Tutorial 4: From Dial Up to DSL

Technology is a marvelous thing, and though some of us haven’t lived long enough to witness all the astounding leaps technology has taken, I think we’ve all seen how rapidly technology can change and improve on itself over time.  One such technological change that I’ve witnessed within my own personal experience has been the leap from the dial up Internet connection to high speed Internet.  In this tutorial, I am going to recap my family’s upgrade from dial up to high speed DSL (digital subscriber line).  I’ll discuss the pros and cons of dial up versus DSL and some of the steps involved with switching from the one Internet connection the other.



Photo taken by me 4/17/11



First, though, let’s make sure we all know what I mean by dial up and DSL.  According to Chapter 9 in my ISM 3004 textbook, a dial up line is “a temporary connection that uses one or more analog telephone lines for communications. (482)”  On the other hand, a Digital Subscriber Line is a digital line that connects over a regular copper telephone wire at a much faster rate than a dial up line (484).  An important similarity to note between these two connection lines is that both use telephone lines to enable communication; however, dial up and DSL are different in what they offer to the user as we’ll see next.

Some of the pros and cons to using a dial up connection are as follows (http://internetprovidersphone.com/pros-cons-of-dial-up-internet-service/):

                Advantages

·         Cheap

·         Accessible almost everywhere

·         Simple to connect (no special requirements)

                Disadvantages

·         Does  not allow simultaneous access to Internet and phone line

·         Very slow speeds

·         Typically disconnects if user is inactive for too long

·         Requires a connection to a service in order to use

Some of the pros and cons of a DSL connection are listed below.  Note that many of the advantages for DSL are the opposite of the disadvantages for dial up (http://www.dsl-isp-guide.com/ pros_cons_of_dsl.htm).

                Advantages

·         Rapid connection speeds

·         Reliable connection

·         Allows simultaneous use of Internet and phone line

·         Easy to install

·         Good security

                Disadvantages

·         Can only be accessed in populated areas

·         Gets slower connection speed as the distance from the provider’s base and the user increase



Photo taken by my sister and distribted here by me with
permission on 4/17/11



After having experienced both dial up and DSL, I can honestly say that the scales tip in DSL’s favor in my book.  As a child, I remember the long waits for downloads on the old dial up connection, but probably the most frustrating thing of all was not being allowed to use the computer for long periods of time because it tied up the phone line.  When my family finally upgraded to DSL, I had to adjust my whole Internet mindset.  Somehow I had to wrap my mind around faster connection speeds and unlimited (figuratively speaking, of course) access to the Internet.  Honestly, this particular change was no burden for me.  In the following paragraphs, I’ll outline a brief description of how you too can have the advantages of switching from dial up to DSL.  The steps outlined below were drawn from “How to Switch from Dial-Up to DSL” by Jack Gorman.  To install DSL, you simply. . .

Photo taken by me 4/17/11

1.       Contact the phone company and request the change from dial up to DSL

2.       Install the DSL modem

3.       Join the modem to the computer

4.       After plugging in your modem into a power plug, turn the modem on

5.       Set up the DSL filters on all other phones in the house

For more information on how to install DSL, follow the link below to Jack Gorman’s article.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7408513_switch-dial_up-dsl.html

In conclusion, I’ve learned from personal experience and additional research that DSL is, in most cases, the superior Internet connection relative to dial up.  We’ve covered the advantages and disadvantages of using DSL and dial up, and we’ve looked into five brief steps on how to install DSL in your home.  I hope this tutorial will help provide the tools you need to make an informed decision on whether or not to switch your Internet connection from dial up to DSL.  I can say from personal experience that such a switch is worth it.

Acknowledgements:

http://www.ehow.com/how_7408513_switch-dial_up-dsl.html

http://www.dsl-isp-guide.com/pros_cons_of_dsl.htm

http://internetprovidersphone.com/pros-cons-of-dial-up-internet-service/  

Shelly and Vermaat. (2010). Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World. Cengage    

     Learning. pages 482, 484.

Photos taken by me and my sister and distributed with permission.

