My Personal GAME Plan

There are two NETS-T indicators that I would use to improve my game plan. The first indicator would be to promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning,
and creative processes. One way that I will promote this indicator in my class is by using voicetreads. Voicetreads will give the students the ability to focus on one main topic and expand their ideas about it. Also, it will also give them the opportunity to hear other students in their class and other classes as they go through the slides. The second method I will use is the blog. The blog I believe will give the students the ability to open up and speak if they do not understand an idea. Also, it allow their classmates the opportunity to share there understanding and knowledge of the lesson as we go through them. Both methods will be monitored by me. I will also be able to use the blog to help myself expand on any idea that the students did not understand.

The other indicator that I would use would be to design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. Two of the tools that I would use would be PowerPoint and podcasts. Both of these methods will allow the students the creativity to expound on the unit as they understand and see it. We could use these methods to also delve in to current event and ideas as they relate to Physical Education. I will monitor these tools by having a day where the students will use there production to teach the ideas from the point of view of a student.

Reflection: Teaching New Literacy Skills in the Classroom

The skills needed for the modern student are different from those of there predecessors. Our past was rooted in book culture while our future will be rooted in online and digital media (Laureate, 2008). Even as a teacher of physical education I must understand these literacy skills and assist my students in learning how to use then in my curriculum and those of the classroom teacher. Working with these new literacy skills has really opened my eyes to understanding that technology is not just the computers and software that is in the computer lab, but it is also the personal technologies and programs that the students use everyday in their personal lives. As I look to expand physical education into the technology realm many of the concepts that I have learned in this class will serve my students and I well for the future.

My striking revelation learned from taking this course was that evaluating online information was critical before using websites for factual purposes. I had the opportunity to look through different websites that looked like their information was factual and correct. However, once the websites were looked through for author, bias, content, dates, and editor it was obvious that they were filled with bias. Being able to see how easily I was fooled made me scared for my students if I do not do my part and protect them by giving them the skills to know what is factual and what is not.

The knowledge and experiences that I have received in this class will make my students and I be able to navigate the internet better as consumers and researchers. Using the inquiry-based method will allow me as a facilitator to challenge my students better than before I took this course.

The professional development goal I would like to pursue is explore more ways to combine physical education and technology. I understand that these two subjects are not necessarily easy to combine. However, I believe that technology can expand the nature and understanding of physical education. I believe my students can use this as another avenue to understand my subject matter and be able to convey what they have learned to other students and adults.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this course and believe that thanks to this course and my instructor I will be able to use these new literacy skills in my classroom and help my students succeed.

References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). New Literacies [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

My evaluation of MartinLutherKing.org

Here is my latest podcast.

http://www.teachertube.com/music.php?music_id=2964&title=Evaluation_of_MartinLutherKingorg&ref=Phantom693

In this podcast I had to evaluate the website martinlutherking.org.

Hope you enjoy it.

Evlauating Reseach Methods

This week in class, we were asked to reflect on what we have learned about the literature review process. We were then given four scenarios to evaluate and identify which type of research method would be best used. Below you will see the scenarios and my analysis of each.

Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.

Analysis: The idea that they will be observed, help me to identify this research method as Qualitative Ethnographic. This method uses observation and study of a cultural group in its natural setting (Laureate Ed, Inc., 2008).

Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics - age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, on randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.

Analysis: This scenario I have identified as Quantitative True Experimental. In the scenario the researcher is able to divide the groups randomly with similar demographics in each classroom. The researcher is also able to establish a control group. This is a true experiment set-up.

Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.

Analysis: This scenario I have identified as Action Research. The focus of this scenario is solving an immediate school-wide problem of students attitudes and the value of peer mediation (Laureate Ed, Inc., 2008). This style of research gives the counselor to look at the problem on a wide range and solve it immediately with the data they receive.

Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known - either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis.

Analysis: This scenario is best described as Mixed Method. In this scenario has a specific question that is looking to be answered. Also, the idea of pre - and post-test means that they will be using quantitative methods to collect the data in the beginning and quantitative method style to perform post-tests and interviews in the end. When all of this is combined it confirms that mixed method is used here.


Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Introduction to Educational Research [Educational video] Baltimore: Author.

My Research Design

This is my problem statement:

I have chosen to evaluate the Presidential Physical Fitness Exam and the Fitness Gram with fourth grade students to determine method of evaluation is best for the modern student.

My research questions are:

1) How much does parental help with after school exercise affect the results to each exam?
2) Do high scores on one exam mean high scores on the other exam?
3) Which exam lends more assistance to the non-athlete student?
4) How much does the technology assist the students? If the technology is taken away with the students score the same?
5) Does student results being inputted by them on computer drive them to perform better in-class and exercise more out of class?
6) Does the Fitnessgram's computer aspect help students to have a higher sense of responsibility of their fitness level?

My type of research:

The quantitative aspect of my research will be comparative. Since, the two active parts of my research are the Presidential Fitness Exam and the Fitnessgram I will be assessing the differences between the two groups. The second part of my research will be quasi-experimental. Quasi-experimental fits my research since I am determining cause and effect when looking at these two fitness tests. Also my subjects will already be in their assigned classes, that is a variable that I can not change.

My General Problem Statement

This class is about the educational research process. The first activity is to develop a problem statement. The problem statement must include a topic that I am interested in study that has a technology component.

I have chosen to evaluate the Presidential Physical Fitness Exam and the Fitness Gram with fourth grade students to determine method of evaluation is best for the modern student.

Who: Fourth Graders

What: Presidential Physical Fitness Exam versus Fitness Gram

Why: To determine which method of evaluation is best for the modern student.

Week 8 - Reflection

The ideas and principles brought to me in this class have made me really re-look at my personal theory. There are a few modifications to my personal theory that I would change as a result of information that I have learned in this class. First, I believe that it is vital to continue to creating student-first lessons that create artifacts. Artifacts are the basis of the constructionist learning theory. I really believe that the constructionist theory fits for the subject of physical education. The constructionist theory is “a theory of learning that states people learn best when they build an external artifact or something they can share with others (Laureate, 2009). The second would be to use the ideas that I have learned about brain-based learning to continue to guide student into learning information.

When I look at “students using technology as active learners (Laureate, 2009)”, the immediate adjustments I would make would be to use more sites in my lessons than Unitedstreaming, and discoveryscience. I really have grown interested in VoiceThreads from since being in this class. Their ease of use for students and they ability for student to comment on classmates information, has sparked my interest. I also will use spinscape, instead of paper and pencil. Today’s students need to be able to use the technology advance their learning.

There are two long-term goals that I would like to add to my instructional program. The first goal would be to students use VoiceThread regularly in class to discuss topics that are going on regarding the world of physical education. The second goal would be to find more avenues where I can input technology into my physical educational lesson and still keep the focus on the physical aspect of the subject. I truly believe that both goals can be achieved by continuing to reach for the future ideas of physical education and not being content with doing things the old way. Teaching kids a new set of strategies will take time however they will learn more content, which in turn will save me as the facilitator time (Laureate, 2009).


References:

Laureate Education, Inc (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.

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