Thursday, February 25, 2010
Reflection #2
I thought since we have been learning so much about smart boards it would be nice to have a resource for different smart board activities. I found this one smart board activities. It is pretty cool. If you click on the United States you can choose any grade level that you want and any subject. It has tons of different activities you could do for any subject. I think its important than we as teachers start implementing these new technologies in our classroom that we do it in an interesting way so as to keep the kids attention. We need to make sure that we are incorporating this technology at all levels and in all subjects.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
School Website
Tacoma Baptist High School
The website that I decided to look at was my old high school Tacoma Baptist. It is a small private with only about 120 kids in the high school. I was surprised to find a working website since in previous attempts most of the links were not working. Some of the features that I like about the website was the links to videos so you could learn more about the school, and the ease of maneuvering around the website to find whatever I needed. You could tell that this website was not the schools main focus since most topics did not have that much information to them and a lot of the links still do not work. I think one area that they need to work on is their curriculum section. They have an area designated to this and the only thing they have is what subjects are taught for which grade level; which really is not enough information. Another area that i think they are lacking is their faculty page. New parents or students would like to be able to look at the staff and read something about each one. As of right now the only thing they have for each teacher is email address. The last thing they really need is for someone to keep up on the sports. They have the team schedules up but that is about it. I feel like they should be able to post results and have team pictures of from the seasons. All in all the website left the viewer lacking allot and if any real information was needed somebody would be better off calling or visiting the campus.
The website that I decided to look at was my old high school Tacoma Baptist. It is a small private with only about 120 kids in the high school. I was surprised to find a working website since in previous attempts most of the links were not working. Some of the features that I like about the website was the links to videos so you could learn more about the school, and the ease of maneuvering around the website to find whatever I needed. You could tell that this website was not the schools main focus since most topics did not have that much information to them and a lot of the links still do not work. I think one area that they need to work on is their curriculum section. They have an area designated to this and the only thing they have is what subjects are taught for which grade level; which really is not enough information. Another area that i think they are lacking is their faculty page. New parents or students would like to be able to look at the staff and read something about each one. As of right now the only thing they have for each teacher is email address. The last thing they really need is for someone to keep up on the sports. They have the team schedules up but that is about it. I feel like they should be able to post results and have team pictures of from the seasons. All in all the website left the viewer lacking allot and if any real information was needed somebody would be better off calling or visiting the campus.
Reflection #1
I though I would do some looking into some websites that offer information for parents and teachers that would help keep kids fit. The one that I found that I like the most is called PE Central. It gives lots of ideas for exercise programs and different programs PE teachers can run in their classes. This could also serve as a resource for elementary teachers for creating fun activities that they could run as a reward for their students. Its obviously a great resource for us PE teachers to refer to when we need curriculum ideas. Check it out its pretty cool.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Smart Board Presentation Response
I really enjoyed last night and learning about the smart boards and what they are capable of. I think the ability to turn the writing that a student does, into text is one feature that I didn't know about that I think could be really helpful. Especially since this enables you to save it and post it online as a word document so a student could access it at home.
The only part of smart boards that I am really not 100% positive how it works is the response system. I understand most of the elements, but I still need to learn how to setup a class so students can log in.
The only part of smart boards that I am really not 100% positive how it works is the response system. I understand most of the elements, but I still need to learn how to setup a class so students can log in.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Assignment #2
Smart board Activity
Smart Board Features: Touch Screen, Response Clickers
NETS for Teachers: In this project i focused on the first and second NETS for teachers which are: Facilitate and Inspire Students Learning and Creativity/ Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. . The activity that I planned for Tuesday the 16th is a perfect way to get students thinking about what foods are healthy in a fun way. With this activity the students get to get up and get involved with what they are learning. They are also being assessed through the technology.
NETS for Students: The NETS for students that I focused on in this project were the second and forth ones which are: Communication and Collaboration/ Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. In this activity the students are using media to interact with the subject, and they are also doing this at a distance with the clickers. During the presentation they are required to use their problem solving skills and decide which foods are healthy for them and which ones are not.
Interactive white boards make it so much easier to make sure your students are engaged and paying attention. Getting them up and at the board is also good for them, because it is hard for kids to stay seated for long periods of time, which is what the norm used to be for students. Its also nice for sports because you can show positioning easily in a classroom so when you get out to play all the kids know where they should be.
Smart Board Features: Touch Screen, Response Clickers
NETS for Teachers: In this project i focused on the first and second NETS for teachers which are: Facilitate and Inspire Students Learning and Creativity/ Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. . The activity that I planned for Tuesday the 16th is a perfect way to get students thinking about what foods are healthy in a fun way. With this activity the students get to get up and get involved with what they are learning. They are also being assessed through the technology.
NETS for Students: The NETS for students that I focused on in this project were the second and forth ones which are: Communication and Collaboration/ Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. In this activity the students are using media to interact with the subject, and they are also doing this at a distance with the clickers. During the presentation they are required to use their problem solving skills and decide which foods are healthy for them and which ones are not.
Interactive white boards make it so much easier to make sure your students are engaged and paying attention. Getting them up and at the board is also good for them, because it is hard for kids to stay seated for long periods of time, which is what the norm used to be for students. Its also nice for sports because you can show positioning easily in a classroom so when you get out to play all the kids know where they should be.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Generation IM
I am always surprised when I hear a new statistic of how much time kids spend in front of a screen. The tally is up to 6.5 hours a day now. That is a staggering number. This means that all kids are doing is sitting in front of a screen. Which is a fun task for us PE teachers to battle but I guess that is another story. I think the biggest thing that I got from this article is that if we are going to communicate and teach kids today we have to be prepared to use technology. I think that the ideas it listed at the end of an article are a great but there are also tons of other ways to use technology. The key is keeping students engaged and interested.
