Allow me to say a bit concerning technology and my experiences with it, as well as my humble road towards my own classroom. The world we live in is increasing rapidly in technology. In fact, computers are quickly becoming a necessity rather than a convenient option for work, education, and pleasure in our society. Being a young man in my twenties, this transition has been easier than for those even ten years my senior because of the computers and tools that were a part of my life from a young age. There are always new things to learn though. I often find myself doing new tasks on the computer and the WWW that I’ve never tried before. The nature of the Internet however, allows me to research and experiment until I can satisfy my need for help with new applications and programs.
I am an undergrad student and will graduate in the spring of 2011. I hope to begin the credential program here at CSUSM in the Fall of next year. I have enjoyed coaching and tutoring students of the junior high and high school age, and am currently an assistant coach at the community college level. I began coaching young children in soccer and baseball when I was in Junior High myself, and really enjoying working with these people. I love being a physical education major, and also plan to be credentialed in science and perhaps mathematics. I’m an employee of the San Marcos Unified school district as an AVID tutor for Woodland Park Middle School, which has been a very rewarding and fun experience for me.
I hope that this class serves as a refresher in applications that I already know, and gives me some ideas on how to use technology in my future classrooms. I believe that computers and the Internet are a great way to ENRICH the normal curriculum and activities in just about any school classroom (including physical education!)
Rob,
ReplyDeleteLet me first say that the layout of your blog is very appealing to the eye. The pictures capture your audience and make you want to read more. I like how each one of your posts asks a question. It makes the blog interactive. I think that I will incorporate this idea into my own page.
In terms of the question above, "How much physical education should be required for k-12 students?" I believe that all students should receive 45 minutes a day of physical activity. To live a healthy lifestyle this is consider a minimum requirement. If students receive this sort of activity daily, our population will be much more fit. I also believe that physical education should cater to a diverse group of students. If the teacher explores many different activities, then students are more likely to find some sort of physical activity that they enjoy.
Great blog so far! Nice job at keeping your audience interested!
I like PE too. But I have to admit that I have not paid enough attention to how technology can be used in K-12 PE classes. I did videotape my son's baseball game this spring. His coaches used the video to find the patterns in kids' batting.
ReplyDeleteThe tile of you blog, Physical Education Topics, in the picture doesn't seem to have enough contrast with the background picture. If you can, you might want to use a different color for the text.
R-J
Brittany: Thanks for participating! I'm actually going to post a thorough discussion of the "How much time" topic this week... would you mind if I copy & paste your comments to that thread? You have great input there!
ReplyDeleteDr Chen: Physical educators who really take their pedagogy seriously would often implement technology such as video into their teaching of the rigorous PE standards. These standards often involve skill acquisition which can be aided in ways much like the video that you took for baseball. The other use of video and other technology often caters towards the promotion of PE programs. As I'm sure you've heard, many PE programs are being cut because of budget and a larger emphasis being placed on academic subjects. The nature of this of course is that testing of math language arts and science skills is a primary focus of educators. So the promotion of the many benefits of physical education by using the very tools we do in this class can significantly affect the wellbeing of any PE program. Making a video to show at faculty meetings; sending a newsletter to family; creating a class blog; these all are significant for the PE teacher if they want to keep their jobs!
The layout of your page is very attractive and interesting to read. I related very well to what you said about middle school students and how long it takes them to transition between classes and dress out for P.E. Most of them don't even shower after! I have noticed over the past few years that elementary classroom teachers seem to be putting more emphasis on P.E. Some school districts are encouraging healthy lifestyles, and the message is trickling down. Some have even changed their cafeteria menus to healthier choices. This is awesome news. My biggest issue with P.E. (beside scheduling time) is what to do? One P.E. teacher I know compiled a binder with different P.E. activities and games and passed one out to each teacher at the school. It was SO helpful! Just when I run out of ideas, I can get out the binder, and we're off having fun and getting exercise! I think it's really important that teachers participate in the activities with the students. It's a good example, good modeling, and a fun way to develop relationships with your students.
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