1. Level 2 IT Users Qualification – Unit 1 Improving Productivity Katie

2. I can describe the purpose of using IT in my work I used ICT to complete my coursework because it saves time, look more professional and there are templates that will help me if I need it. I used pictures in my presentation and newsletter to make them look more interesting and relate to what is being discussed or talked about. If I had not used ICT in my work then the pictures would have been harder to use because the quality would be bad and would make my work look not as professional. Getting them from the internet using a Google was better because it saved time, made me more efficient and helped me show what I was talking about. I included a Youtube video in my presentation because it would add a different dimension, and get the readers attention. Without ICT, adding this video would have been difficult and would have made my work look less professional. My newsletter included articles which were not written by me but came from a Google search on the internet. I used ICT to complete a Google search to find articles about technology. My business card, letter and newsletter were made using templates with a matching design set and colour. These helped me in my work because they saved time. My presentation included a range of additional ICT tools such as contents page or sounds. These enhanced my work because. If I had completed my work without a computer then I could have made grammar mistakes, spelling mistakes and so on but because most software has spellcheck I was able to use it to autocorrect my work for me. If I had not used ICT for any of this work it would have looked less professional and might have had to start again if mistakes were made on one version.

3. I can describe the methods, skills and resources needed to complete my tasks successfully In order to complete my tasks successfully I had to know how to be confident with the software. Each piece of software is different and this meant that I had to learn many new things. In my presentation I had to know how to select an existing template and then had to add text and pictures. I thought about the design and organised my slides so they looked professional. I used a main menu which included using a wide range of hyperlinks to link to and from to the menu. Using these made my presentation interactive and also made it interesting. I also enhanced by including a range of advanced features such as picture borders and transitions. These made the presentation more interactive. Publisher enabled me to use a range of advanced methods to create my products. It enabled me to choose a design and colour scheme before starting my project so that I could then select a template which helped me create my coursework. Templates were handy because they enabled me to keep the design consistent whilst adding all of my own information. Using these saved me lots of time but meant my work looked really professional. For most of my work I needed pictures and I found these by finding them online. I had to change the settings on Google when looking for my pictures so that they followed copyright. I also had to store them in a source and store table so I could give credit to owner of work. I also had to reference the websites of articles and video’s I used in my work so that not break the law.

4. I can describe factors that might affect the task There are multiple factors which could have affected me from completing the tasks set. The first factor is to make sure that I have access the to computers to be able to complete the tasks set. Without a computer I wouldn’t have access to software and the resources the computer has what I need and so wouldn’t be able to complete tasks efficiently. The computer or software could be the wrong version and this could affect the task because I might not have all the tools I need and the right version of the equipment. I used the internet a lot in my work so if there had been problems with the internet such as loss of network connection or sites being blocked then this could have prevented me from getting YouTube clips or copyright free pictures by using the search tools on my browser. Copyright could have been something else which might have affected the task because I had to use only images which were available on a copyright free Google search and sometimes the pictures I wanted to use weren’t available because I had copyright restrictions. Finally, the biggest factor which could have affected the task is me. If I could not use the software then I wouldn’t have been able to complete the coursework set.

5. I can describe how the purpose and outcomes have been met by the chosen IT systems and tools I created my presentation using PowerPoint and my business card, letter and newsletter using Publisher. I chose PowerPoint to create my presentation because it included lots of tools. Firstly, it included the ability to add text and images. Writing directly onto the computer saved me time because otherwise I would have to write and then rewrite it. Getting pictures straight from Google was easy because could find copyright ones more easily. PowerPoint was good for a presentation because it has a wide range of effective features such as animations and designs which made it help me complete my work quickly. Publisher also had a wide range of professional features but most of these were to do with the range of templates available. By choosing a design and colour scheme I was able to apply a template which did most of the design work for me. This meant I could focus on making a awesome logo and finding useful articles. Publisher also enabled me to save my work as a PDF. This was useful because it meant that the person looking at my work didn’t need publisher to view the files.

