WEEK 9

In my week 9, we started our final topic on Microsoft Office. According to my studies in this trimester, I would prefer to call Microsoft Office Programs, such as; Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Power Point and Microsoft Office Excel as a “triple geniuses” in technological world. Because these programs are most used in our century, all people around the world use these programs to do their job, tasks, activities and works.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010

So, in my week 9, we learnt about Microsoft Office Excel 2010. This program allows us to store, organize and analyse the info, solve types of problems that involve numbers. This program contains cells, which is helps us to analyse, arrange and use the data’s. It consists from columns and rows. 

I learnt how to create the formulas, arrange the data’s, creating the charts and so on. For my mind, all financial, banking and counting companies uses Microsoft Office Excel. It’s very helpful and powerful program.

All in all, this week gave me a huge experience and knowledge in using Microsoft Office Excel. Mostly, I learnt how to do the workbooks, tables, charts, arranging the data, easily manipulating with huge amount of data. 

Example of one of my Excel works

WEEK 8

This week we had an enjoyable week, we continued our studies on Microsoft Office. So, this week we studied about Microsoft Office Power Point.

Actually, in my hometown I learnt about Power Point. When I was in my high-school, I learnt about it. Before my lectures, I knew that Power Point is mostly used to do presentations, it is the most popular and useful program all around the world. Even, me always doing all my presentations and project showing with this program, it is very optional and simple in use.

However, this week I learnt more about it, we passed every function properly and step by step. I revised and learnt more on how to applying the theme and doing the simplest things to present, such as; inserting the images, changing the styles and layouts, putting the screenshots, transitions, animations and all useful commands to do the presentation. 

Nowadays we use Microsoft Office Power Point 2010, the latest and more modified type of the Power Points.  That is why; we passed all things by using this edition. 

I was very satisfied with myself and with this week’s topic, because I revised everything that I passed in past. Moreover, I learnt things that I didn't know previously, such as Smart Art functions, saving the presentation in video format (.avi, .flv and etc.).

Finally, in our tutorial class we did in-class activity, such a quiz. We have been given with requirements sheet by our lecturer. We had to successfully finish the all required things in limited time. I did a very good presentation about my hometown. 

Overall, this week was very good and quite cognitive, as I revised a lot of things.

   

WEEK 7

In week 6, lecture showed us about Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office includes a wide variety of programs such as: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power Point, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft One Note  Microsoft Communicator, Microsoft Web Apps, Microsoft SharePoint Workshop and Microsoft Info Path.

Microsoft Power Point 

Microsoft Excel 201

New features also include a built-in screen capture tool, a background removal tool, new Smart Art templates and author permissions. The 2007 "Office Button" was replaced with a menu button that leads to a full-window file menu, known as Backstage View, giving easy access to task-centered functions such as printing and sharing. A notable accessibility regression from 2007 is that the menu button scores worse with the Fitts's law accessibility calculation than previous versions. A modified Ribbon interface is present in all Office applications, including Office Outlook, Visio, OneNote, Project, and Publisher. Office applications also have functional jump lists in Windows 7, which would allow easy access to recent items and tasks relevant to the application. 

Features of Office 2010 include:

• Ribbon interface and Backstage View across all applications
• Background Removal Tool
• Letter Styling
• The Word 2007 Equation editor is common to all applications, replacing Microsoft Equation Editor 3.0
• New Smart Art templates
• New text and image editing effects
• Screen Capturing and Clipping tools
• Live collaboration functions
• Jump lists in Windows 7
• New animations and transitions in PowerPoint 2010
• View Side by Side/Synchronous Scrolling in Word 2010

Microsoft Office Word

Microsoft Office Word 2010

The main topic of my week 7 was Microsoft Office Word. We learned a lot of useful information's about it, and we learned how to do a lot of useful tasks and operations on this program. Otherwise,lecture only specific to Microsoft Word that: User easily can change the shape, size, color of text, add tables, shading,      borders, pictures, charts and Web address in documents. Full-featured word processing program that allows user to create many types of personal and business documents including flyers, memos, resumes, reports, mailing labels and etc.

Lecturer also showed us how to start a Microsoft Word and  step by step he explains clearly about words, designing,   basic text operation, formatting and so on. So after this  week finish I understand it more especially when we did the  interesting exercise, students are supposed to make a logo  following the instructors during lab

The pictures above, are the some of the examples of Microsoft Office Word tasks, that we did in class. By end of the session, I have learned; Basic tasks in Microsoft Word, Identify the components of the Microsoft Office Ribbon, Enter text in a word document.
Format text and so on. Bullets and numbering: Word has extensive lists of bullets and numbering features used for tables, lists, pages, chapters, headers, footnotes, and tables of content. Bullets and numbering can be applied directly or using a button or by applying a style or through use of a template. Some problems with numbering have been found in Word 97-2003. An example is Word's system for restarting numbering. The Bullets and Numbering system has been significantly overhauled for Office 2007, which drastically reduces these problems. Users can also create tables in Word. Depending on the version, Word can perform simple calculations. Formula are supported as well.

It was enjoyable week for me.

