Is Microsoft Publisher obsolete to our students?

Is Microsoft Publisher a program our students will use in the future?

The reason I ask - I gave my Sports Medicine class an assignment to create a brochure for a lower leg injury. My purpose? So each student may become an "expert" in one injury and share the information with the rest of the class. The students have to research the injury by finding specifics - What is the injury? What ligaments, tendons, bones, muscles are involved? What are the signs and symptoms? Specific treatment, rehabilitation, prevention and so on... The method of delivery to the rest of the class is through presenting the brochure while students fill out a chart I have given them for each of the injuries. The brochures are then posted around the room for students to get a better look and now that we have an LCD projector in the room I pull up the brochures during presentations. You get idea...

As I was explaining and demonstrating to the class how to use the brochure portion of Publisher I thought, "Do they need to know this?" What other methods could I use? (I use ppt. for a different unit.) I like the brochure idea because they look very nice and professional and the information is easy to read but is there something else I could be doing? Any ideas? Thanks.

What matters?

I have the privilege to teach Personal Survival (health) to high school juniors. At this point in a 16 year old's life I have asked myself, "what matters?" What do these student's care about within the realm of the health field? So I have set off to find out.

By using a gallery walk format, I have posed questions to the students about each of our units in class. Through their answers I will be able to modify my lessons to include their interests and concerns.

I want these juniors to take ownership of their learning in my health class. So, "what matters" to 16 year old students when in comes to 1st Aid, CPR, fitness, nutrition, relationships, sexuality, cancer, substance abuse, and stress management? We shall see...