PowerPoints, Webpages, and Other CRAP

Using PowerPoint in the classroom has become almost essential and inescapable these days.  PowerPoint could be used to demonstrate every aspect of Bloom's Taxonomy.  For all of the components (create, evaluate, analyze, apply, understand, and remember), I would use PowerPoint to somehow incorporate them; I would create my own work in order for my students to better understand the material, and supply important bullets that allow them to study and remember what they are learning.  The information from my PowerPoints would show ways to apply the subject matter to everyday life or the tests.  I think that making PowerPoint presentations according to Bloom's Taxonomy would be extremely beneficial to the teachers and students, because they both would have the tools to really absorb the information rather than just memorizing it.

A wide variety of adaptive technologies in the classroom is more than just beneficial; it is crucial to the overall education of the students.  Different students learn differently and have to overcome various obstacles.  Examples of adaptive technologies are JAWS (an online reading software for the blind), handheld amplifiers that allow the hearing impaired to increase conversation volume, and Braille Note PDA (a refreshable braille display and keyboard) among many, many others.  These adaptive technologies allow those who may be in need of assistance or have any type of disability get the same level of education as those who do not.  It levels the playing field for every student and shields them from possible social ostracizing by his or her peers.  A challenge that a teacher could face while using these technologies could be that it would require consistent monitoring or something similar, but I think that these inconveniences on the teachers are worth the ultimate result; every child deserves the same opportunities as the others.

From completing the Web Page Design assignment (pictured left), I realized just how easy it can be to create a web page for yourself or class.  There are many reliable websites that make it possible to create a professional looking website that is easily accessible to students, parents, and employers.  I liked this assignment because it really tapped into our creativity and ability to design something that looks nice, following the CRAP (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity) principles.  I think this assignment can be used beyond just a future career.  Knowing these principles and how to apply them to creating a webpage that is worthwhile is very important and you could use them to create a personal blog, educational website, or something outside of websites like a magazine design.