Chapter 1 ... Complete

I feel like I want to portray this as a game. I love video games, computer games....
They have always been a big part of me and my sisters. We would always play these kind of games. We were a big Nintendo players. Especially the Mario series.

But this is besides the point of school. Although right after school we would go to the Nintendo for a quick game. Those were the days.
When you could do stuff in your PJ's. Why change out of your comfortable clothes when they are soooo comfortable??? I ask you that.
And which is one reason why I love completing school in the comfort of my own home. I can wear whatever I want, and not worry about on-lookers and classmates. Although I wouldn't be afraid to wear my PJ's to school, in fact I would. That's the kind of girl I am. Well not really a girl anymore, but you get the point.

Getting back on topic. I have finished Chapter 1. I find the first chapter either very informative or very repetitive. Oh, I'm not sure if you know what course I've started this time. Ha ha ha, very smart Heather. I am currently on Microsoft Word 2007. I have to say that Word 2007 is very different from Word 2000. Word 2000 is what I studied back in college. Which was like in 2002. Not that long ago, but still is long ago.

The format of Word 2007 has definitely evolved still 2000. It still has the basics of 2000 but has more customizing capabilities in the format. I like 2007, but I need to get used to it.

Well, Chapter 1 is complete, now I get to start on Chapter 2. Might I also add that I am handing in my assignment 2 days ahead of time. I'm sooo happy about that, because at a couple of points in my studies I had been behind by a week. Well, I didn't actually recieve my equiptment and books until a week after my first project was due. So.... I say I'm doing alright now. Now I get to work on it off and on and take a whole day to read a chapter and do the required exercises.

And that's why I like correspondence! :) I hope this is one reason that may convince you to try it.

Heather's tip: Page borders
A really helpful way to contain and make a public letter or flyer capture a passer-byer's eye is to use a border around the page. There are many designs and colours you can use. If you chose an appropriate one you can make your flyer attrative. A border can center your page and give your viewer a better target to concentrate on. Try it.

Interesting Links

Every once in a while, I want to post a list of links that I find useful and I hope you do too.

So here is the first batch of them.

Search Engines
Google.com
Yahoo.ca or Yahoo.com
Bing.com
Ask.com
Kartoo.com
Dogpile.com
incywincy.com
infomine.ucr.edu


The last 2 websites in this list will help you look for websites in the "Invisible Web"
The Invisible Web is the part of the Web that is generally not accessible by the generic search engines and search tools. There is sooo much more out there on the Internet than you can imagine.

Have fun.

Continuing on....

I am back.

I wasn't really gone before but, it was a little since my last post.

I did take the test on Wednesday for Discovering the Internet. I passed with 94%! Yeah!

I would've like a higher grade, but its good enough. ;)

Now I am working on Word 2007.

Another class I have taken before, although to be fair it was Word 2000, I believe.

Having used both, I would say they are the same, but have some big differences between them.

For example THE RIBBON!!!!!!

It sort of replaces the menu bar, but it expands it.

I don't know if you can see it very well. This picture looks very small and distorted. The picture saved on my computer looks a lot nicer. So, I guess Blogger doesn't like it. But I hope it shows something different to, than it does to me here. (Ramble)

But anyways, I have a huge birthday party I will be going to today. I should be doing schoolwork, eventhough its a Saturday, but its a birthday party for many people I know. I mean it combines birthdays, from one family, to one big party.

So I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!!!!!

Heather's tip: Bookmarks/Favorites.

I really love favoriting webpages. It is really useful when you happen to stumble on a page that really interests you but you don't have time to appreciate it. Just favorite it. Go to the menu bar in Internet Explorer and click on Favorites, then click on Add to Favorites..., then you can click on Add.

If you want to be really organized about your Favorites, you CAN!!! Remember when you clicked on Add to Favorites... and a box pops up asking you how you want to add your new favorite link? You can make folders for organizing your favorites. Do this in the box that pops up for Favorites, click on New Folder that is beside the drop-down list for which folder to "create in", then type in a name for the folder like "Books" or "Music sites" or whatever you want it to be. Once you have created that folder you can now save Favorites there. Try it now with this website. You can create a folder named Blogs. Once you have finished that, click on Favorites again and hover over the "Blog" folder. You will see a link to this page there.

If you would like to remove a favorite, it is easy too. Find the link you don't want anymore in the Favorites list and right-click on it. Then from the menu click on Delete. Click OK or YES and it will be removed. Try it with this website.

