Documenting a Day

Daily Tools and Tasks Used

Here are twelve tasks that I engage with throughout the course of the day.

1.    Microsoft Windows: I use Microsoft Windows 11 operating system on my home computer and Windows 10 Enterprise at work to manage my personal and professional life.  Most of the software I use works on PC and not Mac and I appreciate the scalability and affordability that Windows provides.  I wish Windows 11 was stable, but that’s another story.

2.    Google Chrome – This is the web browser my company has us use by default, and most of our web-based tools are optimized to work in Chrome.  I like this browser because it is lightweight and loads quickly.

3.    Microsoft Edge – I have a couple of web tools that don’t load in Chrome, and I have to use Microsoft Edge in order for them to function properly.  For example, Microsoft Stream is missing features in Chrome that work in Edge, and a simulation tool I use won’t load in any other browser except for Microsoft Edge.

4.    Notepad – I use Microsoft Notepad to manage simple notes throughout the day.  My to-do list is in Notepad, my curriculum map is in Notepad, and I also use it to copy text off web sites (to strip HTML formatting) when I am building simulations.

5.    Microsoft OneNote – I keep all my Facilitation notes in OneNote and reference them every day.  I have shared my OneNote with over 40 of my peers who rely on my updates.

6.    Microsoft Outlook – I send and receive my daily personal and professional email messages and calendar using this tool.

7.    Microsoft Word – I use Word for a variety of reasons throughout the day.  I use it to write letters, draft job aids, print envelopes and so on.

8.    Microsoft Publisher – I prefer Adobe InDesign which I use at home but at work I use Publisher to build professional job aids that instruct, inform, and allow my learners to practice various tasks being taught in my corporate classroom.

9.    ACSR – This is a comprehensive billing tool that I use every day to demonstrate various billing and order entry tasks for my class.

10 Microsoft Teams – I use Teams to share information and collaborate with my team, and to facilitate my virtual classes.  My Outlook calendar syncs with Teams, I can call and chat with teammates, setup breakout sessions and so much more.  I use this every day.

11Microsoft PowerPoint – I use PowerPoint every day to share information with my classes. When I am not in class, I am creating or updating engaging PowerPoint presentations.

12 iTunes – As a bonus, I use Apple’s iTunes software every day to listen to my music library and explore new music and podcasts. 

 

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Reflection

I documented all the applications I used throughout the workday.  I then explained how I used each program using a word processor, Microsoft Word.  Then I used formulas in Microsoft Excel to calculate the time I spent on my daily activities. I used Microsoft PowerPoint to create a presentation that visually outlines the tasks I documented in Microsoft Word.

Each tool has its own unique feature-set and use case.  According to Vahid and Lysecky (2017), a word processor is “a common computer application for creating formatted text (sec. 5.1).” It can also be used to share, save, and print documents such as letters, resumes, simple brochures or even merge data for printing envelopes. Microsoft Word is a popular word processor. An advantage is a word processor has a short learning curve for simplistic tasks. The disadvantage is there are many options, which can create a steep learning curve if you want to implement more complex tasks.

A spreadsheet is a tool used for inputting calculations. Microsoft Excel is a popular spreadsheet tool. I collected data from participants at work before and after class to measure their confidence in a topic I was facilitating. I input the data into a spreadsheet and then created graphs to visually illustrate evidence of confidence pre and post training. The advantages are its multitude of capabilities to perform complex mathematical calculations, and simplistic interface for entering data.  The disadvantage is that there is a learning curve required to perform calculations and analyze data. If the user doesn’t understand how to perform these tasks, the application is relatively useless.

Microsoft PowerPoint is used to create slideshow presentations that can be used to share information and even entertain an audience.  Slides can include visual and interactive elements like animations, videos, and links.  I use PowerPoint when facilitating content in my classes at work. The interface for building slides is very intuitive and easy to use.  There are many options available to create stunning presentations.  The disadvantage is that participants might tune out a presentation, the file size can be large if the presentation relies heavily on graphics and videos.

Database applications such as Microsoft Access are used to store data, like names and addresses of customers that can then be linked to a word processor for things like printing letters or envelopes individually addressed to each user in the database. Databases are great because they can store a lot of information.  A lot of the internet is run on mySQL databases.  According to Vahid and Lysecky (2017), “MySQL is a freely available database system that uses SQL. MySQL is a popular database for web apps (sec 5.4.4).”I have a photo gallery on my web site and all of the information about my photos are stored in a database.  I keep my Christmas card contacts in a Access database. These databases can be simplistic to setup.  The disadvantage is to harness the full power of Access for example, there is a steep learning curve and importing/exporting data can be a challenge, with field names requiring information to be exact.