Post #3: Role of Applications Reflection

 

My experience creating a journal entry, calculating percentages, developing a presentation, and manipulating a database, along with my understanding of software applications, has taught me that there are multiple ways to report and convey your message. Each one uniquely identifies the information that you want your audience to receive. The best software depends on the information that you want to convey. You can report your information in a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, or database application.

With a word-processor application, you can create a digital document of your information (Tech+, 2025). Like writing a paper by hand or using a typewriter, you can type and format documents such as reports, letters, essays, and journal entries. You can format the text in your document by selecting different font options, changing the size of the text, adding a list in bullet or numbered format, and adjusting your text alignment (Campus, 2025). With a word processor, what would’ve been written out on paper or typed up on a typewriter can now be customized and formatted in ways that are only achievable digitally. The disadvantage of a word-processor application is that it is just words on paper, so if your audience gets lost or bored with reading a lot of information, they may miss or skip over vital information that you wanted them to receive. A word-processor application would be most useful when writing an essay or research paper for a school assignment.

A spreadsheet application allows you to store data in rows and columns and then calculate that data. You can easily sort through data and create formulas that calculate the data for you, eliminating the need to manually calculate one equation after another. You can also turn your data into tables, charts, or graphs to get a visual understanding of your information. This is helpful when creating things like statistical analysis or financial documents. With spreadsheets, you can process large amounts of information quickly. You have the functionality to automate tasks which helps to eliminate repetitive typing and calculating. The disadvantage to using a spreadsheet application is that a large spreadsheet with a lot of information can intimidate your audience or make reviewing the information feel a little overwhelming. It is important to include tables, charts, and graphs to overcome this. A spreadsheet application is most useful when creating something like a recipe price list, where you need to calculate how much you are spending to make each individual item and how much you will need to charge for that product to make a profit.

We can demonstrate our ideas visually with presentation applications. Presentations are made using slides, which are pages displayed on a screen for your audience to see while you talk about the information you are presenting. You can add things like animations, pictures, charts and data, lists, videos, and sounds to capture your audience’s attention. You want to ensure that your presentation is interesting and engaging so that your audience doesn’t get bored or distracted from the information you are presenting. With presentation software like PowerPoint, you can utilize different templates and animations, create text effects, and add transitions to your slides. Presentation applications make the information you are conveying fun and memorable. The disadvantage to presentation applications is the possibility of losing your audience if your slides do not connect with them or are full of text that you could’ve put in a paper. To overcome this, make sure you add in things to make your slides pop out and incorporate questions into your slides to create active engagement. You can also deliver your speaker notes in a fun and lively way. A presentation application is most useful when presenting a new idea or product at a conference or company meeting.

With database applications, you can use diagrams to visually represent your information. These diagrams help give information like the structure of a project or task. You can use something like a flowchart to illustrate the steps of a process for better understanding. The disadvantage of database applications is that they are not as common as other applications, so you may not encounter them often. It will be important to keep your skills and familiarity with this type of application fresh so that when you need to use it, you are ready. A database application is most useful when demonstrating the steps of a workflow process, like editing your timecard or submitting requests for time off.

The application software that was most appropriate for documenting the information about my day was the PowerPoint application. It allowed me to visually demonstrate what I did in my day and utilize the speaker notes to go into detail about each action. If I had to present this presentation to an audience, I would have been able to connect with them as if they had spent the day with me. I would not have been able to accomplish this by just presenting them with a list or spreadsheet.

With so many different ideas on how you want to convey important information, it is extremely helpful to have software that relays the information in the way you intend for it to be relayed. With software applications like word processors, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases, you have a variety of options to present your information in a way that works for you and your audience. Each application helps you to report your information quickly and efficiently, while maintaining organization. Being familiar with each application is important to your success in relaying information.