Wallace – Savvy IT

Structure, Content, Design, and Behavior: WolframAlpha

Structure

WolframAlpha has a clean, easily navigatable parent page. Under the search bar, the first navigation links are to major categories of study (Mathematics, Science and Technology, Society and Culture, and Everyday Life. Under these major categories, it lists links for widely used topics within the categories (Algebra, Chemistry, People, Personal Health, etc.) Finally, under the widely used topics, it has links to more topics in each category.

Content

If content is king, then WolframAlpha is royalty. It contains vast amounts of reliable information (you can view sources and citations) including (but not limited to) summaries, step-by-step analyses, and examples. A user can ask a question, look up a specific piece of information, or browse through different topics.

WolframAlpha knows a lot, but the downside is that it tends to only know a little about a lot. It does not provide paragraphs of information like Wikipedia, it provides more of a summary or overview on a topic. It is good if you want to know the basics or are looking for some information to build off, but it is not great for heavy research (which is a shame due to its level of credibility and vast array of knowledge).

Design

Color Scheme:

The basic color scheme is a white background with red and orange accents. It highlights different categories and category pages with different colors (orange, green, purple, blue). The color scheme is easily readable and provides a clean, professional look. The different color categories help to navigate the website and make topics easier to find.

Font:

The fonts are simple, well-sized, and readable. The colors are light and not hard on the eyes.

Graphics and Imagery:

On the parent page, it has small, representative icons next to each topic. This adds to the user’s understanding of the information. On pages about specific pieces of information, it contains only relevant imagery and graphics such as pictures, tables, and graphs about the subject.

Layout:

The layout of the home page, as described in structure, is neat and user-friendly. The search bar is at the top and center of the page with informative links in categorized columns below. Individual subject pages have information placed under clear headings and in tables and charts.

Behavior

WolframAlpha’s behavior is agreeable. Links and buttons are highlighted when the user hovers over them. Under the search bar, there are drop-down links for an extended keyboard and for uploading content. Category pages have drop-downs for browsing examples. The user can click the site’s logo at the top of each page in order to return to the home page.

Power Searching with Google: Tips and Tricks

The Google Power Searching course is very informative; it showcases an abundance of useful tips and features unknown to most search engine users. However, there was a major downside to these lessons. In the time since the course was published, Google has updated and changed many of the features covered in the lessons. This can make certain tutorials hard to follow and recreate. Therefore, I tried to use information and photos from the latest version of Google.

1) Image Filtering

Technique:

You can filter an image by color. This allows you to search for visual features that may not be included in the image information. You can also filter by file size, usage rights, type (clip art, gif, etc.), and when it was published (time).

Another filter is the ‘related images’ feature (formerly known as similar images). This allows you to look at images similar to the one you selected.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image01.png

Use:

I could use this technique when searching for images to use in a project. By filtering, I would be able to find an image that meets my visual needs (color, type) as well as my information needs (usage rights, publication time, file size).

2) Operations

Technique:

An operator is a command that, when included in your search, gives Google instructions on how to filter search results. Operators can be symbols or words. Some interesting ones covered in this course were site:, filetype:, and minus (-).

Site: – The site: operator can narrow results to a specific domain (.edu, .gov, .com) or website (wordpress.com). Examples: [baby safe sunscreen site:nih.gov], [site:.com]
Filetype: – This operator can narrow results to a specific file or document type (PPT, PDF, DOCX). Here is a list of filetype abbreviations. Example: [lewis clark expedition filetype:kml]
Minus (-) – When put in front of a term, this operator can exclude the chosen term from search results. Example: [salsa -dancing]

Use:

I could use these operators to narrow down information while researching. For example, I could use the filetype: operator when searching for a PDF version of a document or book.

3) Conversions

Technique:

Google can be used to convert from one unit to another. The formatting is: Number and Unit One in Unit Two

Use:

I could (and do) use this to convert measurements for serving sizes. For example, I might convert cups to tablespoons or tablespoons to teaspoons.

