My CSI 112 Experience

When I first signed up for this class I expected to learn exactly what we did. I knew we would be learning how to use programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I also knew that we would be using the more complicated programs like Access to create databases. I was expecting to learn about most of what we did, but I wasn't expecting to learn about it in such detail. When I used most of these programs in High School I was only taught to use the simple functions of Word or PowerPoint, some of the features we used for those in this class I didn't even know existed.

I already knew allot about many of the concepts we went over in class. But if I had to choose which one I learned the most about it would have to be security. I knew there was allot that went into protecting computers from viruses and other threats. But I had no idea that there were so many types of threats out there. I always just trusted my virus scan to sort out all of the problems and never really worried about it other than that. I still trust my virus scan to protect me most of the time, but now I avoid certain places as much as possible on the internet and take allot more precautions when doing anything that could cause a virus attack. I already knew about internet scams and already did what I could to avoid them, but certain things I just didn't know until I took this class.

I would say the program I learned the most about would be Access. I've never actually used a program like that before, the closest thing I've used to it would be Excel. I was always under the assumption that most businesses used programs like Excel to manage information. I had seen Access a few times before but only while I was just looking through the programs on a school computer. So of all the things I learned about,I learned the most about database management.

I feel learning about computer security has benefited me the most. As I already said, I learned the most in that section, and that being the most important section of the class made it that much more beneficial. Knowing how to protect my computer better is great for me, but now if I go into a field involving computer I will be more capable of defending those computers as well. I've already used most of what I learned to help several members of my family make their home PCs more secure. Overall every section of the class was beneficial to me, but this section was the most beneficial because of how often I will use what I've learned in it in real life.

Do you work harder when someone is watching?

I made this selection because it had allot to do with physchology, which is an area that I have explored a  little in High School. Of all the things in physchology that interest me the most though, it's how people react when they know they are being watched compared to when they don't know. This is not only an issue of physchology, but an issue of ethics. The reason i chose this question is because it's something I often wonder about myself.

I believe that I work harder when some is watching. If you're working without anyone watching me, I can relax more because if I make a mistake I won't get in trouble right away. But if I'm being watched I tend to worry about avoiding mistakes and working as fast as possible to avoid getting into trouble with your employer. When someone is watching me work I always give more effort than I normally would because when I'm doing something they're paying me to do, I wan't them to see that I'm doing it well. Really, it's all about impressing the person who hired me.

I feel the Hawthorne Effect might just be the most common sense psychological theory I've ever seen. Just by reflecting on your own behavior almost anyone should see that they work harder when being watched. It's just a natural thing for people to work harder to impress the person who is providing for us, in this case the people paying us. The theory makes sense and has evidence to back up what it claims, so I think it's a good theory.

I believe this observation is ethical. If you agree to work for a company under their conditions, then you agreed and that's all there really is to it. If someone doesn't want to be observed then they can work somewhere else or just deal with it. If a company is paying you  by the hour, they are perfectly justified in making sure you're doing your work. There is a chance that it will have psychological effects like stress. Actually, its almost certain that they will cause some people to experience more stress than they normally do. Not many people like to be observed, and when they are they become more aware of what they're doing and start to become more concerned about how well they do their jobs, so like everything else in the world, being observed has it's affect.

Observations is a good way to collect data, but because of the effect it has on people it isn't the best. If a company monitors it's employees without their knowledge it would be far more effective, however monitoring them without their knowledge is unethical in my opinion. There really is no way to know for sure whether employees are doing their jobs properly without some form of monitoring, so really it may not be a great choice, but it's the only good one.

Online Database Test

The database I chose was Grubba.

 Even though this online database is still in beta form it still works very well and I haven't encountered a bug yet. The program is free and simple to use, but even provides short video tutorials on how everything works. The buttons are placed well enough to where you don't need to look hard to find what you need, making it very easy to learn how to use it. The main page contains pretty much everything you need to manage your database, the video tutorials, individual users, and some other less important information. The task bar on the site allows you to search your database, create new data, and use any other tools available that are used to create and edit a database. There were also shortcuts on the site that allowed you to export your data to certain programs.

This site worked best for me because it had the best layout, functionality, and an overall better feel than the others I tested. Some things took me a while to learn but overall this is the best online database I could find that was free. The video tutorials helped with allot of the problems I was having, and most of the problems solutions were simple things that I just missed. The site was quick to load everything and it allowed me to do pretty much everything I can in a payed service like Access. On some of the sites  tried it was difficult for me to find the data after I had created it, and sometimes it wouldn't even save what I created. Overall Grubba was the best for me because it had a good, simple layout, but still allowed you to do everything you would with a more complex database.

I have created a test database and exported it to MS Excel: Assignment 8 Database This link will download the Excel file.