Key Skills
Since my last blog post I have actually passed this unit and been signed off I no longer have to go to these lessons.
Communication & Employability Skills for IT
Recently we have been doing our presentations in this unit, which goes towards a pass. I did my on World War 2 and had to present them in small groups, I was nervous at first but when it came to actually do it I was fine and I believed I did ok.
Website Production & Management
In this unit we have been planning and creating our website, its in an early stage but I have a good feeling about this and creating things, like websites, I enjoy.
Networking
Currently in this unit we have been moving onto doing merit and distinction criteria for our assignment. I find this unit hard to understand but easy to do. Again my friend and I are way ahead of our class.
Advanced Database Skills
Currently we are just continuing with out assignment in this unit I have done all the pass criteria and are working on merit and distinction. Some of the tasks are really easy to do but some are quite difficult and I struggle with them.
Computer Systems
In this unit I have finished my first assignment and are currently doing the final task of the 2nd assignment, which is the distinction criteria, I have struggle with this a lot but have handed it in for marking. Once I have finished that I will no longer have to go to that lesson.
Principles of Software design and development
In this unit I have finished my first assignment and have started my 2nd one, which involves me creating my own program. I have made my first program but I now need to adapt and improve it for a merit and distinction in this unit.
This is my fourth blog post not a lot has happened since my last blog post we have had a lot of time of college because of half term etc, we also just mostly been continuing mostly with our assignments but I will write as much as I can.
Key Skills
In Key skills we have finished our Additional Assignment and are now going onto our Major assignment which involves us in sorting out a holiday for a Bedford youth club. I think I am doing well in it, I have done about half of it so far so it wont take me long. Sometimes I get distracted in this lesson because I sit near my friends and we tend to talk a lot. I think my main goal is to try and focus more and get the work done well, that way when I finish I wont have to got to the lesson anymore.
Communication & Employability Skills for IT
Recently in this unit we have being doing our presentation’s for our assignment, a couple of weeks back I did my practice presentation and now I have to update it and present it next week which I am not very confident about, but I am presenting it to my friends so hopefully it wont be to bad.
Website Production & Management
Again in this unit we have just been progressing further into our assignment, soon we are going to be creating our own website which I am excited about because the sort of thing I like doing, I believe I can do well in this unit and I don’t get distracted easily in this unit for some reason which helps me get the assignment done well.
Networking
In this unit me and my friend are actually ahead of the whole class with the assignment so our teacher gives us a bit of a break which helps me, although this unit can get a little complicated and it takes a lot of listening to understand which is sometimes hard because I find some of this stuff boring which doesn’t help, but I get the tasks done which is important to me.
Advanced Database Skills
I am finding this unit a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable than when I first started my course, I am doing well in the assignment and in class, I believe I can get a better grade in this unit than I did when I first started out.
Computer Systems
We have actually gone onto do our second assignment for this unit and I have actually almost finished it I need to do 1 more task then I think I might not have to go to this lesson anymore which is great. I am enjoying this second assignment because there is a lot more practical stuff involved which helps me focus and get it done.
Principles of Software design and development
This unit isn’t going as well as the other units we are a bit behind on our assignment and are still on task 2, but this unit is pretty difficult and the assignment I very long. This is the unit I probably perform worst in because I sit close to all my friends and we get distracted. I think for this unit in particular I really need to focus and not get distracted by my friends that way I can get this assignment done, also I maybe need to think about taking some of the work home with me todo and get it done there that way I wont get distracted.
This is my third blog post; this will include what I have learnt between blog post 2 and this blog post in each of my lessons.
Key Skills
Recently I finished doing my additional assignment, I found it very easy but I still have to do my major assignment to be able to finish this unit early and not have to go into lessons. Also recently I had a key skills test I also found this very easy apart from one bit, eventually I found out how to do it and breezed through the rest of the test.
Communication & employability skills for IT
Recently I have been up to date on all my tasks and got a lesson off because of it. We have now started doing our presentations which we will present in front of our teacher and a group of friends; I’ve decided to do it about World War 2 because I know a lot about it.
Website Production & Management
In this unit so far I have done task’s 1 & 2, this unit is a little bit harder than the others and sometimes I can find it quite boring a difficult which does not help me concentrate, but on the plus side I have learnt a lot about security of website’s and what they do to protect there customers, also about the many different laws a website has to make sure they have abided by, for example the Disability Act Law.
Networking
Recently networking has been going very well I have completed up to 4 tasks and I am ahead of the class, sometimes the knowledge that needs to be taken in can be very confusing and overwhelming but I do get a lot of help from the teacher. Because there is so much to take in I don’t always understand it first time but I have learnt a lot about what happens when someone sends a message over the internet or when someone requests a website and what route the message takes for the website to show.
Advanced database skills
In this unit I have done 3 tasks in my assignment. I do find this unit one of the hardest unit I have to do, but the amount of knowledge I have gained from this unit is extremely helpful especially when I did my Key skills test.
