Blog Post #5

I will be analyzing the popular website Neopets. As most popular websites it follows the guidelines outlined in Chapter Six. The first rule is obvious given the images and videos all over the site as well as the promise of games and other interactive activities. It follows the second rule by having links to virtually all of the important pages of the site along the top boarder, as well as the side where the user can see his/her pet. The text is left justified for the most part, with a few exceptions. The website typically uses a header and a main text typeface, with the exception of text on pictures or banners. The color issue is interesting. Each user can choose a particular "theme" of the website. The one pictured is green so most of the site elements appear in green, but the ads and some of the banners are in other colors sometimes clashing with the user's theme. This is one of the sites' visual downfalls. Rules 7-11 are followed as well as the fourth. The 13th rule is followed on most pages, but not the main page as it shows most of the features of the site. Rule 18 is one of my personal favorite rules, Neopets follows it quite well. Overall, Neopets follows all 23 rules quite well.

Presentation software, when used correctly, can be a great aid to any oral presentation. Unfortunately very few people use such software to its greatest potential and will frequently fill slide after slide with words. I find such presentations to be frightfully dull and makes listening to the presenter much harder than it would have been. The greatest disadvantage to using presentation software, is the ability to lose respect. A teacher can gain a little respect by doing something new or impressive through powerpoint, but can lose a lot more by screwing something up or not really understanding the technology. Especially right now when many of the teachers know much less than the students about computers in general. Hopefully this will change as generations move on.

I honestly feel that I will not use PowerPoint very often. I would use it for social studies, maybe science, but I doubt I'll use them in many other subjects with the exception perhaps as an introduction to a new unit. I'm not fond of PowerPoint and don't think it really does all that much to enhance a lesson.