What: The weight problem that the US and the rest of the world is facing
So what: The whole world is facing this new epidemic of being overweight. According to a study done by John Hopkins university 66% of adults and 16% of kids are overweight. They also go on to say that if this trend continues that by 2015 75% of adults will be overweight. The effects of being overweight are starting to kick in and adults are having more heart problems earlier, more cases of diabetes, and many other health problems too.
Now what: Now that people are realizing that eating right and exercise is important there is a new push for being healthy. This is a huge opportunity for PE and Health teachers to really focus on this with their students and give them assignments that will get their parents involved too. It is our job as educators to help our students learn how to be good stewards of their bodies.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Educational Blog Comment
I posted my comment on a blog called The Cool Cat Teacher Blog. The blog was about how so many people waste time complaining about the situation they are in instead of just trying to make it a better one. I thought this was a good take on teaching, and on life in general. I feel like we all need to keep in mind that we will not always have the ideal school or classroom and we need to do our best with what we have.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Technology Project Plan
One of the main goals or targets for high school PE classes is the idea of knowing how to calculate how many calories you are taking in, and how to burn those calories. Another part of that is also putting together some sort of personal plan on how to get or stay in shape. My technology project is going to help students with this.
Podcast
Podcast
Reflection #7
Reflection 7-
What: A thought of the day website.
So What: I know a lot of teams where the coach brings in a thought of the day at every practice. The idea is to motivate the players, and remind them what they are playing for. I think this could be applied to a classroom as well. It is a fun idea where when the students walk in there is an idea on the board. This could serve many purposes but most of all it gives your students something to think about when they walk in.
Now What: I think it is really important that we are constantly considering what is the best way to get the most out of our students. If this means putting a quote up on the board or doing morning stretches we should do it.
What: A thought of the day website.
So What: I know a lot of teams where the coach brings in a thought of the day at every practice. The idea is to motivate the players, and remind them what they are playing for. I think this could be applied to a classroom as well. It is a fun idea where when the students walk in there is an idea on the board. This could serve many purposes but most of all it gives your students something to think about when they walk in.
Now What: I think it is really important that we are constantly considering what is the best way to get the most out of our students. If this means putting a quote up on the board or doing morning stretches we should do it.
NU Educators Panel Questions
1. What is your favorite tool for classroom management?
2. What is the most rewarding part of the job for you?
3. Do you find it difficult to keep up with the students in the technology department?
2. What is the most rewarding part of the job for you?
3. Do you find it difficult to keep up with the students in the technology department?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Bob Spankle's "Caught on Video"
The idea of bringing a video camera into the classroom is obviously a great idea, and before I read this article I could think of lots of good ways to incorporate it into a classroom, but Bob Spankle's article "Caught on Video" brought several new ideas to mind. The first one that really stuck out to me was filming the students on the first day of school, and then showing it to them later in the year to see how they were doing. I also loved the idea of quizzing students on a topic before you start a unit and then as a review at the end of the unit have them watch the video and see how much they have learned. The last idea that I really liked was using the video to give a substitute teacher an idea of what you want done during the day you are gone. This is really nice because it lets the substitute know what you want, and they could even go back and watch past videos to see what you covered yesterday or the day before. Now that we have access to this kind of technology it is up to us educators to make sure we are using it to help our students learn as much as possible.
Assignment #3 Resources for Teachers
As i started this my toolbox i had no idea what I really wanted to include in it so I decided to make this website solely for myself or a resource for another teacher to go to. While it is centered around resources for PE teachers their are a lot of really good sites that any teacher could benefit from.
My toolbox is located at wiki spaces and is really easy to locate. To find my wiki space you do have to first create an account on wiki spaces.com. Then you can just type in the search bar "resource for teachers" and my wiki space will pop up. From there you can see that I have listed several different categories that I thought would be helpful to any teacher. I broke my toolbox up into four categories:
PE curriculum ideas- A list of websites that can help a PE teacher with ideas for class
Resources for students- A list of websites that you could give your students to learn about nutrition
In class resources- Sites that you could use during your class.
Organizational tools- Sites that help teachers organize information and make it more accessible for students
I know I will be referring back to this toolbox whenever I need ideas for my PE classes, or if I need to refer a student to a site. I am still really new to a lot of technology so some of the websites I am going to I think the easiest way to share the toolbox is to put it up on my personal website, and to just tell others about it.
I thought the best way to do this part was to take one website from each of my categories.
