Unit 1 Task 3

TEC National Skills audit : ICT

Trainee

School

The Kingswood School

Subject Audit:

This Subject Audit is designed to help you review your own ICT knowledge and to identify those areas where you anticipate that you may need support.  Throughout Unit 1 you will need to regularly review the development of your subject knowledge as a vital element in your training experience.

How to assess your knowledge:

In the spaces provided on the following pages please classify your status by ticking against the three point scale:

A	I	T
Advanced: can complete task without thinking	Intermediate: can complete task but has to think about it or ask teacher for a reminder.  This needs to be added to the training plan as a low priority Training need.	Training required: This needs to be added to the training plan as high priority training need.

	A	I	T
Word Processing
Level 1
I can open a new document	X
I can open an existing document	X
I can save a new document	X
I can save a document using the ‘save as’ facility and I understand why it is important to do so	X
I can format a document	X
I can change fonts	X
I can spell check	X
I can insert text	X
I can insert images	X
I can wrap around text	X
I can use templates appropriately	X
I can use headers and footers appropriately	X
I can use the Thesaurus	X
I can format the background	X
Level 2
I can change the print/page setup	X
I can paginate a document		X
I can import external data from other packages		X
I can use mail merge			X
I can insert footnotes and end notes			X
I can search and replace	X
I can create/format tables	X
I can use Styles	X
I can use Word count		X
Level 3
I can create a customised dictionary			X
I can create an automatic table of contents			X
I can create an index		X
Spreadsheets
Level 1
I can open a new worksheet	X
I can open an existing worksheet	X
I can add new worksheets to exiting ones		X
I can rename worksheets	X
I can move or copy sheets
I can add columns	X
I can add rows		X
I can delete columns		X
I can delete rows		X
I can enter data	X
I can copy a formula or a data series along a row or a column			X
I can sort data in ascending and descending order using primary and secondary sort functions			X
I can format data to show different data types			X
I can format data to show different data types, including date		X
I can format data to show different data types, including percentage			X
I can format data to show different data types, including currency			X
I can format cells to show bold	X
I can format cells to show italics	X
I can format cells to show underline	X
I can format cells to show font style	X
I can format cells to show font size	X
I can format cells to show cell border and shading	X
I can format cells to show text alignment and positioning within a cell		X
I can import data		X
I can create formulas			X
I can use functions			X
I can select non-adjacent columns			X
I can use Goal Seek			X
I can create charts/graphs and modify them			X
I can use filters and sort data into order			X
I can amend data on the spreadsheet in order to get different results		X
I can  change font size, type and colour in a cell and over a range of cells	X
I can move cell contents by using the click and drag approach	X
I can create and edit a graph using the chart wizard		X
I can rename worksheets	X
I know how to print formulae			X
I can preview and print spreadsheets using the appropriate orientation			X
Level 2
I can cut and paste data and graphs from spreadsheets into other applications	X
Level 3
I can use absolute cell referencing			X
I can use relative cell referencing			X
I can group worksheets to allow consistent editing of cells in a work book			X
I can use the Paste Special and the Paste Link commands			X
I can use conditional formatting		X
I can merge cell contents			X
PowerPoint
Level 1
I can open a new document	X
I can open an existing document	X
I can save a new document	X
I can save a document using the ‘save as’ facility and I understand why it is important to do so	X
I can format a document	X
I can change fonts	X
I can spell check	X
I can insert text	X
I can insert images, change font and layout	X
I can create and run a slide show	X
I can add animation and transitions	X
I can insert hyperlinks	X
I can add timings and animations to a slide show	X
I can add slides	X
I can amend slides	X
I can delete slides	X
I can create my own backgrounds on a slide	X
I can use backgrounds that are already created	X
I can insert graphics	X
I can use ClipArt	X
I know how to use animations appropriately	X
I know how to edit images by cropping	X
I know how to edit images by resizing	X
I can view a presentation on a mouse click	X
I can set up a show to run automatically on timings		X
I can insert transitions and animations	X
Level 2
I can create a slide master		X
I can import sound – KS 4 & 5		X
I can import video – KS 4 & 5		X
I know how to present printouts as handouts		X
I know how to present printouts as notes pages			X
Email
Level 1
I can send emails	X
I can receive emails	X
I can reply to emails	X
I can forward emails to single recipients	X
I can forward emails to multiple recipients	X
I can attach a file to an email message	X
I can attach multiple files to an email message	X
I can appropriately set the importance of a message		X
Level 2
I can use Cc			X
I can use Bcc			X
I can use an address book appropriately and can store an address			X
I can use an address book appropriately and can retrieve an address			X
I can use an address book appropriately and can use addresses			X
I can create and use an email signature		X
Internet
Level 1
I can navigate to known websites, and do basic searches	X
I can save images from a website as required and use them appropriately	X
I can save text from a website as required and use them appropriately	X
I can connect to the internet using a URL	X
I can navigate around a website	X
I can access and download appropriate information from the internet	X
I can bookmark websites and add to favourites	X
I understand the restrictions of copyright	X
I can use a URL to connect to a website from an intranet	X
I can use a URL to connect to a website from favourites	X
I can use a URL to connect to a website from bookmarks	X
I can use a URL to connect to a website typing accurately	X
Level 2
I can use Boolean Operators to undertake more accurate searches		X
I can save video from a website as required and use them appropriately			X
I can save animations from a website as required and use them appropriately	X
Desktop Publishing (Publisher or Adobe Indesign)
Level 1
I can open a new document	X
I can open an existing document	X
I can save a new document	X
I can save a document using the ‘save as’ facility and I understand why it is important to do so	X
I can format a document	X
I can change fonts	X
I can spell check	X
I can insert text	X
I can insert images, change font and layout	X
I can design documents from scratch	X
I can decide which publication to use at the appropriate time; for example, newsletters, worksheets, brochures, etc.	X
I can use text boxes	X
I can use Word Art	X
I can insert tables	X
I can insert picture frames	X
I can insert Clip Art	X
I can use Shapes and Auto Shapes	X
I can add text	X
I can amend text	X
I can delete text	X
I can use colour	X
I can format backgrounds	X
I can format colours	X
I can format images	X
I can copy text and images	X
I can paste text and images	X
I can move text and images	X
Level 2
I can use templates	X
I can use text effects	X
I can insert tables	X
I can edit tables	X
I can reposition tables	X
I can resize tables	X
Multimedia (cameras, scanners etc.)
Level 1
I can use a digital camera			X
I can use a digital camcorder			X
I can transfer images from a camera to a computer and edit these images			X
I can use software to import images into appropriate applications			X
I can use software to import images into appropriate applications, including Moviemaker			X
I can use software to import images into appropriate applications, including Publisher		X
I can crop and change file size and format as appropriate to purpose, e.g. save as jpeg	X
Level 2
I can use software to import images into appropriate applications, including Photo Editor	X
I can recognise the difference between different image files, such as vector based	X
I can recognise the difference between different image files, such as bitmapped	X
I can use a scanner to import images into appropriate applications		X
I can use a scanner to capture images		X

