After reading Kyle's post I found even more new ways technology can be helpful in the classroom, especially in PE and health. Kyle brought up the problem of obesity in children and incorporating video games into physical fitness. The video game Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) would be a good way to get kids moving, active, and still do something they like. I have played that game and I was sweating like crazy after I was done. I would also use the website gsn.org to find out current world issues and present them in a way they relate to the material. It is always good to be up to date on current issues because students need to be able to relate what they are learning to things happening in the world around them.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Emerging Technologies Reviews
After reviewing Steve's post I found a few new technologies that can be helpful in the classroom. One that popped out to me was the Google Custom Search Engine. This technological innovation saves webpages that can be useful in the classroom and can be involved in everyday curriculum. I would definitely use this tool to save current information relevant to topics I would be teaching. I also liked the micosoft roundtable feature which allows teachers to view the entire classroom and improve distance education. I would use this piece of technology for distance conferences to show what other students are learning around the world.
Are You Ready for Distance Education?
Pros:
1. Students get their own laptop to use.
2. Students are able to do class work on their own time.
3. Students that are depended upon to provide for their families can work and get an education at the same time.
4. There are many courses to choose from.
5. All materials such as textbooks and software come with enrollment in courses.
Cons:
1. Students don’t get the face-to-face contact with teachers.
2. Students don’t get different teaching strategies like a normal classroom.
3. Students don’t get the interaction and differing opinions of classmates.
4. Students need to have the self-motivation and responsibility to be successful in these programs.
5. Students don’t get the everyday social life of a normal high school student.
It would be hard to determine whether students are ready and motivated to participate in the class. One way might be to hold an online collaboration discussion or set up a time to meet online and find out a little about each student enrolled in the class.
To teach in a virtual school you would obviously have to have access to a computer and the internet. Also you would need to have the ability to set up the software and use it. You would need to find some creative ways to teach information and give assignments in order for the students to get as much as possible out of the class.
1. Students get their own laptop to use.
2. Students are able to do class work on their own time.
3. Students that are depended upon to provide for their families can work and get an education at the same time.
4. There are many courses to choose from.
5. All materials such as textbooks and software come with enrollment in courses.
Cons:
1. Students don’t get the face-to-face contact with teachers.
2. Students don’t get different teaching strategies like a normal classroom.
3. Students don’t get the interaction and differing opinions of classmates.
4. Students need to have the self-motivation and responsibility to be successful in these programs.
5. Students don’t get the everyday social life of a normal high school student.
It would be hard to determine whether students are ready and motivated to participate in the class. One way might be to hold an online collaboration discussion or set up a time to meet online and find out a little about each student enrolled in the class.
To teach in a virtual school you would obviously have to have access to a computer and the internet. Also you would need to have the ability to set up the software and use it. You would need to find some creative ways to teach information and give assignments in order for the students to get as much as possible out of the class.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Emerging Technologies Project
Technology is becoming a bigger part of education more than ever. The Apple website has many different ways in which to incorporate technology into the classroom. A program that I found intriguing on the website was the 1 to 1 program. The 1 to 1 program allows students to have full accessibility to a laptop or notebook computer. The 24 hour, 7 day a week access allows students to have more academic freedom.
The 1 to 1 program is seen by local districts as a way for technology to improve students’ academic achievement and also get them acquainted with technological resources. Not only can it help improve student academic achievement, but it can also enhance teacher instruction. This would be a really cool program to implement in the classroom because every student would have a notebook computer and could follow along with you as you guide them to different and relevant things on the internet. I would totally take advantage of this program because I think it would be a good motivation for students to come to class and engage in classroom activities. The only downfall I see of this program is the possibility of broken equipment.
Another emerging technology is the rise of blog sites. One of the main blog sites that are used is blogger. Blogs are a way for students and teachers to share work and communicate. Teachers can also make personal blogs for the students that are used only for the class. On blogger, students can create their own profile with pictures and a description of themselves.
More blogger information can be found on blogger.com and the Google website. More information might also be attained from students or teachers who have experience using it. Blogger can impact teaching and preparation by being able to send out posts with assignments and announcements. It is also a good place for students to post work so you are not carrying loads of papers all the time. I see students really liking blogger because it allows them to post assignments the night before and not risk losing the hard copy during the next day before they get to class.
The Google labs website is also an emerging technology that can be used for many different classroom settings. The Google labs feature is a place where a teacher can create a class webpage find current up to date music create a reader to keep track of websites, and create a notebook to hold on to clips and other materials you have found on the web. I see Google labs as being a good place for teachers to find new innovative ideas on the web and create a place to keep track of all of it. This website also has a search for videos, which is good for teachers to show different examples of certain things in the classroom. For example, in Health class you could find a video on the blood circulation through the heart to give students a more visual interactive example of the concepts.
