Blog #7

Adaptive technologies are used to assist students with physical and learning disabilities. I haven’t used any such technologies. My sister has a learning disability but she hasn’t used any of the computer input and output programs listed in the podcast. She receives extra time on her tests and flexible grading on assignments.

Adaptive technologies might pose a challenge in the classroom because not every student will be using it. This means that the teacher will have to increase planning to include that new technology. The teacher needs to figure out how to incorporate it into the classroom. However, it has been shown that adaptive technology can also be used as tools for students that are not disabled. If the technologies are used for all the students it makes the teachers job a little easier.

PowerPoint can be used to teach students about Blooms three domains of educational activities. One slide could show the pyramid with all the domains listed. This gives the students a visual to work from. The next three slide would be each domain broken down and shown with more detail. For example, there are the cognitive skills, also referred to as mental skills or knowledge. This slide could have an image of a brain to emphasize the cognitive aspects. The next slide could talk about the Psychomotor domain or the physical or manual skills we posses. This slide could show someone exercising. The last domain is Affective. This refers to the attitudes we hold about our self and our emotional growth.

Creating the Weebly was fun. I learned how to hyperlink words and phrases to make the information easily available. The site had lots of different images available to choose from. This was nice because it allowed us to use the images without having to cite our sources. The site did have some glitches. For example, at one point in the process, I was adding a new text box, and the site would not let me type in the box. The cursor kept jumping to the top of the page. I had to log out and refresh the page to make it work properly. Next time I will learn how to embed a calendar and I will add more information about the field trip locations. Knowing how to make a website is very important for future teachers because it allows them to communicate more effectively with parents and students.