Learning Styles

I took a learning styles quiz and I am a physical learner. This means that I learn better with a hands on approach, I may not sit still for long periods of time, I do well in lessons with practical work in them. I may become distracted by need of activity & exploration. I like to experiment hands on and never look at the instructions when making something. I will be best able to perform a new task by going ahead and trying it out.

I took another quiz and my results were quite varied. Mostly I was a phyisical learner and a solitary learner. Overall, I do agree with the results from both the quizzes because I prefer to work on my own rather than in a group. I work better when doing phyisical tasks instead of doing theory based work.
 
To ensure that I learn based on the quiz results I can find ways to do tasks in a phyiscal way instead of sitting down and doing work. I could find ways in which I can solve problems on my own instead of relying on others to solve the problems for me.

 I learn best:
When I am sat doing work I listen to music which helps me concentrate better.
When I am sat doing work hands on rather than sat doing theory work.
When I have to sit doing work I try to take breaks and doing something phyisical. 

On the course we do work with servers on virtual machines which we have to install roles and I didn't know how to do that and I had to teach myself how to do this.
I believe that all of the practical tasks that we do on the course will help me to learn and pick up things better.

To improve my ability on the other learning styles I am not strong on I could record things releated to what I am doing and listen to them.  I could listen to books being read on an E-Reader. I could read more books about certain topics.

Assignment 2.2 How to Install a Processor

You will need to make sure that you have the correct processor for the Motherboard as Motherboards can only support certain types of Processor. You need to make sure that you have with you your thermal compound. Thermal Compound stops the heat sink from overheating the Processor.

Locate the Processor socket on the Motherboard, then flick the switch up by lifting the lever on the side of the socket up to the open position

Make sure you align the processor with the corner of the chip that looks like it has been cut off ( there is a corner of pins missing) with the corner missing on the socket
Now you have lined up the processor you need to slowly insert the processor into the socket. If the processor doesn't slide into the socket DON'T force the processor into the socket as it can bend the pins and the processor will be deemed unusable.

Now that you have inserted the processor you will need to lock it into place using the lever at the side of the socket. You will need to push it slowly down till it is in the locked position.


Now that you have clicked the processor into place you need to apply the thermal compound to the exposed part of the chip that the heat sink will sit on. Apply just a thin layer of paste to the exposed part of the chip. You will need to wrap your hand in a plastic bag to stop the paste from getting contaminated.

Now that you have inserted the processor into the motherboard and you have your thermal compound on the exposed part of the processor you now need to align the heat sink with the thermal compound and the clamps on the heat sink. You need to make sure that the clamps are aligned with the mounting points around the processor.

Now that you have aligned the heat sink assembly to the processor you now need to clamp the heat sink to the mounting parts of the motherboard. Proper mounting technique should be required here as putting to much pressure or a slip of the screwdriver can damage the motherboard. If you are unsure about the correct way to install the heat sink assembly you need to refer to the proper documentation that came from the manufacturer. 


Now that you have inserted the Heat Sink assembley you now need to locate the power lead for the thermal compound fan. Plug the cooling solution fan power connector into the fan header on the motherboard.Make sure that it is properly plugged in before installing the motherboard back onto the system.

This is what the completed installation should look like.

Why is it Important to............

Use antivirus software?
If you get a virus on your PC the performance of your PC could either slow the PC down or it could shut or PC down. It is important to perform anti virus scans so it can improve the performance of your PC and stop unwanted programs from entering your computer. Windows security center provides anti virus software and malware protection, this helps aid the performance of your PC because you aren't getting infectious programs that will stop infecting your PC and stop it functioning properly.


Use disk clean up tools?
The disk clean up tool helps you to free space on your hard disk. This will help your PC to run faster because the memory in the hard disk storage isn't been taken up by unwanted files and folders that have been cleared by the disk clean up tools. Disk cleanup deletes the unnecessary or temporary files on your hard disk so that you aren't taking up as much storage in your hard disk which will help aid performance because your hard disk storage isn't full of temporary files. 