PE Curriculum- PE Central is the best website I have ever seen as far as PE websites go. It has everything that you could possibly need. It has lesson plans, assessment ideas, videos, and it even has a place to post or search for jobs. You could spend days going through all of the information they have stored up in this site. Definitely a solid resource that most PE teachers will visit sooner or later.
Resources for Students- Brain Pop is a really cool website that is geared towards younger kids. Its goal is to make learning fun and easy for kids. It has information on Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts, Music, Health, and technology. Not only is this website really engaging but it also is really easy to navigate. You could use this website as a tool for educating your students by having them go online and watch different videos about health or whatever subject you are teaching, or you could just post it up on your class website as a resource for parents to use to go over information with their kids.
In Class Resources- The Inner body Website is a really good resource for a Health or Science teacher. It is something that could be used really easily during class to quiz or go over information about different body systems. For instance they have a diagram of the muscular system and you could quiz your students by either scrolling over a muscle and having them tell you what it is or you could list a muscle and have them come up to the board and point it out.
Organizational Tools- I have never really learned how to create a podcast so I though that I should find a website that went over that and put it in my toolbox. This website is cool because it has a video that you can watch on how to create one, and then it also has a list of podcast that are appropriate for teachers. After you watch the video they have a step by step process that walks you through setup, equipment, recording, editing, and then finally posting to a website.
My toolbox is located at wiki spaces and is really easy to locate. To find my wiki space you do have to first create an account on wiki spaces.com. Then you can just type in the search bar "resource for teachers" and my wiki space will pop up. From there you can see that I have listed several different categories that I thought would be helpful to any teacher. I broke my toolbox up into four categories:
PE curriculum ideas- A list of websites that can help a PE teacher with ideas for class
Resources for students- A list of websites that you could give your students to learn about nutrition
In class resources- Sites that you could use during your class.
Organizational tools- Sites that help teachers organize information and make it more accessible for students
I know I will be referring back to this toolbox whenever I need ideas for my PE classes, or if I need to refer a student to a site. I am still really new to a lot of technology so some of the websites I am going to I think the easiest way to share the toolbox is to put it up on my personal website, and to just tell others about it.
I thought the best way to do this part was to take one website from each of my categories.
PE Curriculum- PE Central is the best website I have ever seen as far as PE websites go. It has everything that you could possibly need. It has lesson plans, assessment ideas, videos, and it even has a place to post or search for jobs. You could spend days going through all of the information they have stored up in this site. Definitely a solid resource that most PE teachers will visit sooner or later.
Resources for Students- Brain Pop is a really cool website that is geared towards younger kids. Its goal is to make learning fun and easy for kids. It has information on Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts, Music, Health, and technology. Not only is this website really engaging but it also is really easy to navigate. You could use this website as a tool for educating your students by having them go online and watch different videos about health or whatever subject you are teaching, or you could just post it up on your class website as a resource for parents to use to go over information with their kids.
In Class Resources- The Inner body Website is a really good resource for a Health or Science teacher. It is something that could be used really easily during class to quiz or go over information about different body systems. For instance they have a diagram of the muscular system and you could quiz your students by either scrolling over a muscle and having them tell you what it is or you could list a muscle and have them come up to the board and point it out.
Organizational Tools- I have never really learned how to create a podcast so I though that I should find a website that went over that and put it in my toolbox. This website is cool because it has a video that you can watch on how to create one, and then it also has a list of podcast that are appropriate for teachers. After you watch the video they have a step by step process that walks you through setup, equipment, recording, editing, and then finally posting to a website.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Promethean ActivBoard
Video
I watched a video on the Promethean ActivBoard and the news channel actually interviewed a few teachers in Maryland that has them. Some of the things that the teachers said is that it really engages the students and cuts down on behavior problems because the kids are so motivated to learn. It also benefits all kids of leaner's whether they are auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. Another really cool option that the ActivBoards have that our smart boards don't have is the ability for more than one person to write on them at once. This is really nice that way you can get more than one student involved at a time.
I watched a video on the Promethean ActivBoard and the news channel actually interviewed a few teachers in Maryland that has them. Some of the things that the teachers said is that it really engages the students and cuts down on behavior problems because the kids are so motivated to learn. It also benefits all kids of leaner's whether they are auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. Another really cool option that the ActivBoards have that our smart boards don't have is the ability for more than one person to write on them at once. This is really nice that way you can get more than one student involved at a time.
Reflection #6
What: Calling on students for answers when they don't have their hands raised.
So what: I was talking with my fiance about things that always bothered her in the classroom and she said that being called on when she didn't have her hand raised always bothered her. We talked about it and of course realize that the teacher is probably trying to involve everybody and create an open atmosphere, but can a teacher put a shy or slower child on the spot too much?
