Microsoft Powerpoint

Since we're just now starting Powerpoint, I thought I would share 5 things that I dislike about a Powerpoint presentation.  First of all (and this is true in general, but especially in Powerpoint), when some people capitalize every other letter in a title.  It's as if they think that typing like a four year old will deliver a greater impact... which is RiDiCuLoUs, and not at all aesthetically pleasing.  Secondly, obnoxious sound effects are not my favorite.  If anything, they are simply distracting the audience from the presentation.  I also dislike when people cram paragraphs of information onto a single slide.  Powerpoints are meant for summarizing information; the presenter is supposed to be there in order elaborate on each slide.  Providing too much information could just mean that the individual is excited about the material... but most likely, it means that they don't know the material well enough to fully present their topic without training wheels.  Fourth: I don't like when Powerpoint presentations are too long.  No topic should be stretched out for 400 slides, no matter how fascinating it is.  Lastly, I dislike it when the style of the slides isn't appropriately selected.  The creator of the Powerpoint needs to choose background colors, text colors, pictures, and transitions in such a way that will not detract from the material or lose the interest of the audience.  This can be a little more complicated than just using common sense - people spend tons of time and money selecting colors and fonts for advertisements in order to more or less "manipulate" the audience in terms of how they feel when they view the advertisement.  So obviously, being sloppy in selecting a background color is more forgivable than typing LiKe ThIs.  But still - it's nice to see a Powerpoint that is pleasing to the eye.

Despite these minor annoyances, I believe that Powerpoint is a very useful tool, especially today.  A lot of people are visual learners, and although Powerpoints are very useful (and necessary) when giving reports and presentations in a job setting, the most applicable example of a useful Powerpoint is one we have all experienced here in the classrooms at Trinity.  I'm a neuroscience major on the pre-med track, and when I'm taking a hard science class (versus a soft science class; not a "difficult" science class) such as Biology or Intro to Neuroscience, it's extremely helpful to look at Powerpoint slides of say, the Carbon Cycle or the Somatosensory Pathway.  When you hear a professor talk about a subject, it's easy to miss something and get lost.  But when you're hearing the professor AND observing a slide that gives a visual representation, it's not only easier to understand the topic, but it's easier to remember it and recall it later (at least for me, anyway - I'm definitely a visual learner).  Without the use of Powerpoint in my classes, I think I would have a much harder time keeping up with the lecture and creating a visual map in my head of what's really going on.

CLT Visit

On Thursday, our class took a field trip to the AT&T Center for Learning and Technology.  CLT is located on the first floor of the library.  Robert Chapman gave us the introduction to CLT, and told us that the computers in CLT have resources such as Photoshop, web-design tools, desktop publishing tools, etc. in addition to the basic tools such as Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, making it the perfect place to work on a multimedia project or to just play around editing photos.  CLT also has a sound recording room for students to use, as well as equipment to copy DVD clips for projects.  Students can even rent out videocameras, digital still cameras, and mp3 recorders (with permission from an instructor or organization).  The CLT also has a new HD videoconferencing system that allows people to communicate with students abroad, out-of-town professors, etc.  Students can download this software to communicate with people both on and off Trinity's campus.  Aside from providing students with these resources, the CLT is also responsible for providing cable to the dorms on campus and streaming live videos from graduation ceremonies, distinguished lecture series, and other important events.

Before Thursday, I didn't even know that the CLT existed.  I had walked past it once or twice in pursuit of a quiet place to study, but I didn't know what it was or what kind of resources it had.  Now that I'm aware of the programs on the computers in there, I will definitely be utilizing them if I have a project to work on.  And since we're starting Photoshop in class, the CLT computers will come in handy when I need to work on editing a picture outside of class.

Below I have attached a worksheet that I scanned using one of the scanners in CLT.  It contains a few questions regarding CLT and a random self portrait that is not entirely visible (I sketch very lightly...).

Pictures That Lie

The picture I chose for this assignment is the image of a couple on the cover of a Newsweek magazine.  The

couple's names are Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey, and they appeared in Newsweek to tell their story about giving birth to septuplets. The photo on the left was edited to make Bobbi's teeth look straighter and improve her overall appearance.  I believe that that in this case, the photo manipulation was harmful.  This woman gave birth to seven children, and the magazine is concerned with "fixing her teeth."  I understand that as humans, we tend to gravitate towards a certain cultural standard of what is "beautiful," and that Newsweek can potentially grab more readers if the targeted audience perceives the cover star(s) to be particularly attractive.  But I believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and no individual (or company) can decide what people are "supposed" to look like.  I think they should have embraced the fact that Bobbi has an amazing story - not everyone gives birth to septuplets - and that people will want to read about something like that regardless of how the person looks.  And I feel like by not asking her permission to alter the photo, she was especially violated.  How degrading it must be for the world to know that Newsweek (or anyone) didn't think you were good enough, so they took it upon themselves to turn you into something more aesthetically pleasing.  American girls have enough self-esteem issues as it is - and making is seem like every woman in the world wears a size 2 and has perfect skin and a flawless smile does nothing to build a young teen's self-confidence.  I think that the photo should have remained unaltered because ultimately, it detracts from the Bobbi and her family as individuals and perpetuates the harmful body image illusion to girls that take it to heart.  

I feel like this video is particularly harmful to the self-esteem of young girls because it's sending the message that the current state of their appearance is not good enough.  I think that the media has led us to believe that as a society, we are growing to embrace individual differences - skin color, hair color, etc., and that is what makes women beautiful.  But if unique is beautiful, then why the emphasis on flawless skin, straight, bleached teeth, heavy makeup, etc?  And at age 13?