Module 5

I chose to read chapter 14 for this blog. This chapter was about technology in physical education and health. I think this chapter had some really great ideas and some that weren’t so goof. Nutrition is my minor, so I really liked reading this chapter because it incorporated my two favorite things.

Advantages of Integrating Technology

I think there are some fantastic ways to incorporate technology into physical education. The chapter mentioned about using programs like Just Dance! as a way to keep students moving while using technology. In physical education that would be a good way to involve all the students because you don’t athletic ability to participate.

The chapter made the point about how it’s hard for a physical educator to keep track of 200-600 students’ physical activity goals and offered a solution. Using a handheld computer allows the students to input their data at the end of the week to check their progress. Once the data is in, it’s formatted for the educator to keep an eye on how the students are coming along with their goals.

http://www.dinesystems.com is a good website for students to track their eating habits and see where they can improve to be more healthy.

Disadvantages of Integrating Technology

One of the things this chapter described was how they’re making physical education and health online. I believe to teach the standards that’s okay but students, especially elementary students, need actual physical activity. They need to be moving and not just sitting on a computer learning facts. The chapter talked about how they students will keep a log of their activity they do, but they could just make stuff up without actually having to do the physical activity.

https://www.petersons.com/college-search/5-disadvantages-to-consider-about-online-education.aspx is a good list of the disadvantages to having a class like physical education online.

Specific Activities, Programs, Etc. 

·         American School Health Association: http://www.ashaweb.org

·         Kids Health: http://www.kidshealth.org

·         Health Teacher: http://www.healthteachers.com

·         Science of Sport: http://www.exploratorium.com/sport/index.html

·         Kids Gov: http://www.kids.gov (click on health and fitness link)

·         PE Links 4U: http://www.pelinks4u.org

·         Technology in Physical Education: http://www.pesoftware.com/technews/news.html

·          Dance Software: http://dance.osu.edu/3_research_gallery/laban_writer.html

·         Health Software: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/health.htm

Module 4

Lessons & Instructional Materials | Estimation with Multiplication of Decimals

I like this flipchart because it models how to estimate your
answer and then teaches you to solve them. When students can correctly estimate
the answer than they have another way to double check their answers. It also
incorporates their prior knowledge which is really beneficial. If students can
see how their prior knowledge is coming into play, it helps them grasp a
concept quicker.

·        
hardware/software

The hardware used in my flipchart is display technology. It
supports whole class or large group demonstrations. I like this flipchart
because it can be used in a multiple of ways with my class. I can use it to
introduce the unit or I can use it in intervention with the students who aren’t
quite grasping the content. The software is more instructional than anything
else. It has examples, practice, and explanations to help teach the content to
the students.

·        
technology
use based on problem solving

This
is a good way to engage the students, instead of just writing the problems on
the board they can work them and interact with it. Flipcharts also help save
money on consumable products. You don’t have to make as many worksheets which
saves money on ink and paper. It also saves time on having to make all of the
copies. My flipchart, in specific, will also help with visual literacy. It uses
visuals to help explain the information so it teaches the students how to
interpret it.  

·        
essential
conditions for technology integration

It helps you to keep
current and increase flexibility. If students can practice multiple ways than
they will have an array of ways they can solve problems which increases their
flexibility. Flexibility helps students be able to learn more because their thinking
is more open. The best thing about flipcharts is that you don’t have to update
your technology as frequent because the technology on what you can do with
flipcharts stays updated and current.

·        
software
support tools

One of the
support tools this flipchart has is materials generators. Materials generators
help teachers and students produce instructional materials on paper and online.
This is helpful because they have multiple ways to see a problem be solved AND
keep track of their work. 

Module 3

Search Engines

If students know how to properly utilize a search engine then they will be able to find reliable sources to get the information that they are looking for. Search engines can give someone a vast amount of information, some worth reading and some not, but if you know exactly what to type and what to search then the students will know how to pick out the correct information instead of wasting their time on pointless information. Keywords are important when trying to find information from a search engine, so it’s important to teach your student how to figure out the best keywords to use.

