here for future reference.

APA Writing Guidelines

This week we're reviewing how to use the APA writing guidelines. APA was developed by the American Psychological Association. For school purposes, it is mostly used in Psychology and Science classes. The majority of the papers I've had to write in my school career have required the MLA citation style. However, it's important to review the proper way to cite APA, as not to confuse it with MLA, because while similar, they do have their differences.

From: http://theportableblender.info/apa-style-term-paper-sample-6/

One of the first differences between MLA and APA, that jumps out at me, is the fact that APA requires (if the professor requests it) a title page and an abstract.

According to Hodges' Harbrace Handbook, fifteenth edition, a title page includes:

1. The manuscript page header
2. The running head
3. The title
4. The author's name
5. The author's affiliation

An APA abstract is basically a short summary of the paper, not over 120 words.

A great link that I found from the Lesson Lecture APA Tutorial shows an example of a correct APA title page and abstract: http://supp.apa.org/style/PM6E-Corrected-Sample-Papers.pdf 

From: http://jeps.efpsa.org/blog/2012/07/10/the-origins-of-apa-style-and-why-there-are-so-many-rules/

Another difference between APA and MLA, is that APA only requires the author's last name and the publication date for a source quoted within the paper's text. In MLA, a book's page number is used.

All of the sources used are organized alphabetically on the Reference page. Here is a link for an example of a correct Reference page: http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/data/resources/sample-references2.pdf

Essay Exams

Essay exams - I don't think I'd be alone in saying that they're my least favorite. You definitely have to use a different preparation strategy for essay exams. Figure 12.1 from our textbook displays a great strategy:

From our textbook: "Orientation to College Learning"

Predict, Plan, and Practice!

1. Predict Questions - From the material covered, try to guess what the essay questions may be. If the professor focused on a certain topic more than others, that might be a good hint. In the past, I've had teachers give the essay questions out before the actual exam, or give a list of possible questions to go by. But that's not always the case.
2. Plan - Once you know or narrow down what your essay questions may be, it's a good idea to review and gather correct information for your answer. Re-reading a section in your textbook or creating a study sheet or outline from your notes would be helpful. The more organized your information is the easier it will be to remember.
3. Practice - After predicting the questions and planning your answer, it's helpful to practice your answer several times. You might write it out once, read and study over it a few times, and then create a mock self-test to measure how much of your answer you're recalling from memory. If you're not doing well, then start the process over again and study more. It may be useful to use Mnemonics (memory cues). For example, to remember the states of matter, I might think PLSG: "Please Let Sally Go," for Plasma, Liquid, Solid, and Gas.

Preparing For Exams

This week I've also learned some useful tips for preparing for exams.

From: http://www.unilodge.com.au/Melbourne/Swanston/newsletter/november-2009/

Our textbook, "Orientation to College Learning," lists the different levels of questions that we might find on an exam. For future reference, they are:

1. Knowledge-level questions: Questions that can be answered by remembering key terms, dates, lists, etc. This is by far the easiest level of questions.
2. Comprehension-level questions: Questions that challenge you to recognize the answer when it's phrased differently.
3. Application-level questions: Questions that ask you to apply the information in a new way. In science class, you might have to answer an example applying what you know.
4. Analysis-level questions: Questions that challenge you to break down a complex concept. A lot of essay questions are at the analysis level.
5. Synthesis-level questions: Questions that require information be brought together as a whole. Essay questions may also involve synthesis.
6. Evaluation-level questions: Questions that usually require both analysis and synthesis. Evaluation challenges you to make a judgement about a certain idea. They are the most difficult to answer.

From: http://www.study-habits.com/how-to-prepare-for-an-exam

To help me prepare for all types of questions, I can:

Preparation Strategies

1. Answer Questions – if there are review problems at the end of the chapter, textbook, or on the textbook’s website, working them out or answering them can help me prepare for possible real questions on the exam.
2. Develop Study Sheets – using my notes, the key terms, and review problems, I can create clear, well-organized study sheets that will help me learn the information and review it quickly.
3. Make Self-Tests – creating a self-test over the information that I am studying would be a good way to prepare for the real exam. It would also help me to measure how much I’ve learned so far.

Review Strategies

1. Do “Missed” Problems – focusing on the problems that I’ve missed on my self-tests or practice quizzes on the textbook’s website will help me make sure that I remember them in the future.
2. Explain the Material to Someone else –Discussing the subject with someone else would be a good way to measure how well I know the topic myself. The other person may also have information to add to the discussion, which would help me remember it later.
3. Recreating Charts From Memory- This would also be a good way to self-test myself. Being able to mentally visualize a chart on an exam would be helpful for both multiple choice and essay questions.