FCC 113 (Week 7)

Microsoft Power Point

Microsoft has created a package software as we always use in our computer, such as Word, Power Point, Excel, and many others. Last week I have explained what Microsoft Word was, and this time I want to give some briefly information about Microsoft Power Point as the topic in week 7.

Microsoft Power point is a program that allows users design what they want, especially in presentation. It almost similar to Microsoft Word, but it more specific on presentation slide, and it also can convert into video. We usually use Microsoft Power Point to present with the slides that Power point has. So, are you familiar with Microsoft Power Point?

I want to share what I have learnt in week 7 and a way how to make a presentation in Power Point.  First of all, you have to open the Microsoft Power Point on you PCs or Laptop, then create a theme or choose it from Design Tab. There are many themes that you can choose for your presentation. After choosing theme, you can put whatever you want into you presentation slides. In Power Point, you also can Insert pictures, go to insert then click on picture or clip art or screenshots into your slides. After inserting pictures, you may edit them or design you pictures by using picture format or edit. In your slides, you also can use transitions. So, what is transitions? Transitions are motion effects that, when in Slide Show View, add movement to your slides as you advance from one slide to another. There are many transitions to choose from; each one allows you to control the speed, and even add sound. 

In addition, you will have animating text or object by using animations into your slides. There are many different animation effects that you can choose from, and they are organized into four types

a) Entrance: These control how the object enters the slide. For example, with the Bounce animation, the object will "fall" onto the slide and then bounce several times.

b) Emphasis: These animations occur while the object is on the slide, often triggered by a  mouse click. For example, you can set an object to Spin when you click the mouse

c) Exit: These control how the object exits the slide. For example, with the Fade animation,  the object will simply fade away.

d) Motion Paths: These are similar to Emphasis effects, except the object moves within the slide along a pre-determined path, for example a circle

        In your slides, you can put sound or even video that will make your slide more gorgeous and advance. Videos are a great way to make your presentations more engaging for your audience. 

• PowerPoint allows you to insert a video from a file on your computer or from a web site such as YouTube. 

• You can even edit the video within PowerPoint and customize its appearance with a Video Style.

• Working with Video include the following task: 

 Inserting Video

 Preview and resize the video

 Edit and Format 

 Formatting the Appearance of the Video

That is all from this session of Power Point presentation, and I hope you will make an advance of presentation by using Power Point. 

FCC 113 (Week 6)

Microsoft Office

The new topic for this session is quite important and most related to Microsoft. Last week, we have learnt about Operating System (OS) as the main topic in week five and related to Windows 7 as a production from Microsoft.

Nowadays, Microsoft has proved that its company is very powerful in using software, such as Microsoft Office. Instead of Microsoft Office, it includes a wide variety of programs, like Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Access, Outlook and etcetera.

The most common use of Microsoft Office are Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point instead of the other software. However, I would like to introduce to all users of Microsoft Office, what Microsoft Word is. Microsoft Word is 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 etcetera.

Microsoft Word: Word Window

In Microsoft Word, it is also called as Word Window that includes Document Window, Ribbon, Mini Toolbar, Shortcut Menus and Quick Access Toolbar.

q Document Window

q Ribbon

q Mini Toolbar

q Shortcut Menus

q Quick Access Toolbar

      

         Using Microsoft Word is really interesting when we know its advances.

 Advanced Microsoft word include the three structured:

ÿ Working with Styles and Templates

ÿ Customizing Tables and Creating Charts

ÿ Creating Mail Merge Documents

In these advances, Microsoft Word is to be used for general purposes like using style and templates. Style of Microsoft Word is a predefined combination of font style, color, and size of text that can be applied to selected text. It has style and theme which are powerful tools in Word that can help you easily create professional looking documents.

FCC 113 (Week 5)

Windows Operating System

          What I have learnt in Computer & Internet class was very useful in my life, especially when I learnt about Operating System (OS). An operating system (OS) is a collection of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common service for computer programs. The operating system is a vital component of the system software in a computer system. Application programs usually require an operating system to function.