Web Site Evaluation

This video would be a good one to show my class because the video is a cartoon, but still shows how to determine if a website is reliable or not. The students would really enjoy it because it’s entertaining but still be beneficial to acquiring knowledge.

Favorite Website #1

http://www.Educationworld.com

I really like this website because it has great resources for teachers. If you’re stuck on a certain standard it has lessons and tips to help you. The tips are really beneficial because they come from teachers themselves who have been stuck where you are no stuck. I like the lesson plans because they guide you but still give you the creative freedom to tailor the lessons to your classroom. There are also some really great articles to read on there. As teachers we never stop learning and these articles would be great resources to keep us, as teachers, updated on the current events of the teaching world.

Favorite Website #2

https://mrsibrahim.wikispaces.com/home

I chose this WIKI because it’s around the grade level that I want to teach at and I really like how the teacher made it about her whole class. This wiki allows the parents, or students, to post questions or share feedback. It really makes the classroom feel more like a community and I like that. I would want to incorporate a class wiki page in my classroom so that the parents feel as involved as much as they want or don’t want to be. It keeps everyone updated on what’s going on, what they’re learning, and what they have coming up.  

Module 2

Commercial Hypermedia Product

http://www.storylineonline.net/white-socks-only/

 

I found a website with stories that are being read to the students. I chose this particular site because each book is read by someone who’s famous so it keeps the students attention. I linked to the story “White Socks Only” and I think this would be really good to have the students listen to during our study of civil rights. I could have the students listen to the story and then discuss it. An advantage to using an online story is that the students think that they’re listening to a video so they may be more apt to pay attention than just listening to the teacher reading the story. Students can also this as a small group activity while doing daily five; during their groups time at the computers they can listen to their own story and learn from the reading that way.

 

Chosen Multimedia Authoring tool

Student presentations:

http://edu.glogster.com/

I chose glogster to help students with their presentations because there are so many ways students can create presentations with glogster’s many tools. Many people think that presentations mean a powerpoint, but there’s so much more out there that students can use to get the information across. One of the really cool aspects I like is that the students can make their own poster. Students can import their own pictures or download some from the internet to go along with what they’re presenting. They can style their poster with any background they choose and put all of their information in it while keeping with the feel of their poster. This website gives students creative freedom to make their presentations that a simple powerpoint doesn’t allow for, which I think is a very positive aspect to keep the students engaged. If students feel like they have more control over their projects, they’ll enjoy it more and put more effort into it.

 

 

This video is Ellen teaching kids about technology from the past. I think it's important for students to understand how technology has evolved because they can then understand better how it works this day in age. It's a cute video to listen to the students responses.

 

Module 1*

 

Word Processing

The impact that word processing has on education is that it saves time because you can save/edit your work, allows you to share documents, enhances documents appearances, and it allows teachers to collaborate on documents. The issues with it though are what age children should start using it, necessity to teach keyboard, can impact handwriting skills, and it can impact assessments.

Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet’s can help save time and organize the display of information. It helps support asking “what if” questions and increase motivation to work with mathematics. The main issue with spreadsheets is student’s fear of mathematics. Teachers have to allow time for students to get to know the software and practice so that way they get more comfortable with it.

Presentation Software

Presentation software can help organize thinking about a topic and enhances the impact of spoken information. This software allows students to collaborate on presentations. Presentation software has some issues as well. Some teachers use it as the sole way to present information to their students which can get repetitive. Another issue is that people focus more on the slides than the actual message of the presentation.

Classroom Use

As a teacher, using these software programs can get your students interested in a subject. Instead of just reading about it they can use a visual to really understand the topic. The software programs can be a lot more interactive than just a textbook or lecture could be. The issue with using technology to present the information is that technology is so unreliable and can crash or not work, so as a teacher you need to have a backup plan.

 

I like the use of presentation software because there is so much more than just powerpoints that you can use with your students. A lot of people think that the only way to present the information is in a powerpoint but with the new technology that has come out, there is so much more. You can make videos, prezzi’s, gifs, or webpages. There is such a variety of ways to get your information across so that the students aren’t getting bored with repetitiveness. You can have the students make a webpage or mock facebook page for someone that are currently studying in history so that the students can be creative but still research and learn about their topic.