Bryce Nickels

                When it comes to teaching kids it can be a little difficult at times if you’re not well prepared.  One great way to come prepared as a teacher is to have a rubric. As someone who wants to be an educator in the field of Physical Education, at times it’s hard for me to see how to properly use technology within that particular field. Although there are many benefits to using a rubric. By providing kids with a rubric you’re allowing them to see what they have to do so they can visualize and implement when the time is right. For example if I were to give my class a rubric that says “run a mile in a certain amount of time” and on the paper I have what each times grade will come out to the children will be able to follow the instructions much easier and they will understand what they have to work towards.

                I found a rubric online that I believe could be of great value to a future educator like me going into the physical education field file:///C:/Users/Chiquita/Downloads/Cardiovascular_Exercise_Rubric.pdf. This rubric clearly states the amount of points you get toward your grade and what the actions the students have to take to achieve a good grade; maybe in the future I can model one of my lesson planes after this rubric to ensure the class understands exactly what must be done.

                In conclusion teaching is definitely a challenging thing to do especially in this day in age. Technology is a very useful tool to use when you’re in school; even as a college athlete we use televisions to show the amount of sets and reps that needs to be done. Even in an instance such as that a rubric can be extremely useful to help students further understand what it is and how it is that they’re supposed to do something.  Not only is a rubric something rather simple, it’s also extremely affective if used the correct way.

Work sited

Bryant, R. R. (2013, October/November). Health & Physical Education / Physical Education Rubrics. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://www.spboe.org/Page/6046

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc

chapter 3 optional post #C

Digital Blog #C/Chapter 3

Chapter 3, Transforming Learning with Unique, Powerful Technology, focuses readers on the point that technology in and of itself is not beneficial to student learning. Technology offers opportunities but those opportunities must be met with the proper guidance, and that is where the teachers’ roles come in at.  Three areas of interest made in this chapter worth further exploration as a future teacher are: the new role of a teacher when technology is included, various resources and applications available for critical thinking and problem solving, and the social aspect of technology and its role in education.

Firstly, the role of teachers has changed over the years. With the incorporation of technology, educating has moved from teacher-centered delivery of information to student-centered transmission of learning. Within this delivery of information, teachers tend to follow one or more of four dominate learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, or constructionism. I think the point most important to understand is that technology cannot replace teachers and teachers cannot let technology work alone. Indeed, technology offers students a wider array of information almost instantly, but students still need to be guided on how to best compose, evaluate, and utilize that information. Can you imagine having your students look up healthy dieting plans and tips without guiding them? With an unlimited collection of ideas of what works best out there, students will be overwhelmed with finding reputable, reliable information. Technology and teachers must work hand in hand.

Secondly, the chapter outlined very well some of the various resources and applications available through technology that promotes critical thinking and problem solving skills for students. From educational games to interactive simulations students thinking and problem solving techniques can be explored. Of the resources presented, the one I found most interesting to explore the actual site of was the American Museum of Natural History Presents Ology. The resource contains many different disciplines and offers different things that can be done within the program. Teachers can use it to have students do things from explore to take tests and quizzes. I found ‘The Gene Scene’ to be the most applicable. I liked how it took a topic as complex as understanding genetics and simplified it so that every student can become their own detective of information. I could definitely see using this program to have students understand how and why their bodies, eating habits, medical aliments contribute to their overall health and fitness.

Finally, the social aspect of technology and its role in education cannot be overlooked as the chapter outlined. Social media is out there everywhere. From emails to blogging, immediate communication is there. So, why not use it to advance learning? What was neat to read was how teachers can take those social media technologies and use them in the classroom to provide immediate engagement and instantaneous feedback. Through social media technologies, students that are less likely to get involved in classroom discussions, can have a voice. As important as the use of social media has become for teens and pre-teens, it doesn’t have to always be met with opposition from educators. In fact, it can also offer opportunities to teach students how to become a digital citizens. It can be used as an opportunity to explore the proper do’s and don’ts, proper netiquettes, and user responsibilities. Education doesn’t have to be limited to just information contained in books.

In conclusion, technology allows students to connect to learning on a larger scale. It is up to teachers to guide students in that learning process.  Former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum summarized the relationship between technology and teachers best through her quote “There can be infinite uses of the computer and of new age technology, but if teachers themselves are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails”.

