Final Blog

Well I did it! I made it through the computer class!! I was so nervous going into this class because I was so weak in my abilities when it comes to this keyboard and machine in front of me! I have learned so much this semester that it still boggles my mind. If you were to tell me that in a 4 months I would have my own website, be able to coordinate my calendars, create programs, edit pictures, figure out what a pod cast was, have my own youtube video! and learn how to blog I would have told you that you were loony! But, low and behold look at me now! It have been just a fun journey and I will continue to use the technology that I have learned so that I don't lose it. I look at it like a language. They say that when you learn a language if you stop using it you will lose it. Thats how I feel about technology. I will have to keep using it so I don't lose it! I am excited to have this website already in place, so that when I get into my classroom I have a beautiful template to work with. I think my fellow teachers will be impressed that I am already so organized :). Thank you Doc Waters, for bringing me into the current century as far as technology goes! I feel so much more confident with my computer. YAY!

My beliefs

My beliefs are:
1. I think that technology is needed in the classroom.
2. Students can benefit from having technology as part of their everyday learning in a classroom setting.
3. As teachers we will be able to create smarter and more capable students than every before by using the different technologies that are available to us.

To elaborate on these beliefs, I think that technology will be a automatic resource in our classrooms. It already is, and in order to be a successful teacher, I will jump on that band wagon and ride it til I die. It will make my life so much easier, because the digital world is all recorded, and being able to add interactives and colors and sounds to my lessons is amazing! The students will also benefit more because instead of only reaching the learners separately by teaching using different strategies I can reach them all by using technology. For example: The four types of learners are Visual, Aural, Reading/writing, and Kinethstetic. By creating a lesson using pictures and videos, having my notes on the screen or in electronic devices in the children's hands and having interactive feedback between my computer and theirs touches all of the types. Now compare that to the old school way of students copying lecture notes. Catch my drift?

We will create a smarter generation by being able to tap into all types of learning. More students will be able to succeed in school and be able to go into the real world with actual information that will help them succeed. Having the technology that creates more interaction between students, teachers, and parents can be so beneficial to the students success. We will open up the lines of communication and we will bring forth the smartest generation of students so far.

Lessons Learned

What have I learned? I have learned that we need to embrace technology and not ban it from the schools. Instead of banning all technology in the schools why don't we harness the power and use these expensive devices to keep the kids interested and learning! It makes sense after reading these articles. If we as teachers can develop programs and software along the lines of our curriculum and then integrate it into our lessons and have the students interacting, it will keep them engaged and it will make learning fun again!

I also learned that as teachers we have to keep up with the technology as much as the kids are. We can't force them into backwards land. We have to make the jump to tomorrow land. We can not teach school the same way that it was taught to us. Our students will not succeed. Their lives are dependent on technology because it has been there since they were born. It is up to us as teachers to figure out how to use it to our benefit and how we can best accommodate our learners.

I think my biggest concern however, is being able to appropriately integrate the technology into my classroom. Making sure to keep my students safe, and actively engaged in the learning process. I need to make sure that the use of technology in my classroom will be developmentally appropriate and will challenge all of my students. I need to make sure that I don't leave some students behind. So just being able to tweak different things so that I can help all of my students succeed.

blog for Dec 8th-Dec12th

Wow the semester is really starting to wind down fast. Trying to get everything completed and turned in! Its amazing how quickly time flies.
What- Well its been over a week since we had class. We have received alot of "on our own" time, which is good. There is nothing like baptism by fire as they say. Figuring out things on my own is very good practice for what lies ahead as a teacher.
So what- to continue on with my last thought. Having a lot of time to figure out things on my own can help me when I get into the real world. By learning how to use the internet to learn things and create new tools and ways for the students to learn will be very beneficial to me as a teacher.
Now what- I was thinking about my future classroom, and the more that I can learn now, not so much the "what" but the how I find the "what" will help me to be able to figure out my own ways to teach in my classroom using technology. I think that is what you have been trying to teach us all along. Not so much know every one of these programs inside and out, but more how to use the internet to search for new ideas and expand outside of our little creative boxes and try to find new ways of doing things. I'm glad it took me a whole semester to finally figure that out. Or I could be wrong. Oh well. I get it. HA.

