End of the Semester Reflection

After being in this class I can now see how big of a part technology plays in education; it is a key component in every classroom even physical education. By the time I have a classroom of my own I know that technology will be completely different then what it is right now but now I feel like I am prepared for everything that technology is going to through at me. I know that it will take time for me use technology well in the classroom but learning along the way is what teaching is all about. Although this class has not taught me everything there is to know about technology I do believe that now I am more proficient with technology.
When looking at the NETS I realized that I have grown in all areas with technology coming into the year I did not like the way that technology was being used in the classroom, but now I see how important it is in student learning. I feel like I have grown the most in NETS 2 for teachers, Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, I have used blogging to help me become more familiar with this process. The blogs that I created have shown me how I can use technology to not only distribute assignments but also stay in contact with students and their parents/guardians. After this class I now feel like I will be able to use technology to create a positive learning experience for students.

Week 14

There are many ways that I now plan to use technology in my class room that I would have never thought of. The three main programs I would use are word, excel, and powerpoint. All three of these things can be very helpful in student learning. The first program that I would use would be word, I would use this for students to report on many class projects. Word would also play a role with how I would use excel, these two programs would work together because after creating a graph in excel I would have them post that graph on a word document and make comments about they graph. The third and final program that I would use would be powerpoint, this is a helpful tool for students to use when doing presentations. It allows for students to use creativity and show their understanding for the topic. All of these programs will be helpful as a teacher because they are all ways for the students to show their understanding in different ways, as a teacher these three programs will play a vital role in my classroom.

Technology Project Plan: Part Two

Technology Project

Things that I used to create my Technology Plan:
Blogspot: I created a new blog that was addressed to my students and their parents/guardians. Throughout this process I learned how to personalize my blog, and create a blog that looked more professional. I also was able to improve my understanding on how to post and link different things to my blog.
YouTube: I used YouTube to find videos that I could link on my blog although I was familiar with YouTube before this project I did not know that all of the videos on their could just be posted to your blog very easily.
Wrodle: I also used wordle because I believe it is one of the easiest and fun ways for kids to show that they understand what is going on in class or just to familiarize them with terms in the class. This project showed me that wordle can be used and posted online very easily. 
Picasa: This was a program that I was completely unfamiliar with before this project; I now know how to use a picture website to create collages of what is going on in the classroom. For this blog I used pictures from this past basketball season because I did not actually have a class. Another thing that I learned with this program was how to save things online so I could later upload them to my blog.

Issues:
While I was creating my blog I came across many problems although I already knew how to create a blog I did not know how to personalize it and make it look presentable. I learned a lot of new things by just looking around at my blog to see all the different options that were available. Another problem I had was figuring out how to save a Picasa image in a place where I could post it online. I was able to solve this with help from friends and also experimenting with online sites that we had looked at in class.

Meaning Of Project:
After creating this project I can see how it can help in the classroom. The major thing that I would use my blog for would be communication between students, teacher, and parents/guardians. I think that this blog would help me as a teacher because it can be used as direct contact to parents/guardians and also to post assignments for students. Another helpful thing that this blog would do is eliminate students excuses on losing homework assignments. Everything they need to be successful in the class would be posted on the blog.

NETS For Teachers:
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments:
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S.

5.  Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.

NETS For Students:
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

Comments on Classmates Blog

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Reflection #12

In class today I was again reminded of how technology plays a role in every class that I am in. The school internet was down for a majority of my class which caused major issues because I was not able to get on to see the notes for the class. This affected how productive the class was for me because I was more concerned with getting my computer working then what was going on in class. After missing a whole day of notes I can see how important technology has become in my schooling and will use this as a teacher because I know that the further we go in life the more students will be interested in technology.

Reflection #11

The other day my little cousin showed me just how important that technology is going to be in the future. It did not have to do so much with school as mush as it did with technology, I was having trouble with my phone because I did not know how to make it do everything that it could. My little cousin told me to let her see it and the next thing I knew she had my phone doing things that I didn't even know existed. I thought this was crazy because she has never had a cell phone but yet she knows everything about them and how to get them to do everything they are capable of. It will be interesting to see where education will go with technology.

