Reflection - GAME PLAN

As I reflect on this course and my development of a GAME PLAN it appears that our physical education curriculum is up to par with many of the key concepts we learn today.  The challenging component or what I like to call our work in progress seems to be the integration of technology.  It is clear that the use of technological resources makes learning more meaningful to students and requires them to think more critically about their work.

Problem Based Learning was an unfamiliar term to me as this course began. When I took a closer look, it was clear that this was a learning strategy that is used frequently in my lessons. Dr. Ertmer states that when using PBL, course content is explored in a meaningful way and allows our students to utilize their problem solving skills within small groups to arrive at a solution to the problem (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b.) This is the same strategy we utilize to help our students learn new skills and game strategies.

Social Networking or online collaboration seems to be in the infancy stages of development in our PE curriculum. I have just recently started using social networking as a resource to contact experts in the field of PE to answer various questions or concerns I may have.   From a teaching standpoint, we have discussed the idea of developing a district wide PE blog or departmental blogs to keep our students up to date on all the happening s in the world of PE and sports.  I plan to start a department blog that can be up and running at the beginning of the next school year.  Students would have the opportunity to post their fitness and wellness reports right to the blog.   The development of a fitness challenge between schools and having the results posted online has also been discussed.  These are just a few ideas we have to enhance student learning in the area of fitness.

Digital story telling is another technological resource that can be beneficial in physical education.   Students could use this resource to describe the necessary steps to perform a skill properly or assess their peer’s playing ability by giving the “play by play”.  Digital Storytelling could also be used to give some historical background for many of the activities we play in class.  Many of these activities were developed in other countries so students could research the origin of the activity and give some valuable background of the game to help make the activity more meaningful to all students.      

Game Plan Progress

Our department is 100% on board with developing a physical education blog.  As a department we have decided to role out the blog at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year. Time wise, we thought that our blog would get the most exposure if it is introduced to our new students  in September.  Rules and Expectations can be the first item introduced. 

I have talked to  many of my colleagues around the district who have their own department or classroom blog. They thought that we had a good list of topics to include in our blog and suggested that when we first roll it out that we only include information that was pertinent to the students at the beginning of the year. Once the year continued to progress we could gradually include topics or information when we deemed necessary. 

It appears that with consistent communication within our department a little work on my end and support from our technical support services this blog could be a huge asset to our program next year. It will be nice having this resource available whenever our students have questions or concerns with grades, sports, fitness, and the many other areas we cover in physical education.    

GAME PLAN 2

After reviewing my thoughts from my original GAME plan that I posted last week I have decided to make a few adjustments. Seeing that I am new to the process instead of starting big and going with a district wide PE blog, I think an Apollo blog (my building) for Physical education would be a better place to start. My colleagues feel that this is a great idea and have volunteered to help with the blog in any way that they can.  In our last department meeting we discussed what topics or concerns would be appropriate to include in the blog. This is what we came up with:

-Our rules and expectations.

-Units covered and learning objectives.

-Fitness tips and why we include fitness in our program.

-Who our PE students of the month are.

-Success stories from class.

-Sports offered in the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons. What is needed for tryouts in each sport.

- Possible video of classes in session.

-Winning teams in our unit tournaments.

-Fitnessgram. What is it and why is it important.

-Our daily grading rubric.

In our weekly department meeting, we plan to set aside a few minutes each week to discuss what is needed to make this blog available to our school community and how we can attract parents, and students to visit our blog. Our integrating technology teachers are willing to work with us to make sure our blog is designed and functions properly.  Our next task is collecting all the information we need for the material we plan to include in the blog.  I would also like to pick a date for the onset of our blog.

Game Plan for Integrating Technology into PE

One of our main goals in Physical Education is to motivate students to live an active lifestyle and enjoy physical activity.  It has become apparent that integrating technology into our lessons will help us achieve this goal. After reading the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) it is evident that my colleagues and I are just scratching the surface in terms of incorporating technology.

Standard 3 – Model Digital Age Work and Learning.

b.  collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

My colleagues and I have discussed the possibility of setting up a district wide blog highlighting student achievements in physical education from around the district.  This blog could have numerous functions.  It could inform parents and students of our expectations in Physical Education and discuss the many benefits of living an active lifestyle. We also discussed including newly created lesson plans on the blog and technologies that have been integrated into these lessons.  I think it is cool that our teachers are looking for a common place to discuss all the happenings in PE. In our next district meeting we are going to discuss ways to make this blog a reality. I plan on taking the lead in the formation of the blog and monitoring the progress and activity on the blog.  Taking on this role is exciting but also intimidating as I have never run a district wide component like this. I will be looking to many resources (colleagues, Walden PLC, technology services) to help me with this project. 

Standard 5 – Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

c. evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make    effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

I have taken on a role within my department of finding new ways to integrate technology into our curriculum.  Our PE department agrees that it is imperative to include new technologies into our program to increase student motivation and maximize success. I will continue to use the many resources provided to me through my Walden classes and the many technological resources available to me on the web.  To increase my current knowledge on this subject I will also attend various professional development seminars available to me like the NYS AHPERD conference.

Reflection

Before I even looked back at my week 1 paper, I knew that most of my paper would be about the social learning theory.  This theory plays such a vital role in a physical education environment.  As we have learned the social learning theory goes hand in hand with cooperative learning.  Student collaboration and student interaction are promoted in the majority of PE lessons.   As we have discovered, all students have different learning styles so incorporating various learning theories and strategies is also important.

This course has taught me what a critical role technology can play as a learning tool.  When I think of technology the first thing that comes to mind is an interactive white board.  This can be a great instructional tool, but if it is only used as another device for teachers to lecture students, then it loses its instructional capabilities. The use of technologies such as the VoiceThread can add meaning to lesson and increase the chances of students being active learners. 

A goal of mine is to find creative ways to introduce various technologies as learning tools in a physical education setting.  The challenge behind this goal is to incorporate these tools, but still make sure the students are getting their necessary physical activity in every class.  The use of pedometers, and heart-rate monitors is a step in the right direction, but having students present course material via a VoiceThread can be extremely beneficial.  My next goal will be to get my colleagues on board with the use of technology. We have discussed the benefits of using technology but we are still not utilizing this enough  as a department. I think getting things started in my classes and making mydepartment aware of the many benefits technology presents as a learning tool is a step in the right direction.

Voice Thread

Link to my voice thread: http://voicethread.com/?#u2128201

Connectivism and Social Learning Theory

We have learned that the social learning theory is built around the premise that students must be actively engaged in conversation to build upon what they are trying to learn (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  This goes hand in hand with cooperative learning which focuses on interaction amongst group members to enhance student learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007).  Student interaction can help build confidence, and create an environment where critical thinking is the norm.  As most teachers view cooperative learning in a positive light, the strategy behind how we decide to group our students may be just as important as using the strategy itself.  When you consider the criteria to group students for cooperative learning, group size, students’ abilities, and how often groupings are used should all be considered (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007).  Students should be aware that expectations are that all group members participate and that each group works in a positive manner.
In terms of technology, a common practice with cooperative learning is creating a video that captures student performances or student teachings. I have incorporated this into my lessons by taping students who are teaching a particular skill or strategy.   Creating the video  can be a challenging task that requires many student roles and responsibilities (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007).  Students often find great meaning in this type of project which increases student motivation and participation.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program 5: Social learning theories [Motion Picture].     
           Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.


Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007), Using technology with                
             classroom instructionthat works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.