COP 4910 Frontiers in Information Technology Lecture 3

COP 4910 Frontiers in Information Technology Lecture 3 Keys to Success in IT Hal Stringer 1

Today’s Agenda • Hand back graded Top 10 Lists – How it was graded – All actions have consequences (no excuses) – Standard format required for interim & final reports • Any new questions about Favorite 5? • Winning 1 Technologies – – Presentation Schedule Slide Suggestions Evaluation Criteria Giving a Good Presentation • Keys to Success in IT (as well as this class & life) • Microsoft Word - Your New Best Friend 2

Favorite 5 Report • You must create mini report on these five technologies – one page (double spaced) synopsis of each technology on separate page with its own second level heading. Include in your synopsis: • a description of the technology • how ABC Widget would use the technology • how the company would benefit from its implementation and • any downsides to the technology – use a professional business format for this second assignment including a title page, table of contents, introduction, and reference page. – one authoritative reference source for each technology. • Due date extended to midnight Friday via email • Include preference for Winning 1 in Introduction • Examples or Questions? 3

Winning 1 Technologies • Hope to send out emails on Saturday with confirmation of Winning 1 Technology. – If no conflicts or bad choices, you get your preference • Must prepare a 5 -7 minute presentation followed by questions, answers and discussion • 7 to 8 presentations per class till complete • After all presentations, class will vote on best out of the 20+ and assign topics to groups • Presentation Schedule – Assigned at Random – Look for your number (from Top 10 paper) on the schedule to determine date. 4

Presentation Slides • Keep it simple, the fewer slides the better – Title Slide – Agenda (optional for such short presentations) – Background Information • What is the current dominant technology? • Are there any problems or new opportunities? – High-Level Description of New technology (1 or 2 slides) – Use / Benefits of the Technology – Implementation/Cost Issues • Does it cost a lot? • How difficult to support? – Conclusions • Why should (not) your technology be selected? 5

How Will You Be Graded • Presentation is 10% of your course grade – Really think about what you want to say • I give you 85 points out of 100 as starting point • Add or subtract points based on: – Preparation for Presentation – Content and Organization – Effectiveness of Presentation • Input from GTA and other class members • And yes, it is rather subjective 6

Giving a Good Presentation • Preparation for Presentation – should be clear and to the point, not cluttered with information – readable and free of spelling/grammatical errors • No tiny print, unreadable charts, etc. – you should be familiar with slide order and content • Know what’s next – bring a hard copy of presentation and copy of. ppt file on labeled floppy disk the day of your presentation – practice a few times if needed 7

Giving a Good Presentation (cont. ) • Content and Organization – presentation should cover appropriate topics • sufficient background information to provide context • primary topic covered in proper detail • conclusions should be drawn or summary provided – presentation should flow logically and consistently • don’t jump around – you should be knowledgeable about your subject • good grasp of material • be confident about what you know – answered any questions directly and clearly • its OK to say “I don’t know” sometimes 8

Giving a Good Presentation (cont. ) • Effectiveness of Presentation – – speak clearly and with proper volume level refrain from long pauses or lots of “um’s” be sure to discuss slides - don’t read them have good audience interaction and eye contact • don’t look at notes / slides / overhead TV – effective use of visual aids • use what’s appropriate: slides, whiteboard, demo items • use color and limit text on slides to keywords & phrases – make good use of allotted time • don’t wander • don’t get overly detailed • don’t let your enthusiasm get the best of you 9

Seven Keys to IT Success • This course tries to address seven different aspects of information technology in some fashion: • Explicitly – – Technology - exposure to new things Business - impact of technology on an organization Research & Learning - keeping current, finding answers Communication Skills - sharing your ideas • Implicitly – Teamwork - be honest & direct with group members – Self Motivation - give 110%, have confidence in your work – Problem Solving - always ask questions, never assume • Being a techno-whiz just isn’t enough in the long run! • Master all seven of these areas and you will be a success in any organization. 10

Next Week’s Topics • Tuesday – – Class member introductions Start forming groups Whatever else I can think of? Sample presentation? • Thursday – Start Presentations for Winning 1 – Mandatory Attendance 11

Different Word Processors • Line Editors – ed • Text Editors – Notepad, PICO • Simple Word Processors – Word. Pad • Full Featured Word Processors – Word, Word. Perfect, Abiword • Publishing Software / Programs – Microsoft Publisher, Page. Maker, Latex 12

Microsoft Word • Touch Typing - Recommended • Keyboard Commands vs. Point & Click • Draft vs. Page View • Section vs. Page Breaks • Using Styles • Inserting Automatically Generated Objects • Spell Checking and Grammar Checking 13