#8: In Full Bloom

Touring the Florida State Lab of Assistive Technology was really an eye-opening experience. Upon watching and engaging with the different technologies, my personal favorite was the Smart Pen. The utility of being able to record voice, sync it with writing, be able to electronically store all of that information... It is an EXCELLENT resource for students and an effective way to positively influence student success. I can see where having that type of utility would be awesome for students without learning needs, but having them available for students who do need them is a wonderful resource to Florida State and I'm glad we're able to support students in that manner.


On a different topic, we've been exploring PowerPoint functions, and it's easy to see how the Microsoft application can be a vehicle for Bloom's Taxonomy.

PowerPoint facilitates the intersection of all of the aspects of Bloom's Taxonomy. Absorbing the information starts at the "Remembering" stage, but then is understood, applied, analyzed, and evaluated within the process of creating information. For a student to be able to create a PowerPoint on information, they would have to first fulfill all of the other aspects of the taxonomy, then produce the final work. 

After reading an article called 10 Ways to Stay on top of Emerging Technologies by TechRepublic, the most effective I felt was find a technophile. With resources like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, it's getting easier and easier to find people who are passionate about technology. Linking up with these people and watching their patterns would give one the insight to be able to stay up-to-date and aware of what's going on in the technology world. As in ways to integrate it into the classroom, I would bet there are professional teachers who also double as technophiles, or, this would be an opportunity for teachers to collaborate and get out their own creative hats!