I can see this website impacting my teaching because there are many resources such as Google video, Google webpage maker, and Google reader that can help make my class more interesting. I would really pay a lot of attention to the webpage maker in order to create a place where students can go when they are not in the classroom. This can be useful for students as well because they can use the Google notebook to hold on to things they find on the internet that they feel is relevant to the class and can help enhance their learning. Students can also use this website to join discussion groups they are interested in. Teachers who provide a class discussion board can get students interacting with each other and learning from each other.
The 1 to 1 program is seen by local districts as a way for technology to improve students’ academic achievement and also get them acquainted with technological resources. Not only can it help improve student academic achievement, but it can also enhance teacher instruction. This would be a really cool program to implement in the classroom because every student would have a notebook computer and could follow along with you as you guide them to different and relevant things on the internet. I would totally take advantage of this program because I think it would be a good motivation for students to come to class and engage in classroom activities. The only downfall I see of this program is the possibility of broken equipment.
Another emerging technology is the rise of blog sites. One of the main blog sites that are used is blogger. Blogs are a way for students and teachers to share work and communicate. Teachers can also make personal blogs for the students that are used only for the class. On blogger, students can create their own profile with pictures and a description of themselves.
More blogger information can be found on blogger.com and the Google website. More information might also be attained from students or teachers who have experience using it. Blogger can impact teaching and preparation by being able to send out posts with assignments and announcements. It is also a good place for students to post work so you are not carrying loads of papers all the time. I see students really liking blogger because it allows them to post assignments the night before and not risk losing the hard copy during the next day before they get to class.
The Google labs website is also an emerging technology that can be used for many different classroom settings. The Google labs feature is a place where a teacher can create a class webpage find current up to date music create a reader to keep track of websites, and create a notebook to hold on to clips and other materials you have found on the web. I see Google labs as being a good place for teachers to find new innovative ideas on the web and create a place to keep track of all of it. This website also has a search for videos, which is good for teachers to show different examples of certain things in the classroom. For example, in Health class you could find a video on the blood circulation through the heart to give students a more visual interactive example of the concepts.
I can see this website impacting my teaching because there are many resources such as Google video, Google webpage maker, and Google reader that can help make my class more interesting. I would really pay a lot of attention to the webpage maker in order to create a place where students can go when they are not in the classroom. This can be useful for students as well because they can use the Google notebook to hold on to things they find on the internet that they feel is relevant to the class and can help enhance their learning. Students can also use this website to join discussion groups they are interested in. Teachers who provide a class discussion board can get students interacting with each other and learning from each other.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Teacher Web Reviews
Steve Rinard -
I like the teacherweb. Especially the icons for each folder. The computer surfing is the best for the web 2.0 links page. The about me page is cool too, I didn't realize he is married. I really am not a fan of the project reflection because I don't like math and the questions were a bit wordy. The review quiz is a little weird as well because in order to answer a few questions you would have to have been on who wants to be a millionaire or something. I am also very disappointed that there is no class on veteran's day. I love November 12th!
I like the teacherweb. Especially the icons for each folder. The computer surfing is the best for the web 2.0 links page. The about me page is cool too, I didn't realize he is married. I really am not a fan of the project reflection because I don't like math and the questions were a bit wordy. The review quiz is a little weird as well because in order to answer a few questions you would have to have been on who wants to be a millionaire or something. I am also very disappointed that there is no class on veteran's day. I love November 12th!
Teacher Web Reviews
Kyle Hoffman -
I liked the teacher web. It is very colorful and looks like a place that students would feel comfortable going to and looking for class information. I liked the web resources. There are a lot of web sites that can be useful for students. Especially ESPN, I love that site man. I also, enjoyed his about me page because it really gave me a sense of who he is and where he comes from. I thought the review quiz might be a little challenging for some students at a high school level, but I was able to answer most of the questions because I am in the field. I also didn't really like the black background color because it was kind of hard to see some of the other icons. Overall, I like the teacherweb and think could come in handy later down the line.
I liked the teacher web. It is very colorful and looks like a place that students would feel comfortable going to and looking for class information. I liked the web resources. There are a lot of web sites that can be useful for students. Especially ESPN, I love that site man. I also, enjoyed his about me page because it really gave me a sense of who he is and where he comes from. I thought the review quiz might be a little challenging for some students at a high school level, but I was able to answer most of the questions because I am in the field. I also didn't really like the black background color because it was kind of hard to see some of the other icons. Overall, I like the teacherweb and think could come in handy later down the line.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Engaging Students with Concept Mapping
1. Using concept mapping activities to engage students in their gives students a different variety or way the content or information is presented. When introducing or teaching the content on the central nervous system is a good way to use the concept mapping idea. It can show how the different parts of the system are interrelated, such as the limbic system and the basal nuclei. Another example of this could be to use in weight training when teaching students the different muscle groups and show how they all work together to perform a movement.
