Final Reflection

Well now that the class is just about over, it is time to reflect upon what has been learned in the past four weeks and where I stand with technology as compared to the beginning of the class. 

I can't say I feel very different about my ability with technology, except that now I have a few more tools in my toolbox. I never really felt incompetent with using computers, I just never really knew what was out there. After learning how to make things like a digital story or non-linear powerpoint, I now feel more confident in using these tools in my classes. I still feel like technology is more difficult to implement in physical education than in some other classes, but I now realize that it is not as difficult as I once thought. 


I do know that it will not be a very easy transition because students are not used to using technology in class and the other teachers in my department do not use it at all. This does not mean that the transition can not happen, but it will take time, and I just need to be patient.

The Computer Delusion

Well my first impression of this article was hoe much I agree with part of the first statement (right under the title). Schools are cutting many programs that truly enrich students' lives. I can't say for sure that they are all doing so to make room for computers in every class though. It seems to me that more emphasis is being put on english and math (at least in Connecticut) due to CAPT testing. Those points are slightly irrelevant though.

The bigger picture here is that for years people have been predicting what new piece of technology is going to come around that will revolutionize education, and erase the blackboard. Last I checked, just about every classroom still has one (or a whiteboard) and it gets used everyday. It seems that all too often, people become so enamored with using the "cool new tech toy" that they choose to use it regardless as to whether or not it will really benefit the students. They want to use it because it looks cool and will make their teaching "cool". It is very similar to an example made in class about students using powerpoint, and getting too caught up in all the different animations and add-on thing to make a presentation with little content seem much better than it really is.

Good teaching is good teaching. If using a smart board with a ton of bells and whistles helps the student's learn, then great. However, lets try not to overcomplicate things and reinvent the wheel. Sometimes a simple class discussion works and time is more efficient if notes are quickly written on a black/whiteboard and all the students write it down. Sometimes classic is really the way to go.

What are the implications of copyright issues for educators?

I think that the biggest impact that copyright issues have on educators is the importance to make students aware of copyright violations. Teachers themselves, should have had enough experience through their own schooling to know better than to post or present some kind of information or media without giving proper credit and/or citation. Students on the other hand, just don't know. We can't get mad, or blame students violations that they do not know about. It is our responsibility to let them know what is and is not acceptable when it comes to copyrighting. The inherent problem there is of course that there is a lot of grey area, especially since we are dealing with educational settings. From the reading we have been provided, it is my understanding that if some piece is used for educational purposes, then it is not a violation to use copyrighted material. I think the easiest way for both teachers and students to get around this is to just give credit for everything. It really isn't that hard to just put a small footnote at the bottom of a picture noting where it came from. 


For me as a physical education teacher, this is and is not a very big issue. It isn't because as I have said earlier, we do not use technology and digital media much at all in the gymnasium. Therefore, the likelihood of coming across copyright problems is not high at all, certainly not nearly as high as an english or history class. It can be important though because for the few times when technology and digital media are used, we do have to make sure that we have everything right. 

UDL Concept Map

Above is the concept map for the UDL Article on Chapters 3 & 4. This was done using bubbl.us. It was a very easy website to use since there was not a great deal of choices in which to make the map. That made is very clear as to how to make new bubbles and arrange them as I needed. The only problem that I had with this was that I could not save a draft while I was working. This would have been nice, because I would have made 2 separate maps for each chapter. As it is here, there is one map, and the information can be a bit overbearing. 

As far as the article goes, I really like 2 of the ideas. The first being the overall philosophy of UDL in that it implies creating a learning environment and curriculum that will reach all students of all learning styles and abilities. We see a lot of this idea when the term differentiation is used, but by comparing it to buildings, it is much easier to see and understand. The other comparison I liked was that between access to information vs access to learning. I think that goes back to the saying "give a man a fish, feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime." We as teachers need to make sure we are allowing students to find the answers for themselves and not just providing information.

eTips Concept Map

Above is my concept map for Sara Dexter's eTips article. As you can see above, the content is broken down into two major sub-categories, Classroom Principles and School Principles. The Classroom Principles are things that teacher do in their own classroom to make sure that they get the most out of the technology being used. They include different assessment tools that can be used by the teacher, differentiation for different learning styles, and added value for the teacher to name a few. The School Principles are the things that are done throughout the school to make sure that everyone benefits from using technology. These include topics such as availability for all students, good support staff, professional development for staff members, time for collaboration and reflection, and technology and instructional domains.

When the teacher all do their individual part within the classroom and the school works as a cohesive unit, then all students will benefit greatly from the use of technology.

Manipulated Image

 

Here is my manipulated image using Picnik. I took our picture from the tableux activity. I put in the title of the story and gave the picture a green faded outline using the Vignette feature under the effects tab. This seems like an interesting way to make simple adjustments to a picture. The website seemed to be very easy to use with the options given.