Reflection #10

As the year is coming to an end I once again am seeing how technology is useful in education. As I am trying to get ahead of schedule so I am not rushed at the end of the year I am finding the teachers that have posted syllabus online are helping me getting ahead of schedule. On the other hand those teachers that have not posted online syllabuses are creating not only a difficult time for me but themselves because many of the questions their students are asking in class would be eliminated if the students were able to accesses an online syllabus. As a teacher I will make sure to post all of assignments up for students to see because I now know how helpful it is to not only the students but the teachers as well.  

Reflection 9

On our vist to Eastside Prep I was able to see how technology in the classroom is suppose to be used. One thing that I found really interesting was how he was able to create all the stuff himself, I think this worked well because it was input from the teachers and after all the teachers are the ones that know what they will use and what they won't. I liked how they used the same program to control everything; this made the teachers job easier which would be very helpful. I like how they also had ways to check up on kids when ever they wanted. I can see how this would be very helpful in making your school the successful. Eastside Prep was a eye opening experience for me it was a look at new technology and it showed me how good technology can really make the difference in your classroom.

Reflection #8

This week I have seen how technology can enhance a students learning. On the local news I saw a video that was being viewed all around the world in classrooms of a eagles nest. This gave the students a first hand look at what really went on and got them all interested in the study of life. This video showed me that with technology kids are not going to be limited in their experiences, things such as watching a eagles nest are now everyday opportunities for students while just five years ago they were things that students could only dream of. 

Reflection 7

I saw today how technology can be used to yet again in the classroom. When I posted on Mrs. Yollis blog I go a response from two of the class members. It was amazing to me how easy it was to see that one little comment had them interested in talking to me. To me this showed me that students eat up every chance they get to use technology. I found this helpful to me because I can see how a successful classroom blog can only better a students learning experience.

Tool Box

Rich's Toolbox

Mrs. Yollis Post

Post on Mrs. Yollis Blog

"Three Questions"

There are many things that I have questions about involving how I as a teacher will be able to help my studetns to the best that they can in my classroom. Three of my questions are:

AS a teacher how do I get everyone involved in physical education when physical education is being looked at as a useless subject?

How do I use technology in a physical education class?

What are some of the best ways that you have learned to deal with behavior problems?

"Caught On Video"

After reading this article i can see how important it is to have the ability to show people what you are talking about. This is important in the classroom because the students can see what you want as a teacher. Another important thing is that students will be able to use this technology to help them get involved in class. This is important because it gets all the kids involved because they are all interested in technology.

Technology Project Plan

For my technology project I am going to create a blog and use an online websites such as Wordle and Youtube to post online assignments for students to follow. I will also show students what I am expecting of some of their assignments by uploading viedos of what is required. This blog will also help me communicate with parents and show them what is going on in class.

Technology Literacy

Article Link
The article that I read was a study done on how productive it is to have technology in a physical education class, this article strictly looks at podcasting. The study was done with a group of postgraduate physical eduction teacher education (PETE). This study showed if Physical Education should take the leap into the technological world even though technology and physical activity don't exactly fit together like a perfect puzzle. The main question for the research was, "How can technological advances be achieved without compromising the key domains of fitness, performance, and sport?" To expand on this the researchers wanted to "explore and evaluate the social, emotional and pedagogical efficiency of podcasting as a potential enhancement for PE in teacher education."
Through the study they found that podcasting can be beneficial in physical education classes when it is used with students who are older and are interested in the learning; so just like most things in education when the student dedicates him/herself to the learning then it is beneficial. Although this study was done with postgraduate students I think this is an eye opener to all physical education teachers because this is proof that technology can play some role in their classroom. I liked this article because it answered my questions about implementing technology in a physical education class. After reading this article I see many ways that I can use technology in my class room one being podcasting and how this will keep the interest of the 21st century learners.

NETS For Teachers: 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face virtual environments. (Three ways I will work on this NET this year are becoming familiar with more tools to help me create useful teaching guides. Second I will understand all the tools so I can explain them successfully to my students. Third I will use many different systems through out the year so the students will have to adjust and learn new ways of using technology.)