Resources

OLogy for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://www.amnh.org/explore/ology

Rao, B. A. (2012). 10 Educational Technology Quotes. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from https://teachbytes.com/2012/03/01/10-educational-technology-quotes/

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Digital Blog #B /Chapter 2

                         

The most relevant concept I encountered while reading was the discussion the future teachers explored about technology integration as new teachers (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 22).  I saw myself in both Max and Ava. What I realized was that I wasn’t alone in my hesitations and fears. As a future physical education teacher, I wonder how can technology be integrated regularly into curriculum when the majority of my teaching will be done outside in a hands-on matter. Interestingly, I found myself fixated on one of the questions that was posed, “does every lesson benefit from the use of technology?”  I can say with satisfaction, I don’t think so, but some use I have come to realize, will offer varied and improved teaching. Therefore, I would definitely classify myself as a “see very little promise” type of teacher (p.26).

So, another interesting concept brings me to truly question my positioning of being the type of teacher who sees very little promise. Because of my awareness of the astounding studies that cite students who are not engaged by the use of differing instructional methods become more prone to not being successful in class, I have to find a way to integrate technology. Some of the more realistic methods mentioned that I can see myself using in my classroom would be to access the web for videos on health and fitness. I can even extend it beyond and see myself incorporating technologies that allow students to access programs like Fooducate to track their nutrition and fitness programs and devices like Fitbit to bring into in-class discussions.

Overall, I see a little clearer the fact that my actions cannot “extend the digital disconnect so many students perceive between themselves and their schools (p. 41).” 

Resources

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Designer. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2016, from http://www.fitbit.com/

Lose weight & improve your health with a real food diet | Fooducate. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2016, from http://www.fooducate.com/

B. (n.d.). You Can Do It by bknickels - ToonDoo - World's fastest way to create cartoons! Retrieved September 16, 2016, from http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/10398025

Those Who Have, Will Prosper

Technology is not a part of the 21^st century, it is the 21^st century.  Everyone wasn’t as computer savvy before the late 1990’s as they are today. In fact, the number of pre-teens and teens that have access to and use of technological devices to date is astonishing.  In fact, what I found to be very interesting is the fact that according to the study of adolescent media use by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in 2010, over seven and a half hours are spent with adolescents using some sort of electronic equipment. It cites the range of devices being anything from cell phones used for social media purposes to music and video games used for entertainment purposes. What is unclear, to me, through the study is just how these specific technological devices help aid students, when used in those manners, to excel in their academics? Yes, I understand the point that the study is trying to make by referring to the importance that more technology is available to more people at an earlier age, but as an education major, I’d like to know just how those specific devices make a difference in the area of helping a student succeed in their academics.

Another point I found worthy to mention has to do with the digital divide and the gap in electronic device—most specifically, computers, accessibility to adolescents. Interestingly, the study notes the increase in technology usage in our society nowadays; yet, it only briefly exposes the detriment of damage possible to students who do not have the socioeconomic resources to have computer access in their homes. Accordingly, I remember a while ago stumbling across a teacher’s blog on the Teacher Network accessed at https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/jan/11/school-technology-learning-young-people which focused directly on the issue at hand. Author Chris Davies was able to explain the disadvantages students who don’t have internet access at home encounter. Through a four year case study, he was able to follow the progression of students that had internet access at home and of those who did not. One student in particular, 15-year-old Sharon, complained that she was “angry… because when … at school she had to do her work very fast” because the “…inclusion with the social world, and from the world of educational success…” ended when she left school. I am left torn because the concept then seems almost appropriate that we as educators not place so much stock in adolescents being able to use computers to help enhance their academics because it is not available to everyone. 

Lastly, technology and the teacher are puzzle pieces that just seem to fit together. Teachers are able to take a lesson and add dimension to it with far more ease than they could have in the past. Keeping up with grades, communicating with parents, and creating lessons that meet varying learning styles becomes far more obtainable without excessive work to do it. There are lots of examples of different ways technology can be used in the classroom. Here is just a glimpse how classrooms can be transformed with technology. 

In the end, technology is the way of the new generation. It is important for students to have access to it and learn by using it. The more teachers insert it into their lessons, the more students can gain academically. Technology is important, but it’s also important to remember that everyone should have the same advantages to academic success. I think the chapter did a great job giving an overview of how technology can be used, I only hope, through the book, it answers the questions of how to realistically make technology available for every teacher, every school, every student, every classroom, and every home.

Resources

Textbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.