PDP blog #1 Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths- My strengths according to the NET standards are Technology Operations and Concepts, Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum, and Assessment and Evaluation. According to the survey my strengths include: basic knowledge of installing software, accessing programs, adapting technology for students with special needs, using search engines, different tools to use for research, using audio/visual resources like you tube, using email, creating a classroom website, basic editing techniques, using word processing, and spread sheets. Going back to the standards, the first one was technology operations and concepts, I feel that I am strong in this area because I have a basic knowledge of technology. I understand how to turn on and use a computer, a dvd, a powerpoint presentation, overhead projector, etc. I can use all of these in my classroom, some will be more effective than others. As far as teaching, learning, and the curriculum, I feel that I am strong in this area because under point number one that says, can facilitate technology- enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards; I can effectively use programs like powerpoint and various online tools that can teach and keep my students engaged in the learning process. Being able to use word, and excel by teaching the students how to apply this is something that I can do. My last strength would be assessment and evaluation. I am strong in this area because I feel that I can create different ways of using technology to assess my students. For example, creating an online quiz through a google tool and computing the results, I can have them watch a video and submit an online essay, give them a powerpoint activity, etc. There are several ways to assess the students with the use of technology.

Weaknesses- My weaknesses include: Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences, Productivity and Professional Practice, and Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues. According to the survey I score weakly in the areas of: computer terminology, trouble shooting, video conferencing, and graphic organizers. Starting with the standards I feel that I am weak in planning and designing learning environments and experiences, because under the points it lists that being able to design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology- enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse need of learners. I just don't have the experience to score highly in this field. I have only been exposed to a small amount in this area. Through practice and exposure I think that I will improve. The second area I feel weak in would be productivity and professional practice. I need to learn ways that I can engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning. And being able to apply technology to increase productivity. This one I feel as well as the last is due to a lack of experience and I feel that I can improve by experience and exposure. The last area that I feel weak would be social, ethical, legal, and human issues. I don't really understand the standard. I think it is talking about the use of technology as a whole and so I believe that all of the Internet safety, and cyber bullying, and social networking stuff would fall under this category. I am weak because I don't understand this one. I need to research this standard more and become aware and develop an understanding, because I feel it is important.

I feel that my goals need to be material based. I need to work on the technical aspects of technology and not so much the creative side. I can increase my knowledge of hands on technology by watching how to's on you tube and reading manuals on different programs and by attending seminars offered through the schools and privately. There are several ways that I can continue my education in technology and find ways to incorporate it into my classroom.

The end is near

What- We are wrapping up the semester. Not too much longer to go. Basically discussed the remainder of the semester and assignments that we need to finish up.

So-what- Getting excited, I know how my students will feel towards the end of the semester. I know that I will need to keep them focused in order to get quality work out of them.

Now-what- So my goal now is to figure out ways that I will be able to keep them focused. Since I am a PE teacher, I am already thinking up different games and activities that can incorporate the holidays or weather that will be educational and fun and engaging. I've got this!

Picassa

What- This week was interesting. I have previous knowledge of online photo editing software, so I felt confident when I learned that we would be using picassa. It's a very simple tool to use.

So What- Being able to have this software in my classroom can allow me to have students create presentations or learn about different sports by photographing them and then fixing them and putting them in powerpoints.

Now what- I will start brainstorming ideas about how I can use this in my PE classroom.

Internet Safety

When I think about Internet safety, the first thing that comes to mind is pop up blockers. I will admit that I haven't really thought too much about internet safety, especially as far as in my classroom. I have just been on this technology high since the beginning of the semester, and I haven't really put a lot of thought into how I am going to keep my students safe while being able to teach them. Learning about the different types of abuse that students are exposed to on a regular basis is astounding. I am shocked that this is going on. As a teacher I will have to be dilligent in my attempt to keep my students safe from the evils of the internet. I will make sure that as far as any areas of the internet that I use will be a safe environment for my students by monitoring and making sure that the necessary precautions are taken to help keep my students safe. I will not tollerate cyber bullying. I hope to create strong student teacher relationships and I want to be the teacher that if something like that is going on that my students will feel comfortable enough to confide in me so that it can be stopped immediately. Researching out webpages that I want my students to use is going to be very important. I need to make sure that the pages that I want them to utilize are safe, and that the information is correct. When I begin teaching in the schools I will make sure that before I use any technology in my classroom that I will have checked the authenticity and taken the necessary steps to ensure safety for my students.

digital stories cont.

We are still continuing our journey to digital stories. This week we were lucky enough to have an entire class period to pound out ideas and bring our story to life. Digital Stories are a fabulous tool to be able to have access to as a teacher. When Spencer and I started brain storming our ideas for what we could include in our digital story, we found it harder to narrow it down to just one! I can't wait to get an arsenal of digital stories and I want to use them for all my units. Being able to connect with all types of learners is going to be so beneficial to both the students and myself. I think I need to get a mac though! The programs on the mac are so much fun to play with. I need to keep practicing using the knowledge that I have learned so that I will be able to use it when I become a teacher. I can't wait to see our final project. It's going to be awesome.

So confused!

