Course Assessment

The most important thing I learned in this class is that computing can be easy. I am not that savvy with computers and for a long time I was intimidated by the prospect of having to use Powerpoint or Excel. This class taught me that while one is not going to necessarily become a savant at those programs right away, it is possible to learn how to utilize the programs to great effectiveness over time. Once one takes initiative and uses the programs and familiarizes himself with the programs, things will start to come more easily. It is especially important to do some hands-on work with the computer if one wants to become capable. I find that this is a far more effective way of learning than using textbooks. It just seems like using textbooks to learn about computing or using programs is nonsensical. As a student, I usually learned how to use stuff by seeing others do that stuff or working it out on the computer. The redeeming factor of our course textbooks is that the tutorials are built around actually working with the programs (though sometimes it gets hard and/or tedious to follow).
If you watch TV, you’ve probably seen the Mac-guy, PC-guy commercials (I think they’re great). The impression one gets from these is that while PC’s are good for “official, formal stuff,” Macs are good for individualistic, creative stuff. I learned in this course that Office ’07 can really make some beautiful things. There are so many options available that allow someone to be original and create some cool documents, charts, presentations…
I certainly learned some things this course. The most useful I think is using all the options in Word and Excel to format and design documents, charts and tables. Computing is an ongoing process. I think that this course will put me on the path toward an upward curve in my computing abilities.
Thank you Professor Jorisch. Have a nice break.