Computer Systems
We have finished our theory assignment in this unit, it was only 2 tasks and wasn’t difficult. We have now gone on to doing our practical assignment one of the tasks involved us installing a webcam making sure it works and then uninstalling it I found this very easy (because I do this sort of thing a lot at home) and very fun (because me and friends were being silly over webcam, but didn’t get in trouble for it) I feel this assignment could be very interesting.
Principles of Software design and development
Again in this unit we have been doing our assignment there are only 3 tasks but task 2 and 3 are very long. Task 2 which we are currently on, involves us writing down many different programming languages. Because there is so much to do on this I have learnt a lot on different ways of programming.
]]>Since my last blog post I have moved down to the certificate group and there for I do 3 less lessons than when I was in Diploma those are: Organisations to security and 2 Networking lessons (but I still do networking lessons so I will still include that subject.)
Key Skills
In Key Skills we started our assignment, it isn’t difficult and I think I will be able to do it relatively quickly. I am doing the assignment quickly and finding it easy, this lesson currently motivates me because this is a major part of my grade and I want to do well in this course. I do sometimes talk to my friends in this lesson so to improve me performance I could just sit down and do my work and not get distracted by my friends.
Communication & Employability Skills for IT
Some of the new things I have learned in this lesson are what employers look for in an employee and the sort of barriers that can affect communication. I find this quite an interesting lesson so I do concentrate and it will be very useful later in life. I’ve found in this lesson because there is a lot of typing I sometimes drift off and not concentrate, so I should keep in mind the faster and better the quality of my work the quicker I can finish this lesson this will motivate me and help me improve my performance.
Website Production & Management
In this Unit we have also started our assignment the first task wasn’t to difficult and I think I did well but I feel some of the next tasks could be harder. I’ve also learnt how to code JavaScript which will be useful in later tasks of my assignment. For the past couple of weeks our teacher hasn’t been there so we either didn’t have to go to lesson or we had a substitute which has affected my learning by not learning as much as I could of. Again in this lesson I tend to get distracted by my friends so I should just concentrate and aim for distinctions.
Networking
Because I have moved down to certificate I have moved into a different networking class I enjoy this class more than my old one mainly because of the teaching method and I feel I have done better on my assignment. Last week the program we where using kept crashing our computers therefore we couldn’t use it and we just listened to the teacher this didn’t give me the full experience of the program so I will go home and download it and do it at home.
Advanced Database Skills
At first I had difficulty with the assignment but now I have understood it and I feel I have done quite well. In this lesson I feel I have learnt the most than in any other lesson I have learnt so much about databases. Sometimes my peers can distract me by sometimes doing silly thing in this lesson and the teacher gets mad this affects my learning and I should tell my peers to stop to improve my performance.
Computer Systems
We have also started our assignment in this unit I do find the work more difficult than in other lessons but I find it quite interesting learning about what’s in the computer. That fact that the work can sometimes be hard affects my learning I sometimes get bored and cant concentrate, to improve my performance I need to concentrate more.
Principles of Software design and development
I do enjoy this lesson because I find the things we learn are interesting but the assignment we are doing is quite hard. Sometimes the teacher can get mad if we don’t know something or we do something wrong this affects my learning because it does not motivate me to do well but I try to concentrate anyway also I get distracted by my friends as well. Motivation is the key to improve my performance in this lesson because this is the kind of thing I would like to do in the future.
]]>This is my first Blog entry. In this entry I will talk about:
What I have learnt in my course since I started this will include information about each unit.
How I have tried to improve my skills and qualities.
I will also reflect on my progress including things like what has gone well and what has not gone well.
What I have learnt in my course
Organisational Security Systems – I am currently a diploma student and therefore I learn about Security Systems. This lesson is quite interesting its fascinating to find out about how many different types of security systems & threats in organisations and other places, it also help that the teacher is helpful, kind and supportive this kind of thing motivates me to do well. I sometimes can drift off and not listen sometimes because I am in a bad mood or because it’s the first lesson of the week and I am tired. A good way to improve my performance in this lesson is to get more sleep, go to bed earlier the night before so I am not tired.
Key Skills – Key Skills is a basic lesson it teaches me how to use more complex tools in programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and Access. I do quite enjoy this lesson because it is relatively easy and the work can be quickly done. We have two teachers for key skills and both are helpful. This is the sort of lesson that I can just sit down and work at and also be motivated to do well because of the skills I learn will help me in all my lessons.
Communication & Employability Skills for IT – In this lesson I have learned different skills in communication and interacting with people for when I go to find a job and also analysed myself and identified Strengths and weaknesses in working and myself as a person. This isn’t the most interesting lesson in the world but I am motivated to do well and listen because these are valuable skills I will need in the future.
Website Production & Management – This lesson is all about Websites and creating them. In this lesson I have learnt how to make a basic website in notepad form using code and also more complex websites in Adobe Dreamweaver which is an excellent tool to use. I have also learnt some history of websites and good and bad points about different aspects within the website. I would say I am motivated in this lesson because I am very interested in the production of websites and also the teaching method, there isn’t much talking involved and we get straight onto learning about websites through creating one ourselves.
