My Blogs

Advise for new students:

2009-04-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

You are in computer skills for your own benefit and you will need these skills.
Have fun!

Web page presentation

2009-04-27T07:25:00.001-07:00

I haven't had a chance to present my web page, but I look forward to doing so today. I wanted to make my web page for professional purposes so the content is pretty straight-forward. My page includes a resume, an about me section including my goals, and a section that discusses my musical influences along with some of my songs. Music is definitely the theme of my page. I incorporated some of the songs I've made this past year so I'm eager to get feedback from people on them.

I enjoyed all of the presentations I saw. Morgan, Natalie, and Kendra's webpages each stood out to me. Morgan's page was vibrant and full of passion, I could truly feel where she was going with it. Natalie's was great also. It had tons of links, pictures, video clips, and images. It was very visually appealing. Kendra's page was also visual appealing. The video she included was nice, and I really like her organization.

Be sure to check out my page at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~sburke1.

Presentations part 2

2009-03-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today, we had our second day of presentations. I really enjoyed Morgan's presentation on the education policy. In my opinion, the education policy is misconstrued. Kids are taught how to take test instead of given useful information on life. The No Child Left Behind program has turned students into statistics instead of individuals. In poverty-stricken areas, these problems are intensified because the district doesn’t give aid to the schools that need it, but instead, give aid to the schools who have their foot in the door and are more prestigious.

I also enjoyed Stephanie's presentation on homelessness. Causes for homelessness include poverty, natural disaster, substance addiction, unemployment, and mental disabilities. 60% of homeless people have jobs. This is a big percentage, and is a response to a stereotypical view that all homeless people are lazy, when, in actuality, many are just people like us stuck caught up in a less fortunate situation. I plan on going to see Steve talk on April 14. He seems like someone who has a lot to share.

Tyler's presentation was interesting as well, mainly because I had never heard of any this before. It is important that we see pirating as a culture, and way of life, instead of just seafaring thieves searching for booty. Hoards of booty.

Thanks for reading!

My 2 Favorites

2009-03-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed Lindsay Marotta's presentation on therapy through art. I had never heard of the profession before, but I've always been a creative person, so I understand the concept. I think any type of outlet, or way to vent, should be utilized by humans under stress. In a country where judging others and being judged has become widespread, it is important to invent ways for human to express themselves naturally without, in turn, be alienated by social norms, or be put in an awkward situation.

I also enjoyed Natalie Toto's presentation on musical performances. The performances are based on a number of things including tone, pitch, and lyrics. I knew that this profession was competitive, but I did not realize there were so many venues for it. The main reason I liked the presentation was because I could relate with Natalie on the music industry, and the amount of effort it takes to make it.

Power Point

2009-03-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

I already knew the majority of the content from the links I read about Power Point because I took a computer class in high school that discussed Power Point. Most of the information from the links were just logical points on Power Point technique. The "Top Ten" webpage, stresses points such as making your slides unique, and not boring the listener, and to spend time in the slide sorter. The slide sorter is a very effective way to see how your slides transition in content and view. The webpage entitled 'Pedagogical Value of PowerPoint - Recommendations" was very useful and to the point. By separating the tips into subgroups of oral and visual, the page allows the reader to not only identify proper usage of each group, but also see the difference in oral vs. visual techniques. The final webpage, in adobe format, showed a visual of how not to make a power point and gave notes explaining every mistake.

My Experiences With Excel Thus Far

2009-03-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

Knowing Microsoft Excel is important for any job, especially in the business field. Excel is mainly used for working with numerical data, so businesses uses it for budgets, financial forecasts, statistical data, and so on. It allows businesses to compare and contrast data, and predict future outcomes. There's a possibility that I'll major in business here at Trinity, so knowing this program is crucial for future jobs.