WEEK 5 and WEEK 6

Why am I doing my self-reflection blog for weeks 5 and 6 together? I did it, because I didn't have a choice. I combined it, NOT because of my laziness or boniness. :) In the beginning of week 5, we had almost three days of the Chinese New Year and that is why I didn't have classes. Later on, in week 5 we started our topic on Windows Operating Systems, that we use everyday, every time in our life. And later on we continued our topic in week 6, moreover we had mid-term examinations on other subjects, and that is why we didn't study almost whole week 6. However, we could finish our topic. So, let me tell you about what I've learned in weeks 5 and 6, to be precise about Windows Operating Systems.


For week five I studied about  MS Windows computer operating system including: Windows OS history, Microsoft windows, and Windows 7 and 8 Aims.

Windows OS history: 

The Microsoft OS. The Microsoft released a number of windows operating system ranging from windows xx, NT, Server from 1985 till now. Windows 7 released in 2009 and the latest is windows 8, released at the end of 2012.

Microsoft Windows:

 Microsoft created the operating system,, Windows, in the mid-1980s. windows is a proprietary software, which means that Microsoft has placed restrictions on how people can also be purchased separately. Windows comes reloaded on most of the PCs sold today, and can also be purchased separately.

Windows 8 

Windows 8

Windows 8  is a version of Microsoft Windows (an operating system produced by Microsoft) for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablets, and home theater PCs. Development of Windows 8 started before the release of its predecessor, Windows 7, in 2009. 
Windows 8 introduces significant changes to the operating system's platform, primarily focused towards improving its user experience on mobile devices such as tablets to better compete with other mobile operating systems like Android and Apple's iOS  Windows 8 features a new touch user interface and shell based on Microsoft's "Metro" design language, featuring a new Start screen with a grid of dynamically updating tiles that represent applications. The Start screen replaces the "Start menu" of earlier Windows versions. 

Simple Operations in Desktop

All in all, this week was very useful for me. Because as you know now the world living in technological century, its a modern life. So, even we don't want to use the computers, we have to do it, everything around us is computerized, and the Operating System is the most important. I learned, a lot in these weeks. Windows Operating System can do a various of tasks, such as; internet, photo editing, business working, video making, searching, recording data's and thousands of tasks. Operating Systems is the most important part of Twenty First Century. 

WEEK 4

yawning

OK. Let's start my blog on week 4. To be honest, I am doing this blog very late. I started well in the beginning  every week I did on time. First, second and third weeks I did on time. However, before doing my week 4, I had some troubles, difficulties, so I couldn't do it on time. Anyway, now I feel myself better and today I continue to do my blog, I hope in the near future I will do my blog on time! To do my activities, assignments and works on time; I have to struggle with my laziness and overcome my desire of sleeping.

In my fourth week of ICT studies, our lecturer explained us the new topic "NETWORK". Actually, before this lesson I already knew about Computer Network. Computer network - means two or more computers are connected through a media link (cables) to exchange information from one computer to another computer. However, during this week I learned more about Network. Previously, I didn't know about: topology, protocol, architecture, LAN and etc...

In first part of week 4, we learned about the Components of the Computer Network, Basic Networking Concepts, Data Communication and Types of Signal. 

In the second part of week 4, we learned more specifically. The main topic was Networking Communication Mediums. Computers share access to common network medium that carries signals from one computer to another. Medium may be physical cable, such as twisted pair, coaxial, or fiber-optic. Medium may also be wireless.

Some cables of Physical Medium

Coaxial cable 

consists of an insulated center wire grounded by a shield of braided wire (the primary type of cabling used by the cable television industry;  it is more expensive than twisted pair)

Twisted-pair cable 

consists of two independently insulated wires twisted around each other (least expensive type of cable—the kind that is used in many telephone systems)

One of the of Wireless Medium 

Satellite System

Receive transmitted signals, amplify them, and then transmit the signals to the appropriate locations.
A satellite navigation or satellite navigation system is a system of satellites that provide autonomous geographical-spatial positioning with global coverage. It allows small electronic receivers to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude) to within a few meters using time signals transmitted along a line-of-sight by radio from satellites. Receivers calculate the precise time as well as position, which can be used as a reference for scientific experiments.

Moreover, in this week I learned the most important part in our topic. Its about the "Types of the Network" 

• Network in small geographical Area (Room, Building or a Campus) is called LAN (Local Area Network)
• Network in a City is call MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
• Network spread geographically (Country or across Globe) is called WAN (Wide Area Network)

LAN (Local Are Network)

A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building using network media.The defining characteristics of LAN's  in contrast to wide area networks (WAN's), include their usually higher data-transfer rates, smaller geographic area, and lack of a need for leased telecommunication lines.

MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a computer network that usually spans a city or a large campus. A MAN usually interconnects a number of local area networks (LAN's) using a high-capacity backbone technology, such as fiber-optical links, and provides up-link services to wide area networks (or WAN) and the Internet.

