Sportplan is a site that allows teachers and coaches to create drill sketches from a variety of sports. It offers animation drills that you can add to your clipboard so you can use it later while teaching.
My Comment:
Hi! My name is Raven Williams and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am a future PE teacher/coach and I really enjoyed this post. I think that this would be very helpful when I begin coaching one day. I really like that you can use it on the go. I hope it becomes an app as well!
Dylan Blain post is about how he uses Google Drive and Edmodo. Edmodo is a tool that allows students, parents, and other teachers to see work after a lesson is presented. He also uses Google Drive as a storage method to stay organized.
My Comment:
Hi! My name is Raven Williams and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I think Google drive is a great tool! It’s very easy to use and can be used for many different purposes. I’m not familiar with Edmodo, but it sounds like a great tool as well!
When I first created my PLN, it was mostly personal things that I added to it. I created tiles for places that I shop, apps that I use, social media, and websites that I use a lot. My goal with my PLN was to add more tiles that would benefit me as a teacher. I've added a few resources that I've learned about in EDM310 like ALEX, Discovery ED, and the Alabama Virtual Library. I'm glad that I chose to use Symbaloo because it was very easy to learn how to use it. i even set my PLN as my home page because it offers easier access to the resources I may need.
Sean's blog post was the first chapter to a story that he was writing for class. He titled the story "Dead Yet Alive".
My Comment: Hey Sean! My name is Raven Williams and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I thought your story was very interesting and it had a lot of emotion. I hope you keep adding to it!
Peyton V posted about how the dress code at school does not allow students to express themselves and be unique. Peyton created a petition and encouraged other students to sign it on the blog post. My Comment: Hi Peyton! My name is Raven and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading your post! I can see that this is something you feel strongly about and I think that it’s great that you have a place where you can express that.
Joel Klein is an American lawyer and school superintendent. He also served more than 1 million students as the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. He also wrote a book called Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools. It's about the eight years he spent trying to improve the education system. On Nov. 17th, USA Today published an article about how teaching should become more of a profession. It talks about a few of the problems that schools are facing with teachers and solutions to how they can be fixed.
Problems Identified by Joel Klein
Not everyone should become a teacher
Seniority Distraction
Pick From the Best
The first solution is to choose teachers by recruiting from the top third of graduates. I agree with this because I think that it is important that students receive the best education that they possibly can. Someone that has worked hard to make good grades should always be hired before someone that barely made it to graduation. I think that it would also motivate a lot of college students to work harder in school. It would also weed out a lot of people who aren't really dedicated or passionate about teaching.
Seniority distraction
I've never really agreed with teachers staying hired because of their seniority. We had a problem with this at my high school during my senior and junior year. All of the teachers that were the most effective in teaching were laid off because they were newer than the teachers that only relied on textbooks and handouts. I think teachers should be employed based only on their performance in the classroom.
I'm not really sure how I feel about teachers being paid the same. I think that more effective teachers should be paid more but I don't think there is a fair way to judge who is more effective. Every teacher has different goals and strategies that they use in their classrooms. Teachers are also constantly changing their teaching methods.
The video Ecourse is an app that was designed for teachers to able to learn new skills at their own pace. Teachers that are not able to attend the workshops can download the app from their iphone or ipad. The app contains 15 training videos that would be useful for using technology in the classroom.
Videos
1. An Introduction to Coach’s Eye 2. Recording & Importing Video in Coach’s Eye 3. Conducting a Dual Video Side-by-Side Analysis 4. Recording & Sharing your Analysis, Narration & Telestration 5. Organizing your Coach’s Eye Library 6. Transfering Photos & Videos between devices 7. Downloading Videos to your iPad 8. Getting Started with SloPro, Playback at 500fps & Editing 9. Creating Instant replays with BaM Video Delay 10. Creating 4 Concurrent Instant Replays with BaM Video Delay 11. Conducting a Single Video Analysis with Ubersense 12. Side by Side Analysis & Overlays with Ubersense 13. Recording & Sharing Reviews 14. Tagging Points of Interest During Live action 15. Tagging Points of Interest with pre-recorded footage 16. iPads, Video & Physical Education Closing Keynote
Ipads in PE
There are many app that will be helpful in a PE classroom. There are apps for different skills and skill levels. There are also apps for coaches that will help develop athletic skills for players such as iSwing, Basketball Coach, and Coach's Eye. Some of the apps can be used with a camera to analyze the performance of students and athletes. I love the idea of using these apps in my classroom. Most students have a smartphone, iPad, or tablet so it would be easy and fun to use. I think that it would be easy for students to keep up with because it's on their phones instead of on a handout or book. My favorite apps are the ones that focus on nutrition and health.
