cs1300 Robby

New Students

2009-04-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

This class was amazing. Dr. Belisle was the best professor! She is so nice and Knows what she is doing with computers and the programs we use. You should not be scared to take the class. It is very helpful and fairly easy. After taking this class, I feel more comfortable working with computers. You will learn how to make web pages which I thought was very cool. My advice to you for this class would be to stay on top of all the assignments. They ar4e really not that hard but many of them take a long time to complete. If you stay on top of these assignments, then this class will be very easy and interesting. Good luck and Have fun!

Class Websites

2009-04-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

Among all the awesome sites of the class, I thought that Hannah's, John's, and Jennifer's were the best.
Hannah's was very well put together. She put a lot of time into the making of the site. It is very formal and yet it is still fun. Each web page had its own theme and colors to match. The information was very interesting and I fell like I know much about her after reading the site.
John's was also very good. It was more simple than Hannah's but it still got the information to the reader. Sometimes simple is good. It showed command of expression web and I learned things about him that I did not know before.
Jennifer had a very good site. Hers took a different approach to the objective. The site is primarily about Ireland and not herself. She linked pages inside other linked pages to create a web of sites and yet each site was connected to another.
If you also like these sites, I invite you to come visit my web page at cs.trinity.edu/~rbuckrei

2nd presentations

2009-04-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

Like last time, all the presentations were great! my favorite two were Ellen Desmarais and Taylor Burden. Ellen's was very interesting in part because neuroscience too is my passion. I could relate to all the info she presented and the slides were well put together. Taylor's was VERY interesting. I love Dday and I love the song he played. It was very well put together and interesting. He took a different approach and did a very good job with it. All the presentations were well thought out and a lot of work went into all of them.

Presentations

2009-03-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

My two favorite presentations were presented by Jennifer Zeberlein and John Runge. Jennifer's was very interesting and well put together. Also, I found the topic interesting and exciting. I like the fact that she, and others, spend their summers helping less fortunate children/young adults. She showed understanding and usage of Powerpoint. I also found John Presentation to interesting. I might have a biased view because I too am a die-hard sports fan. I liked his slides and his actual presentation was great. If I had the disposition to write, I would love to be a sports writer myself; watching sports all day and interviewing famous athletes and then writing about it - what could be better? Overall I thought all the presentations were well constructed and interesting, it is just that these two, in particular, struck a chord with me.

Powerpoint Presentations

2009-03-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Upon reading these articles, I found them to be informative and useful. In the past, I have been taught the "proper" way to present presentations. These articles, however, broadened this knowledge and introduce some new techniques that I am sure will be helpful in my future presentations, including the one in this class. I believe that anybody who wishes to make a good presentation should take these tips to heart and apply them when necessary. My top five pieces of advice and/or nuances to Powerpoint presentations are as follows:
1)DONT BE BORING - we all know what it is like to sit through a lecture that puts you to sleep. Dont do this to your audience; put interesting facts or something to liven up the presentation.
2)USE BULLETS - dont just copy and paste paragraphs of information onto a slide, rather summarize the information in bullets and discuss the rest.
3)BE PROFESSIONAL - relate the presentation to the maturity level of the audience. Treat them for who they are; dont downgrade their intelligence.
4)BE CAREFUL WITH COLORS AND FONTS - some colors and certain fonts are hard to read. Make the words big enough to read from a distance and dont add extra strain on the readers eyes by using bright or blending colors.
5)MAKE NOTES - when presenting, you should have notes prepared for each slide. Dont ramble, but delve deeper into the information on the slide. Also, dont repeat the same things that are on the slide!

The Excel Experience

2009-03-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

Using Excel this semester was surprisingly informative. I had previously taken a college computer class in Excel 2003. I just figured that 2007 was relatively the same...it is not. For me specifically, I am a planning a career in neuroscience research. This field definitely will require the use of Excel to analyze data of scientific trials. Right now in my academic career, I am in a Biology lab with strong dependence on Excel for data representation. Overall, this subject has helped me now and in the future. Thank You Ms Belisle for deciding to teach this in the lesson.

CLT Trip

2009-03-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

The CLT Trip was very interesting. I learned many things I did not know. For instance, I did not know that Trinity actually had a lab where students could freely use editing software. This may prove helpful in some of my classes if I ever need to use a video or take a picture and edit it. I actually do not have a digital camera, so if I ever have an assignment where I need to take a picture I will be able to go down to CLT and check out a camera for my own use.
All in all, the CLT lab is amazing! Trinity offers students every means needed to succeed in everything. The amount of money spent on that technology is astonishing!

