Back to it

Well the first week of school is over. Too bad there are 15 more weeks to go.... haha. I'm back on here for another class. Who knows, maybe this time I'll blog more. My last blog posts were for my technology class, this time it's for my advanced english class. I'm in my last semester of classes at BYU and it feels GREAT!!!! I'm so excited and happy to be done with my classes. Next semester, Fall 2013, I will be student teaching. I am hoping to do it at P.G. High so that I can get paid for coaching there. We'll have to see what happens though. Hopefully the district, school and teacher will all approve me. This semester I'm taking Teaching with Technology, Math Teaching in Public Schools, Math Practicum, Athletic Training and the accompanying lab, Communication in Organizational Settings, and Fundamentals of Mathematics (proofs).  It's 7 classes for the grand amount of 16 credits. I'm trying to just be done and not have to take any classes over the summer. I just want to be able to work and relax. I haven't been able to do that in awhile. Now that I think of it, I need to go finish my student teaching application. it's due Tuesday the 15th. I'm kind of a procrastinator...... Except on this assignment. Don't worry though, I'm sure I'll start posting right before my 5pm english class on Thursdays. :)

FINAL REFLECTION

I was surprised by how interesting and fun this class really was. The class was simply organized and actually had me use and learn technologies that will be useful to me in the future. One thing I learned was how to build a website. This was interesting to me because I had always viewed it as a way complex thing. But instead, I found it to be one of the easier things I've learned to do on a computer. Another thing I will take from this class are some of the best ways to create and present a PowerPoint and also how to make a video.

Now that I know how to use these tools, I will definitely use technology in the classroom. The biggest one I will do is to create a website for all my classes. I will include calenders, videos, and other cool apps for my students. I will give it a professional look though for parents. Another tool I am going to use is the video maker. I found it so interesting and awesome that it wasn't too difficult to make. I will use this ability to promote physical education throughout the school year and to colleagues and parents.

Because of this class and these skills I have learned, I have changed my view of teaching more. I have always thought that teaching was already good. But now that I can do more and know how to integrate teaching with technology and improve my teaching, I can make classes more interesting. Another way my view of teaching has changed is that if used properly, technology can enhance the learning experience so much more than teaching without it. My view of technology has definitely changed. I think that technology isn't this big scary beast anymore. Its still complicated i think, but its not a huge obstacle to overcome. I also think tat technology is teaching friendly and anyone can learn some of the basics if I could. All in all, I have really l.earned a lot and feel that using technology in my classes will only make me a better teacher.

Mobile Apps

I wouldnt use mobile apps in the classroom because it would be difficult to keep students on task if theyre all using their cell phones. I wouldnt mind doing a powerpoint or some other presentation on them and showing them some that would be useful or even kind of cool.

Studiocode Project

I have learned several things about my management skills since doing this project. I learned that I am already pretty good at discipline, but after watching myself and making examples of each instance when i used discipline, i realized how much better i could do. I saw that I used some of the basic skills when it came to disciplining, but i shouldn't be afraid of trying new methods and being more strict with the kids. But still, I was impressed with how well i did.  Another important skill I observed was of organization. I saw a lot of good things there. I saw myself do a lot of things well. The problem was that I saw several things that I did wrong. The good things I did were getting the kids into 2 lines and getting them organized when we did the activities. I saw several things that I could improve on though. The third skill I observed myself doing was signals use. I saw that several times I was consistent and confident when I blew my whistle or used other signals. But at other times I saw that I wasn't as confident or allowed the children to take control of the class some.

The other category of skills I evaluated were instructional skills. The first category there was jargon use. After watching the video, I saw that several times I almost "you guys" or other jargons but stopped. This is good because it is showing improvement on my part. Also, I saw that several times I used "boys and girls." I saw how much I had improved in my professionalism in speech as a teacher. The next category I did was repeating cues. I saw that several times I could've done better at repeating the cues so that the kids would know what to do. That way it would be harder for them to be unsure about what they were doing. But I did see the few times that I did repeat the cues they did better and stayed on task more. The third category I watched was of simplicity. This was one of the biggest shockers to me. I thought I was doing good and being really simple but i realized that I was only simple a few times. Most of the time my instructions were too long and complicated. I saw that I need to give shorter explanations and rules. This way, the kids will be focused longer on me.

Next semester when I teach again, I hope to take some of these skills I've learned and apply them once again to my new students. I think that mos t concepts remain the same no matter the age group. One thing i hope to do is to make my instructions and rules more simple. That way, the students will stay focused on me and I wont have to keep repeating the rules to the activity we are doing. Another thing I hope to improve is to be better at discipline. I want to be able to be more forceful and not let the kids walk all over me. I will only give them a few chances and then make them sit out until they are willing to behave. I also want to be more organized when I teach middle school kids. They won't be as forgiving as elementary kids and I need to be ready for that. I need to have all my formations, transitions, and rules planned out ahead of time and stick with them. By implementing these tings, I hope to be a better teacher next semester.

Web 2.0

Facebook could be used in education by creating groups on facebook for your class. That way, you could post announcements and send messages to your group members/students and they could always know any new changes that you make because kids are always on facebook. Another 2.0 tool that could be used is PE Central. This is an effective tool that could be used more by pe teachers because it has hundreds of ideas for activities from different teachers around the nation. Also, it allows for teachers to communicate with each other and link up on blogs and share ideas and techniques.

IPT video

here is the link to the video that jake made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SaPKZIEwHE&feature=player_embedded#!

iMovie Project

Our theme for the movie is "Fit for Life." We havent talked about the second movie yet, but I was thinking of having it start out with different people of different ages doing different activities:dance, sports, walking, etc.