Advanced Database Skills – I personally think I have not learnt much in this lesson I have always known to understand databases as tables in Microsoft Access but this stuff is confusing. Also it doesn’t help that I don’t find it very interesting therefore I am not motivated, the teaching method used is not ideal for me the teacher pretty much talks the hole lesson, I think I would be more motivated if we did more work as a class, for example he explains stuff on the board while we follow him by doing it on the computer.
Principles of Computer Network – This is the hardest lesson in my entire course there is so much to take in and learn, the majority of the stuff we learn is interesting to know about, I do admit I have learned a great deal but there is so much work which means I get bored and no longer get motivated about this lesson and sometimes do not enjoy it at all. I feel I would be motivated more if it was taught in smaller chunks so we did not have to take so much in and if there was more practical’s a lot of it has been long lectures so far.
Computer Systems – This lesson is about components of a computer which I am interested in. A lot of it I did know before but what I have learnt is earlier versions on components in a computer for example early versions of Graphics cards. Some aspects of Computer systems can be quite boring and I can drift off in lesson because the teacher just talks for the majority of the lesson. I could be more motivated if there where more practical involved and less talking.
Reflection of my Progress
These first weeks have gone well on my course I have found it very enjoyable have learnt a lot. Recently I have been given a lot of work it is a lot of pressure but ive learnt that good time management is the key. I think what has gone well is ive learnt a lot and settled in and ive took an understanding to the course. What hasn’t gone well, some of the lessons I do not enjoy at all and am not motivated to participate in them.
]]>A blog can be described as an online diary, usually a collection of posts in reverse chronoligical order which means the latest entry will be at the top.
Some people describe a blog as different things such as: A political soapbox, News. Also it is a great way with connecting with people all over the world.
Definition of a Blog
A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual , with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
How Blogging has Increased in Popularity over the years
After a slow start, blogging rapidly gained in popularity. Blog usage spread during 1999 and the years following, being further popularized by the near-simultaneous arrival of the first hosted blog tools:
Open Diary launched in October 1998, soon growing to thousands of online diaries. Open Diary innovated the reader comment, becoming the first blog community where readers could add comments to other writers' blog entries.
Brad Fitzpatrick, a well-known blogger started LiveJournal in March 1999.
Andrew Smales created Pitas.com in July 1999 as an easier alternative to maintaining a "news page" on a Web site, followed by Diaryland in September 1999, focusing more on a personal diary community.
Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan (Pyra Labs) launched blogger.com in August 1999 (purchased by Google in February 2003)
Taken From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog#Popularity
As you can see above Blogging started to get popular in this century so more people are using them because they are the latest thing. Also Blogs have adapted to things such as myspace and facebook there like a blog for the younger generation but they have the same purpose, connecting with people over the internet discussing news and sharing opinions.
My Opinion
I think blogs are a great way with connecting with many people all over the world. There so easy to set up, it took me about 10 minutes probably less to set it up and it is a great way to discuss the latest news around the world with everyone around the world!
Advantages of using a Blog
Some of the advantages of using a blog are: Anyone can make a blog so it is easy for everyone to get their voice heard on the internet. They are very easy to write and set up there also dynamic.
Another reason that people start blogs is to simple become famous! There are many famous bloggers around the world and people read there blogs because they like what they write or because they believe the news the bloggers have wrote is more accurate than the twisted news that come from many other websites or TV.
The advantages of blogs from an organizational perspective include the following:
The consumer and citizen are potentially better informed and this can only be good for the long-term health of our societies and economies.
Blogs have potential to help the organization develop stronger relationships and brand loyalty with its customers, as they interact with the ‘human face’ of the organization through blogs.
Blogs, in an intranet environment, can be an excellent way of sharing knowledge within the organization.
Blogs can be a positive way of getting feedback, and keeping your finger on the pulse, as readers react to certain pieces, suggest story ideas, etc.
Blogs can build the profile of the writer, showcasing the organization as having talent and expertise.
Taken From:
http://gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2004/nt_2004_08_23_blogging.htm
Advantages of using a Blog
Some of the disadvantages of a Blog are: Definition of Character, people can find out who you are and what you are like. Posting a Blog can have negative consequences for example people posting insulting comments on your blog. You could accendentily post properganda which could get you in trouble with the law.
One of the biggest dangers and threats is that there has been attacks on famous bloggers for things that they have written in the blog.
The disadvantages of blogs are:
Most people don’t have very much to say that’s interesting, and/or are unable to write down their ideas in a compelling and clear manner.
I have often found that the people who have most time to write have least to say, and the people who have most to say don’t have enough time to write it. Thus, the real expertise within the organization lays hidden, as you get drowned in trivia.
Like practically everything else on the Web, blogs are easy to start and hard to maintain. Writing coherently is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks for a human being to undertake. So, far from blogs being a cheap strategy, they are a very expensive one, in that they eat up time. As a result, many blogs are not updated, thus damaging rather than enhancing the reputation of the organization.
Organizations are not democracies. The Web makes many organizations look like disorganizations, with multiple tones and opinions. Contrary to what some might think, the average customer prefers it if the organization they are about to purchase from is at least somewhat coherent.
Taken From:
http://gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2004/nt_2004_08_23_blogging.htm