6. I can describe any legal or local guidelines or constraints that apply to the task or activity I completed my coursework at school which meant that I worked from a password protected log in. It is important that my account is protected so that other people cant access my work and change it. I also completed my work in school which meant that I had to follow school policy when using the computer. This policy included using the computer respectfully and only going on the sites the school has provided for me to use. Some software the school has in free but some software has been paid for which means it needs a licence. Software licences are all different, some can restrict how the software is used across the network and others can not allow me to do certain things. If you don’t buy a licence then you are breaking copyright law. Copyright was very important in my coursework because I wanted to use videos from YouTube and pictures from the internet without making them myself. I followed copyright law by using a source and store table which showed lots of information about the asset I had found online such as the web link and other important information. I found pictures using a copyright free Google image search to make sure that the creator was happy for me to use their work.

7. I can describe whether the IT tools selected were appropriate for the task and purpose Many of the tools I used in my coursework were appropriate for the task and purpose because made my work look professional. For my presentation unit I was able to 3 a master slide so that all my slides could be matching in design, layout and colours which made my work look better. I was able to use hyperlinks to link to video on YouTube. This made the main menu and individual slides more interesting to look at. I was able to add pictures, text and videos so that the actual presentation was nice to look at and this made the presentation suitable for my audience. Presentation software allowed me to choose from a range of animations and transitions. While these made my work look better, I was not able to make my own. Desktop publishing software enabled me to create range of publications such as a business card, letterhead and newsletter by choosing a design which matched. The tools in desktop publishing software included allowing me to write my articles in newspaper format and this made my work look more professional. Desktop publishing software also allowed me to save my files as PDF so that anyone could view them. Finally, online tools such as vista print helped me to create my logo in a quick and efficient way. Overall, the tools I used were right for what I’m doing because they helped with everything that I wanted to do.

8. I can assess the strengths and weaknesses in my final work When completing my presentation I thought that my hyperlinks was very good because it looked more professional than other peoples hyperlinks. I also thought that my contents page was nice to look at because it looked professional. I felt my main weakness was animations because they were very basic but also that my colour scheme could have improved because it looked basic again. When completing my business card, letter and newsletter I thought that my choice of design was one of my strengths and while this was a preexisting software feature, I was able to create it to connect with my style. I thought my letterhead was the best of all three publications because design or colour. I thought that I could improve my business card by making it look more interesting to the people who are looking at it and who have it in there hands.

9. I can describe ways to make further improvements to my work I could have made further improvements to my presentation if I had consider different software such as Keynote. If I had used Keynote instead then I could have made something unique. Many of the features of presentation software are the same but the majority presentations are made using Powerpoint that it gets boring. I used Powerpoint because I knew how it how it was used but looking back my work could have been better if I had tried something new. I could have improved my newsletter if I had made it longer. I was confident with the finished newsletter but felt that there was room to make it better.

10. I can review the benefits and drawbacks of IT tools and systems used in terms of productivity and efficiency There were many factors which affected me in terms of productivity and efficiency but the one I noticed the most was being able to do what you want on the software. Some of the tools in PowerPoint and Publisher were tools I had not used in a while which meant that I lost time having to learn how to use them. An example was that some of the designs in publisher were not ready for me to use so I had to spend extra time making sure that one was available for all publications. As I had to follow copyright law, I lost time when creating my newsletter as I had to we link then from there into newsletter. I could have been more productive if I had taken from the web instantly but this was something that could not avoid. Each lesson I had to get onto a Computer and sometimes this took ages. During some lessons searches didn’t work and this affected you because had to be patient.

11. I can describe ways to improve productivity and efficiency There are a range of ways I could have been more productive and efficient in my coursework. The first is if I had completing the work. There were many lessons where I did not complete as much as I wanted to and if I had of been more focused then I could have been more productive. Sometimes, when starting something new, I took longer than I wanted as I had to make sure I knew what to do. Some of the tools within Publisher were new to me. This meant that I had to take my time until I was as confident as I wanted to be. Throughout the project I kept my files neat which made me more efficient as I was able to always find what I am looking for. I also only wrote the contact details for my company once then re-used them so that I could be more productive with my time. The use of templates helped me as it only had to be done once which made me more productive because I didn’t have to repeat any work.