End of Semester Reflection

The final day of classes has come and passed.  I am on to the next step of my education and one step closer to achieving my dream of becoming a teacher.  This semester has brought me so many lessons and will surely help me become the great teacher I someday hope to be.  One of the most important things that I have learned this semester is the implementation of technology in the classroom.  In the video by ASCD Express in the link below, they talk about the importance of innovation and collaboration in the classroom to help students connect to the world around them.  I believe this is very important, giving students the skills and opportunities to collaborate with others and be apart of something bigger than just a simple assignment.  It is important to give these students collaborative opportunities, first with their peers and friends and then to others outside the classroom walls and the ability to eventually be a global collaborator.  This gives the students the sense of ownership and pride of their school work that they might not get with a basic assignment.

It is extremely important to be a lifelong learner and demonstrate that to our students.  The classroom and more specifically the technology in our classroom has changed drastically in the past twenty years.  What does that say about what the classroom will be like for me in my 35 to 40 year teaching career?  It will change drastically and if I don't keep up with the change I will be left behind.  Using twitter is a great tool to constantly be learning new things and staying ahead of the curve. In the link below by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, they outline 25 ways twitter can help you in your teaching and is a great resource to help a teacher who doesn't understand why they should use twitter.  It is extremely important today for teachers to be connected and collaborate and learn from each other if we are going to continue to provide great learning for our students.

In conclusion, this semester has been another big step in my journey to becoming a great teacher.  Next semester will provide new learning and challenges that will push me forward. I am excited and eager to take on these upcoming challenges and look forward to the learning that will occur to help me become a great teacher.

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/507-video.aspx

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/06/25-ways-twitter-can-help-you-in-your.html

Waterhen Experience

Recently I had the opportunity to teach teacher up in Waterhen how to use Nearpod in their classrooms.  This was quite the experience to say the least.  The teachers were extremely receptive to our presence and were eager to learn.  I taught on Nearpod which is an interactive presentation tool that the students follow along and participate in the presentation with the teacher.  I was quite intimidated teaching to these teacher because I was teaching to teachers who have much more experience then I do and I did not know how they were going to react to the application.  It turns out most of the teacher found the presentation quite informative and they asked me a lot of questions.  When a lot of questions are being asked it can fell overwhelming at times but I was able to stay calm and handle it with the help of my fellow teacher candidate Ward.  Overall it was an extremely valuable experience going somewhere I have never been and teaching a tool that I have learned  It will be an experience I won't soon forget.

Horizon Report

The horizon report outlines current trends within the classroom and futures trends in the educational system.  One of these trends involve adopting technology to rethink how schools work.  The traditional approach is having a teacher at the front of the classroom teaching lessons to the students as they take notes with a test at the end of the unit to gauge how much information was absorbed.  The new approach involves a focus on project-based learning and collaborative efforts among students.  This approach feels second nature to students as they already feel comfortable communicating through a computer or device, therefore collaboration feels natural.  Unfortunately, this approach is not accepted throughout all schools as many divisions have collaborative applications such as Google Drive blocked from the students.  Blocking these collaborative applications is crippling a students ability to work with students and learn through a collaborative effort.  It is important for us as educators to take the next step in our teaching and provide an innovative and engaging learning environment for our future students.  As a teacher candidate with experience learning and teaching in this type of environment, administrators are going to look to follow this bucking trend and look for teachers who are willing and able to implement this teaching practice.  The future is bright and exciting for future teachers who are willing to change and improve the current education system

Source:

Horizon Report - 2014 K-12 Edition

Link:

http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2014-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

Live streaming

Live streaming can be a very powerful tool to use in a classroom.  It allows students who are unable to attend a class, able to tune in to the class from the comfort of their homes.  This is ideal for a school division such as Frontier School Division because it is not always possible for students to attend class.  These student will now be able to view the class through the live stream and also ask questions throughout the stream.  Live streaming presentations from conferences and other events around the world would be extremely valuable as you can attend a conference without having to travel halfway across the world.   Dr. Joe Mazza (2014) believes live streaming should be used more frequently within the schools.  One elementary school live streams their school events and meetings for anybody who is unable to make it to the school.  Live streaming can be powerful and useful in a school setting if implemented properly.

Source:

Mazza, J. (2014, April 13). Live Stream School Events to Boost Community Outreach. Retrieved September 18, 2014.

Link:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/live-streaming-schools-joe-mazza

Ubersense

Ubersense is a powerful app that teachers and coaches can use to enhance their student and student athletes learning.  It is a tool that provides instant feedback that can be used to visualize what has just been done and they can see what they can do to improve.  The strength of Ubersense is its ability to compare two similar videos.  You are able to place to videos side by side and time them so the action taking place occurs at the same time.  You are able to also slow the videos down as well.  These comparison and slow down features are perfect for breaking down an athletes mechanics and help teach them on what can be improved.  Ubersense can also be used in the classroom.  For example, in a chemistry class comparing the reactions of two different experiments. Pedicini (2014) breaks down three ways a coach can use this application.

1.  Instant replay

2. Post-practice feedback

3. Film and review entire practice

These are just a few ways you can implement Ubersense into your teaching environment. There are many more.  Leave a comment below on how you implement Ubersense in your teachings.

Link:

http://blog.ubersense.com/2014/08/20/3-ways-coaches-use-video-during-practice/

Source:

Pedicini, A. (2014, August 20). 3 Ways Coaches Use Video During Practice. Retrieved September 13, 2014.

Blog #1

Following ISTE's standards into your classroom is a very important way to ensure your students have the best learning environment.  Juniu (2011) has a great article on the infusion of technology into the physical education classroom.  A great quote he uses right at the beginning is "Choose your technology to aid your teaching, rather than designing your lesson to fit the available technology."  This fits into ISTE's standards perfectly in both the "Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments" and "Model digital age work and learning" as you are implementing technology as you see fit.

The other two facets of ISTE's standards that can easily implemented into the curriculum include "Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity" and "Engage in professional growth
and leadership."  These are two very important standards as it is something that I believe is important in a physical education classroom.  Inspiring students to learn to become active and stay active throughout their lives. An important way to inspire yourself to stay active is being creative with your activities.  Simply going to the gym to workout becomes monotonous and will burn a person out.  Varying your activities helps you to stay active.  Engaging in professional growth is very important as it helps a student take the next level in their fitness.  Leadership is a big part of physical fitness and athletics in general.  Developing leaders is something that is not developed enough in schools today.

In conclusion, following ISTE's standards would vastly improve learning if fully implemented into the physical education curriculum.

Reference

Susana Juniu (2011): Pedagogical Uses of Technology in Physical Education, Journal of Physical
Education, Recreation & Dance, 82:9, 41-49

Link:  http://petechnologypet673.wikispaces.com/file/view/Juniu(2011)TrainingPreservicePETE+to+Use+Tech.pdf