2. The concept mapping strategy changes the way the information is presented first off. It also gets away from the traditional lecture notes style, where the notes are written out. Concept mapping can help demonstrate how some subjects are interrelated and connect to each other. The concept mapping method can show links between two things better than traditional notes. Also, the ability to use icons or images to represent some the topics in the content can show a link to the real world or give students an idea how the subject applies to their everyday lives. I plan on using this method quite frequently to give students a visual aid for all those visual learners out there.
2. The concept mapping strategy changes the way the information is presented first off. It also gets away from the traditional lecture notes style, where the notes are written out. Concept mapping can help demonstrate how some subjects are interrelated and connect to each other. The concept mapping method can show links between two things better than traditional notes. Also, the ability to use icons or images to represent some the topics in the content can show a link to the real world or give students an idea how the subject applies to their everyday lives. I plan on using this method quite frequently to give students a visual aid for all those visual learners out there.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Concept Mapping Summary
Concept mapping is a great way to link things in many classrooms and subjects. Concept mapping can help students see how what they are learning can be closely linked to what they already know. This can also be a great tool for visual concrete learners who need to see things written or laid out for them. Concept mapping can also help organize information trying to be learned or taught. The organization of information is very easy to read and difficult to follow with concept mapping. Being able to integrate new information verbally and visually makes it easier for students to learn. I personally feel that concept mapping can be best utilized in history, English, and science. In physical education, it is hard to use webs and concept maps during class because of the lack of classroom resources, such as a white board. In the Health and Fitness world, the main place concept mapping and webs would be used is in the Health classes.
Concept mapping is a great way to link things in many classrooms and subjects. Concept mapping can help students see how what they are learning can be closely linked to what they already know. This can also be a great tool for visual concrete learners who need to see things written or laid out for them. Concept mapping can also help organize information trying to be learned or taught. The organization of information is very easy to read and difficult to follow with concept mapping. Being able to integrate new information verbally and visually makes it easier for students to learn. I personally feel that concept mapping can be best utilized in history, English, and science. In physical education, it is hard to use webs and concept maps during class because of the lack of classroom resources, such as a white board. In the Health and Fitness world, the main place concept mapping and webs would be used is in the Health classes.
You could probably use concept mapping in physical education to link the history and technique of a certain sport. Being able to link where a sport was originated from and how the technical skills came about can help students get an idea of the sport they are about to learn. Concept maps can also serve as a good tool to integrate other subjects, such as history into the physical education field. Concept mapping and webs can be a good introduction to an activity or sport, but can also take time away from actually teaching the skills, techniques, and movements of a sport.
In a physical education class beginning a basketball unit, using concept mapping can be a good way to introduce the sport. You could brainstorm or make a list of what students already know about the sport. I can almost bet you would get a comments or ideas about Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. Having those names brought up in a concept map or web can help introduce and trace back into the basketball past. You could link those names to early players and styles of the game and analyze how the game has changed and progressed. You could also create a link between the equipment used now and in the past. In the past, Dr. James Naismith invented the game to help football players with foot work and agility. The equipment used back then was a peach basket and a soccer-like ball. Compared to now, the equipment has changed due to technology. The basket has a fiber-glass backboard and breakaway rims. Being able to see the connection and origin of the sport can give students a better understanding of the sports culture, techniques, and key contributors.
Concept mapping can be more effectively used in a health class than in a PE class. In a health class concept mapping can used to explore the problem of obesity. You could make a concept map with a first column that is for what the students already know about obesity. And then provide a second column for questions that need to be answered that can help learn about obesity. Then, you could have bubbles or clouds that link the information students already know to new information, such demographics, statistics, and risk factors.
Using concept or idea mapping to explore family and social health can also be affective in a health classroom. You could again start by brainstorming what the students already know. Then have students brainstorm questions that might help them answer what they came up with in the brainstorming section of the map. You could then make one big stress cloud and show how everything they came up and new content presented is in some way related to family, friends, and communication aspects of health. You could then have students use what they’ve learned in the concept mapping part of class and have them act out skits or role play ways to reduce stress and improve communication skills.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Blogs in Education
1. I used Google, Yahoo, and Ask Jeeves as my three search engines. I found almost identical results from Google and Yahoo. Both search engines gave links to specific blogs. All the search engines provided links to blog sites where you can create your own blog. Ask Jeeves provided links to websites that gave information about technology in education and how to create a blog. Google was the search engine that provided the most variety of links from how to create a blog, specific blogs, blogs in education, and the most popular blogs on the web. Ask Jeeves had a few links to websites that provided information about technology in education.