Unit 1 P2, P3, and M1

Unit 1 P3

There are many barriers that can disrupt the effectiveness of communication between people. If these barriers are not dealt with, communication can break down and lead to misunderstanding

and ineffective communication. In order for communication to happen successfully, the two or more people must gain a full understanding of what each other is saying, and how they will interpret it.

Badly Expressed Message: Due to the obscurity of language there is always a possibility of wrong interpretation of the messages from one person to another. This barrier is created because of the wrong choice of words, in civil words, the wrong sequence of sentences and frequent repetitions. This may be called linguistic chaos.

Symbols or Words with Different Meanings: A symbol or a word can have different meanings. If the receiver misunderstands the communication, it becomes meaningless. In modern language, a few words can have multiple meanings and if somebody misinterprets what you are saying as a result of this, communication can break down.

Technical Jargon: Generally, it has been seen that the people working in an enterprise are connected with some special technical group who may have their own separate technical language used between each other.

Their communication is not so simple and has to be understood by everybody. e.g. industrial engineer. Hence, technical language can be a barrier in communication if someone doesn't understand the technical terms.

Lack of attention: if somebody is trying to complete a task whilst somebody is trying to speak to them, they will block out a lot of the information that the person is passing on to them because the majority of their concentration will be on their work. This leads to a misunderstanding of information which may lead to a misinterpretation. This can also occur as a result of carelessness, and people forgetting what the person has told them because they were not paying attention to them.

