Monitoring my GAME plan

As every teacher knows, we are approaching the end of the school year. I only have 5 more days of teaching this school year. However, I feel I am preparing myself to incorporate my 1st goal (have students blog and reflect about their learning) by collaborating with the other teachers for ideas and cross-curriculum suggestions. For example, one of my fellow classmates at Walden mentioned talking to the math teacher when the students are using their pedometers in class. The math teacher is already excited for this unit, and to view the blogs that the students post about P.E. class and math class. I feel I do not need to modify my action plan, as of now, because I plan to start it in the fall and have received only positive feedback from other teachers who will be involved. I have learned the importance of collaboration even more. Prior to this plan, I usually only collaborated with Physical Education teachers about content in my class. However, after this assignment I have learned new types of strategies to combine content from other subjects with Physical Education. The only new question that has arisen since starting, is what time of the school year do I want to start this plan. As of now, we are thinking of starting in the middle of September, because we can make sure the students understand the routines, rules, and procedures of a normal school day.



My second goal is to expand my knowledge of technology. I plan to attend summer workshops, as well as P.E. workshops in the winter of next year. I feel that I do not need to modify anything at this time, nor do I have any new questions. I have not learned anything yet, because I have not attended the workshops. However, I am excited to gain new knowledge about the technologies offered in my district and in my content.

Carrying out my GAME plan

Since one of my GAME plans focuses on blogging, I will first need to teach my students how to blog and blogging etiquette. In addition, I will help them set up their sites and walk them through the process the first few times. "Web-based communications such as blogs or threaded discussions allow for an added layer of complexity as you, other students, and even the original author can return to a posting and provide critique, clarification, or demonstration of further understanding or skill" (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 146). Also, I will communicate with their teachers to make sure that they understand the skills I am teaching the students, and what study halls the students are allowed to work on their blogs. Collaboration is important to help the students find success and to grow new ideas and strategies together as a staff. For example, in our masters program we are sharing our ideas and collaborating about what might and might not work. The final step in this GAME plan is careful planning when preparing this Unit. I need to make sure that I have signed out the computer lab when needed, and the laptop for my the days I plan on using it in the gymnasium. In addition, I need to meet with the teachers prior to starting the Unit to make sure I am not conflicting with their content and planning. After creating this GAME plan last week, I have already started collaborating with the teachers to set up this Unit plan for the next school year. They are excited to see technology brought into Physical Education.

To meet my second goal, I have signed up for a summer workshop on using the SMARTboard. I am excited to learn how to use this new piece of technology that was put into our school this year. Our school district has placed at least two boards for each grade level in our building.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. (M. Staudt, & M. Stranz, Eds.) Mason, OH, USA: Cengage Learning.

My GAME Plan

Through my masters course at Walden, I have been able to open my eyes to the value of technology in Physical Education. This week, I am focusing on two NETS-T (National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers) Indicators that I feel confident in performing through my teaching.

The first indicator is Standard 2. a. -design and adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. To strengthen my confidence in this standard, I plan to incorporate blogging into my lesson plans, at least once a week. For example, during study hall, after a P.E. class, students will be required to log in and view the two reflective questions posted in my blog. Next, they will answer the questions in their own blog, and then respond to two or more of their classmates posts. I will monitor the progress of these blogs daily, and challenge the students to continue the discussion throughout the week. The next time I see the students in class, I will bring up some of the discussions that I had read on their blogs. To extend my learning, I could bring a laptop into the gymnasium and project the blogs onto the big screen so all the students could view some of the blogs I am discussing in class that day. Or, I could use the laptop and projector screen to help guide the students in strategies to improving their blog discussions. I will evaluate my learning by reflecting on the students blogs to see if they are transferring the information from the classroom into their group discussions. In addition, I will be able to assess if the students understood the content from class more effectively by viewing each students blog.

The second indicator that I want to strengthen my confidence in is Standard 5. d. - contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community. I plan to achieve this goal by attending local workshops, and my Ohio PE conference, both of which will focus on implementing technology into the classroom. In the past, I have not taken the initiative to view the workshops focusing on technology, because I did not see the need for my content. However, this past year, I made technology the focus on all the sessions I attended at my Ohio PE state convention. I learned valuable techniques and tools that I was able to transfer into my daily Physical Education routine. For example, I now have my 5th grade students track their activity time and steps taken through pedometers, which they wear every class. In order to monitor my progress in this standard, I plan to seek out other local workshops that are offered in my district and at neighboring universities. I will be able to evaluate my progress by whether I attend more workshops and implement more technology into my classroom.

References:

ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Reflection Blog

As I reflect on the course, the most striking revelation I have about the new literacy skills is the fact that all of the skills can be taught in a Physical Education class. Throughout my masters, I have noticed that some of the skills do not apply in a P.E. environment. However, the new literacy skills can all be applied in my classroom, which is encouraging to me as an educator. In addition, I was impressed that I already focused on some of the skills in my classroom before I learned what they were called.