2. One innovative way blogs are being used in K-12 classrooms is by having online conferences between classes. Allows classes in different states or countries can get together and share research or current events happening at their schools or nearby communities. This was done on the weblogg-ed website. Schools can use educational blogs to post announcements, class notes and material, and community events and opportunities. This was done on the Meriwether Lewis Elementary website. You could have students create blog accounts where they can keep a daily journal or even post pictures and other work done in the class. This can be done at the edublogs website.
3. I discovered that an RSS reader is a web feed that is used to frequently update blogs, podcasts, and news headlines. An aggregator is just the web application or software that takes content from the web, such as news, podcasts, and blogs, and puts them in a single location for easier viewing. From what it sounds like to me, the RSS reader is the part that updates the blogs and the aggregator is a web application needed to view everything on a single computer. I am not sure which one I would use. I am leaning more towards the aggregator because it goes out and checks for updates and then sends them back to the feed for viewing. You could use this in the classroom by having a blog site just pertaining to the class. You could put podcasts of lectures on there, allowing students to download to their iPods or computer. That would be a good way for students to get information they missed in class if they were gone. You could also use this as an update source for current events and how they apply to the content of the class.
4. Technology in general is becoming a prominent part of education more than ever. Blogging can really enhance the learning of the students. It can provide them with information they didn’t know was out there. Like mentioned earlier, the ability to have online conferences with other classes and students from different countries and states can really benefit student learning. If the conference pertains directly to the content of the class the students can get a feel first hand of what is happening in other parts of the world from a very real perspective. I feel the same way about aggregators because the students need to have information and the resources to current issues happening in the world. The best way to relay content and make relevant to the students lives is to relate it to real world current issues.
5. One pro of using blogs is that they can bring the outside world into the classroom. Another pro is that it is a different way to teach content. It’s not the conventional lecture or teacher centered learning. One con of using blogs and aggregators is that not everyone has a computer. Students can go to places like the library to get access, but some real world situations and issues may not allow that. Another con is that if used too much the blogs and other technological engines might be a new form of lecture. Students need to have a variety in learning and need to get out of the classroom at times. Being a PE major, I think technology in the classroom is key because there are many things on the web that can enhance students learning. Especially in health because you can find images and 3-D models that can be incorporated into anatomical and physiological units.
2. One innovative way blogs are being used in K-12 classrooms is by having online conferences between classes. Allows classes in different states or countries can get together and share research or current events happening at their schools or nearby communities. This was done on the weblogg-ed website. Schools can use educational blogs to post announcements, class notes and material, and community events and opportunities. This was done on the Meriwether Lewis Elementary website. You could have students create blog accounts where they can keep a daily journal or even post pictures and other work done in the class. This can be done at the edublogs website.
3. I discovered that an RSS reader is a web feed that is used to frequently update blogs, podcasts, and news headlines. An aggregator is just the web application or software that takes content from the web, such as news, podcasts, and blogs, and puts them in a single location for easier viewing. From what it sounds like to me, the RSS reader is the part that updates the blogs and the aggregator is a web application needed to view everything on a single computer. I am not sure which one I would use. I am leaning more towards the aggregator because it goes out and checks for updates and then sends them back to the feed for viewing. You could use this in the classroom by having a blog site just pertaining to the class. You could put podcasts of lectures on there, allowing students to download to their iPods or computer. That would be a good way for students to get information they missed in class if they were gone. You could also use this as an update source for current events and how they apply to the content of the class.
4. Technology in general is becoming a prominent part of education more than ever. Blogging can really enhance the learning of the students. It can provide them with information they didn’t know was out there. Like mentioned earlier, the ability to have online conferences with other classes and students from different countries and states can really benefit student learning. If the conference pertains directly to the content of the class the students can get a feel first hand of what is happening in other parts of the world from a very real perspective. I feel the same way about aggregators because the students need to have information and the resources to current issues happening in the world. The best way to relay content and make relevant to the students lives is to relate it to real world current issues.
5. One pro of using blogs is that they can bring the outside world into the classroom. Another pro is that it is a different way to teach content. It’s not the conventional lecture or teacher centered learning. One con of using blogs and aggregators is that not everyone has a computer. Students can go to places like the library to get access, but some real world situations and issues may not allow that. Another con is that if used too much the blogs and other technological engines might be a new form of lecture. Students need to have a variety in learning and need to get out of the classroom at times. Being a PE major, I think technology in the classroom is key because there are many things on the web that can enhance students learning. Especially in health because you can find images and 3-D models that can be incorporated into anatomical and physiological units.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
First Day
Today we all introduced ourselves in TL 466 class. It was amazing. The syllabus looked like a novel. I can't wait to start learning about photoshop and other awesome programs that I can integrate into my future teaching curriculums.
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHmazing!
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHmazing!
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