NETS For Students: 2. Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. (Individually I will have the students podcast on a sporting event that they have gone to, what they noticed, what they liked and didn't like. Have students group up and use a smartboard presentation to teach the class on their topic of health issues: Topics are unlimited as long as they have to do with health issues.)
Citation:
McNeill, Mike, Swarup Mukherjee, and Gurmit Singh. "Podcasting in Physical Education Teacher             Education." ICHPER-SD Journal of Research 5.1 (2010): 16-19. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

Generation IM

After reading this article I see how much that technology is in our kids lives an how much it affects their every day actions. The most interesting point to me was the topic about our young children, this shows that technology is in our students lives from day one. I also think that it is amazing that our young people have the knowledge to create and use the internet in affective ways. I also think the first paragraph was interesting, the story about the boy telling his parents that they can use the technology to come together as a family. After reading this article it only opens my eyes more to how important technology is in education. 

Reflection #7

Technology in eduction has started to stand out to me more and more because we talk about all the ways technology can be used. This week I see how important it is for students who miss school, because I'm not at school this week because of basketball I am able to use technology to stay up to date on my classes. Not only can I look to see what homework is due but I can also turn in all that homework. As a student athlete this is important because I am able to stay up to date in my classes. I can also see how this would help students who miss school for any reason. This being said I now have learned to rely more on technology more than I ever thought I would.

Reflection #6

Technology has yet again worked its way into my class room. It has affected the way that I learn and the way that I think about learning. There have been many times where technology has been helpful in a lot of my classes but this last week it affected the class negatively. One of my Professors had all of the lecture saved on the computer and when she couldn't get it to work she had to cancel class because she did not have another way to give us the information. This just shows how important that technology really is and shows how much that teachers are relying on it. This experience made it clear to me that it is important that I am fluent in computer skills and also have a back up plan so I do not depend only on the computer.  

Reflection #5

I have learned a lot this semester about how technology can improve education; after thinking about this idea I realized that my high school was very limited with its technology. I am starting to think that this limited technology has played a role in the low grade of a majority of students that come from my high school. I can see how this new age of technology is affecting the way students learn and I can see that when schools don't take advantage of the technology of this age it has a negative affect on a school as a whole. 

Active Board

After researching active board I found that they play a key part in improving education just like the smart boards. Although they are two different programs they have a lot in common, because both of them get the students involved in the classroom and keeps their interest because today's students are interested in technology. In the research I looked at they found that the use of an active board has improved students by a 16th percentile and these improvements were almost immediate.
Research Website

SMART Board Presentation Reflection

For my SMART board presentation I got a game off the SMART website that I created a multiplication game. This will be used as a review for the multiplication unit, I first put in a couple slides to just recap some of the basic multiplication facts. 
Supplies:
 Pen
White Board
NETS:
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S.

2.	Communication and Collaboration
	Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

Reflection #4

Earlier in the year I asked the question will physical education turn into x-box connect of wii? This last week I got my answer, even though neither one has be out for a long time they are already starting to make their ways into physical education classes. This last weekend my aunt who is a physical education teacher was telling me how her students had a free day and she brought in their wii so the kids could play games on it. She said it was by far the favorite station that she had set up and that it worked well with classroom management. Another thing she told me was that the kids all new exactly what to do so their was little instruction needed. I'm not sold on the idea I do believe that these gaming systems can get more kids interested in physical education but I also believe that playing hands on physical games is key to improvement in aspects of life that are a necessity.

Reflection #3

I have seen how technology can affect a class room even when it is not in the teachers plan, this shows me how important it is to be familiar with the technology that I will have in my classroom. It has happened a number of times this year where the professor is going through a powerpoint and touches the SMART board and zips all the way through the slides. As a student this is very distracting because it takes you off of the one topic that you were focused on. This has shown me how important it is to know the technology in my room.

Smart Board (Class)

In class I learned that the smart board can be used for practically anything that you want. I am starting to see that education in America is just like everything else because there will always be a new way to do things that at the time looks better than the old way. Just from playing around with the SMART program I have noticed that it is a lot like the powerpoint program just with the new and updated version. I am starting to see how the SMART board can be beneficial in every American class room.