Secure Email Project

For my secure email project, I learned to send a digitally signed email and an encrypted email.  Secure emails are a great way to protect your data, and I enjoyed the chance to learn about this protection measure.  The screen capture below shows my Thunderbird inbox where I sent the two emails, and the following link and summary offer an additional example of secure emails. 



Screen Capture of Thunderbird Account Inbox created by me.



http://markets.on.nytimes.com/research/stocks/news/press_release.asp?docTag=201101250735BIZWIRE_USPRX____BW5455&feedID=600&press_symbol=294724&scp=3&sq=secure%20email%20for%20businesses&st=Search

As many businesses have discovered, secure email is a useful and important tool for guarding company and customer data.  A recent New York Times article (see link above) talks of how Highmark, Inc. secures company emails through the encryption services of Zix Corporation.  The article states that though Highmark had apparently been using a different secure email provider for some time, the company recently made the decision to employ Zix Corp’s services for three of Highmark’s companies.  The main reason for the switch lies in Zix Corp’s ease of use.  Since Highmark Inc. is a trusted healthcare provider and a licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, data protection is a must.  As the article explains, Highmark fully realized the necessity of secure email communications, and the company also understood the importance of having security measures that were not overly burdensome to employees and in the way of productivity.  Thus, Highmark turned to the ZixCorp ® Email Encryption Services for more reliable and simplistic protection.  The article concludes with a brief description of Highmark Inc. and ZixCorp.  I personally found the article both interesting and informative.  I was shown yet another example of how important secure email is to organizations and how the right kind of secure email provider can make all the difference in protecting data efficiently.

Extra Credit: My Avatar Experience

Creating my avatar was a lot easier than I had originally anticipated.  For some reason I had the preconceived idea that making an avatar would be a complex process with a lot of hassle and cost involved, but in reality, the entire process took very little time and effort on my part.  I used Face Your Manga (http://faceyourmanga.com/home_faceyourmanga_eng.html) as my online creation tool.  This website lets you make very simple avatars with limited customization options.  Though I was thrilled at how easy it was to follow the steps in the website, I was a little disappointed in not having a wider variety of options to choose from in order to tailor my avatar for my personal preferences.  Face Your Manga allows you to choose from a small list of features such as eye shape, clothes, background, and facial features, but the alternatives for customization are limited and simplistic.  However, since I am a beginner at the whole “avatar” business, I am thankful for the chance to experiment with Face Your Manga’s simple model before moving on to more detailed and complex avatar creation tools.  Overall, I had a lot of fun creating my avatar, and I’ll admit that I also had fun creating avatars for my five siblings for their future enjoyment. 

Database Project

For my last ISM 3004 projects, I had the chance to learn about Microsoft Excel and multimedia presentations.  In each of those projects I learned a lot and had fun in the learning.  This past week I completed another project that taught me about Microsoft Access 2007.  I’ll admit that my past experience with Access was not extensive, so the Access Database Project was out of my realm of familiarity.  However, after watching the class lectures and completing the project, I have a much better understanding and appreciation for all that Access offers.  In this project, the instructors gave us an Excel document full of data for the members of a gym that we then learned to manipulate and format in various ways using Access.  I learned that Microsoft Access is a relational database with many useful features and formatting capabilities.  I learned how to manipulate data using tables, queries, forms, and reports.  For each manipulation tool, I learned to modify my data, preserve the integrity of my data through data types, and format my data in ways that enhance the ease of analysis.  This project also taught me about the various ways to link data and reduce the duplication of data.  By the end of the project, Microsoft Access was not the big scary program that it had seemed before.

If there was one thing I would have done to increase the functionality of the database project, it would have been to separate the data into more than one table to decrease the duplicity of some of the data.  During the project, we were instructed to keep all the data in one table.  Looking back, I remember a warning message from the importing wizard that showed some data that had been replicated in the table.  It could possibly increase the usefulness of the data if I had separated and grouped some of the data into different categorize.  For instance, the personal information related to the gym members could have been stored in one table while the data relating to the members’ association with the gym itself (join date, left date, and membership type) could have been stored in a separate table.  In Access, we have the ability to break the data down into one topic per table, which can increase efficiency and ease of use.

