Reflection Paper

This course has been an eye opener in terms of the various technologies that are available to us to incorporate into our teaching instruction.  Before this course began, I had participated in blogs, and was familiar with podcasts and wikis.  These web 2.0 tools have now been formally introduced through class participation and it is quite clear how they can be beneficial to enhance student performance. The consensus from the various students I interviewed on the podcast assignment was that technology use in school was exciting and enhanced productivity in the classroom. They also anticipate teachers finding more creative ways to integrate technology into future classes.    

Participating in this course has also expanded my knowledge of the 21^st century skills that our students are expected to develop to experience success in school and beyond.  Skills such as collaboration, communication, and critical thinking are just a few that have been identified as competencies that we should be focusing on in classroom instruction.  

 Our teaching methods to educate our students of 21^st century learning have also changed. The traditional teacher- centered learning classroom should soon be replaced with a student-centered learning environment.  This environment will give teachers an opportunity to assume a role more as a facilitator than the traditional role of standing up in front of class lecturing students.   Students will have the opportunity to use their critical thinking skills and creativity along with teacher guidance to learn and participate in class.

I think to expand my knowledge of teaching to the 21^st century learner and to continue to integrate technology into my lessons I will have to use resources such as the partnership for 21^st century skills website and our district technology liaisons.  Getting to know my students and understanding their strengths and weaknesses has always been a goal of mine.  I feel that including technology into my lessons will help increase student participation and motivation for many of my students.

Moving forward I will look for new ways to integrate technology into the classroom and transform my learning environment to a student-centered learning atmosphere.   I think to truly incorporate this into our curriculum it is imperative to get my physical education colleagues on board with the transformation.  To do this, I must continue to demonstrate or present the many positives to them of setting up our teaching environment in this fashion.  We are starting to incorporate more team or group oriented projects into our classes giving our students an opportunity to use their teams or groups to help enhance their learning.  Class lecture time will need to be reduced and classroom interaction to discuss essential questions or various skills and strategies will need to increase. 

Student Podcast

http://rvstats.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-28T17_43_41-07_00

Partnership For 21st Century Skills

This website takes aim at providing our students of today with the necessary skills to take on the challenges they will face in the ever changing 21 century workforce. It combines the knowledge of many of the leading business organizations across the country with educational organizations that are looking to provide our students with 21st century skills. The collaboration between all of these organizations will work as a catalyst to all of our future employees to see what it takes to experience success as a worker in the 21st century. This website not only explains to students what is expected of  them to experience future success but it also provides the necessary tools or resources to lead them down the correct path.

It is extremely helpful to have many of the powerful organizations across the country on board to help our future employees of tomorrow. There are numerous states who are already involved with this skill development, however many of the powerful states across the country still have not signed on.  To make this a national goal for all of our students it is imperative to have all states involved in this development.  My state (New York) is still not a part of this coalition so it has not been made a priority to teach the skills recommended for student success on this website.

Even though the push for 21st century skills has not been made a priority in New York State many of the key components are taught in our every day lessons.  This website provides us with the necessary tools or resources to move us in a direction that teaches students the skills employers will be looking for.  The chart that discusses the 3 R's and the 4 C's is a great visual to help teachers get started. There are lessons or materials provided that will help students start to gain the skills discussed throughout the site. As time goes on I am sure this site will be updated with opportunities to discuss different technologies that will help address the skills that students will need to continue to develop.

Blogging in Phys Ed

I have numerous ideas for the use of a blog in my middle school physical education classes. One idea I have is using the blog as an extension of what we are covering in class activities. The blog can showcase classroom activities with pictures and descriptions of students participating in class. It can also be used to increase parents and students awareness of each units learning objectives, what classroom expectations are, and what we will be covering throughout the school year. I will have the opportunity to post my Physical Education students of the month and keep parents informed of all of the positive experiences we have in class. My students can make suggestions for daily warm-ups and explain why they feel that their particular warm-up would be good for our class. I feel that this blog can be used as another resource to increase student interaction and keep them motivated to keep up the good work!

Mike's first blog!

It's official! I am in the blogging world. I will have the opportunity to talk about two exciting things. Physical education and the technological advancements in the educational world. What an exciting time it is to be a student. Stand by as more will be soon to come!