This week was terrible! I am so sad that you are sick Doc Waters! I feel completely lost!!!!! I watched the video and I understand that we are not supposed to bully people on the internet and steal music. But other than that... I am feeling a little lost over here. The sub didn't really make it very clear what exactly we were supposed to be learning and so now I am feeling a little hung out. I guess I can take the good research that we collected as a class and then use it to find our music. Is that what we were supposed to get out of this lesson? I am usually super excited and majorly overwhelmed when I leave class on wednesdays, but to be honest, when I left class today I felt sad and confused. I hope you get feeling better quick and we can continue learning!

Digital Stories take one...

This week was very interesting. Learning about digital stories is awesome!!! I never realized how emotional they could be. How big of an impact they can have on the students, how big of an impact they had on me! I am very excited to start putting this together. Although I am a little weary of my topic, I hope Spencer has some good ideas.. Trying to put this into physical education is challenging. But I know we will pull it together and rock it out! I am toying with the ideas of childhood obesity, or maybe injuries in sports, or nutrition. I am not sure yet, but I will keep brainstorming. I am excited to become competent in learning this tool, so that I can use it to create many exciting videos to use in my classroom to enrich my curriculum and keep my students super engaged! This week I am focusing on the story board. I am very interested in starting my story board, and brainstorming. It's going to be fun can't wait!! more to come next week!

Vidcast Reflection

Stretching

As of the present day there is no core curriculum for physical education in the state of Utah. Therefore we have a lot of freedom in what we get to teach. Which is great for us! The reason behind our choice of vidcast weighs greatly on the fact that most students and people in general lack the knowledge of proper stretching techniques. Our collaborating teacher is very open and gives us a lot of freedom to create what we want! This vidcast will benefit our students greatly because it is fun, exciting and engaging. It is also informational and will provide the students with lifelong knowledge to help them reach and maintain their healthy lifestyle. Our vidcast lives up to the NETS and INTASC standards by inspiring creativity both in watching our vidcast and by thinking of ways they could create something of their own. It also helps students stayed engaged and promotes student learning in a positive classroom environment. It also can help the teacher quickly assess the students by watching them attempt to follow along with video and see if they are understanding the concepts. The only potential drawbacks that I could see by using this vidcast in my future classroom might be if my students are not at a skill level appropriate to do the stretches or if I am in an environment where I won’t have access to video or internet. For example if we are outside. This is only the first episode in a large series of informational vidcasts to come! I want to create these for students in order to keep them engaged, encourage learning and creativity, and to help them reach their physical fitness and health related goals throughout their lifespan.

Intro to vidcast

This weeks blog is going to be pretty short.. but not any less exciting! Learning about vidcasts and all the different tools that we can use to create vidcasts is so exciting. I can't wait to become proficient in all these different programs and implement them in my classroom. I know I say this alot but having all this technology at my finger tips is so amazing.. and the best part about it is that it is all free!!! I love it. I can't wait til tomorrow to start putting our vidcast together and I am so excited to see the end result. I really enjoyed the video posted this week about why we should let students blog. I agree that it can open up the world of learning to a level way beyond the walls of a classroom. Another class down another fabulous thing learned. I can't wait for class!

Thunderstruck!

Nana..nananana..nana.. Thunder!! Oh man was this week so much fun. Learning to make a podcast was out of this world. I am totally sold on a mac too! I want one.. garage band is the coolest tool ever. Spencer and I had way too much fun recording and editing our podcast to make it enjoyable for the class. As this semester continues on I just keep getting more and more excited! Being able to use the things that I have learned so far in my other classes is so fun! Making google docs for group projects has been so convienent for all of us to contribute and finish our work on our own time from our home computers! I love it! The pod cast PSA was really cool and being able to make one for practically every aspect of my content area is so cool. I am totally loving learning in this class, and I can't wait to learn more. I am so excited to put into my classroom and keep the students engaged. I think that it will help my students succeed because I will be able to communicate with them on their level. It's great.

UEN

I do believe that the UEN website will be very helpful to me to use in my future classroom. There are numerous tools that I can use to help my students be engaged in learning and the process. This is a very helpful resource to add to my arsenal of teaching tools. I am going to teach physical education and as everyone knows that is not really everyone's favorite subject. I am only liked by the 10 to 15 percent of kids who are naturally active and coordinated, the rest just want out as fast as they can. If I can use these tools that I have found on UEN to engage the students and help them gain an appreciation or heaven forbid actually like physical activity then I will have succeeded as a teacher.

There are so many different resources included under the UEN umbrella that can be utilized in the classroom. The pioneer library is just one of the many resources that can be used. It offers many different catagories from k-12 to the university level. There are so many different resources like the emedia tool that has hundreds of images and videos to use in your classroom. The soundzabound tool is a wonderful tool that allows teachers to download from a huge library of songs to use in the classroom. The pioneer library also has links to many of Utah's newspapers and hundreds of others.