Tutorial 3: Understanding Data Models

There come many times in a student’s life when he/she fails to understand a class topic and must use extra time and resources to fully comprehend the class material.  Such a time came for me last week when my computer class covered data models and database management systems (DBMSs).  For some reason, I had a hard time grasping the concept of data models.  As a result, I decided to focus this blog post on describing and comparing data models in the hopes of bettering my own understanding of this topic and hopefully yours as well.  We will begin by briefly describing data models and DBMSs, and we will end by looking at the three most common data models: relational, object-oriented, and multidimensional.

According to TechTerms.com, a database management system is a software system basically used for obtaining, organizing, and allowing users the opportunity to edit data.  A database can hold a massive amount of data in manageable formatting and categories.  A data model, on the other hand, works as the foundation for a DBMS.  Data models are the parameters that encompass how users see the data in a database.  For example, while one data model may allow users to view the data in a simple two-dimensional file, another model may show the data as organized from multiple dimensions for the user.  It is important to note that data models do not actually organize the data on the database disk, but instead, the model determines how the data appears to the user.

Now that we have covered DBMSs and data models, let’s move on to today’s three most popular data models.  The first model we will cover is the relational data model.  This model presents the data to users using tables, rows, and columns.  Figure 1 illustrates how a relational data model displays data in the Microsoft Access 2007 application.  The red box outlines the table within this particular document while the yellow box indicates the column and the blue box indicates the row.



Image of a Microsoft Access table created by me on 3/24/11



In this way, the relational database that powers Microsoft Access displays data for the users to read and modify as needed.  The relational data model also allows for queries and primary keys, and in Microsoft Acces, you can also use the database to create forms and reports.  Another feature of a relational database is the concept of relationships.  Within a relational database you can connect the data in one table with data in another table by applying a relationship to the tables.  As long as the tables you wish to relate have common columns, you can use the relational database to link your data as the simply Access model below illustrates. 



Image of Microsoft Access relationship summary created by me on 3/24/11



Any discussion about the relational data model would not be complete without also mentioning that this model is based on the Structured Query Language (SQL).  According to Prabhudev Konana Ph.D., SQL is a common standard language for defining and controlling databases around the world.  SQL has many different goals such as defining the different components of the database (tables, queries, etc…) and managing the different tables within the database. 

Now let us move on to the object-oriented database.  With this model, the data is not organized into tables, but instead, the data appears in objects.  Each object consists of the data and the related activities and processes behind the data.  As stated in the ISM 3004 textbook, some of the advantages to using an object-oriented database are as follows (Shelly and Vermaat, 2010):

·         More storage for different kinds of data

·         Faster access time

·         Object reusability

·         Better capabilities with unstructured data such as photos and audio

Though object-oriented databases have several advantages over relational databases, the object database is still used as a complement versus a replacement to relational databases (ODBMS.org).  Several cases have contributed to the object database’s complementary position such as the high costs associated with changing database types and the creation of object-relational mappers (ORMs), which are a combination of the object and relational databases.  Thus, for now at least, relational databases are still more commonly used in the business world over object databases.

Two common ways in which object-oriented databases are used today include computer-aided design (CAD) and websites.  In such instances where more data types are used and unstructured data is prevalent, object-oriented databases are a more efficient tool to work with.  The CAD drawing in Figure 3 was likely created using an object-oriented database, and many web users use this data model to power their websites. 



This screen capture of a CAD drawing was taken by me from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schneckengetriebe.png and is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, which is a freely licensed media file repository.



The final database we will cover today is called the multidimensional database.  In this database, the data can be stored in tables that exceed two dimensions.  This means that the user can gather and modify more data much faster and more efficiently than if the user used a relational database.  One of the key uses for multidimensional databases is in data warehousing.  Data warehousing provides an excellent location for storing a large amount of data and giving users the chance to work with the data in various ways.  Sometimes the data in the database is located in different places.  This distributed database gives more value to data warehousing because multidimensional databases and data warehousing can consolidate the separated data easier than any other data model we’ve discussed so far.  Using the example from the ISM 3004 textbook, I constructed Figure 4 as a very simply illustration of what data warehousing does with the help of multidimensional databases.  The data from the different dimensions goes into the data warehouse and is viewed and used by the different users on the other end.  In this way, multidimensional databases provide a great tool to businesses everywhere. 