SMART Board Reflection

After reading the article on the SMART website I now understand what the creators were thinking when making the SMART Board. One thing that I think is important to understand when using a SMART Board is to not try to use the SMART Board in every lesson you teach; Nancy Knowlton one of the creators of SMART Board says, "The interactive whiteboard is a special-purpose tool that is particularly valuable in whole-class teaching and learning, and some small-group work. It is not intended to be used 100 percent of the time." This was interesting to me because the creators understood that this is not the best way to do all types of teaching but it is affective in many ways. Another thing that I learned from reading this article is that SMART has been working on pushing education to become technology based and the SMART Board is just the beginning to their impact on education.

Reflection #2

Technology has changed the way that teachers are teaching and the way that students are learning. I noticed in one of my classes last week how important the overhead projector and computer are. In my class this last week the teacher could not carry out the class the way she had planned because these two systems would not work. This made class very challenging because it made it a lot harder to understand what was going on with the notes; therefore the class was not very productive. These two systems are very important to education today because they not only help the students follow what the teachers are talking about but also to keep the teachers on track. 

2011 class blogs

Sara Kochel
Jordan Henderson
Kirstie Walton
George Mazurets
Jessica Henderson

Reflection #1

In the first week back to school I have learned how technology is helping students by making school easier for them. After the first week of school I realized that I was writing down notes that were posted online for me to use, so being aware of how much extra work I began to download the notes on my computer and take it to class with me. In just the first week it has saved me a lot of time and has stopped me from doing work that has already been done for me. I am going to use this semester as an experiment to see if this form of note taking will help me in my classes, but just with the time that I have saved I can see why it is important for all students to have access to a computer and how important it is for teachers to post class notes and keep their online class outline up to date. I started this semester afraid of technology in education because I believe that it will take away face to face action but in just one week I have seen how beneficial technology can be to a student.

Turning On the Lights

After reading this article it troubles me to say that technology is needed in our classrooms today. I have always believed that classes that prepare students for their future always were the most beneficial for students, but I never saw these as tech classes in my high school these consisted of metals shop and woodworking. This article makes it clear the the future of America is based on what happens with technology, therefore I agree with a lot of the topics covered in this article.
There is only one major part of this article that really bothers me. The section titled "Plugged in and Connected," although I understand all of his points it is troublesome to me to have students in school on there electronics more than they already are because they lose the importance and skills of face to face interaction.  With a lack of face to face communication already in the United States I can see how this could be a bigger problem in the future.
There are some excellent points that are made in this article that have changed my way of thinking. First is the section, "The Boredom Crisis," I agree that we as educators can not treat all students the same and expect them all to enjoy the same topics. I also agree with letting the students have some say in what they learn because they know what they are interested in. These leads to the next part of the article that I really enjoyed "Where Kids Learn." This highlighted the point that students can achieve anything when they really put in the work but in order for them to put in the work they must enjoy what they are doing.
I believe that if we take what kids want to learn and guide them with strong and positive educators; technology will be a major help in the class room. Setting up a curriculum to better meet the needs of more students we will be able to prepare our students better for their future.

First Reflection

The first time I realized that I was interested in education was when I went to watch my Grandpa teach in his physics class as a young child. Growing up I got to hear all of his interesting stories from bringing home a dead whale for class to making a gun for class that he could show his class the properties of movement. The desire increased in the eight grade when I did a project on child hood obesity which showed me how big of a problem child hood obesity is in the United States. As a physical education teacher I hope to teach these kids how to avoid this problem and create healthy living habits. I'm hoping to teach elementary public physical education so I can install these desires early in students lives. I also want to become a teacher because I like to watch kids grow and expand their knowledge.
This semester I hope to learn how to use technology in the classroom and how I can use the new world of technology to improve my students learning. Specifically I want to be able to run a smartboard while being able to control a classroom. I also want to be able to learn how to use an effective blog because I know that all students learn differently and I want my students to be successful as they can be. The final thing I would like to learn in this class is about where education is going with technology and how much technology is going to grow in the classroom.