Documenting a Day Using Differnt Programs

Reviewing: Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, and Database:

I documented 10 things I did in a day and transposed the findings in each of these programs and reviewed them for their efficiency.  I did perceive some fundamental differences in the overall functions of each of the programs.  I found that each specific assignment highlighted a key role that the programs are good at.  A significant number of functions were shared among the programs even if the presentation was not executed the same. 

Microsoft Word for example, was an effective tool in providing a customizable list format in order to document my selected activities for my day.  I was able to alter the size of text, font, and even add bullet points to make it easier for the reader to track the purpose of the document.  One of the drawbacks of Word is that it does not do tables, math equations, and higher-level integrations as well as other programs.

Excel was the second program that I used, and it was great for what the assignment asked of it.  I was able to document the amount of time spent on each category of task very effectively.  However, Excel did not seem like it as superior in descriptive writing as Word is.  The purpose of excel seems to be more toward “representing tables of data like text or numbers, for using formulas to calculate data from other data (like sums or averages), and for creating graphical charts from data” (Vahid & Lysecky. 2017. Ch. 5.2).  Knowing this, I doubt I would have been able to convey an effective message using excel.

PowerPoint was the third program.  I have a love/hate relationship with PowerPoint in that I hate using it and love when it’s over.  PowerPoint is a very niche program which does well and educational type approaches to telegraphing information, but it is not very functional to send your grocery list on a PowerPoint slide.  It is on par with Excel with graphs and charts but does not do mathematical equations to the best of my knowledge.

The Database program was the first time that I’ve utilized that kind of program.  The assignment asked me to be able to link the topics I provided and assign them priorities.  I was able to segregate the priorities visually so I could contrast them.  Having not used this program before I cannot see a casual role for using this program for something as trivial as a list of daily activities.

I think that each program has its strength as demonstrated in the assignment, but even when playing to their strengths it sometimes seems like overkill.  For me, the importance and complexity of the document/project would dictate for me which program would be optimal in that moment.  Because my list is trivial but descriptive, I would likely organize which program I would use as being: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and finally Database based upon the ability for the programs to satisfy all my requirements for this assignment.