Image created by me on 3/22/11



For this tutorial, we covered some of the fundamentals of database management systems and data models.  We looked into the relational, object-oriented, and multidimensional models and checked out a few examples of these databases.  Overall, it is very clear that the different data models fill an important position in helping businesses and personal users organize and edit their data.

Acknowledgements:

Techterms - http://www.techterms.com/definition/dbms

Shelly and Vermaat. (2010). Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World. Cengage    

     Learning. pages 533-536.

Prabhudev Konana Ph.D. - http://misbridge.mccombs.utexas.edu/knowledge/  

     classes/mis373.1/pdf/ddl.pdf

ODBMS.org - http://www.odbms.org/Introduction/whenODBMS.aspx

Figure 1 & 2 – Screen captures of Microsoft Access 2007 (self-created)

Figure 3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schneckengetriebe.png

Presentation Project

Over the course of the last two weeks, I have learned more about the World Wide Web and multimedia presentations than I have ever learned at any other point in my life.  As the second project in my ISM 3004 class, the Presentation Project encompassed a multitude of multimedia and Web 2.0 tools.  If you follow the link below, you will find my completed presentation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifsNTeVoIDc

Though you are welcome to critique the project for yourself, I want to outline my own evaluation of how I think I did on this particular assignment.  Afterall, we humans tend to be our best critics, so a personal evaluation should prove to be very revealing.  First, I can honestly say that the flow of content in my presentation followed the sequence used in my guiding acronym "BMI."  Organization has always been very important to me, so I emphasized within the first few slides the overall agenda and sequence for my presentation.  I hope my viewers felt the same feeling of clarity and orderliness as I did after seeing my final product.  Looking back, though, I would like to be able to improve the verbal explanation of my outline by sharing the outline a little sooner in the presentation. 

Something else that I believe could also use some work was the beginning "attention grabber" I used in my first three slides.  I attempted to ignite my audience's curiosity and interest with one letter slides and the Superman Theme song.  I have always loved that song, but in hindsight, the song and slide design was not the dramatic attention grabber that my viewers may find intriguing.  During the course of the presentation, I asked a couple of questions to engage the viewers.  However, I realize that there was room for improvement in anticipating questions and answering them beforehand, especially in the video portion of the presentation.  In the inserted video, I claimed that being a Walgreens BMI allowed a person to also be a superhero in some respect.  I now feel that this claim should have been backed up with more validating evidence beyond the examples I provided.  Maybe I could have incorporated another intern's perspective to support my claim.

As for the more technical aspect of my presentation, I strived for perfection in not allowing any typos or inconsistencies.  I proofread my presentation several times, so if there is a technical mistake, I will forever consider myself blind as a bat.  Another area that I strived to be perfect in is the area of clutter.  I chose my graphics and text with the idea of making the presentation slides easy to read and simplistic for easy understanding.  I also used large text to ensure easy readability.  My biggest mistake in the presentation, however, was in sometimes reading my presentation slides instead of using visuals and audio to explain my topic.  From past experience, I would say that this area is my biggest weakness in presentations overall.

For my presentation project, I was also required to complete a peer review for one of my classmates in much the same way I evaluated my own project.  The peer review was one of the most helpful learning tools in helping me understand what makes a great, and not so great, presentation.  By evaluating another's presentation, I could more effectively judge my own performance and make some changes that I thought necessary. 

Overall, as I mentioned earlier, I thought the presentation project was very informative.  I learned to more effectively use Windows Movie Maker and PowerPoint 2007.  I now have accounts on several Web 2.0 sites such as SlideBoom and YouTube that I would likely never have visited before this project.  This project also taught me some very important principles for making an effective presentation, and the experience of creating the project also highlighted some of my presentation weaknesses that I hope to overcome in the future.  Now that I have an expanded base of knowledge and resources related to presentations, I know that my future adventures in the presentation filled world of business will be much more interesting and effective.  I am especially thankful for this project in that it gave me some of the tools I will need in my quest to enter the sector of nonprofit management.