Lack of confidence: Top-level superiors think that the lower- level employees are less capable and, therefore, they ignore the information or suggestions sent by them. They deliberately pay no attention to information passed on or suggested from people of a lower-level to them. As a result of this, their confidence with be negatively affected and they will be less open to communication with a variety of people.

Distrust: For successful communication to occur the transmitter and the receiver must trust each other. If there is a lack of trust between them, the receiver will always derive an opposite meaning from the message that they receive from the transmitter. Because of this, communication will become meaningless.

Lack of basic communication skills: If the transmitter has poor communication skills, then the receiver is less likely to gain a clear and depth understanding of what it is that they are saying to them. If the receiver is unable to gain a great understanding of what information is passed onto them, communication will break down and become meaningless.

Unit 1 P1

Unit 1 P1

Attitudes	Description of attitude.	Why do employers value this attitude.
Hard working	Willing to put maximum effort in when completing assignments.	To get work done quicker and to a higher standard. Harder working people are usually more likely to be rewarded e.g. promotion.
Independent	Being able to work efficiently by yourself without needing help from others.	They will be able to spend less time helping out employees with work and can rely on them to produce satisfactory work at all times.
Determined	Wanting to do something, working hard for it.	You can’t expect to have a successful business with no determined employees.
Tolerant	Listening to other people when they speak and knowing how to behave correctly within the workplace.	If a business's employees are tolerant there is a smaller chance of confrontation to occur within the workplace. Also employees will follow instructions a lot better and complete work quicker.
Leadership	Ability to organize a group to achieve a common goal.	So that an employee is able to control a group of people to get work done. If a group all have a common goal instructed by their leader, then the goal is more likely to be achieved a lot quicker.
Dependable	Trustworthy and to be able to rely on them to perform successful.	So that employees do not let you down and you can rely on the employees to complete work exactly how asked.
Confident	Having belief in yourself to perform successfully.	So that employers know that their employees are capable of finishing work. If employees believe that they can complete work well, then employers are more likely to trust them to do so.
Problem solving	Being able to overcome any problems in order to benefit.	So that workers don’t give up at any sight of trouble. If an employee finds himself stuck, they will not need help to get back to their normal self, you can rely on them to solve the problem.

General attributes (for any job)

Attribute	Description of attribute	Why do employers value this attribute
Planning skills	Ability to decide on how you will do something in the future.	So that workers don’t find themselves lost at work and know exactly what they should be doing e.g. planning a presentation so that they can get the information across to their audience much more effectively due to their plan.
Organisational skills	To be able to systematically organize something in to a correct manner.	So that work doesn't get lost by your employees. If an employee spend time completing work and doesn't save it, then they have wasted a lot of time and will have to waste more useful time to complete the work they did not save.
Time management	To be able to understand the time you have to do something and plan how much time will be spent on each task.	So that work is done on time. If an employee spends too long completing a task then they will not have enough spare time to complete other overdue tasks, and will therefore fall behind.
Verbal skills	Ability to talk to people with confidence and pass on clear information.	So people confidently talk to each other and give help. Employees with good verbal skills can pass on much clearer information in terms of work, meaning that these instructions can be interpreted much more effectively.
Written skills	Ability to write grammatically. Show good written communication skills.	Can come in handy when needing to write letters or instructions etc. Can get clearer information passed on to other people.
Numeracy	Being talented mathematically and being good with numbers.	If working out figures is needed to be done, someone with an attribute of numeracy can offer help. E.g. an accountant within a business to keep on track of finances.
Creativity	To be able to come up with bright, thoughtful ideas by yourself.	Supplies new material to work with that nobody else can think of, this means that a business with creative employees are more likely to stand out above their competitors.