          There are several types of Operating System, such as Windows, Mac OS, UNIX, and Linux. However, I would like to describe more about Windows Operating System (OS) as the new topic in week five.

Windows OS is an Operating System that was created by Microsoft. They have a version of the operating system that is designed for the home user, and a professional version, which is intended for businesses. The versions differ in the depth of networking, security, and multimedia support. Windows is a proprietary software, which means that Microsoft has placed restrictions on how people can use or copy the software.

Nowadays, windows have created a new OS which is known as Windows 8. However, the previous windows 7 also has something very special from its content and aims to give a very useful windows, such as decrease Start Up and Shutdown times by 20 seconds, go to Sleep and Resume faster, use up less Memory, pop up Search results faster, reconnect to your Wireless Network more quickly, and recognize USB devices faster.

In addition, Windows 7 also saves time by not booting up various devices during Start Up unless they are currently being used. In other words, if you are not using a Bluetooth device at the moment then Windows 7 will not waste time by running that program in the background. It will wait until you have plugged it in. However, performance tests of Windows 7 indicate that actual improvements vary and greatly depend on the conditions of your specific computer and the programs you are running.

In this session, I would like to share my own experience in using Windows 7 for 1 year before changing to Windows 8. Actually I am using two OS that are Windows 7 and 8. Nevertheless, Windows 7 has very unique program that allows you interact with it, because it has a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows you to visually interact with your computer’s functions in a logical, fun and easy way. For example, you can use Aero Snap feature, which it is automatically sizes or snaps two windows to fit together on the screen thus allowing you the convenience of viewing them next to each other.

Knowing about the main element in Windows 7 is very useful for you as always interact with it. They are some important element which are used in Windows 7, such as;

ÿAero view

ÿ Taskbar

ÿ Search

ÿ Libraries

ÿ Gadgets

FCC 113 (Week 4)

Basic Networking Concept

       What I want to explain in this week is basically about Computer Network. So, what is Computer Network?

Computer Network is a group of interconnected computers that two or more computers are connected via hardware or software, and able to communicate with each other. For example of a computer network: the Internet, ATM, school network, e-banking, home network, etc. Nowadays, Computer Network has three basic networking concept, as we know three of them are:

1.     Topology (the physical layout of the network)

2.     Protocol (the rules in data communication)

3.     Architecture (how the hardware and software are integrated to form a working).

As the new knowledge for me, I would like to describe about the typical ways of networking computers.

q Communication Channel

Ø Some type of link through which the data can be transmitted or transferred from one computer to another.

Ø To send data through the channel requires some type of transmission media, which may be either physical or wireless.

q Network Medium

Ø Computers share access to common network medium that carries signals from one computer to another.

Ø Medium may be physical cable, such as twisted pair, coaxial, or fiber-optic.

Ø Medium may also be wireless.

q Physical Media

Ø 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)

Ø 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)

Ø Fiber-optic cable – contains hundreds of clear fiberglass or plastic fibers (threads) (made from thin, flexible glass tubing; bandwidth is greater, so it can carry more data; it is lighter than metal wires and is less susceptible to interference; it is fragile and expensive)

Ø ISDN line – a special digital telephone line that transmits and receives information at very high speeds.

q Wireless Media (unguided medium)

 Ø Microwave system – transmits data via high-frequency radio signals through the atmosphere

Ø Satellite system – receive transmitted signals, amplify them, and then transmit the signals to the appropriate locations

Ø Cellular technology – uses antennae resembling telephone towers to pick up radio signals within a specific area (cell)

Ø Infrared technology – transmits data as infrared light waves from one device to another, providing wireless links between PCs and peripherals.

q Wireless Networking : Wi-Fi

Ø Wi-Fi is an abbreviation for Wireless Fidelity and a catch all phrase for the several different standards and recommendations that comprise wireless networking. 