Tutorial 2: Stress and Public Speaking



Photo #1: SM3 (see acknowledgements)



Can you agree to the following statement? 

~ I stress over public speaking. ~

If you agree, then don’t go anywhere because the following paragraphs explain how you can give an effective presentation by managing your stress level beforehand.  First, we will discuss the effects of stress and how stress can impact your presentation.  Next, I will outline a few basic techniques that can help you reduce your stress and send you on your way to a beautiful presentation.

For those of us who have stressed over a presentation, we know the effects that stress can have on our bodies and minds.  I remember my first speaking “engagement” like it was yesterday.  I was in my first few weeks of speech class at the community college, and the professor asked us to give a short speech about ourselves.  Pathetically, I needed notes to talk about a topic I should have known very well by that point in my life, but standing in front of that classroom, my mind went blank.  You laugh, but it’s true.  My heart rate increased dramatically as I stood there, and I began to perspire and tremble.  Do you know the feeling?  Stress can have these effects on our minds and bodies.  In public speaking, stress can leave us with the same speeding heart rate and jumbled mind that we would experience if confronted with a snake in our path.  It is because of stress that many people suffer from a poor stage presence and oftentimes, an ineffective presentation. 

  

Photo #2: Katie (created with Clip Art)



Now that I have hopefully affirmed in you the negative impacts of stress, I would like to point out that stress is not all bad.  A little bit of well managed stress can have some useful effects on public speaking.  A little stress pushes us to practice harder and prepare more.  Many students experience the positive aspects of stress in the days leading up to an exam.  As they study for their test, stress prompts them to study more intensely.  Thus, some stress can help you prepare more effectively.

The list below features some of the most common and practical techniques for managing stress, especially for public speaking.  Please, note that this is by no means a perfect, complete list of the available stress reducers.  For more information on reducing stress, I would recommend reading Comprehensive Stress Management by Jerrold S. Greenberg.

·         Practice like crazy before the presentation, but avoid trying to memorize your speech.  Practice is probably the most effective means of managing your stress before public speaking.

·         Seek social support from family and friends.  The people around you can be a significant source of comfort, encouragement, and stress relief.


 

·         Take deep breaths and try spending a few minutes exercising progressive relaxation.  The progressive relaxation technique requires that you find a quiet place where you can sit and relax.  The technique involves constricting and releasing individual muscles in your body one by one.  This will help you to relax and relieve the stress induced tension in your body before going on stage.



Photo #3: Katie (my photo)



·         Finally, take some time before the presentation to sit and listen to white noise.  Examples of white noise include the ocean, the wind in the trees, and falling rain.  These natural sounds can be very calming.  I would suggest downloading some of nature’s stress relievers and spending a few minutes in peaceful listening. 



Obviously, individuals deal with stress in different ways, so it is important to try a variety of stress reducers to determine which one works best for you.  One of my personal favorite stress techniques from the list above is listening to white noise.  Listing to the ocean is particularly soothing; therefore, you’ll find a YouTube link below that will take you to about ten minutes of relaxation.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awH_oqctSXQ

For a quick review of our time together, let’s have a short Q&A session.  The following questions and answers cover the main take away points for this tutorial, so you can test your knowledge.  Have fun!

Q: What are some of the negative effects of stress on the mind and body?

A: Increased heart rate, perspiration, the shakes, and an unfocused mind

Q: What are some of the positive effects of stress?

A: Increased push to practice and prepare harder

Q: What are two techniques for managing stress?

A: Practice, social support, progressive relaxation, and white noise

Q: Which technique is likely the most effective at relieving stress before a presentation?

A: Practice! Practice! Practice!

For further information on how to prepare for an effective presentation, please visit the link below for some helpful tips.

http://www.smcubedconsulting.com/2011/01/nail-your-presentation-18-tips/

Acknowledgments:

The stress techniques presented in this tutorial (with the exception of the first technique) were inspired by Jerrold Greenberg from his book Comprehensive Stress Management.

Photo #1: Retrieved from http://www.smcubedconsulting.com/2011/01/nail-your-presentation-18-tips/

Photos 2 & 3 were created by me using my own digital photos and Microsoft clip art.