Perform Windows Updates?
The updates that automatically pop up when you are working on your PC are often operating system updates. The operating system updates help to improve PC performance by checking any files. programs that aren't up to date at the time of the update. Windows updates could include service packs. Service packs are an updated version of the OS, which could help with improving the performance of the PC because it is an updated version of the OS. Windows updates could include security updates, software updates and hotfix updates.


Use Disk Defragmenter tools?
It is important to use disk defragmentor to reduce the amount of fragments in the hard drive. This helps to improve the performance of the PC because you are reducing the amount of memory space that is on the file system on the hard drive. Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Removable storage devices such as USB flash drives can also become fragmented. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your disks and drives can work more efficiently. Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule, but you can also analyze and defragment your disks and drives manually.


Use Firewall Software?
It is important to use firewall software so that unwanted users from entering your PC. Firewall will help to improve the performance of your PC by stopping unwanted files and users from entering your PC. Windows Firewall has the feature to switch between home, work and public networks this can help you if you are wanting to fine tune between the three. When you are connected to a public network like a library or a coffee shop you'll want to block all incoming connections. At home or work this might be an issue. Whatever level of protection you choose for your profiles you'll be able to switch between them with ease. 


Format your drivers?
It is important to format your drivers so that the hard drive is prepared for use by an operating system. Drive formatting will help the performance of your PC to function quicker because you are formatting the hard drive which will delete all files in storage. Usually, only when adding additional storage to your computer. If you install a new hard disk on your computer, it must be formatted with a file system, such as NTFS, before Windows can store files on it. In the past, reformatting a hard disk and reinstalling Windows was sometimes recommended as a method for fixing a serious computer problem. Reformatting would fix the problem at the expense of deleting everything on the computer. You would then have to reinstall your programs by using the original installation files or discs, and then restore all of your personal files, such as documents, music, and pictures, from backups that you had made beforehand. Today, this version of Windows offers a number of recovery options that are less drastic and which provide a a better place to start fixing your computer problems. Reformatting and reinstalling should be considered as a last resort that is only performed after all other recovery or diagnostic options have proved unsuccessful.


Perform File Backup?
It is important to perform file backup so that you don't lose files and folders if the PC crashes. Then you don't lose any of the files. You'll use the backup and restore center in Windows to backup files. The backup and restore center should also restore files if they happen to be lost because your PC has crashed. Windows recommends that you backup your files on the same disk as windows is installed on. Always store media used for backups in a secure place so that your data doesn't get stolen. You might also consider data encryption. 


Use Device Drivers?
It is important to use device drivers because otherwise you won't be able to communicate with the hardware in the PC. Device manager is the way you can view the device drivers installed on your PC. You can also check to see if hardware is working as it should and modify hardware settings. Performance can be effected if the drivers aren't correctly installed or if they aren't the correct drivers for the task your wanting to perform on your PC. E.g. if you are playing a game on a PC the performance can be affected if the correct drivers aren't installed you'll need to make sure that you have the correct drivers installed and kept up to date in order to maintain your PCs performance. 

Cleaning PC Equipment P5 (Part 3 of Assignment 2.2)

I am now going to demonstrate how to clean a PC monitor, Laser Mouse, inside of a PC tower and PC keyboard. To clean each of these items you will need certain tools, some of which are hazardous to health so be careful when using them.

To clean a mouse you will need to wipe it with special cleaning wipes. You will need to clean the bottom of it to ensure that no dust gets into the laser so the mouse doesn't jump across the screen when you move the mouse.

To clean a keyboard you can buy swabs that can get in the middle of the keys to clean the keyboard
This is me cleaning a computer keyboard with a keyboard swab

To clean a computer tower you will need a can of compressed air and possibly a paint brush to brush the dust from out of the fan and out of the electrical components. Before you start cleaning the inside of the tower you will need to mae sure that you remove any electrical components that can get damaged during cleaning. Now that you have removed the electrical components you can now start to clean the inside of the tower. You can either blast the inside of the tower with a can of compressed air or you can brush the dust away with a paintbrush.