Digital Scavenger Hunts in PE
This video is about how Kevin Morrow creates digital scavenger hunts for his students. He uses iPad and two different methods to make them. The first method uses voice recordings. He records the clues and puts them into a playlist on iTunes where students can listen on their devices. The second method uses pictures as clues to where the items are hidden. The items are packages that include letters for students to decode. The word is always something related to health or PE .Digital scavenger hunts promote fitness, collaboration, and problem-solving. I think that digital scavenger hunts are a fun and creative way to get students involved in physical fitness.
#100ActiveDays is a social media challenge. The idea is to do something active everyday for 100 days and share it. It can be any type of movement activity from running, walking, kayaking, hiking to marathon running. The point is to try new things and stay active.
My Comment:
Hi! My name is Raven Williams and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I really love the idea of the #100ActiveDays. I am currently doing the 100 happy days right now, but I plan to start this one as soon as it's over!
The #PhysEdCook book post is about an idea for creating a healthy cookbook. The idea came from a tweet after someone mistakenly bought the wrong ingredient for their meal. The idea for the cookbook is for it to be a resource for the PhysEd community to share with their families and students. The hopes for the book is to help prevent obesity.
My Comment: Hi! My name is Raven Williams and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I think that the #PhysEd cookbook is a great idea! I think it will help a lot of people and I think it's great that you invited everyone to help be a part of it. I think it would be a great resource when I begin teaching PE.
Teaching math to the blind is very difficult. Braille is the language that a blind person uses to read or write. The problem with braille is that it is very linear. Blind students are not able to how even the most simple math problems are two dimensional. When given an addition problem, a hearing student would normally line up the numbers to solve the problem. A student that is blind would see the problem on the same line.
Deaf StudentHearing Student
1234+4567 VS. 123
+4567
Art Karshmer is a professor at theUniversity of San Francisco School of Management and Chairman of the Department of Technology. He developed a system that translates the 2-dimensional concepts of mathematical problems into a single dimensionality of braille to allow a blind student to understand those concepts into their visual cortex through touch and electronic feedback. He believes that students that are blind are barred from the study of all of the core or "stem " sciences that rely on math as their root language. His system uses small blacks with braille numbers that can be placed on a grid and can be read to the student. The block itself can also be scanned and read aloud by a computer. With this system, a braille student is able to lay out a math problem that same way a sighted student would see it on paper. Using this device with blind students can help build a foundation that will help them in their future studies.
The Mountbatten, is an amazing tool that is used to type braille. This tool provides feedback to the individual as they are typing. It says each letter out loud as each button is pushed. This makes it very easy for someone who is blind to avoid making mistakes while typing. The Mountbatten is a handy tool that allows files to be sent and received from a computer. It can also save files for next time when a student needs a break and wants to return to their work later. It is great for someone who is just starting to learn braille. By using this tool, students who are blind will not feel as left out during group projects in class.
The next video, Russel Hinderman using the Mountbatten, is a video I found on my own. In this video Russel is shown learning how to use the Mountbatten. He seems very eager to use the tool. This video shows that the Mountbatten can indeed be used by young students. I think this tool could be handy for anyone! The Mountbatten allows teachers to guide their students in the right direction as the tool does the talking. I think this brailler is something that is very easy to use, and can be very helpful even if students don't have a teacher sitting next to them as they type. Blind children could also use the Mountbatten for independent learning exercises.
Ipad usage for the Blind
In the article How The Blind Use A IPad it explains how a blind person uses the iPad. Apple has many programs an apps for the blind. Apple has a built in screen reader and this helps the blind because a screen reader reads the screen for you. For example: when you click over an app, the screen reader will read the app to you. Apple also has a Braille Display. According to this article, "a refreshable Braille display is an electronic device that displays visual information (text) as Braille (text) on a Braille display." For a blind person the Braille display can help them type and use keys. The iPad and other apple products are great tools for not only the blind but for anyone.
This video iPad usage for the blind shows a blind man explaining how he uses the iPad. This video is amazing to me because not only did I just explain that a blind person can use the iPad but the video actually shows a blind person using the iPad. He seems to not have any trouble with it. I believe apple products are great for everyone. They make them easy to use for anyone.