Ø IEEE 802.11.b –2.4GHz – 11Mbps

Ø IEEE 802.11.a – 5GHz – 54 Mbps

Ø IEEE 802.11g – 2.4Ghz – Hybrid 11/54Mbps 

Ø Wi-Fi enables the user to deploy a computer network without needing to run cable throughout the facility.

Ø Microwave ovens, cordless phones, medical and scientific equipment, as well as Bluetooth devices, all work within the 2.4 GHz frequency band.

       Knowing and understanding types of Network is really important for users who always use the connection to connect among computers in the world. So, I will explain briefly about the types of network and its function. These types of network are called as LAN, MAN and WAN. So, what are they?

v LAN (Local Area Network) is a network in small geographical area, such as room, building or a campus.

v MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) is a network that allows users connect in a city.

v WAN (Wide Area Network) is a network spread geographically, likes country or across globe.

FCC113 (Week 3)

The role of computer software

       I had learnt about basic computer hardware in week two. I could understand what computer hardware is, then I learnt about Computer Software in the next week with

most basically known as an intangible part of a computer. It is also called as a program with a collections of related data in a computer. It tells what a compute supposed to carry out and how to do it.

There are some categories of software that is known as: System software that controls and maintains the operations of the computer and its devices, Application software makes users more productive and assists them with their tasks and Programming Language enables people (called programmers) to communicate instructions to a computer.

        These are two types of Computer Software:

A.   Operating System (OS) is a set of programs that coordinates all the activities among computer hardware resources.

I would like to describe what Operating System (OS) is. OS is the most important part of all computer systems that is called as platform program. Some computers can run multiple OS on the machine like Windows, Ubuntu, Linux, etc. The functions of OS are starting and shutting down a computer, providing a user interface, managing program and memory, coordinating tasks, configuring devices, establishing an Internet connection, monitoring performance, providing file management and other utilities, updating software automatically, controlling a network, and administering security.

Here are some types of Operating System, such as:

1. Stand-alone OS – a complete OS on a computer:

    - DOS, Windows, Mac OS, UNIX, Linux

2. Server OS – an OS that supports a network:

    - Windows NT, UNIX, Linux,    Solaris, Net-Ware

3. Embedded OS – built-in on a ROM chip mainly for mobile devices.

     - Windows CE, Palm OS, BlackBerry, Google Android.

     B.  Utility Programs is a set of programs that allows a user to perform maintenance-type tasks concerning the computer itself, its devices and its programs.

In Utility Programs, most of Operating Systems has some function, such as files/ programs - manage, search, install/ uninstall, view, backup, protect, compress, secure, disk – clean up, defragment, backup, burn, and format.

      I want to give some important things that we can protect or take care of our computers effectively by using Utility Programs, like Screen saver, Personal firewall, Antivirus programs, Spyware and adware removers and Internet filters (anti-spam, web filters, phishing filters, pop-up blockers). These Utility Programs allow us protecting our computers from any kind of inconvenience virus.

There are many software that we uses in our computers to make our works much easier. For instance, Application software that include package software, custom software, web application, etc. I would like to explain more about software that is useful in our computers.

1.   Personal Application Software:

·        Serves the needs of an individual user

·        Includes personal productivity software; enable users improve their personal effectiveness.

·        Software suite: collection of single application programs packaged in a bundle.

Eg. Microsoft Office, Corel’s Word-Perfect Office, Lotus Smart-Suite, Sun Micro-systems’s Star Office.
2.     Work-group Application Software:

·        Work-group application software.

·        Groupware.

3.     Enterprise Application Software:

·        Software that benefits an entire organization

·       Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software: set of integrated programs that manage          a company’s vital business operations for an entire multisite, global organization

4.     Business Application Software:

·        Business software is application software that assists people while performing business activities.
5.     Graphics and Multimedia:

·        CAD – Computer Aided Design

·        DTP- Desktop Publishing

·        Paint/ Image Editing

·        Photo Editing

·        Video/ Audio Editing

·        Multimedia Authoring

·        Web Page Authoring

 6.     Communication software:

·        Web Browser

·        E-Mail

·        Instant Messaging

·        Chat Room

·        Blogging, etc.