WAN (WIDE AREA NETWORK)

A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a network that covers a broad area using private or public network transports. Business and government entities utilize WAN's to relay data among employees, clients, buyers, and suppliers from various geographical locations. In essence, this mode of telecommunication allows a business to effectively carry out its daily function regardless of location. The Internet can be considered a WAN as well, and is used by businesses, governments, organizations, and individuals for almost any purpose imaginable.

All in all this week, was very useful for me! I really satisfied with it!

WEEK 3

This trimester, my schedule is very comfortable, I am satisfied with my time management and my first lecture of Computer & Internet is on Wednesday at 8:00am to 10:00am. This is the best time to study, because I am very energetic and enthusiastic to study, because I just had my breakfast, I had my shower and so on... Moreover, our lecturer is funny, I mean his lectures are not boring, that is why I appreciate it.

cheerfulness and power in the morning

So, on Wednesday of 6th February, I came to class on time, and I was ready to study.

In that lecture, we began our topic from: "Who invented the computer?" 

"Who invented the computer?" 

And our lecturer said that there are a lot of variants and until today I don't know who exactly created and invented the computer.

* Charles Babbage, 1791-1871

* John von Neumann, 1903-1957

* Blaise Pascal, 1623-1662

EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS.

During that class, we also learned about the Computer Generation History. I learned about the Evolution of Computers. There are five generations: 

Vacuum Tube (First Generation 1940-1950)

- UNIVAC [1950].
- ENIAC [1945].

Transistors (Second Generation, 1950-1964)

- IBM1401 mainframe.

Integrated Circuits "IC" (Third Generation , 1964-1974)

- Microprocessor chips combines thousands of transistors, entire circuit on one computer chip.

VLSI / ULSI Forth generation (1974-present)

- VLSI = Very Large-Scale Integration.
- ULSI = Ultra Large Scale Integration.

Artificial Intelligent Computers (now and future) 

- Based on artificial intelligence - computers can think, reason and learn.

- Nanotechnology.

COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE 

We also learned about computer architecture. It is the field of study of selecting and interconnecting hardware components to create computers that satisfy functional performance and cost goals. 

In Computer Architecture there are 5 basic components:

• Input
• Output
• Memory
• Control
• Data Path

COMPUTER CATEGORIES

Later on, we also learned about the categories of computer, there are six Categories of Computer:

• Embedded Computers  (Mini computers embedded into a specific product for specific function)
• Mobile devices/computers  (Small computer that fits on your hand, contain built-in computing or Internet capabilities) 
• Personal Computers (Fully functioning portable or desktop computers)
• Mid-range Servers (Physically likes small cabinet, hosting data and programs available to a small group of users) 
• Mainframes (is a large, expensive, very powerful computers that can handle thousands of connected users)
• Supercomputers (The fastest, most powerful, and most expensive category of computers)

COMPUTER PROCESSING POWER

The main important thing that I understood that if we compare the computers there is a big difference between their powers.

For example, speed of the computer is measured in hertz (Hz) i.e. cycles per second.

Capacity is measured in bytes (B) where

1 byte = 8 bits (binary digits) = 1 character.

Hard disk capacity (MB- megabytes, GB – gigabytes)

Moreover, the display on computer is also divided in qualities. It given by the numbers of pixels (picture elements).

WEEK 2

From what I have learnt in classes of week 2, I revised about computers. We learnt about what does computer mean and why we should use it. Actually, I already knew about it, but I got more new information's and moreover I revised about computers.

Computer - is a programmable machine that carries out what it has been instructed to do.

PC (Personal Computer)

As we know, computers are not a living things. It has been created by humans. So it has own command or operations which gives us desired results. So, we learned the basic operations of computer.

Actually, there are four main operations, such as:

* Input

* Processing

* Output

* Storage

One more operation: 
* Communication.

The five activities in graph above forms the information processing cycle.

Computer Components:

• Hardware – the physical parts (the electrical, electronic or mechanical parts of a computer)
• Software – the set of instructions/ programs (also known as a program – a series of related instructions, organized for a common purpose. It tells the computer what task to perform and how to do it)  

Others:

• People
• Data/ Information

Also in week 2, I learned about the Number Systems. There are 4 types of number systems:

• Decimal Number Systems (It uses ten numerals to form a string of numbers. The values are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9)
• Binary Number Systems (It uses two numerals/ digits to form a string of numbers. They are 0 and 1. Also known as BITS)
• Octal Number Systems (It uses eight numerals to form a string of numbers. They are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 )
• Hexadecimal Number Systems (It uses sixteen symbols (numerals + letters) to form a string of numbers. They are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D and E. Also known as Hex)

Example: Let me show you one of the examples how to convert and use number systems, for instance let's take conversion from Binary to Decimal:
Convert 11012 to Decimal.
How? Use this table and multiply the digits with the position values

11012  = (1x 23) + (1x 22) + (0 x 21) + (1x 20)

          = (1x 8) + (1x 4) + (0 x 1) + (1x1)

          = 8 + 4 + 0 + 1 =   13

Therefore, 11012 = 1310

So, in class on Thursday we also did in class activity, our lecturer gave us the task. The task was to solve the examples which were related about Number Systems, we had to convert them. Based on that task, I have practiced and understood this topic better.