Week 11: Clear

Web Databases 
Although they might not know it, members of my generation probably spend the majority of their time on the Internet using Web databases. "One of the more profound features of the Web is the vast amount of information it provides," explains Shelly Vermaat in the course textbook, Discovering Computers 2009. These bits of information include:

• Jobs
• Travel Destinations
• TV programming
• Pictures 
• Movies
• Videos
• Local and Nationwide Weather
• Sporting Events
• Legislative Information
• E-commerce 
• Financial
• And so much more...

All of this information exists on the Web in databases.  But not only do users access these bits of information through Web databases-they also provide information to Web databases via "E-forms." Many Web sites request personal data from users (name, address, telephone number, preferences, certain behaviors or opinions, etc.) for the database to store and use in the future on things like customer-brand communication, advertising or promotions. 

The main type of Web database that users my age probably use the most are collaborative databases. These databases are used to store and share personal media items like photos, videos or recordings between registered users. The Web page of these databases act as the "front end" which users are able to clearly interact with. Examples of collaborative databases:

• YouTube [video sharing]
• Facebook [social networking]
• Flickr [photo storage]
• Vimeo [video storage]
• MySpace [social networking/music and audio sharing]

Click here to learn how to create a Web database using Microsoft Access 2010. 

Excel Project

Excel Project 

As an Excel beginner, I took the time to watch and take notes on the lecture videos as well as watch tutorial and how-to videos on the Web. I referenced Excel's help option when I was confused about a step, and was able to work through it using the program's own tools. The task to organize a spreadsheet of data concerning a 20 minute workout interval for 500 people was lengthy but worthy. The information was arranged by subject gender, age, heart rate, target hear rate, highest heart rate and time outputs for each minute. 

I learned how to create, replicate and work with formulas by creating new columns of data interpretation. Simple formulas like summations and finding maximums were easy to apply, while the logic test formulas were a bit more challenging, but even more useful. In working directly with formulas, I was able to realize their relevance as an effective tool.

Pivot tables were used to separate and further delve into specific portions of the raw data. They were difficult to understand at first, and I had a hard time figuring out how to tell it where I wanted the information to be derived from, but once I did, everything came together. They organized my information neatly and could calculate practically anything imaginable. Though Excel isn't the simplest program to learn over night, it is definitely crucial in the business world to keep data neat, organized and to save time and money. 

Below is a screen capture of one of the pivot tables I created to show the average increase in heart rate among females and males, displayed in ages grouped by decade. 

Week 10: Muddy

Bandwidth 

Defined in the lecture as "the amount of data that can be transmitted through a given communications channel in a given period of time," I was a bit confused about what bandwidth actually was. Though I am familiar with the term and how it is used, conceptualizing how it works in the broader realm of things proved to be a challenge for me. 

Bandwidth is further defined as:

"A data transmission rate; the maximum amount of information (bits/second) that can be transmitted along a channel." (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn)

"The amount of spectrum available to each communications licensee." (www.cetconnect.org/TElevision/Digital_Glossary.aspx)

"The total range of frequency required to pass a specific, modulated signal without distortion or loss of data."  (chesapeake.towson.edu/glossary.asp)

"How much information you can send through a connection. The capacity of a connection usually measured in bits per second." (www.chicowebdesign.com/common-terms.php)

These definitions further explain the concept of bandwidth in and easier, more understandable way when they're put side by side. 

So now that the concept of bandwidth is more clear, how is this useful information for you?

Bandwidth relates to the incoming and outgoing amount of data exchanged through a particular computer or network of computers. More data exchange means a slower network and thus, requires larger bandwidth as to not "clog up" the connection. To give you a sense of how much bandwidth is needed for different tasks, while an e-mail may take up about 2kb, streaming a movie may take about 2.5gb of bandwidth-an extreme difference (wisegeek.com). So, depending on what your computer is used for, you may need more bandwidth to properly fulfill these tasks. 

Different types of bandwidth include:

Narrow Band: An Internet connection speed that is most commonly associated with dial-up and uses phone lines and transmitting over voice-grade frequencies. Its highest effective speed the connection can provide is about 56k, or, 56,000 bits per second (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-narrowband.htm). 

Broadband: "Even the slowest broadband speeds are usually 5 times faster than narrow band," states wisegeek.com. The FCC defines broadband as a high-speed Internet access, with data transmission speeds reaching 200kbps per second or higher either downstream or upstream. So why is it so much better than dialup?

• Allows more information and content to be transmitted through the pipeline
• Provides access to the highest quality Internet services like VOIP, media streaming, gaming and interactive services. 
• Full-range accessibility to opportunities on the Internet.
• Broadband is always on and does not disturb any phone lines or require any reconnection.
• Faster transmission which means great efficiency and time saved.

Click here to learn more about broadband 

It is important to be familiar with bandwidth and the different types especially as items are being accomplished more and more online. Knowing the right connection capability for your purpose is crucial in getting a task done quickly and efficiently.  

Week 9: Clear

Excel


Excel is an extensive program that allows users to effectively organize, manipulate, interpret and display different types of data. Excel 2007 has the capacity to hold 1 million rows and 16,000 columns of information that can be individually or collectively calculated, put into tables, organized as charts or visuals and so much more. This program is widely used in the business world and is a very useful tool to learn in order to become a hirable prospect upon college graduation. A basic foundation of the program is required for many internships and careers in todays world, here is an overview of some key features.


Functions like conditional formatting, relative and absolute referencing, and sorting and filtering are some of the most used functions of the program, thus, they are some of the most important tools to know.


Conditional Formatting: "Conditional formatting allows you to select one or more cells, and create rules for when and how those cells are formatted. You can control the cell font, fill colour and border setting, based on the selected cell's contents, or based on the contents of another cell. If the rules (conditions) that you specified are met, then the formatting is applied."

Relative Reference: "Each cell on an Excel Worksheet has it’s own unique address, e. g. A1 is the relative address of the first cell on all Worksheets, while IV65536 is the relative address of the last cell on all Worksheets. The reason why they are called relative is because they are relative to the cell they are used in."

Absolute Reference: "A reference to a cell that does not change no matter where it is copied," as denoted with a "$" sign in the formula bar.

Sorting: Used to make information easier to read, "it's easy to sort your data by using the Sort buttons on the toolbar. But, be careful, or one column may be sorted, while others are not."

Filtering:"Sets the rules for the data that should remain visible after the filter is applied. You can use one criterion, or several."

Click here for some "Quick Tips" when using Excel spreadsheets

Visit the Microsoft Web site to learn more about Excel 2007, watch tutorials, seek help and purchase the program for yourself.