iMovie Reflection

As a project throughout Thanksgiving break, I was supposed to make a short trailer. For this assignment, I chose to use iMovie because it is a fairly powerful program and also because it was free. After filming my trailer, I was very happy with the product because iMovie is setup to be used very easily. There were a variety of templates I could apply to my trailer like horror and adrenaline. Adding the footage and text was also very simple since you can upload it from iTunes or your photo app. However, with iMovie being so simple to use, it also didn't allow much room for me to switch some of its features. For example, the time between transitions and footage were preset and could not be changed. In addition, the text box's features such as color and size couldn't also be changed. Lastly, the music is set accordingly to the template; I could only use a specific song from iTunes. As a result, my trailer was very easy to make but I couldn't change much of its preset features. In the end, iMovie is a good program to get start on video-making programs. Otherwise, it is not the best tool if you want something more complex.

Wix Sites Reflection

For the last couple of weeks, I had an opportunity to test out Wix, a site creator that is similar to Google Sites. However, after having a chance to use Wix, it is evidently much more powerful than Google Sites due to its ability to select thousands of preset templates and create everything from scratch. The templates that Wix had to offer was very diverse and it does a nice job of setting features for new users to try. With Wix being such a powerful program, everything in the site was editable and the possibilities are endless. However, there were also a few things that had a negative affect on the Wix overall. For example, the web editor page was sometimes glitchy; some of the features would change automatically. In addition, the text box's size does not always correspond to its settings. Otherwise, Wix is an amazing tool for everyone that is interested in making a website. In my opinion, Wix would definitely be my 1st option when choosing a tool to create for work later on because it allows much more customization than Google Sites does.

Google Sites Reflection

Positives

During the recent project that my group did in computer class, we used Google Sites as the main tool to display our topic. Despite being my first time creating a website, Google Sites was relatively easy to use and adapt; most options were organized logically into different sections. There were also many options to chose from regarding the site's color scheme and background. In order to receive full credit for our project, Huan, Lavin, and I were supposed to add a variety of pictures and videos. Therefore, it was very convenient for us to be able to embed videos and images straight from the options bar.

Negatives  

Despite the many helpful features included in Google Sites, there were also many that should be more thought out and improved. For example, it was fairly difficult to include images into the page because the text would often times move when I try to change the image's position. In addition, there were only certain types of images that Google Sites allowed; some did not show at all when the page was saved. Despite not being the owner of the site, I still think that editors should be allowed to more privileges such as changing the background. Furthermore, if the editor would like to make some big changes, he/she wouldn't still be able to do it since there is no option that gives the editor more power.

Application to Real Life

Personally, Google Sites is a fairly useful tool that I would definitely use in the future. The features that it offer can help to present many topics further on to college and even work. Even with the confusing layouts between images and text, the many positives that Google Sites have would surely outweigh the negatives. In my opinion, Google Sites is a slightly altered version of PowerPoint due to the many similarities that they share. For example, both programs can be used to present during a speech as a visual aid. However, PowerPoint would fit better because there are more variety of animations that could be included. In conclusion, I really enjoyed using Google Sites during this project and it can surely be used for work-related purposes in the future.

Usefulness of PowerPoint

Throughout the course of a few weeks, I was introduced to PowerPoint, a presentation program made by Microsoft. Though this was not the first time I used PowerPoint, there were many undiscovered features that I have found very useful. For example, the embed video feature was very useful because it allows the viewer the watch the video directly from the presentation, rather than having to escape the PowerPoint to the actual site. In addition, there were also many video-editing features that was in PowerPoint; being able to cut a video helps me organize my time and presentation much better. Therefore, I really enjoy working in PowerPoint because it offers much more features in today's technology.

Due to PowerPoint's usefulness, I do think that these types of programs will help me in the future. The creative features than it offers makes PowerPoint much more diverse than a regular work presentation. I will probably use PowerPoint much more in my future education, especially in college. PowerPoint is a much better way to express your opinion to a crowd due to its picture and animation features. If I ever plan on working in an office, PowerPoint will even benefit me more since it's specially designed for work. The tools that these presentation programs offer will greatly benefit almost anyone in school or work.