Specific attributes (ICT Job related)

Attribute	Description of attribute	Why do employers value this attribute
Technical knowledge	To know how technology works and how to use it efficiently.	Employees won’t need training when being inducted into a business in which complicated software is in use all the time.
Good working procedures	Following company guidelines for good behavior, following company policies.	So you follow the way you are told to work with no issues. This is valued because employees will not need to be updated on how to behave within the workplace and they will cause no conflicts between employees.
Health and safety	Being safe and disciplined in protection of yourself and others.	So that no injuries occur at work. This is valued by employers because if there are no workplace injuries, then they will not have to pay out and compensation, fines, etc. If someone is injured at the workplace then it builds up a bad reputation for the business.
Security	Being free of danger or threat.	So that no workers feel in danger in the workplace, if employees feel safe in the workplace then they can work more effectively because they will not be thinking about possible dangers.
Keeping up to date with technology	Knowing how new technology works and being able to notice changes in recent technologies.	So that no confusion becomes an issue when working. If a business introduces new technology into the workplace, an employee who has kept up to date with the new technology will be able to train other employees on how to use the technology.

unit 30 d2

Unit 30 D2

The purpose of any file format is to store your data and reduce the amount of space taken up on your storage device. Some formats do this at the cost of image quality, JPG in particular reduces the image quality when reducing file size. The are called LOSSY file formats. Other file formats such as PSD and TIFF do not alter the image quality however do not offer as much saving in file space. Original JPEG has 4.4 MB file size, TIFF has 10.4 MB, flat PSD has 30.7 MB, and TIFF has 37.3 MB storage. These sizes are when there has been no alterations to the image quality. The one difference is the container in which the file formats are stored within.

GIFs are good at compressing images and are suite for simple drawings, wheres as JPEGs have millions of colours, they are optimized for more complex images but do not compress them well. The more you compress a file the smaller the size gets, however the image quality is also reduced along with the file size. GIFs will always retain the original image quality because they are not LOSSY file formats. LOSSY file formats being compressed suits them for the environment in which they are used in however ruins the image quality. Decreasing the image quality can be worth it if the file format needs to be small for the environment in which it is used in.

Compressed files are significantly smaller than their uncompressed counterparts, and they fall into two general categories: lossy and lossless. Lossless compression ensures that all image information is preserved, even if the file size is a bit larger as a result. It never discards information about the original image. You want the output to be in high resolution for this, it is used when compressing files of importance such as school work, bank information etc. Lossy compression, by contrast can create file sizes that are significantly smaller, however achieves this by selectively discarding image data. Lossy compression creates smaller files by discarding (losing) some information about the original image. It removes details and color changes it deems too small for the human eye to differentiate. Lossy compression results in pixels and resolution lost after compression, this is so the file can be used more efficiently and at a lower file size.The compressed image is therefore no longer identical to the original. Visible differences between the compressed image and the original are called compression artifacts.

This print screen shows that changing the file type from the original decreases the file size however decreases the image quality. This can be seen more clearly when looking at the red roses on the image, they become more unclear when using the GIF and PNG file formats. The JPEG file is good however not as good as the original. The image of worst quality is always smallest in file size. The file type has a direct impact on the image quality and file size.

This print screen shows the effect for compression techniques on the image quality and file size. The file size a decreased massively as a result of compression techniques, e.g the image with 0% image quality (bottom right) is much less clear than the image with a quality of 100% (top right). However the image with 0% quality has a file size of only 1M whereas the highest quality image has a file size of nearly 10M. The difference in resolution isn't very noticeable at first sight, however a closer look shows the images decreasing in resolution when compressed more.

This print screen shows the effect that colour depth has on image quality and file size. The right top picture has 256 colours and is therefore the clearest GIF file out of all 3. The bottom right image has 16 colours and therefore becomes very unclear and it is hard to distinguish between different parts of the image. However the most unclear image with 16 colours has a file size of only 1.9M, whereas the most clear image with 2566 colours has a file size of just under 6M. A user would have to decide what is more important, image quality or file size. The more colours used in an image increases the file size of the image because there is therefore more information to be stored in regards to the amount of colours. The less colours used, the lower the resolution. The objects in the image become a lot less clear and it becomes a lot harder to make out what they are.

Unit 30 D1

Unit 30 D1

Vinyl cutters are used for cutting writing and pictures out and sticking them onto vans and lorries. The images used have to be of a high resolution because they are going to be expanded on a large scale in order to be wrapped onto a large vehicle. A few years ago a van would have a simple piece of text cut out and placed onto the van, however now very large images can be crapped round the entire van for example the sky vans. The printed images are weatherproof, durable and will last the entire lifetime of the van. This has affected the creation of graphics because it has made things much more easily, and also increasing the amount of possibilities. You can now do more things with the new, modern techniques.