Blogs for Educators
Free technology for teachers
The blog that I really liked on this site is the one about half way down the page titled "Five Good Places to find Math Tutorial Videos." Math is one one those subjects that some students just really have a hard time understanding, like the author of this blog relates to. Some students can have it explained to them time and time again but unless they see it done they are helpless. I think these sites could be a huge help to these students, because if they get stuck at home and they have no one to help them then they really can't complete the assignment. I think its really important for teachers to let their students know that there are resources out there to help them succeed and encourage them to search for them and use them.
The blog that I really liked on this site is the one about half way down the page titled "Five Good Places to find Math Tutorial Videos." Math is one one those subjects that some students just really have a hard time understanding, like the author of this blog relates to. Some students can have it explained to them time and time again but unless they see it done they are helpless. I think these sites could be a huge help to these students, because if they get stuck at home and they have no one to help them then they really can't complete the assignment. I think its really important for teachers to let their students know that there are resources out there to help them succeed and encourage them to search for them and use them.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Assignment #1
Author- Gary Stiler
Title-MP3 Players: Applications and Implications for the Use of Popular Technology in Secondary Schools
Source- Education, v128 n1 p20-33 Fall 2007. 14 pp. (Peer Reviewed Journal)
URL-http://www.projectinnovation.biz/education.html
Summary:
This article talks about how mp3 players might be used by teachers in the classroom. It starts out by talking about the popularity of them, and that instead of embracing this new technology most schools and teachers are just banning them. It then goes on to talk about how schools could use them. Some examples are for audio books, for music teachers, for downloading appropriate speech's or lectures from topics being explored in class, and coaches or PE teachers could use them to watch video clips or teach new strategies or sports or just listen to music while exercising. Another interesting thing it touched on was some universities are distributing them to their students for use in their classrooms. The last portion of the article was spent talking about two groups of teachers and coaches that had used them in their classrooms as part of an experiment, and their reactions to the mp3 players.
Reflection:
I think that giving a mp3 player to a student in a traditional classroom could be very distracting, but in a PE classroom there are many advantages. Often times when students are doing a circuit workout or running exercise there is music playing so having the students have a mp3 would enable them to workout to their own music which could improve productivity. Also, if you had students download and bring to class certain files you had posted, they could watch drills or exercises and practice them during class.
NETS for Teachers:
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
As a PE teacher I think the most important thing you can do is inspire your students to get involved in physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. One of the easiest ways to do this is to be physically active and fit themselves. It is hard for students to take their health teachers seriously when their health teacher is out of shape. Three ways that I am going to focus on inspiring students to be fit are:
1)Stay fit and in shape myself by being physically active at least three times a week.
2)Find ways students can get involved in physical fitness outside of the classroom.
3)Explore new games and activities to do inside the classroom that will involve and interest more students.
NETS for Students:
Creativity and Innovation
Its hard to get up and exercise the same way day after day for the rest of your life. Its important for students to be constantly exploring different way that they can get exercise. Most students think of working out as going to the gym and lifting weights or running around a track, but the fact of the matter is most people don't enjoy doing these things. Its important to remind students that there are other ways to stay fit besides heading to the gym.
Two assignments you could give your students:
1)Have students talk about something they do (or could do) that is a good way of getting exercise that most people wouldn't think of.
2)Have students calculate how many calories they could burn in a typical week if they never walked everywhere instead of driving.
Title-MP3 Players: Applications and Implications for the Use of Popular Technology in Secondary Schools
Source- Education, v128 n1 p20-33 Fall 2007. 14 pp. (Peer Reviewed Journal)
URL-http://www.projectinnovation.biz/education.html
Summary:
This article talks about how mp3 players might be used by teachers in the classroom. It starts out by talking about the popularity of them, and that instead of embracing this new technology most schools and teachers are just banning them. It then goes on to talk about how schools could use them. Some examples are for audio books, for music teachers, for downloading appropriate speech's or lectures from topics being explored in class, and coaches or PE teachers could use them to watch video clips or teach new strategies or sports or just listen to music while exercising. Another interesting thing it touched on was some universities are distributing them to their students for use in their classrooms. The last portion of the article was spent talking about two groups of teachers and coaches that had used them in their classrooms as part of an experiment, and their reactions to the mp3 players.
Reflection:
I think that giving a mp3 player to a student in a traditional classroom could be very distracting, but in a PE classroom there are many advantages. Often times when students are doing a circuit workout or running exercise there is music playing so having the students have a mp3 would enable them to workout to their own music which could improve productivity. Also, if you had students download and bring to class certain files you had posted, they could watch drills or exercises and practice them during class.
NETS for Teachers:
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
As a PE teacher I think the most important thing you can do is inspire your students to get involved in physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. One of the easiest ways to do this is to be physically active and fit themselves. It is hard for students to take their health teachers seriously when their health teacher is out of shape. Three ways that I am going to focus on inspiring students to be fit are:
1)Stay fit and in shape myself by being physically active at least three times a week.
2)Find ways students can get involved in physical fitness outside of the classroom.
3)Explore new games and activities to do inside the classroom that will involve and interest more students.
NETS for Students:
Creativity and Innovation
Its hard to get up and exercise the same way day after day for the rest of your life. Its important for students to be constantly exploring different way that they can get exercise. Most students think of working out as going to the gym and lifting weights or running around a track, but the fact of the matter is most people don't enjoy doing these things. Its important to remind students that there are other ways to stay fit besides heading to the gym.
Two assignments you could give your students:
1)Have students talk about something they do (or could do) that is a good way of getting exercise that most people wouldn't think of.
2)Have students calculate how many calories they could burn in a typical week if they never walked everywhere instead of driving.
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