The interactives tool is awesome! It is a great way to engage students and get them to participate in physical education. There are some really good games that can teach them healthy habits and promote a healthy lifestyle. There aren't too many in my content area but I am confident that as UEN grows they will expand to physical education.

The lesson plans section is so great. To have all of that information available to us at our fingertips already compiled is amazing. It's wonderful to be allowed to view others creative work and bring some of their ideas into your classroom and mix it in with your curriculum. The core curriculum section is also so helpful.

There's a first time for everything

Holy moly.. I think my brain is mush. Learning about google sites has been amazing.. but extremely challenging. I didn't even know these tools were available let along at my fingertips. It has been a challenging and eye opening week for me. I am proud to say now though that I have created a website! How cool is that.. all my life I have just been a dumb jock that is terrible at math and now I can add website creator! woo hoo! Ya ya, it might be just a google site, but I still feel cool. When I finally begin teaching I will be able to use this site in so many ways. It will be like home base for everything! Being able to tap in with my students from wherever is so amazing it still boggles my mind but I am finally getting the big picture here. The video Pay Attention on you tube was so eye opening, to even dream about letting the students use their cellphones is beyond me, but after watching the video, it makes complete sense! Pod casts on their ipods of class work and assignments is just so exciting! I think that being able to use technology to engage my students and help them like the concepts that I am going to teach them will help me teach and instill the values that I want them to learn. Every week I am learning so much more and it's very exciting. But at the same time I also understand that I will always be studying and learning in order to keep up with the technology in order to keep up with my students. I think it will be a fun challenge. Having a class website is so crucial to me as a teacher these days. Being able to connect with my students outside of class is imperative if I want my students to succeed, and having this technology will accomplish this goal. Good week. Learned a lot. Bring it on and hang in there!

Fake it til you make it!

This week was extremely exciting and a bit overwhelming. Learning about all the different parts of the google website was like Christmas! I have had a GMail account for over a year, but that was the extent to my google use. Learning about google docs was so interesting! I had no idea that there was all the different parts in there! I am fascinated with the calendar, I must admit I spent a lot of time playing with the calendar. I also was very intrigued with the sharing part of google docs. The fact that we can share documents through the web and edit them from different computers is so cool! I have been thinking about how I can apply all this new knowledge to physical education. A lot of my teaching is going to be more hands on than in a classroom setting, but I do think I can utilize the calendar to my advantage by keeping the students up to date on assignments and what activities are coming up. It still boggles my mind that technology has advanced this much since I was in high school, and at this rate by the time I am in the classroom in is going to be even more advanced! Honestly I am a bit overwhelmed with all the technology but I think it's only because it's still so new, once I get the hang of it I will be a whiz! I really liked the video on you tube entitled I am what I learn, it was very motivational, and exactly what I needed this week. With all these new classes and this being the first semester in education classes, I have felt that my head has just been spinning. After watching that video and thinking about teaching, and helping students develop an appreciation and hopefully a life long interest in physical education, I feel a lot better and more motivated to work hard and reach my goals. I love to teach young people and I am very passionate about physical activity, now I just have to figure out how to work all this fancy shmancy technology into my classroom.. it will come to me.. fake it til you make it!

My Ideal Classroom

My ideal classroom wouldn't be a classroom at all. I am a PE major and the majority of my time will more than likely be spent in some type of gymnasium. If that gym were my ideal gym it would be big enough to have at least two full size courts maybe three with dividers that can raise and lower. There would be 6 baskets on each court, holes in the floor for volleyball nets, and a huge storage room for all of my equipment. Inside the storage closet I would have ample equipment for each of my students to be able to participate and it would include basketballs, volleyballs, lacrosse sticks, hockey sticks, bats, gloves, softballs, playground balls, cones, Frisbee golf equipment, and everything else that I can imagine. It would be the best storage closet ever, with everything on alphabetized shelves and jump ropes hanging on hooks, and cones stacked nicely on the floor...ahhh... It would be great. On at least one wall in every gym would have a giant eraser board so that if I needed to create a visual cue at any time I would be able too. I also would have a big rock wall on at least one wall with maybe a bouldering wall next to it. I also want a track to run along up above the main gym and it would be a true 400 meter track with 4 lanes. I want interchangeable tiles on the floor so I can switch out hardwood for rubber and be able to practice track events indoors. I also want a foam pit and gymnastic equipment so I can teach balance and simple gymnastic skills.. plus it's so much fun to jump in foam pits! Out one of my exits I want a huge practice field with astro turf, so I can teach outside as well. I want a big storage shed with soccer goals, lacrosse and field hockey goals and everything else that I could possibly need. Yes, I think that would be ideal.