Reflections on the Role of Applications

Today I documented my day from start to finish in three different ways, using three applications, including word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation. Looking back on the activity, it seems that each application is best suited to certain aspects of this type of documentation.

When I wrote about my day in the word processor, I went into detail about each task that was performed. A word processing document is best suited to documenting details. It was done after the fact because writing a detailed blurb about each task throughout the day would have been cumbersome. This part of the work was like writing a newspaper article because it went into detail, but it was not available right away. Neither of the other applications was suited to cover the level of detail that the word processor was. Word processing documents are great tools for describing information that is not structured.

When I tallied up my day in a spreadsheet, it contained less detail than the word processing document. Spreadsheets are best suited for grouping and categorizing data for mathematical and statistical functions (Vahid et al., 2017). Using a word processor or presentation software to summarize the time spent on each activity would not be practical. There are no math or graphing functions. It would have been possible to capture more detail, but the data in a spreadsheet is usually similar, such as a list of business accounts. The challenge with documenting tasks in a worksheet is that there are not always attributes that each task has in common. Time is one because every task takes time. Still, other than time, what attributes would work and sleep have in common?

When I logged my day in presentation software, I summarized the main tasks into brief single-sentence statements. Presentation software excels at clarification by using large fonts, graphics, and animation (Vahid et al., 2017). It serves to illustrate and use symbols and graphics to drive a point home with the viewer. Presentation software is best suited to introducing information to a viewer in an easy to understand way and opening the door to a conversation about the topics in the presentation. In a business setting, it can be used to start many discussions about the topic, but it is not practical to include every detail in the presentation.

The use of these applications to document a day in the life was best suited to the word processor and spreadsheet. The word processor allows the capture of detailed information, and the spreadsheet allows summarization and graphing. Neither of the products does both functions, but they are both critical types of information. In the day logging arena, presentation software might be better suited to drill into one task and make it easy to understand with graphics and pictures or to make a specific point about the day at a summary level.

References

Vahid, F., Lysecky, S., Wheatland, N., Lysecky, R., & Edgcomb, A. (2017). INT 100: Fundamentals of Information Technology & Literacy. [Electronic Version]. Retrieved from: https://learn.zybooks.com/zybook/ASHFORDINT100AcademicYear2018