This course was exciting and challenging to me because I had to plan a Unit that involved extra P.E. time in a computer lab, but this Unit also help me gain a clear plan on how to execute the idea. I gained the knowledge in the steps needed to mix together technology, new literacy skills, and Physical Education content into a 4-6 week Unit plan. I am excited to try these new strategies with my 5th grade students, and then maybe my 4th grade students. In addition to the new literacy skills, I also feel I gained confidence in my ability to teach the students how to navigate the Internet. Prior to this course, I did not understand the lack of knowledge most students have in identifying urls, educational websites, etc. Now, I believe I have the tools to guide them through the steps needed to succeed navigating the Internet.

One professional goal that I have set for myself, is to attend more technology classes offered in my district. By attending these workshops, I will gain more knowledge about different strategies and ideas of ways to mix technology and Physical Education. In addition, I plan to attend our SmartBoard meetings, so that maybe one day I can apply for a SmartBoard to use in my gymnasium.

I know that this course will improve my teaching, and that my students will benefit from all the new experiences I can now offer them. Throughout my masters experience, I share with the students what I am learning as a student, and difficulties I face as an "adult" student. I feel my class respects my honesty, and ability to understand what it is like studying and writing papers. "Students appreciate it when we present ourselves as lifelong learners rather than all-knowing dispenser of information". (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007).

Eagleton, M. B. & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet Inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Reflection: Final Blog Posting

After reflecting on my "Personal Theory of Learning" that I completed during week 1 of my masters course, I still feel the same about most of the topics mentioned in my application paper. For example, I wrote about using positive praise as a strategy for classroom management, which I read about in our learning resources as a successful tool when used in moderation. In addition, I wrote about creating a safe environment where the students are challenged, but can still find success and enjoyment in their learning. I still utilize this strategy everyday with my all of my classes.

A learning strategy that I will incorporate into my lessons came from week 3, which focused on the "Cognitive Learning Theories". Our learning resources that that we utilized week opened my eyes to the functions of our brain, and the important role teachers have in student learning. Teachers need to understand how to connect the student to the content, so the students can associate the material, and therefore, be able to recall the information at a later time. One technique I am implementing more in my gymnasium is peer teaching. Our resources mention that the more ways that students are exposed to the material (touch, smell, taste, hear, and see), the more likely they are to remember the information. They need to be able to create their own experiences, which is why I also have them peer teach to recall the information learned, and help others associate the content through each other.

Two technology tools that I would like to use with my students are a virtual field trip and blogging. I believe a virtual field trip will help me teach the students the history of sports and expand their learning about sports played around the world. For example, if I lecture to them about Ancient Greek Olympics, they will only remember one or two things I say. However, if I have them take a virtual field trip to Greece and show them pictures of what the events looked like, what the athletes wore, where Greece is located on a map etc., they will be able to have a more memorable experience through the use of multiple senses. Blogging is another technology tool that will allow my students to record their learning experiences, and communicate with each other. I will have the students blog about what they learned in class, and goals for the next lesson. In addition, I will have them blog on each others pages to give one another feedback and offer different insights about the content they are learning in Physical Education class.

Two long-term goal changes I would like to make to my instructional practices are making more time outside of class to incorporate technology, and also to make more time in class to implement new technology strategies, without limiting the students' activity time. My school has two computer labs, so I plan to sign out one of the labs during the students' study hall to allow the students access to a computer for a virtual field trip or blogging. In addition, if a student has a home computer, they can complete their blogging assignment for homework. However, if a student does not have a home computer, they will have free access to the school computer, in order to complete their out-of-class assignment. Besides using the projector for aerobics DVDs, I would like to connect the laptop to the projector and have the students teach the other students through a presentation about different fitness techniques or a dance. When using the laptop, they can create a powerpoint presentation with different pictures of the movements and the critical elements for the movement. This strategy will incorporate technology, teamwork and collaboration, and get the students up and moving.

Voice Thread

Here is the link to my voice thread about classroom space.

https://voicethread.com/#u658269.b786581.i4174532

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

I thought their were numerous instructional strategies from our book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works that correlate with the social learning theory. For example, one strategy mentioned having the students work together in groups to create their own web site. Each student was responsible for a certain job to make sure that the web site was created with as much information about the topic that they could find. Once the web site was completed, the students wrote a letter to the Chamber of Commerce for the city in which they researched to get feedback from the city. I love the different layers of the social learning theory that tie together with this lesson. For example, the students have to collaborate, cooperate, and work together to research and create their web site. Next, they have to collaborate with adults from their city to get feedback about their creation. Finally, the students also receive feedback and a grade from their teacher. When a student takes ownership in their learning, they feel more responsible for making sure that they succeed, and in return, receive enjoyment for their accomplishments.