1. COP 4910 Frontiers in Information Technology Lecture 3 Keys to Success in IT Hal Stringer

2. Today’s Agenda Hand back graded Top 10 Lists
How it was graded
All actions have consequences (no excuses)
Standard format required for interim & final reports
Any new questions about Favorite 5?
Winning 1 Technologies
Presentation Schedule
Slide Suggestions
Evaluation Criteria
Giving a Good Presentation
Keys to Success in IT (as well as this class & life)
Microsoft Word - Your New Best Friend

3. Favorite 5 Report
You must create mini report on these five technologies
one page (double spaced) synopsis of each technology on separate page with its own second level heading. Include in your synopsis:
a description of the technology
how ABC Widget would use the technology
how the company would benefit from its implementation and
any downsides to the technology
use a professional business format for this second assignment including a title page, table of contents, introduction, and reference page.
one authoritative reference source for each technology.
Due date extended to midnight Friday via
Include preference for Winning 1 in Introduction
Examples or Questions?

4. Winning 1 Technologies
Hope to send out s on Saturday with confirmation of Winning 1 Technology.
If no conflicts or bad choices, you get your preference
Must prepare a 5-7 minute presentation followed by questions, answers and discussion
7 to 8 presentations per class till complete
After all presentations, class will vote on best out of the 20+ and assign topics to groups
Presentation Schedule
Assigned at Random
Look for your number (from Top 10 paper) on the schedule to determine date.

5. Presentation Slides Keep it simple, the fewer slides the better
Title Slide
Agenda (optional for such short presentations)
Background Information
What is the current dominant technology?
Are there any problems or new opportunities?
High-Level Description of New technology (1 or 2 slides)
Use / Benefits of the Technology
Implementation/Cost Issues
Does it cost a lot?
How difficult to support?
Conclusions
Why should (not) your technology be selected?

6. How Will You Be Graded Presentation is 10% of your course grade
Really think about what you want to say
I give you 85 points out of 100 as starting point
Add or subtract points based on:
Preparation for Presentation
Content and Organization
Effectiveness of Presentation
Input from GTA and other class members
And yes, it is rather subjective

7. Giving a Good Presentation
Preparation for Presentation
should be clear and to the point, not cluttered with information
readable and free of spelling/grammatical errors
No tiny print, unreadable charts, etc.
you should be familiar with slide order and content
Know what’s next
bring a hard copy of presentation and copy of .ppt file on labeled floppy disk the day of your presentation
practice a few times if needed

8. Giving a Good Presentation (cont.)
Content and Organization
presentation should cover appropriate topics
sufficient background information to provide context
primary topic covered in proper detail
conclusions should be drawn or summary provided
presentation should flow logically and consistently
don’t jump around
you should be knowledgeable about your subject
good grasp of material
be confident about what you know
answered any questions directly and clearly
its OK to say “I don’t know” sometimes

9. Giving a Good Presentation (cont.)
Effectiveness of Presentation
speak clearly and with proper volume level
refrain from long pauses or lots of “um’s”
be sure to discuss slides - don’t read them
have good audience interaction and eye contact
don’t look at notes / slides / overhead TV
effective use of visual aids
use what’s appropriate: slides, whiteboard, demo items
use color and limit text on slides to keywords & phrases
make good use of allotted time
don’t wander
don’t get overly detailed
don’t let your enthusiasm get the best of you

10. Seven Keys to IT Success
This course tries to address seven different aspects of information technology in some fashion:
Explicitly
Technology - exposure to new things
Business - impact of technology on an organization
Research & Learning - keeping current, finding answers
Communication Skills - sharing your ideas
Implicitly
Teamwork - be honest & direct with group members
Self Motivation - give 110%, have confidence in your work
Problem Solving - always ask questions, never assume
Being a techno-whiz just isn’t enough in the long run!
Master all seven of these areas and you will be a success in any organization.

11. Next Week’s Topics Tuesday Thursday Class member introductions
Start forming groups
Whatever else I can think of?
Sample presentation?
Thursday
Start Presentations for Winning 1
Mandatory Attendance

12. Different Word Processors
Line Editors ed
Text Editors
Notepad, PICO
Simple Word Processors
WordPad
Full Featured Word Processors
Word, WordPerfect, Abiword
Publishing Software / Programs
Microsoft Publisher, PageMaker, Latex

13. Microsoft Word Touch Typing - Recommended
Keyboard Commands vs. Point & Click
Draft vs. Page View
Section vs. Page Breaks
Using Styles
Inserting Automatically Generated Objects
Spell Checking and Grammar Checking