Unit 1 – Improving Productivity

1. 1. Why did you use a computer 1.1 Why did you use a computer? What other systems / resources could you have used? I use a computer because it’s easy, and the software I used was power point it’s really good and does come in handy with making a presentation etc. most people use computers because they don’t have any other way or they can’t accesses a computer. Also I could of used different software’s like; word, publisher. In publisher you can create posters , presentations and leaflets .In word posters are hard quite difficult to do but doing facts sheets are good or tables. I did not use posters or paper as I believe that presentations should be professional and using computers is an easy efficient way.

1.2 What skills did you need to learn in order to use PowerPoint? PowerPoint is a computer program that allows you to create and show slides to support a presentation. You can combine text, graphics and multi-media content to create professional presentations. Learning to present with PowerPoint will increase your employability as it is the world’s most popular presentational software. Used well, PowerPoint can improve the clarity of your presentations and help you to illustrate your message and engage your audience. The strategies contained in this study guide will help you to use PowerPoint effectively in any type of presentation. Skills at using PowerPoint will help me understand what skills I need to learn in order to be a more proficient user of PowerPoint for your presentations.

1.2 What resources did you need to make the presentation successful? I used a variety of resources to ensure the presentation was successful. I used photos as I believe photos could show what you were saying. For example when I was speaking in detail about uniform I needed to use pictures as it enabled me to show exactly what they had to wear. Animations allow the user to stay interested in the presentation, even though animation are used for younger target audience that can still attracter the audiences attention. Hyperlinks were used in my presentation to ensure that the presentation was easy to access other slides, this helped make my presentation successful as it looked professional.

1.4 What factors might have affected how well you completed the presentation? (e.g. time / attendance / knowledge of software) A variety of a factors affected how well and quickly I completed my presentation. Firstly, I knew how to use the software before this so this meant I was able to use the presentation successfully. As I am used the software I did make a few errors whilst completing the work. For example I tended to rush aspects of the presentation so this meant I made spelling mistakes which I corrected but took up time I have used Microsoft PowerPoint since year 7, I have had 5 years of practice on the software and can use this in a quick way. My attendance is very good so this was not an issue when completing my work.

1. 6. Why did you use PowerPoint to make your presentation 1.6 Why did you use PowerPoint to make your presentation? What other software was available? Why did you choose not to use them? Microsoft PowerPoint is the best piece of software available on school computers to make a presentation, I have used this software for an extended period of time and can make sure the audience understands things in my presentation. Other software like Microsoft word not be suitable as it is difficult to navigate around, PowerPoint allows the audience to feel part of the presentation. Microsoft word is good for posters and writing. It would not be suitable for sharing ideas with others. Microsoft excel is not suitable for making presentations, it is more suited in collecting data and showing people data rather than tell a story. Not using a computer would cause issues with trying to present a presentation as too many mistakes would occur and you haven’t got he correct resources to engage the audience.

2.2 Which tools within PowerPoint made it appropriate for your presentation? The point of the presentation was to describe smithswood sport college and let people know what the school is all about. It is for year 6 students coming up. This means the presentation has to have the correct information and also has to appeal to the audience I used hyperlinks as a tool to navigate easily through the slides this allowed me to navigate through the slides in an slick, efficient and effective manner. I used Buttons for a tab so the audience could understand what was on each slide, this allowed them to be hyperlinks. The buttons made the presentation look appealing and allowed the user to navigate through if they required to do so. I used pictures so the audience can understand what the school is all about

1.7 Were there any legal constraints or local constraints that changed the way you created your presentation? (e.g. copyright, file sizes) There were a few legal constraints that I had to consider when making the presentation one of these were copying and pasting information, I had to be careful all of the work was my own work and not copied from any websites. I also had to research potential ideas that enabled me not to copyright from websites. I also had to ensure I did not have too many pictures and videos in my presentation, this was due to the memory that each of the pictures and videos were. I had to be very selective when picking these as I wanted to make it look interesting but also ensure it was viable to transfer to different memory sources. I ensured all websites used had a security certificate so I knew they were safe to use.

2.4 What improvements do you think you could do to your presentation? Overall I thought my presentation was good however there were a few things I could have added to the presentation to improve it further. Firstly, I could have provided more information about the school. In my presentation I should have told the audience in more detail about each specific tabs. I could of used more videos any videos which could have been used in my presentation as it would have allowed me to talk about smithswood in a different way. The video would have added something different to the presentation and allowed the audience to experience further technology The colour scheme of my presentation was black and red, I believe I should have used brighter colours so it would have allowed me to appeal to the audience even more.

3.2 What improvements do you think you could have done to improve your work rate? In terms of my work rate, I believe I worked quite hard however I did become distracted by others in the class. When I was working alone I found this much easier as I could concentrate just on my own work ethic. When others asked for my assistance I helped them however this may have affected my work ethic. I believe I could have attended some more after school classes to enhance my presentation further this would have allowed me to complete the work better and make an even better presentation. Also, I could have tried different techniques that would have enhanced my work rate for example doing timed tasks. Time tasks would allow me to work to more short term deadlines. I could have prepared more so my work rate was better , I could of research and garther more information before I started my presentation.