Laser cutters can be intricately achieved up to 1246mm x 710mm. A few years ago, if you wanted to print of an image or text onto a shop window you couldn't, they would be hand painted onto the shop window to attract customers. Now, text and images can be easily cut with laser cutters and stuck onto windows, they are waterproof and durable. When printed the images would have to be of high resolution so that they would still appear clear and detailed when expanded. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high power laser through optics. The laser optics and computer numerical control are used to direct the material of the laser beam generated. In general, cutting through material requires the artwork to be in a vector format, like Adobe Illustrator or AutoCAD DXF, because paths in the artwork are used in the laser cutter software to define laser cut paths.Laser cutters were firstly being used for industrial manufacturing applications, however as time has moved along, they are now used in schools, small business’ and by hobbyists. They came around in 1965 and were used to drill holes in diamond dies. In 1967, the British developed a laser cutter for cutting metals. In the 1970’s this technology was used to cut titanium for aerospace applications. Now, they are used for a long list of things, mainly flat sheet material, structural and piping metals.

Inkjet printing was once a complex process. You would have to print onto a roll of paper and then stick that onto a board. You would then have to add an adhesive on the back of the roll of paper and stick it onto the back of the board and then laminate the board to make it waterproof so that the colours wouldn't run. You can now print out onto anything up to 50mm thick, for example wood, doors, walls etc. The designs are automatically weatherproof and durable therefore there is no need to laminate the image. The bitmap images can be printed directly onto the materials instead of going through the long process that existed years ago. An inkjet printer is any printer that places extremely small droplets of ink onto paper to create an overall image. The dots are extremely small usually between 50 and 60 microns in diameter, making the images much more detailed. The dots are positioned very precisely, with resolutions of up to 1440x720 dots per inch. The dots can have different colors combined together to create photo-quality images. This has affected the creation of graphics because it now means that the actual images created are to a much higher resolution improving the overall quality of the finished design. Graphics can be sold for more money if they are to a higher quality, therefore affecting the amount of money to be made in graphics designing. RIP software would be required to make printing easier and more efficient. It is designed to handle many files, file types and file sizes.

Laser printers can be used for duplex printing, which didn’t exist 6 of 7 years ago., It allows a user to print on both sides of the paper at once instead of printing on one side, and putting the paper back into the printer to print onto the other side. By the click of a button, you can tell the laser printer to print out on both sides of the paper, in colour and to staple the sheets of paper together. You can also tell the printer to make the sheets of paper into a book. This is very time saving. It very rapidly produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back & forth over an image. This has affected graphics creation because 6 or 7 years ago when it wasn’t possible to print both sided, designs could have been ruined by printing the second page on top of the first. The creation of graphics is a much less time consuming process in the current era, because everything can be done by the click of a button. This also makes things much easier and less stressful for the creator of the graphics images.

3D printing is very new and modern and is used to print a physical object from a digital file. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created. To print off a solid 3D object, you have create a virtual design on a computer. The virtual design is made using a computer aided design file using a 3D modelling programme. It can also be achieved by scanning an existing object (using a 3D scanner). In preparation for 3D printing, the digital file slices the final model into hundreds and thousands of layers. When prepared, the file is uploaded to the 3D  printer which creates the object layer by layer. In 2012 the only method of 3D printing was the layering technique, however now you can also use melting or softening material to produce layers. Another method available is selective laser sintering.

Now, as the years go by, additive methods are moving further into the production end of manufacturing. 3D printers are predicted to only keep growing in the future, they can print out in colour and multiple materials and will continue to improve. In order to 3D print your model, you'll most likely need to export your 3D model as a .stl file so that a 3D printer can read it. This is affecting the creation of graphics because it now means that graphics designers can create a 3D design to touch, or even use. Graphics designers can now manufacture a physical object by the use of a 3D printer, and can also create a graphics design in 3D format. This type of technology increasing the possibilities for graphics designers.

Unit 30 P5

My fellow student Irdi, suggested that i changed the effect around the font 'snake pit'. He did not like the fuzzy colours surrounding each individual letter. I changed the fuzzy colours to a faded shadow effect instead.

Unit 30 Task 4

The purpose of creating this logo is for a mixed martial arts club within the school. I have put the logo on the school website to advertise the club so that students are aware of it. I have put the logo on a van to show how it might look on a school bus. The logo is also on a leaflet to show activities and events that the club i have made could be involved in.