Content Standard

Fitness
Content Standard 3: Students will use fitness concepts to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness.
	a.     demonstrate the skills, knowledge and desire to monitor and adjust activity levels to meet personal fitness needs
	b.     use the results of fitness assessments to guide changes in personal programs of physical activity
	c.     design a personal health fitness program based on an accurately assessed fitness profile
	d.     attain and maintain appropriate levels of cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition necessary for a healthy lifestyle

I will be focusing on Physical Education's Content Standard 3 this month which focuses on fitness. Some ways that digital imagery can be used would be to create a visual notebook with pictures describing the 5 components of physical fitness. Students could also create a concept map linking the different benefits to various types of exercise. I would love the idea of students creating blogs to be used as exercise journals in which they can comment on what each other is doing. I think that it is a good content standard to use because the skills learned through this standard are things that they will use for the rest of their life, and can be directly applied to whatever their interests are when dealing with fitness. 

Teddy Bears Go Blogging Response

     What I think is amazing here is how far a concept such as pen pals has come. I remember being in elementary school and writing to some random student in another country and by the time I had gotten a response, I forgot what I had wrote and lost the interest in the whole thing anyway. Sherry shows us a very simple way to have almost immediate responses and keep a more realistic dialogue going. The idea of using the teddy bears is great because instead of having the students just list off things about themselves, they can now practice their story telling skills by describing the bears' journeys. By using the internet, students can also easily upload pictures. Now different skills can be practiced and displayed by having one of the blog posts be a pictorial story of where the bear went. I also really like the idea of allowing parents and other classmates to get involved and post comments. By doing this, it becomes more of a social activity and not a writing exercise. As a physical education teacher, I've found that students learn more, put forth more effort, and achieve more when they forget that they are learning and thing they are just playing a game and/or having fun.


     Personally, this is my first experience blogging, so this article has already given me many ideas as what can be done with it. I am curious to see what else can be done that could be useful for my classes. 

Response to Dexter

     I would have to say that all of what Dexter says in this article seems to make a lot of sense. Her guidelines and suggestions are all simple and appropriate for educators. Many of them seem like they would be common sense, such as making sure that the use of technology is conducive with the learning outcomes. It is very easy to see how some teachers could view new technology the same way a young child views a new toy. They want to use it right away no matter what, but in doing this sometimes, the technology being used does not really fit as well as one would hope. As teachers, we need to make sure that the technology we are using is appropriate and keeps us on track to achieve our objectives. The other important point that Dexter makes is that the technology "provides added value". This is similarly important to the previous point in that we need to make sure that we are not using technology just for the sake of using it, but because it can allow us and the students to do more, or better than had we not used it. 


     The one thing that Dexter did make mention of once, which I believe was understated was the fact that many school districts do not have the money to use technology in the vision that she seems to have. Yes, it would be great to have a computer in every classroom for every student, but the reality is that it is just not possible. It is not even possible for some schools to have multiple computer labs with up to date software and effective support services. So, while thinking about some of those "School Level Principles" money more often than not is the limiting factor. 


     All of the suggestions made are good simple ideas and questions that educators should refer back to regularly to make sure that the technology is used in the most appropriate way possible, and that the students are getting the most out of their learning by using it.

2 Pictures of New Puppy

Personal Reflections on Technology

     Being a younger person, I have grown up with computers, so I would say I'm pretty comfortable with most of today's technology. I know that I am not as advanced as most people when it comes to my personal life. I obviously own a computer, which I use for basic everyday use for things like email, internet, and simple stuff. I do have an ipod, which I use all the time, but past that I keep it pretty simple. I do not own, and at this time have no interest in owning a smart phone. I just don't feel like it is something I need and keep a busy enough schedule that I do not need to e checking email and the internet at all points during the day. I have been off Facebook and all other social network sites for a few years now. This is more of a professional matter because I have always felt it to be important for teachers and students to keep the teacher-student relationship at that. Facebook only creates a dangerous path that can jeopardize that relationship.
     
      As far as professionally, I use technology on a very minimal level. As I said before, I know how to use various technology tools, but using them in a physical education setting can often times be somewhat difficult and even counterproductive. Our main goal in phys. ed is to get students moving as much as possible. Taking class time to sit at a computer to upload pictures and do other things takes away from that. Having said that, after now seeing how easy it is to set up a blog, it would be great to be able to have students set up blogs to keep exercise journals and do things like that. I am curious to see what other things can be done that would be a simple and fast thing that students can do that would apply to physical education. Since I do feel very comfortable using computers and technology, I don't think that there will be any great difficulty trying to implement some of these things. 


     I think that other than having some difficulty implementing certain aspects of technology into a physical education setting, I do not really have any great concerns for this course. As I said earlier, I am looking forward to seeing what other possibilities there are for implementing technology into my classes.

My First Blog Post

This is my first blog post.