I will be keeping notes here on my progress with improving some of my tech skills. Wish me luck!
7 thoughts on “EDTL 6310 Tech Skills Journal”
1
greenm says:
I have updated my checklist to reflect my goal #1 update with 9/12/13 date and improvement on skills in Word on the below:
1) Indent Markers
2) Tab Markers
3) Leader Tabs
I opened a blank Word doc and practiced each of the above skills several times by typing random lines/sentences and incorporating each. I am also happy to report they were easy to use, understand, and now I have the knowledge to incorporate in every day use as I see fit! Yeah! I plan to use newly honed skills in assignments and online class organization. For example, I have a reflection assignment that would benefit from a leader tab providing student pause and critical thinking time.
I will submit my Word doc along with this link to Canvas. I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of use and incorporating into my routine.
I have updated my checklist to reflect my goal #2 update with 9-26-13 date and improvement on skills in Excel on the below:
1) Absolute References
2) Editing a chart
3) Fill series
I opened a blank Excel file and practiced each of the skills many times over. Excel is a harder program for me to click with. Numbers are not very intuitive to me, therefore I find Excel often challenging. I was able to practice and learn these functions after much repetition. Now I fully understand what they are for and how they may be best used, perhaps I will be able to challenge myself in using them more often.
Excel Skills Update and Link to this blog will be submitted via Canvas.
I have updated my checklist to reflect my goal #3 update with 10/22/13 date and improvement on graphic and PP skills below:
1) Grouping objects
2) Change fill pattern
3) Change line width
4) Changing bullets to the slide master
I opened a blank PPT file and practiced each of these skills several times each. I already felt fairly comfortable with ppt so picking up these skills came naturally to me. Group objects was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Simply select objects you want grouped and click the group button. They can also easily be toggled off of group and can still be edited individually even when in group mode. The slide master view allows for easy quick reference to make changes to any slide in the ppt right from that view, which is nice if the ppt may be lengthy. That itself does not have a feature that I can physically show within my ppt., but I did practice and use it.
Graphic and PPT Update and link to this blog will be submitted via Canvas.
I have updated my checklist to reflect my goal #4 update with 10/28/13 date and improvement on database skills:
1) Sorting records
2) Changing the format of a field
3) Merging to Word
Because these skills are abstract I do not have anything tangible I can submit via an excel or word sheet. I practiced these skills several times in excel and a couple times in Access. Sorting records I got down fairly quickly it is fairly simple with the click of the sort/filter button. Changing the format of a field can range from wrapping text, to increasing the size of the cell. For Word merging I used the merge wizard which is actually really nice b/c it walks you through step by step and clearly indicates what to do. I don’t really use merge much, but will definitely remember to use the wizard when I do.
I will submit assignment via Canvas with this blog link for the skills update.
I have updated my checklist to reflect completion of all my goals and objectives with the updated dates identified. This will be my last blog journal for this assignment on:
Your final reflection should be an overall explanation of what you were able to accomplish with the Technology Boot Camp. Include in your reflection your thoughts about using this type of process as a form of Professional Development. What are the pros and cons of setting individual goals compared to large PD sessions where everyone learns the same skill/topic?
I was able to accomplish a lot with this boot camp. I increased my skill level in several of the Microsoft office programs, ie. Word, Excel, PPT, and Access. This will help me be more proficient with these programs and ultimately be more productive and marketable in my career aptitude.
I think the pros and cons of setting individual goals compared to professional development will depend in the eye of the beholder, but I feel they both carry positives. I feel setting individual goals is beneficial to target and customize what your needs are, but also does not provide for collaboration or brainstorming. On the other hand, I think that professional development sessions focused on one particular skill/area allow for more collaboration and group activity, but may not be on a subject area of need to all participants.
I think this also depends on the learning style of the participant and end user goals.
I will submit my final assignment and blog link via Canvas.
I have updated my checklist to reflect my goal #1 update with 9/12/13 date and improvement on skills in Word on the below:
1) Indent Markers
2) Tab Markers
3) Leader Tabs
I opened a blank Word doc and practiced each of the above skills several times by typing random lines/sentences and incorporating each. I am also happy to report they were easy to use, understand, and now I have the knowledge to incorporate in every day use as I see fit! Yeah! I plan to use newly honed skills in assignments and online class organization. For example, I have a reflection assignment that would benefit from a leader tab providing student pause and critical thinking time.
I will submit my Word doc along with this link to Canvas. I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of use and incorporating into my routine.
September 12, 2013 @ 12:24 pmI have updated my checklist to reflect my goal #2 update with 9-26-13 date and improvement on skills in Excel on the below:
1) Absolute References
2) Editing a chart
3) Fill series
I opened a blank Excel file and practiced each of the skills many times over. Excel is a harder program for me to click with. Numbers are not very intuitive to me, therefore I find Excel often challenging. I was able to practice and learn these functions after much repetition. Now I fully understand what they are for and how they may be best used, perhaps I will be able to challenge myself in using them more often.
Excel Skills Update and Link to this blog will be submitted via Canvas.
September 26, 2013 @ 1:36 pmI have updated my checklist to reflect my goal #3 update with 10/22/13 date and improvement on graphic and PP skills below:
1) Grouping objects
2) Change fill pattern
3) Change line width
4) Changing bullets to the slide master
I opened a blank PPT file and practiced each of these skills several times each. I already felt fairly comfortable with ppt so picking up these skills came naturally to me. Group objects was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Simply select objects you want grouped and click the group button. They can also easily be toggled off of group and can still be edited individually even when in group mode. The slide master view allows for easy quick reference to make changes to any slide in the ppt right from that view, which is nice if the ppt may be lengthy. That itself does not have a feature that I can physically show within my ppt., but I did practice and use it.
Graphic and PPT Update and link to this blog will be submitted via Canvas.
October 22, 2013 @ 8:54 amI have updated my checklist to reflect my goal #4 update with 10/28/13 date and improvement on database skills:
1) Sorting records
2) Changing the format of a field
3) Merging to Word
Because these skills are abstract I do not have anything tangible I can submit via an excel or word sheet. I practiced these skills several times in excel and a couple times in Access. Sorting records I got down fairly quickly it is fairly simple with the click of the sort/filter button. Changing the format of a field can range from wrapping text, to increasing the size of the cell. For Word merging I used the merge wizard which is actually really nice b/c it walks you through step by step and clearly indicates what to do. I don’t really use merge much, but will definitely remember to use the wizard when I do.
I will submit assignment via Canvas with this blog link for the skills update.
October 28, 2013 @ 8:10 amI have updated my checklist to reflect completion of all my goals and objectives with the updated dates identified. This will be my last blog journal for this assignment on:
Your final reflection should be an overall explanation of what you were able to accomplish with the Technology Boot Camp. Include in your reflection your thoughts about using this type of process as a form of Professional Development. What are the pros and cons of setting individual goals compared to large PD sessions where everyone learns the same skill/topic?
I was able to accomplish a lot with this boot camp. I increased my skill level in several of the Microsoft office programs, ie. Word, Excel, PPT, and Access. This will help me be more proficient with these programs and ultimately be more productive and marketable in my career aptitude.
I think the pros and cons of setting individual goals compared to professional development will depend in the eye of the beholder, but I feel they both carry positives. I feel setting individual goals is beneficial to target and customize what your needs are, but also does not provide for collaboration or brainstorming. On the other hand, I think that professional development sessions focused on one particular skill/area allow for more collaboration and group activity, but may not be on a subject area of need to all participants.
I think this also depends on the learning style of the participant and end user goals.
I will submit my final assignment and blog link via Canvas.
November 7, 2013 @ 4:07 pm