Pictures that Lie

2009-03-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

I chose the picture that compares Katie Couric in an actual picture and a cropped picture because it shows the original picture directly next to the cropped picture. Most of the other pictures on the website are singles that do not show the original. The picture on the left is the real one taken by CBS. The right one is a slimmed down version posted in the September issue of Watch magazine. Although the comments on the photo do not directly explain why the original picture was manipulated, my guess would be, however, that CBS wanted to make Katie look more "picture perfect" for the magazine article. Unfortunately, women are sometimes seen as more beautiful when they are thin. CBS probably altered her appearance so that Katie could "connect" with the younger generation that is being raised with the idea that size is beauty. I do not think that anybody, especially Katie, was hurt by this manipulation of the picture. Katie was probably happy that CBS altered her picture because it made her look thinner and therefore more stereotypically attractive.

Nolan's Knowledge

2009-02-24T09:35:00.000-08:00

Today in Chris Nolan's presentation, he discussed the relevancy of certain web sites and how they are related to search engines. I found this presentation to be very informative and interesting. One interesting fact that I never knew before is that Google actually ranks result links based on popularity in terms of relevancy points. That is, results on Google are, in some way, related to how many times other websites link the result website. From this presentation, I found it very surprising that some website designers will actually alter the html of a webpage to show results of searches that are not in the actual article. This shows just how important the web is to relay information. Overall, Chris Nolan was informative and helpful for further research on the web. I know now to watch for sites that try to trick you and sites that really are not that trustworthy.

Are Copyright Laws Ethical?

2009-02-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

Today, copyright laws are being violated all the time. Some people just seem to not understand the fact that certain items are under copyright meaning that all rights belong to the owner (writer, producer, artist, etc.). College students, especially, are being carefully watched by associations designed to keep track of copyright laws. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), some would say, target college students more than any other group for the illegal downloading of certain media (music, movies, software, etc.). I would agree completely with this assumption. As a college student myself, I know what a pain it is to always have to pay for my songs. I wish there was just a way that I could download music for free. Oh wait, there is but it is illegal. Some students either do not realize that it is illegal to download music for free or they just do not care. I agree with the copyright law associations cracking down on illegal downloading. Downloading free music without the rights is the same as stealing something from a store in the mall – you just would not do that so why steal music from the internet?

Facebook: the new society

2009-02-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

Facebook has become almost a necessity in social networking. It is a great way for people, especially college students, to stay connected to friends or even to find and make new ones. I use my facebook regularly to keep in touch with my prior friends or talk to my new friends here on campus.
On campus, Facebook can be used for academics as well as social networking. It is a good way for students to connect with each other outside the classroom. They can talk about assignments with each other or they can arrange group meetings with each other to work on projects, etc.

This link will provide further discussion on Facebook as a new fad: Facebook: A campus fad becomes a campus fact

My Word Experience

2009-01-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

I have always used some version of MS Word. For the longest time I used Word 2003, but recently I have had to use Word 2007 with my new laptop. I did, however, take a college class through Texas Tech using both word 2003 and 2007. So, I am highly familiar with both. I would like to review the "styles" feature in the Home tab of Word. I know how to use them and what they do but when do I use the different ones.

Joe Hatch's visit

2009-01-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

Joe Hatch is a really smart man. He knows many things about computers and taught some of his knowledge to us in the short time he spoke to us. He informed me on how to keep my computer running smoothly and what exactly Clean Access does for the network. I now feel free to talk with ITS when I have trouble with my computer (I hope I do not have to). Also, it helps that my roommate actually works for ITS so he helps me many times.

Thank you, Joe Hatch!

My Introduction

2009-01-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Robert Buckreis but every body calls me Robby so feel free to do so yourself.

I came to Trinity from Pearland, Texas which is near Houston (http://web03.bestplaces.net/city/Pearland_TX.gif). I went to a small private high school in southern Houston called Lutheran South Academy. I came to Trinity because it was similar to my high school, small and well-connected. Also, Trinity offers very high academic standards. Practically my whole life I have played played football and I did not see any reason to quit just because I was going to college. So, I decided to play football for the Trinity Tigers (I was also recruited). To continue with my love for sports, I also throw for the Tiger track team. I throw the discus (my favorite), the shot, the hammer, and the javelin.

Academically, I plan to major in Neuroscience here at Trinity. I have always been fascinated with the brain and how it works. I plan to enter the field of research and development rather than going pre-med. I hope to have a very successful career here at Trinity and continue that success into my actual life.

Some interesting things about me:
1) I have memorized all six Free Credit Report.com commercials.
2) I love to go "mudding" off-road in my spare time.

3) I started Martial Arts when I was four years old and am the youngest Black Belt in the U.S. (age eight).
4) And for my secret fact, I am now a 4th degree Black Belt which I just got this summer (age eightteen)

My computer skills began when I was just a little kid. I would play/learn on those educational games (spelling, reading, math, etc.). But as for actual computer classes I took a BCIS course at my high school sophomore year. I also took a computer class online through Texas Tech University. Honestly I do not know how I did not get this computer skills credit. Its ok because I do not mind working with computers. I know they are the next generation and understanding them is essential.

If you would like to email me, ask me questions, etc. contact me at rbuckrei@trinity.edu (please include a relevant subject line)