Encountering My First Stumbling Block

This week, I started working on the first part of the second LabSims unit.  I have to admit that I found some of the simulations really difficult to complete at first. While I watched the tutorial on how to work with the interface, it still took some getting used to, moving different devices to and from the shelf, into the workspace, back and forth. I had to try one of the exercises several times before I was able to get it right. I definitely did not have this experience with the first unit.

I think part of why I struggled so much has to do with just a general lack of knowledge as far as hardware goes for these things. I knew some of the basics already, like what the AC power cord looks like, or what a USB cable is, but my knowledge beyond that was basically nonexistent. All the different types of ports and connectors were just very alien to me. New territory for sure.

This isn't a bad thing, though. I'm going to be working with electronics quite a bit, and I'm sure that will entail working with some of these elements at some point. Any familiarity with those beforehand can only help.

Initial Impressions of IS101

I've been chipping away at the first set of assignments for a couple days now and, having worked through a fair amount of tasks already, my initial impression of the course would be that it serves to cover all the bases. The Microsoft Office suite seems to be the central focus overall, but I've also branched into other areas that are very helpful, like establishing rules to organize one's inbox, the basics of working on the cloud, etc. The course seems to give folks an introduction to all aspects of information systems used these days.

After having worked for a state agency for a little while, I can definitely tell my command of Microsoft Office products (Word in particular) could be stronger. Hopefully, I can pick up some useful tips for formatting, document organization, things like that.