I took a computer class in high school on Excel, but this class is a lot more in-depth. My first time using Excel in this class was a difficult experience because not only do I only use a Mac, but also, when I learned Excel previously, it wasn't taught through Windows Vista. So basically I have two factors working against me while learning Excel. Hopefully, I can use some of my previous knowledge with the program to help me navigate through Vista, and figure things out just by feel. This class has given me a good foundation for learning Excel to its full potential. I have a good grasp of Excel in terms of editing and entering data accordingly, but could use more work in the math aspect of the program (I've never been good at math).

Thanks for reading. Adios!

CLT

2009-03-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

In our field trip to CLT today I spent most of the time making a song on garageband. I use garageband often on my Macbook, so it was almost instinctively the first program I started playing with when we arrived at the Mac lab. Learning this program to its full extent would be a useful tool for me because I'm hoping to produce music after college. From now on, I'll probably bring my MIDI keyboard to the Mac lab and use garageband to make a song there. (The Mac lab screens are much bigger than my laptop one and there's much more room.) I was surprised to hear that the place was open all day; it's like nobody knows about the lab. I plan on using CLT in the future for assignments and to make music.

2009-03-02T23:04:00.000-08:00

The photo I chose is a photograph by Adnan Hajj. The Lebanese photographer took a photo of the Lebanese capital after an Israeli air raid. The picture, however, is distorted, and shows a darker, thicker haze of smoke covering the city. The manipulation was done in order to make the raid seem more destructive. For whatever personal motive, the photographer took matter in to his own hands and distorted the truth. Fortunately, he was caught for it, and fired immediately. Distorted pictures and manipulated images are often posted without notice. This becomes an issue because news channels can alter reality for their viewers. We see it done constantly in magazines and on award shows. Stations strive to push a certain image, and sometimes get caught up in legal issues when they alter celebrities. It is important for us as the consumer to be aware that not everything seen on the media is completely true.

Google

2009-02-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

Chris Nolan's presentation on Google gave us a couple new ways to condense our searches. In a competitive college environment, using the most pertinent, valuable sources on essays becomes crucial. Teachers would rather see sources from online library databases than sites like wikipedia or dictionary.com. The responsibility of creating a high-quality, thorough essay lies in the student. By giving us new ways to condense our searches and filter out the less academic information, Chris Nolan began set a foundation, or precedent, for what Trinity students and faculty expect from eachother.

The Stanton Burke Excel Experience (3rd person)

2009-02-17T00:07:00.000-08:00

For some unknown reason, Stanton felt the need to write this blog in 3rd person. However, it is technically first person because he is writing it himself, about himself (how ambiguous of him). That being said, realize that Stanton has had very little experience with Excel, therefore making The Stanton Burke Excel Experience even more righteuos (righteuos in terms of learning new computer programs, which coincidently, is never righteuous, but, in fact, extremely laborous). Not only did Stanton learn how to use formulas to calculate data, but he also found a useful tool to record and monitor his grades. Personally, Stanton never sees himself using Excel aside from this class. Recording statistics has never been his forte, but if he were to ever need to record stats, calculate grades, or create an easily comparable data spreadsheet, knowing Microsoft Excel would be advantageous, and would alleviate the task. When I spoke to Stanton, he mentioned how pleased he was with the ease of Excel, and how effortless it was to grasp. In a few more weeks, Stanton may change his mind about only using Excel inside this class and possibly find a situation where this program is essential. Overall, The Stanton Burke Excel Experience went well. He hopes to use the program more in the future. Thanks for reading!

Copyright Presentation

2009-02-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

Jason Hardin's class presentation discussed and explained copyright issues. The growing use of the internet makes these issues more prevalent. With us living in a college environment, there is a possibility that we are under even more scrutiny by media industries. Professors must watch out as well. Although very common, posting textbooks online for student's use is illegal. This situation draws off the concept of Fair Use. As Jason Hardin describes in his presentation, "Fair Use is a provision that permits copyright violation provided that certain mitigating circumstances are present." He goes on to mention that these four mitigating circumstances are:

1. The nature of the work.
2. Amount reproduced.
3. Purpose of reproduction.
4. Effect/ Cost/ Damage done.

These circumstances are generally fair. The nature, or use of the work is important because if the use is genuinly honest, and with no personal motif, that point should be considered. The amount reproduced is also important. Making a copy of a CD for one, or two friends is excusable. Making a copy, and selling it to three hundred friends is not. The purpose of reproduction is important as well. Are you reproducing it for money, to inform, or to steal? Finally, the cost, or damage done is important as well. The amount of money stolen from an artist, writer, or musician is irreplacable; it must be taken into consideration. Fair Use is important because it draws lines between what is morally right and what is right under law. It is difficult to distinguish morals with law and I think Fair Use is one of the few concepts that does so effectively. By giving the given jury a guideline for copyright issue related decisions, we further allow for an ultimately fair ruling.

Microsoft Word

2009-01-27T20:26:00.000-08:00

I don't actually remember forgetting all the computer skills I learned from my high school computer class. I don't know if it's possible to remember to forget something either, but I did. And all I know now is that I had computer skills, but now I don't. This is terrible because now I need them. My computer class in high school taught Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point. The downside is that it was a blow-off class and I didn't learn much. The upside is that when we do discuss these programs in this class, I'll have at least some previous experience. Microsoft Word can be a simple program, or a complex one, depending on what you need to do. In high school, I knew enough about Microsoft Word to get by, but, seeing as I'm in college now, I'll need way more than that. Last semester, I trialed a program called iWork on my Macbook. The program is Mac's version of Microsoft Office, and instead of Word, Excel, and Power Point, it entails Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. I think the program is way more user-friendly than Microsoft Office. My only complaint, and the reason I use it seldomly, is that work done on iWork can only be viewed on Windows; it cannot be edited. This is another reason why learning Microsoft Office would be beneficial for me.

Joe Hatch Visit

2009-01-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet Joe Hatch. At the beginning of his presentation, I felt like knew most of what he was talking about, but after his demonstration of Trinity's computer network, I realized I had much to learn about computers. People, particularly Americans, rarely think about the complexity actually involved with simply checking their email. This is true with our generation especially. With computers being so common in our lives, we naturally take them for granted. Joe Hatch's visit was a wake-up call for those who view their laptop as an inanimate leisure device. Truth is, there's a lot going on in that device. (I would try to explain it, but I'd rather not ruin this perfectly acceptable blog) Hopefully I can learn more about all that this semester; Joe Hatch's presentation was definitely a start.

Me llamo Stanton.

2009-01-16T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody,

My name is Stanton Burke. I go by Stanton. My goal of this blog is to describe as much as I can about myself without it sounding like an eharmony profile page, although I do enjoy sandy beaches. Anyways, I was born in Beaumont, TX, a small factory city near Houston. I moved to San Antonio when I was two, but I don't remember. I've lived here ever since. I graduated from Churchill High School. The school is on Blanco Rd., about 20 minutes from Trinity. I don't do much outside school but, my "secret fact" is that I make songs on my macbook, so I don't entirely spend all my time doing nothing. I also play soccer and basketball occasionally. I do have computer background, even though I am taking this course. On the day of the computer test, since I live in San Antonio, I decided to sleep at my house that night. I forgot to set my alarm for the computer test the next morning, and in turn, I'm in this computer class. I took a computer class in high school, but I'm hoping this class will refresh my memory. Unfortunately, as far as learning the vista operating system, I'm not excited at all. This is especially because windows has already started creating their next software, windows 7, which fixes all the problems with vista, but at the same time gives users a new software to learn. This is all word of mouth mind you, but it sounds like something windows would do. I have a mac, but there's still a lot I need to learn on it. Overall, I'm hoping to get a better grasp of computers through this class. Anyways, thanks for reading, sorry for rambling. My email address is sburke1@trinity.edu.

http://earth.google.com/thanks.html#filmstrip

This is a google earth overhead shot of the war in Darfur. People can't be responsible if they're not aware... click on it.