Using Assistive Technology in the Classrom
In the video Assistive Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impaired Children , we learn facts about children in Australia who have hearing and vision impairment. This video shows many images of children using different forms of assistive technology in the classroom. From this video we learn that on average, one Australian child is identified with impaired hearing every day! One in every 2500 children have vision impairment. We see these students participating in class and activities just as everyone without disabilities would do. This is a very inspirational video that proves to us that all children can interact with one another in and out of the classroom.
The video chose was Assistive Technology Rocks My Classroom! This video is about a girl named Elina, who has a physical disability called athetoid cerebral palsy. This disability makes it hard for Elina to use her muscles for everyday activities such as: eating, walking and even talking. She started using assistive technology when she was just nine years old. Using assistive tech Elina is able to do things like: draw, paint, write in cursive and speak! She has accomplished so many things by using this technology. Elina and her classmates even taught others how to use this technology at an international conference! Elina is a perfect example of how assistive technology can help students with disabilities accomplish long term goals and overcome so many obstacles.
Brian Crosby is a fourth to sixth grade teacher at Agnes Risley Elementary School. On the second day of school he gave his students a survey to find out where they stood in his class. Out of 24 students, only 3 knew what country they live in. Only 9 knew what city they lived in and only 7 knew their home address. He asks why there is such a disconnect for these students. He says that these students have had a narrowed curriculum since they were born and that they don't have the experiences to help build the schema for the world. He continues to talk about a project he did with a group of his sixth graders. It was about hot air balloons and how they worked. They completed activities and wrote stories as if they were the balloon. After they were done they continued the project by writing high hopes. They wrote high hopes for themselves, their community, and the world. They posted them to their blogs and also created stratocards which would go to the stratosphere. After the students started receiving comments about their high hopes, they decided they wanted to extend the project to others. They received high hopes from all across the world. They combined everyone's high hopes and sent them up on a balloon with a camera attached. The students were able to what happened to balloon after the air pressure decreases. They were also able to track the balloon on their computers in the classroom. After watching this video, I think that it is important that students learn outside of their narrowed curriculum.
The Blended Learning Cycle
Paul Anderson teaches his class with a method called the blended learning cycle. Blended learning is the combination of online, mobile, and classroom learning. The learning cycle consists of five parts also known as the five E's. They include an engaging question, exploring, explaining, expanding, and evaluating. Paul Anderson combines these two methods in his classroom. There are six parts to the steps he uses to teach. They are:
I think that Paul Anderson has developed a very creative way to teach his students. It's a great way for students to be able to learn independently and still need the assistance from their teacher. I would really consider using this in my classroom if I wasn't a PE teacher.
Sam Payne is a fifth grade teacher at Wilson Focus School in Omaha, Nebraska. In this video, he is teaching his students how to use the internet safely. He calls it being a good digital citizen. A good digital citizen is someone who chooses to act safely, respectably, ans responsibly while using the internet. The driving question he gives his students is what kind of power can the internet give us? He gives his students time discuss their opinions about what makes a good digital citizen. Some of the examples of bad digital citizens were hacking and giving personal information. His students continued to create their own super digital citizen. After they create their super hero, they create a story for their hero to be a part of. They used their stories to create a comic about unsafe situations on the internet.
I think that this is an important lesson for anyone who will use technology in their classroom. It's very important that students know how to use the internet safely and responsibly. There are many safe and unsafe opportunities on the internet. We have to teach our students how to be able to know the difference.
Project Based Learning
Project based learning increases student engagement and provides more opportunity for deeper understanding. In this video, a class of students are experiencing an example of project based learning. Their teachers combined 3 areas of study instead of using segmented classes. If you were to ask them which class they were taking they may not know how to respond. They class consists of History, English, and Information Processing. I think that this is a really good example of project based learning. I think that it's really cool that their school allowed them to combine three different classes into one. These students are learning more than just the curriculum and their teachers are very proud of that.
PBL
The teachers at Roosevelt Elementary School actively use project based learning with their students.
Their definition of PBL is:
In depth learning
Integrated Thematic Instruction
Based on a "real-world problem"
Research Based
Project and Presentation
Parents like that they use project based learning because it gives them a chance to develop strong speaking skills. I'm in college and I struggle with my speaking skills so I think it's a really good idea to start teaching these skills to younger students. The teachers also like that their students have more choices with PBL. Students get to make decisions like adults do everyday. They say that it important that students have choices because they have different ways of learning. It also gives the student more ownership of their work. Students also learn 21st century skills in PBL. They learn about public speaking, being a good audience, how to work independently, how to work in groups, and problem-solving skills. I really like the concept of PBL. I can definitely see the difference it makes in the ways that students learn. They learn a lot of skills that aren't really emphasized when you just lecture and give busy work.