Word Processors

Throughout my daily life as a high school student, word processors such as Google Docs and Microsoft Word have really been an essential tool regarding papers and home works. Before enrolling in Computer Applications, I only used Microsoft Word to the very least of its ability; I didn't have a chance to explore it fully. However, I was able to play around with word processors and found it to be much more useful than just typing papers. During this week, my classmates and I were able to create many projects using word processors alone. One of the many features that I enjoy using is the auto-correct and its replace function. This feature allows me to insert many shortcuts into my writing, which I found to be very helpful. Due to its function, I have saved a lot of time while taking notes because I can simply put the first few letters and the processor would just replace it with the actual word that I have programmed into . In conclusion, I think this week's classwork has been very useful and I would like to discover more features about word processors in the future.

Usefulness of blogging

Technology has improved drastically over the past 20 years and it is very likely that it will continue to grow. With the many features of technology, it can easily help people of all ages accomplish their goal. However, different kinds of technology are more advanced than others. In my opinion, blogging has gone past its golden years and is irrelevant compared to other forms of technology such as websites and encyclopedia today. Although I do acknowledge that websites and blogs are similar but blogging falls into more of an individual social aspect of the internet. In contrary, websites can contain other customizations that blogs do not and it looks more professional as a whole. During the early to mid 2000's, blogging was where people could view other people's opinion on various subjects. Then came Facebook, which revolutionized social networks and thus, turning blogs into the remains of the past. In conclusion, although blogging still has its unique characteristics, advance technology proved it is not as relevant as it used to be.

Creation of the bad blog

As a contrary to my good blog, I've taken into consideration of how my other blog is bad and decided to apply all of them to that blog. First off I chose a dark green colored background as it will clash with my other fonts greatly later on. To make the blog more unprofessionally looking, I added many gadgets like "Mother Teresa's Quotes" and put annoying captions on top. Then, I made the blog layout very unproportional by changing the content column smaller and the smaller features bigger. Both of my title and text font are very big and bulky with many of bright colors involved, which contrast my background greatly as I stated earlier. Lastly, I put a small water mark background at the bottom to make the blog unsymmetrical and cringy. In conclusion, my bad blog consists of many things that would easily be perceived as ugly immediately by my viewer; therefore, completing my goal.

Link to my bad bog: Bad blog

"Let there be blog" and God saw that it was good.

Overall, I think my blog falls into one of the more simpler ones out there in blogger. However, the simplistic designs that I chose all have its reasons and I hope I can translate those meanings to those who would wish to view my Computer Applications blog. First off, I picked a blue background with a few designs to keep it from being bland. For my title, I picked a rather stylish font as I want viewers to be able to see my emphasis. Going along with the blue theme, I made my title with a light blue, followed by a lighter background to soothe the eyes of my audience. In class, I was told to avoid using white as the main background as it would likely blind the audience due to its brightness. Therefore, I went with a grayish color instead to avoid those issues and still be able to read the black letters clearly. My layout is separated into three main sections; there are two mini gadget columns and one main content column in between. Lastly, the gadget that I have chosen for my blog is the search tool bar because it serves my blog very professionally as a crucial helping tool. Therefore, my blog is not too flashy regarding color distribution but still serves its purpose as a delightful blog that viewers can join without causing them a headache.

Fall Retreat 2014 "Spur one another"

This year, I was blessed to be able to go to the annual high school retreat at camp TCC. Overall, I had a really good time with my friends despite having to sleep in a cabin full of insects. The activities that were showcased there were also very fun and also tiring. One of my favorite part about this year's trip was the speaker that we were able to talk to. Thud was an expert in his region of work and inspired many of us to follow his lifestyle and to create a power authentic relationship. In the end, the retreat came to an end very quickly but I hope I will be able to join it the next four years in high school.