Improvement of Technology in my class

With this class coming to an end, I can honestly say that I have learned a lot about technology.  My fears and rejection of using technology are slowly vanishing.  I know will be able to use and create interactive power points, make test, and find creative ways to help enhance my teaching.  I am looking forward to intertwining technology into my PE classes and especially my health classes.  I can tell that the students become more engaged with lessons when they have the flexibility to use their own resources to learn.  I am going to try this for my next health lesson.  I hope to find this rewarding for the years to come.   I plan on taking more technology classes that are offered so I can slowly not become so afraid to use it.

My Restaurant Project

My Restaurant Project

Team Academy

http://www.bie.org/videos/video/my_restaurant_project

This video was about a project based learning activity that students did at Team Academy.  The students used technology and each other to create their own restaurants.  They taught themselves about grant writing, budgeting money, decorating, health, public speaking and many other aspects that goes into creating a restraint.  The students made videos of commercials selling g their restaurant to the class.  They spoke about how they could use the skills they learned in college and how they may want to pursue a degree in technology.

This was a very motivational video to see how much they actually learned.  I was excited to see their excitement in making the restaurant “their own”.  They were proud of what they had accomplished and it showed through their work.  I hope that more teachers, including myself, can use this video as an inspiration to prove that project based learning really does work for students.  All you need is love and imagination and just let the students do the rest.

Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning

Explained by Common Craft

http://www.commoncraft.com/video/project-based-learning

This video is a short summary of what we should use in our classrooms today.  Students are not learning by memorizing facts.  They need to be learning by applying their knowledge.  Project Based Learning is based upon three main focus points: critical thinking, collaborative effort and communication.  As teachers we need to force the students to learn on their own.  Find out answers by being creative and using each other for help.  Students tend to actually learn when they have to find the answer on their own and it is not given to them by note taking and memorizing facts. 

I use this strategy a lot when I am doing team building exercises in class.  I give them the activities, and I leave it up to them for how they play and set the rules.  Each group has to agree and be able to work together and play as a team in each activity.  Sometimes, just giving choices and letting them make the rules will enhance enjoyment for exercising activities.  I plan on doing a unit where the students are the teachers and they have to teach a physical activity from another country.  This is going to make them think critically and work together  as a team so everyone can understand what they are going to teach

NET-T Standard 5

Standard 5

Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

This standard is about always learning new technology, improving skills, and demonstrating professionalism with technology. Teachers need to create a lifelong learning environment for their students.  Teachers also need to reflect on their personal teaching practices on a yearly basis ( or sooner) to ensure they are up to date with the latest gadgets out there. 

Strenghts:  I have found myself using and looking for new ways to use technology with PE.  At first I really had no ides that you could use it so much.  I enjoy finding out about how excited students get when you use technology in class.  I don’t think they ever knew that PE could use it too.

Weaknesses:  There are many teachers that do not want to learn and be up to date with technology and it shows from lack of excitement from the students.  If teachers are not willing to learn, our administration should take this in consideration when renewing contracts.  The world is eventually going to be technology based almost 100% and everyone needs to be on board and willing to learn.

NET – T Standard 4

Standard 4

Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

This standard talks about teaching safety with technology and respect for each others work and property.  It also teaches the cultural responsibility of being aware of what is going on all around the world using technology. Diversity of all cultures through learning with digital tools and resources.

Strengths:  I enjoy using the technology to find new games and activities for my students to learn about. I have many different nationalities in my classes and I actually am going to let them bring in some games they play from where they are from.  I think the student will enjoy this tremendously .

Weaknesses: There is not really any weakness to teaching responsibility.  The students need to know what is right and wrong.  They will not know they are doing something wrong, like not siting something, if we do not teach them technology morals.  We as teachers are here to protect our innocent children from the wild and crazy world.

Teaching In The 21st Century

Teaching In The 21st Century

Uploaded by mathipedia on Oct 24, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTIBDR4Dn2g&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_992282

The main point to this article is for teachers to make the lessons they are teaching more engaging for the students.  In today’s world, students are technology minded and that is what and how they want to learn.  Teaching with technology is not for the mere entertainment for the students but to get them actively involved and engaged in learning.  This will create long-term results in learning whereas the entertainment aspect is a short-term of learning.  It is reactive instead of proactive like having your students engaged in the lesson. 