4) Filtering by Date

Technique:

As mentioned earlier in the ‘Image Filtering’ section, you can filter images by publication date, but you can also filter articles using this tool. By clicking the ‘Tools’ button underneath the search bar, you can filter the publication by a(n) hour, day, week, month, year, or a custom range (Note: I have not been able to go back any further than 1970 using the ‘custom range’ feature).

Use:

I could use this feature to find the most up-to-date information on a topic. I could also use it to find information from a certain time period in the past.

5) Search Credibility

Technique:

Here are some tips for determining the credibility of a search result:

The first few results might be the most relevant, but not necessarily the most credible.
How you phrase a search can influence the perspective of the search results. Certain words hold underlying meanings, cultural significance, beliefs, etc.
Analyzing the web address can reveal perspectives and help determine the level of credibility.
- Consider this fictional web address: http://www.historywebsite.com/imperialism/panamacanal.html
- Say this is an address for a page titled The History of Panama, within this address is a directory called imperialism, pointing to a document called panamacanal.html. The word “imperialism” reveals the author’s historical viewpoint when writing about the Panama Canal.

Use:

I can use these tips to determine the credibility of a source when professionally or personally researching a topic. For example, it could help me find the most objective articles when looking for information on a historical event.

Web-Based Service: WolframAlpha

Functionality

“It [WolframAlpha] works by using its vast store of expert-level knowledge and algorithms to automatically answer questions, do analysis and generate reports.” (WolframAlpha.com)

WolframAlpha is the ultimate database. It is a quick and easy way to find reliable information, examples, and answers without having to comb through and compare different sources. It provides simple breakdowns and overviews.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Information – Contains vast amounts of information on a multitude of topics
Credibility – Provides sources and citations for each piece of information
User-Friendly – Has an easily navigatable website with search capabilities, topic links, and examples

Cons:

Overview Only – The amount of information provided on each topic varies and can sometimes be somewhat limited (more of an overview than a thorough report).
Format – The data format and information is not always explained. For example, cost-of-living data is based on a scoring system, but I could not understand the scores because the system was not explained. It provided me only with raw information – no explanation.

Potential

This platform can be used to serve my educational, professional, and personal needs. Educationally, I could use the Statistics section to calculate the basic descriptive statistics for a dataset. Professionally, I could obtain information about a company I am interested in working for (company revenue, number of employees, website rank, etc.). Personally, I could find a nutritional breakdown for foods I am planning on eating. These examples just scratch the surface of WolframAlpha’s potential uses and research capabilities.

Let’s Use Some Shortcode!

In our lessons on WordPress, we have gone over the topic of shortcodes. A shortcode is a one-line, WordPress-specific code that lets you embed files or create objects for a page or post. This would be useful for adding everything from videos and audio to RSS feeds and forms. The following are examples (and tests on my part).

In order to embed a Youtube video, the easiest thing to do is to directly paste the URL into the Paragraph (default) section of your post or page.

In order to embed a Google Doc, go to your Google Doc file section, click “publish to the web”, click “embed” and copy the code. In WordPress, go to custom HTML and paste the code. Now you have a Doc!

Click the shortcodes link at the top for more examples and instructions.

IT Minor: Week One and Two

Going into a six-hour course can be a bit daunting – to say the least. I kept imagining sitting in a classroom “listening” to lectures, contemplating the cruelty of time and the oh so slow tick of the clock hand. It was inevitable – I was destined to 18 months of abject boredom.

Unlike most times in my life, I am happy to say I was completely and totally wrong. The three professors teaching the course have developed an enjoyable, comfortable, and thoroughly compelling atmosphere. Switching between the three topics involved in the curriculum (web design and development, soft skills, and computer skills) keeps my mind engaged – I get to learn about a variety of subjects and participate in different activities.

As for content, I find all of the subjects to be of value; they will help me in any career I choose to pursue. Right now, I find our study of WordPress to be quite interesting. I love designing my class blog and learning about the ins and outs of the platform. I could (and did) spend a solid hour just looking through the different themes.

I hope the rest of the 18 months is as great as these last two weeks. I am looking forward to working with real clients and gaining work experience. It is hard to see now, but I am excited to become the person with the skills to work with those clients and achieve my goals.

Until next time,

Savannah