There. Happy Favoriting!

The beauty of School AT HOME!

So the wonderful part is that you can go and have a part time job, then go back to schoolwork when you go home.
The day I started this post was on Wednesday, but I didn't finish it until tonight.

But I think its great cause you can spend a more flexible schedule with your family, this being my sisters, and you get to run errands when you need to.

But I'm still reading the same thing as last time, although I'm reading something newish.
I know this blog entry isn't very grammatical but I don't feel like editing to make it more sensible. I'll try my best though.

Although I thought that I would be going to my part-time job on Wednesday, I didn't, I wasn't needed that day. I was called in for an emergency, and it was taken care of when I got there.

With correspondance courses you need to be motivated and determined because you do have a schedule to follow. For example I have test due dates and assignment due dates that I do have to follow, so you still can't do everything you want. I still need to stay on track and keep working on it.

But I'm enjoying it. Now. So glad I'm getting through the parts I've had to relearn, although once I've finished this "course" the next one will again be on something I have already studied and taken and entire in-school class on. But we'll see how it goes. You'll be following me with that one. Ha ha.

So, have a great day/evening everybody. Hope you keep reading me!

Heather's tip: E-mail Etiquette

• Don't shout. Shouting is when you use CAP LOCKS. It is hard to read and also gives the impression that you are mad or frustrated. For example DO YOU HEAR ME!!!
• Don't Flame. This is when you are responding to a message with strong negative feelings. Please take some time to think about what is being said or how the person is really trying to say their message. Sometimes they don't mean to be insulting. For example ME: "Caterpillars are the worst creatures ever." Dale: "You know what, your a ****, **** I can't believe you would actually say that when you're the worst creature ever!!!!"
• Use emoticons (appropriately). I am saying sometimes you need to use emoticons when you are typing messages. This can give the person reading your message some insight into your feelings behind the message. But please use them in an appropriate setting, nobody wants a high rated executive in a company to be using ;) in a business proposal. For example "I can't believe the nerve of some people, trying to ask you on a date ;)" I don't know if you got the point on that example but I hope you did. :)

Reading the Same Thing Over Again

Don't you just love it when you are going back to school or even to a new job, and you are being taught the same thing you have already learnt. I'm 25 and I have a year of Computer Technology studies under my belt or in my belt. You know I like that phrase better as in my belt, because it sounds like its a tool belt. Because I've already learnt this before, it has become my tool, in the way I live, in the way I learn, in the way I solve problems. Its not something I want to put under my belt like to hide it. I spent money on that knowledge so why should I hide it? Do you see what I'm saying... (I told you I might go off and ramble.)

So, I need to look up what that phrase really means. So I find out where it came from and what they were trying to say.

Now, back to my "rant" about learning the same thing over again. It sort of frustrates me that I need to reread and re know all of this. Sometimes its a good thing, but a person doesn't necessarily needs to know the most obscure word there could possible be, that you will never need to use. Oh, well. That's just a frustration with school I have. It can be a great refresher too.

Heather's tip: Using different search techniques.
When your creating a search in Google, Yahoo, or even Bing, you can use certain words (Boolean Operators) to make your search more useful. But these words NEED to be capitalized or else it doesn't work. The next time your searching the Internet try this:

• AND - This will tell the search to find and include these words in the search. ex Canada AND iron AND mines.
  
• OR - This will tell the search to find anything with either word. Ex Canada OR lakes
  
• " " - This will tell the search to find this exact phrase, or find websites that says exactly this. Ex "Red linen curtain"
  
• NOT - This tells the search not to include this word(s) in the search. Ex Diamond NOT baseball.

Try these first without the Boolean Operators, then search with them. This just might help you find what you want a little bit easier and quicker.

Welcome to my BLOG!!

Hi everyone,

My name's Heather, and I want to take you on a journey as I do my correspondence course.
So you can follow my frustrations and joys of taking courses at home. I've actually been "studying" for ... I guess about 2 months now. The course is 1 year.
So this will be exciting.

I am taking a Multimedia and Animation course. And this is working through textbooks.
Of course I'll be grading by a teacher that is on the other side of the country, so I won't be doing this blindly.

But for fair warning, I can have an interesting sense of humour and I like to write what I think. I tend to not edit, too much. I like to give people a little bit of what is inside my head. No matter how crazy it is in there. So if I start rambling, you have been warned.

I will try to post on a daily basis, but we'll see about that.

Please do not be afraid, as I am a little bit.

Things could get interesting here. lol.