Now what: I think it is important that we as teachers make sure that we are being sensitive to our students wants and needs. Maybe if we force our students to talk in class it will close them off more and make them less receptive to us. It could even go as far as turning them against us, and make them feel like we are picking on them. Think about what you do and do not force your students to do in your classrooms. It might just change a kids life.
So what: I was talking with my fiance about things that always bothered her in the classroom and she said that being called on when she didn't have her hand raised always bothered her. We talked about it and of course realize that the teacher is probably trying to involve everybody and create an open atmosphere, but can a teacher put a shy or slower child on the spot too much?
Now what: I think it is important that we as teachers make sure that we are being sensitive to our students wants and needs. Maybe if we force our students to talk in class it will close them off more and make them less receptive to us. It could even go as far as turning them against us, and make them feel like we are picking on them. Think about what you do and do not force your students to do in your classrooms. It might just change a kids life.
Reflection #5
What: The benefits and negatives of giving homework to do in class.
So What: I am obviously in college now and I find it weird that some of my teachers still give homework to be completed in class. It comes across to me as the teacher being lazy. I feel like why am I required to come to class to work on some homework that I could just do at home. Obviously in class homework is essential for elementary kids, since they are going to need more help getting started with their work, but when does it become pointless.
Now What: I think we as future teachers need to make sure that we are using our class time wisely. We shouldn't be trading away valuable teaching and interaction time, for individual work.
So What: I am obviously in college now and I find it weird that some of my teachers still give homework to be completed in class. It comes across to me as the teacher being lazy. I feel like why am I required to come to class to work on some homework that I could just do at home. Obviously in class homework is essential for elementary kids, since they are going to need more help getting started with their work, but when does it become pointless.
Now What: I think we as future teachers need to make sure that we are using our class time wisely. We shouldn't be trading away valuable teaching and interaction time, for individual work.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Reflection #4
What: Teachers making websites for their classes
So What: I think this is something that all teachers could benefit from. While it may take a little setup work, I think the rewards are well worth it. This website could be a place where parents find anything they need to about your classroom, whether it be the syllabus or class rules, or the weekly schedule and special upcoming events. It also can be a great resource for students who miss class or are behind.
Now what: I think its really important to do our best to learn how to set up our own website (even if we are writing the html code ourselves) and make sure that we stay on top of it. Not only is it a good resource for parents and students, but it just might help us land jobs if we have a sample one setup that we could show at interviews.
So What: I think this is something that all teachers could benefit from. While it may take a little setup work, I think the rewards are well worth it. This website could be a place where parents find anything they need to about your classroom, whether it be the syllabus or class rules, or the weekly schedule and special upcoming events. It also can be a great resource for students who miss class or are behind.
Now what: I think its really important to do our best to learn how to set up our own website (even if we are writing the html code ourselves) and make sure that we stay on top of it. Not only is it a good resource for parents and students, but it just might help us land jobs if we have a sample one setup that we could show at interviews.
Reflection #3
SNL Skit
What: It is a Saturday night live commercial for online college. It is a spoof on what student miss out on when they attend an online college.
So what: Have you ever heard the saying that you can have too much of a good thing? I think that is the main idea behind this skit. In the skit they are basically mocking people that get their degree online because they miss out on so much that goes on in a classroom. It is hard to replicate human interaction on a computer. There is a lot of focus for us new teachers to be well versed in technology and to make sure that we use it, but we also can't forget about classic teaching methods that we grew up with too.
Now what: I think too much focus can be put on technology sometimes. I feel like sometimes people try to hard to integrate it into everything they do when sometimes it is just easier and faster to use a normal white board. We need to be careful that we are not cutting corners in our classrooms but catering to all students.
What: It is a Saturday night live commercial for online college. It is a spoof on what student miss out on when they attend an online college.
So what: Have you ever heard the saying that you can have too much of a good thing? I think that is the main idea behind this skit. In the skit they are basically mocking people that get their degree online because they miss out on so much that goes on in a classroom. It is hard to replicate human interaction on a computer. There is a lot of focus for us new teachers to be well versed in technology and to make sure that we use it, but we also can't forget about classic teaching methods that we grew up with too.
Now what: I think too much focus can be put on technology sometimes. I feel like sometimes people try to hard to integrate it into everything they do when sometimes it is just easier and faster to use a normal white board. We need to be careful that we are not cutting corners in our classrooms but catering to all students.
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