Engagement is a lesson is critical for a class like PE and health.  A PE class where the students are there for the entertainment is not benefiting from what is being taught.  A PE class should be leaning toward lifelong fitness and health for our students today. Many people look at PE as just playing games and having fun will activity balls.  In my classes, I do lesson and teach social skills that they can use after school and for life.  I teach healthy habits and physical activity that they will be able to do when they are older.  Many people today were never taught life time fitness and as they get older, they no longer have any desire to go out and “play”.  There are so many technology devices now that just about every sport has an “app”, or some kind of technology device to help enhancement.  It is a fast moving pace to keep up with, but as teachers, we need to know about these  devices so we can relate and evaluate what our students are using outside the classroom.

21st Century Education in New Brunswick, Canada

21st Century Education in New Brunswick, Canada

Uploaded by 21stCenturyNB on Mar 28, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjJg9NfTXos&noredirect=1

This was a very enlightening video of how our world is changing every minute, every day, every year.  It is changing not only in personal jobs, but in life skills and technology.  It states that “education is adapting to a changing world”.  This very true.  Our students today are technology minded.  There have been so many changes over the last 5 years that if you as a teacher are not up with the newness, then it is going to be hard to teach today’s students. 

As a PE teacher, I am trying to find ways to integrate technology in my class and still have adequate time for exercising.  I do use pedometer and heart monitors.  The student can have access to their readings as soon as I upload them into the data base.  They really enjoy this feature in that they like the completion of who has a better reading on the two devices.  They also can go online and see all of their FitnessGram scores as well.  I will give them a read out of where they are in the healthy fitness zones and where they should be if they are not in the HFZ.   

I wish I knew more about technology to make it more useful in my classes.  I think the middle school age students would really get involved more with activity if they know technology was involved.

Figuring it Out

Figuring it Out

J.  Bevacqua

http://figuringitouted.blogspot.com/2011/06/giving-up-control.html

This article talks about a teacher, principal, and father who “gave up control” to his high school law class.  The main point to the story is that he believes the more power you give the students, the more they will engage in learning.  He took a simple project of letting them pick their own topic that they wanted to learn about, and go with it however they wanted to.  There were no guidelines on how to present it, no grades were talked about.  The field was open for any type of ideas that the students wanted to discover and learn about.

I really like this idea.  I do something similar in my PE classes toward the end of the semester.  The only difference is that I give them 5-6 different types of activity to choose from and they are allowed to pick what activity they want to participate in for the day.  When students are given choices, they tend to participate better in PE at the middle school age.  They are more engaged in the activity and give more effort.  Which equals what I want out of them and that is full participation and getting their heart rates up for the full amount of time that we have in class.  I teach them the rules and strategies at the beginning of the semester so they know how to play.  Activity choice is a wonderful idea if you teach the basics and responsibility at the beginning. 

There was nothing about this article that I did not agree with or have doubts about.  Students like to be “in control”  so to speak and giving no rules and guidelines lets them have this sense of autonomy.

An Educator’s Guide to Intellectual Property

An Educator’s Guide to Intellectual Property

http://www.jointhecteam.com/PDFs/intellectual%20property.pdf

 

This article is about the copyright laws for book, movies, films, websites and many more other types of sources.  It tells of ways that you must site your works, ask for permission, and how to use the “borrowed” pieces.  It also talks about the “fair use” of copyrights.  Many teachers are protected by the fair use policy.

I think that many people today overlook the copyright laws because there is so much information out there in the world today, due to technology; they forget or don’t know how to cite it.  One thing that is really good for colleges now is the sites that you can turn your papers in to and they will tell you if it is plagiarized or not.  I personally think there are too many ways and styles to cite information that you never know which one to use unless stated. 

I really like the fact that someone’s thoughts, personal drawings, sayings and ideas are protected in the copyright laws.  Too many people like to take credit for someone else’s work without putting the time and effort into doing it themselves.  There are so many ways you can make something your own without stealing it from someone else.  People just need to use their own minds and create their own work.

NET- T Standard 3

NET-T Standard 3

Model Digital Age Work and Learning

 This standard demonstrates the knowledge that a teacher has using technology.  A teacher demonstrates his/her skills of technology in a professional way, while teaching all types of classes.  Teachers collaborate with students, co-workers, parents and peers their knowledge of current uses of technology.

I think that teacher should be up to date with technology.  Today’s digital world is overruling the older teachers’ ways and newer teachers are having better success with the students.  Although I am not very tech minded, I am trying to learn and the lingo and different ways to use technology in my PE classes.

Strengths and Weaknesses:  I personally do not have any strengths in my class with technology right now.  I am open to different ideas on how to integrate into my daily classes.  Time is my main concern and the fact that I only see the students for one semester.