Secure Email Project

This week our Secure Email Project was due. I had no idea how time consuming this project would be this is one that you definitely do not want to wait to the last minute to do just because of all the downloading, encrypting, digitizing and emailing. To begin with I have never had the need to use encrypted emails or digital signatures, and until now I had no idea why someone would need to use such devices as digital certificates. 


The following link will take you to a website that will teach you all about encrypted email and how it will help protect your privacy and increase your computers security. According to the article one of the number one reasons to secure your email is to prevent the possibility of your computer contracting a virus or spam. Phishing emails are one of the most commonly accidentally opened viruses that people come across. These emails look exactly like the real webpages and can be extremely hard to recognize. One simple click on these emails and cyber terrorist will have instant access to your personal information. 


Emails are like postcards, they can easily be intercepted in transit by thousands of people, government and even terrorist. If you have very important information either business or personal taking the extra precaution to encrypt your messages can keep your business from going bankrupt and your identity from being stolen. 

I really enjoyed this final project it was something I have never done and it really opened my eyes to how susceptible my personal information really is on my computer. From now on there is nothing but secure emails for me. 

Access Project

This week our Microsoft Access Project was due. This project was one of the most confusing projects I have ever had to work with due to the date that I have never used Microsoft Access before. I am glad I didn't wait until the very last moment to begin working on this assignment because I had to download Microsoft Access 2007.


Throughout the Access project I learned about creating tables, queries, forms and reports. I learned how to import external data files in multiple formats to one database and organize it. I also learned how to export data from a database in different file formats like .txt which is extremely easy to convert and one of the best formats to send documents in. I also learned that how to relate sets of tabular data and how easy it is to organize massive amounts of data by using Access. The biggest surprise to me was how professional the default tables and reports look without any customization.


The only fall backs to using Microsoft Access is learning how to use the program. I have never used the program before and it was quite hard to catch onto at point. However, once you understand how the program works the possibilities for organizing data are endless. Some of the ways to enhance the functionality of the database would be to increase security, insert user passwords to protect customers and to make better tutorial videos. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Access lectures, but they were a little dated and it made it harder to learn some of the required techniques to complete the project and scavenger hunt. Increased security is a must for any programs in the world today, especially since these files organize and hold valuable information such as addresses, names, date of birth, etc. The program as of right now is extremely vulnerable to identity theft which spreads through the web like wildfire. 

In the end, I am extremely happy I took this course just because I got to learn the aspects of a program I have never used. Even though the project is over I am going to look into Microsoft Access Tutorials and learn all the ways of using the program. I have always enjoyed using excel for organizing data but I cannot wait to explore Access even further. Below I have included a sample of what a Microsoft Access Database looks like. 

Web 2.0 Project

The following is a link to my project.

Overall the Web 2.0 project proved to be extremely stressful to me. The storyboard, idea, and actually making my presentation were extremely easy to do with powerpoint. However, when it came time to actually upload my work to the web, I went to at least 20 different websites and my audio wouldn't play on any of them. Eventually, I had to record my desktop with the project playing in the background on screenjelly.com.

Presentation Evaluation Rubric

Name of Presenter: Rebecca Barnes

Your Name: Rebecca Barnes

	Missing or lacking	Meets the minimum but could be improved	Excellent
Is there a logical flow and sequence of content? How could it be improved?			Yes. The flow of information is logical.
Does the presenter anticipate questions and answer them in the right place? At what points did you have questions that were not answered?			Yes. I answered the questions before they were asked.
Did the presenter grab your attention in the first 30-60 seconds?		I feel like I could have done a better job of a WOW factor at the beginning of my presentation.
Did the presenter ask questions and spark your curiosity?			I didn’t ask many questions, but instead fully explained things.
Did the presenter set the context with a concise explanation? Is it clear what the presenter is trying to share?			Yes. My presentation was extremely simple, concise and clear.
Did the presenter validate any claims?			Yes. Most of my presentation was validating claims and statistics for my audience.
Did the presenter avoid inconsistencies and errors, typos and unbelievable claims?			Yes.
How well did the presenter avoid clutter?			Very well. Many of the slides were simple. They had lots of space and some even had three or four words.
What did the presenter do to ensure readability?		Used a great font and size type, maybe should have used different colors.
Did the presenter say it, and then show it or did he/she read the slides?			I read the presentation as it was given and added facts that were not shown.

                 

I did my presentation on the Relay for Life at UF. I wanted to tell people about how scary cancer can be and let them know the real statistics of how it affects people everyday. I also mentioned when the university was planning it's relay and encouraged my audience to participate and donate to the cause.

After watching multiple videos from classmates and seeing all the different ways to create projects it has been a truly mind-blowing experience. The project was a lot of fun for me, I just wish that the web sharing would have been a little easier to do.

This project takes a lot of time and planning out and I am glad I didn't wait till the last minute to complete it. I had no idea that uploading certain presentations to the web were so hard to do. If you do not have the perfect combination of files and the correct website the whole presentation can fall apart. 

I have provided my rubric in my blog. 

Excel Project

For the Excel project that I had to complete three worksheets. I had over 500 pieces of data to work with and it got a little confusing at times. During the project I was required to adjust pre-existing formats such as changing the text position, making it bold, italic, changing the size, and changing the font. I had to create new columns and sheets and rename them as they are made. One of the simplest part of the projects was creating the formulas. I was required to create simple formulas for adding and subtracting, and also some formulas for calculating percentages. After watching the short videos and with my past excel experience the formulas were extremely easy to configure and place. 

The hardest part of the assigned project was learning how to make a pivot table. I spent hours watching videos, using google to search "pivot tables" online and reading through the chapters in the book. It was especially hard to figure out to me because I am new to Mac Office and all my previous experience is in regular Microsoft excel. Not to mention the fact that the lectures are all in Microsoft excel so they were of almost no help. Finally, it came to me and I realized what I was doing wrong by trying to adjust my columns in rows to much instead of just entering the data. After completing the first pivot table, creating the second pivot table was a breeze and only took me minutes to complete.The information once you learn it is extremely easy to catch onto.

I feel that learning both Microsoft excel and Mac's version of excel will be greatly beneficial in the future. I will not have to learn a new system now and will be able to transfer smoothly to whichever program my place of business prefers. Below I have provided a screen shot of my AvgIncrease pivot table. Learning to take screen shots on the Mac was also something new I learned from completing this project. I am really happy I jumped on this project far ahead of its due date because it definitely threw me through some loops.