To clean a PC monitor you will need some cleaning wipes that are suitable for cleaning PC monitors with. Now that you have got the wipes you will need to wipe the monitor. Make sure that when you are wiping the monitor that you wipe it in the same direction.

Homophones

I normally get the following homophones in the wrong place in the wrong context:

• there, their and they're
• stationary and stationery
• where and were

I will practice using these homphones in the correct context by writing practice documents with these homophones in them.

Presentation Reflection

I felt that the presentation went okay but I always feel really nervous and scared as I hate speaking in front of a crowd of people even if I know them but saying that I would rather had performed that presentation in front of people I don’t know. I don't think that my speech was clear because I felt my voice shake. Even though I didn’t research and plan my speech I thought that the content was appropriate to the topic I was talking about. My body language wasn’t very good because I was really nervous that I was stopping my leg shake from being noticeable. I think that I could have planned my speech better as opposed to only having a few pointers on the list I had written to plan the speech. If I hadn’t messed up the planning then I think that the presentation would have been better also I think that the presentation would have been better if I wasn't as nervous other than that I thought it went alright.


Your nervousness didn't show and you managed to mention several facts relevant to the topic. Good evaluation with some good and bad points and you have plenty to put into your PDP.

I feel that the comments given were quite helpful in helping me with feedback on how I can improve planning presentation and also how I can present in presentations better. Overall I do agree with the feedback given. Although I did feel a difference in the way that I was speaking when I was giving the presentation because I was so nervous but as the feedback says it didn't show which is alright.

Strengths and Weaknesses of some Communication Methods

The strengths are in red the weaknesses in blue

Text message - quick, easy to use and access, can send to groups of people at the same time. Not everyone can access the text message. If you don’t set your phone to send you a delivery report then you won’t know if the message has been sent or not

Email - any one can access there e mail addresses at anytime, at any location so long as they have Internet access. Quick and easy to access, you can send the same email to different groups of people at one time. Have to have access to either the Internet or another device that can receive emails.

Letter - Can be handwritten; personal message. Takes forever to write and send. May not be delivered, receivers may not inform you that they have received it.


Memo - only informs people that need to know the information. Small reminders. Quick, easy. Printed information. People can lose the memo if they accidentally delete the email or lose the paper it is written on.
Press Conference  - inform journalists who will then write an article in newspapers and magazines, informing others who read it. Journalists sometimes re-word the information given to make it sound worse, or better than it is.

Electronic Bulletin - Easy for everyone to access
Office notice board - Not everyone will acknowledge the notice board when they walk past it. Anyone can pin notices about a particular subject

File on a public area - anybody can access it at anytime if have access to the network that the file is shared on. People that don’t need to access the file can access it because it is public.

File in a restricted area - unauthorised personnel can’t access as restrictions have to be set as to who can access the file. People that need the file may be restricted.

Face to face one to one meeting - personal, informal or formal depending on content of the meeting. If there are many people that need to be told the same information, it will take a long time.

Whole company meeting by the MD - talk to everyone at the same time so everyone knows the same information. Boring, not everyone will listen. Information can be given to the wrong departments.

Departmental meeting chaired by the HOD - Can talk to the whole department about a certain topic that affects the department. People can be singled out in the department to be given information that concerns just them, but only the department knows about it, not the whole office. Boring, not everyone will listen.

Cloud networking Document sharing - One person can have permissions to a certain document and can invite certain members of the department to have either editing access or viewing access to the document. You can have access to the document anywhere so long as you have Internet access and a Google mail account (if you are using Google Docs). Need access to the Internet as files are stored on a remote server or on websites on the Internet.

Blogs - Quick and easy to setup. Can access it anywhere and at anytime if you have internet access. You have to keep inviting people to have access to your blog