Week 3

This week as a class we started to utilize OneNote. It’s all quite new, so there is hesitation and uneasiness with working with it for the first time. Every program works differently, so it seems like just a matter of getting used to it. Now based on working with it in class, OneNote doesn’t seem too overly complicated because you can do seemingly anything. You can write anywhere and even draw on a page. It seems like it combines the best features of other programs into one organized thing.

OneNote I think can be used on so many different levels. Personally it can be used for organizing class notes and planning events. The exercise that we need to complete for class is an event and an advantage I can see with OneNote is that you can have all your information there and not in nine million different places. You can have tables, pictures, text, and links all on one page if needed. It seems a better fit rather than trying to make it work in another program such as Word for example.

The workplace is no different than personal use in how it can help organize. Though personally I haven’t seen it, but OneNote would be fantastic for meeting minutes. There could be screen shots of websites perhaps discussed in the meeting rather than just having a boring URL in the minutes. Important files could be attached, such appendixes surrounding a particular topic. Not to mention all the different part of the meeting divided off into tabs and subpages going in order from old business to new business and so on.

For next week I will need to finish up the OneNote assignment for class. It’s not half as bad as I thought it would be using it for the first time. It can’t compare by say using Access for the first time. On the whole, OneNote is very useful and practical and I hope that I will be able to use it in my own personal life and as well as being able to use it from a professional standpoint.

Week 2

This week although it was not part of the lesson plan, as a class we experienced something that is probably all too common with technology, glitches. Technology is always great when it works properly, but when it is not, it be very frustrating. For example, many were having problems creating their accounts for Twitter because the site was overloaded. Also when scanning documents, they would show up crooked and not straight. Technology although it can makes things very convenient, is far from perfect and will always have kinks. Sometimes we have to just deal with it or figure out and use alternative methods to accomplish the same task.

Focusing in on scanning although it may have not worked the way we wanted to during class, it is really quite practical. Besides scanning documents to computers, many people scan photos. We all have photos lying about the house that are before the digital age. Scanning photos is a fantastic way to organize them into simple categories/files rather than just having lots of loose photos lying around. This can be a way of not only preserving photos, but it also makes it possible to send these scanned images to other family member who may not have the same photos. Although I do not have a scanner, I know a friend’s family did this with old family photos and good thing because many of the original photos were later lost in a house fire.

The same concept I think can apply to the workplace. Not all documents are going to be digital files. So, by scanning these perhaps important papers, there can be a digital record. Also if there were perhaps newspaper clippings about the company, there’s another thing to scan in order to keep a digital record. Overall, scanning is another practical application that makes it possible to have our non-digitalized documents, photos, and whatever else, digital and have ready access on a computer.

I’ve been looking over the assigned pages for next week’s OneNote lessons. I have never used this program before and frankly I never heard of it prior. When I mention this program to others they have said they’ve never heard of it either. So, this makes me a little excited that I will be learning about something that not many people know about or use. I feel it may be able to set me apart from other who have no working knowledge of the program.

Week 1- First Blog!!

So, here goes on my first blog entry for OAD220! This week we were introduced to social networking and blogs. I would consider myself an avid Facebook user having an account since 2005 when it stated take off at least with college aged people, although it continues to expand and grow to seemingly everyone. Linkedin on the other hand, absolutely brand new for me! After creating an account, entering my information, and browsing around others accounts, I think it’s a fantastic idea to have a professionally based social networking site. Facebook seems far too personal a thing to be utilized in the same way, at least in my opinion. I hope by having an account with Linkedin I will be able to expand my information, connect with people, and perhaps take advantage of any opportunities that may come along. I am not a stranger to the blog world either, although this is the first time I have ever kept a blog. I’ve been more of a blog reader and one of my favorite blogs out there is http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/, which is a vintage dress blog. So, it is a little strange to be on the other side in the blog world, but this will defiantly be a learning process.

Continuing on with the subject matter of blogs, they can be used for seemingly anything. It was recommended in a class I took with Siena Heights University that we keep track of our goals. If we want to achieve our goal, then it should be measurable. Keeping a blog would be ideal for this. It is a way to keep track of one’s progress and record what need to be accomplished next. If for example my goal is to lose 5 pounds, I could report on what I ate during the week, what kind of fitness routine I had, and how much weight I have lost. I could keep the blog until I accomplish my goal to see what I did right, what I could improve upon, and reflect on the experience.

Having a blog would also be ideal in the work world. A blog could be kept about attending a conference in another city or country that coworkers back in the office can read. Entries could be made about the conference itself, what was learned or accomplished, people met, and even tidbits about the location of the conference. By reading this, they could have more or an idea of what went on without actually being there.

For next week, we will need to bring in a cover letter and our resume. I haven’t updated my resume in a while, so that will be something I need to get on this weekend. Hopefully there will be some pointers for perhaps improving my resume. If there’s room for improvement I want to hear about it! But overall, I look forward to each week of the class where I can learn something new that I can hopefully utilize professionally. Here’s til the next post!