Personal Learning Network

PHYSICAL EDUCATION PLANNER

TEACHING BALL SKILLS

HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION

EUROPEAN FUTBOL


I found my Personal Learning Networks on youtube. I found it easier to join these groups and thought it would be more beneficial as a PE teacher to be able to see information rather than just read it. There is a lot of valuable information that I found and can continue to find on my PLN. The videos are simple and easy to understand. I subscribed to each of the users and their network. My user name in (Gr8s). All of my networks are linked to my email so I can receive frequent updates on comments and new videos and information. I know that the PLN's will pay off in the long run as more users and visitors will comment and share their ideas as well. I see the value and benefits in being a part of a Personal Learning Network.

At the teacher"s Desk

I recently visited the teacher's desk and read some of the blogs there. Some of these blogs had a great message and some valuable information. I was really surprised in reading the Scary Statistics blog. I thought the hidden message in the blog was that when we compare genders, boys are much more "troubled" than girls. The Fundred Project is a very creative way to get students interested in joining a movement to clean up portions of the city of New Orleans. It focuses on cleaning up contaminated soil and having it removed. It was creative and very simple to understand. The project involved getting Congress to help fund its efforts. I did read the blog about teachers needing to be social networking experts. It was ok, but I am not sold on the idea of teachers needing it as an actual teaching tool.

The blog on Skype and using it to connect classrooms was by far more educational than any of the others I read. It was very explanatory and simple to understand. The blog stated why the class used the skype technology and even explained what equipment and tools were needed. I like this because it allows you to understand what they are doing and how they did it. The one I didn't enjoy as much was Getting over it. I understood it but it didn't serve any educational purpose for me. I think the information was boring and that it really had no effect on me whatsoever.

Commen4kkids project 3 Mrs Goerend;s Class

I visited the blog page of Mrs. Goerend's sixth grade class and read the blog of a student named Taelor. Taelor wrote about a chemistry experiment in which his/ her's group was to separate molecules through watermarking. It sounded like they were really excited when doing the experiment and having a lot of fun. They separated the colors and explained in good detail how they came to their conclusion. I encouraged Taelor to continue to be enthusiastic towards learning, explaining that it will make learning a lot easier. Finally, I challenged Taelor to encourage others in the class to do the same.

Michael Wesch- Toward a New Future or Whatever

This video of Michael Wesch discusses the evolution of technology and how it has changed our lives forever. He begins by talking about the "cable" boom in the 80's and how it has affected us in terms of entertaining ourselves. He goes on to talk about the 90's where he shows the a clip from the Simpson's which became a huge hit. He also hits on the Real World to the American Idol phenomenon. He focuses on the evolution of the use of the term "whatever", which has transcended time and came up any many other instances. He explains that our society is becoming more narcisistic. "Media", he explains, "is controlled by a few and affects the masses". In the exploration of media, Michael thinks that new media, such as youtube, will allow us to discover ourselves in a different and more enlightening way.

My reaction to this video is that I really don't see the point of this video. He brings up important points in which I mentioned in the previous paragraph, but of what relevance does it have on the average person or educator. As a teacher, I'm not sure how this information will benefit me. The only positive that I can draw for me personally is that I know now that 20 million videos are uploaded to youtube a day. Thats a lot of videos. As I learned on earlier assignment, there are some very good information on youtube. The other things he talked, absolutely bore me and is irrelevant to me at this point. Sorry to be so harsh Michael.

Why publish kids' work to the web?

In my opinion there are many reasons why kids' work should be published to the web. This video located on Dr. John Strange's blog is an exceptional reason why. The kids in PS22's chorus sing with so much emotion and passion that it causes you to wonder why. There's a simple reason in my opinion, and that is they want to be heard and recognized. It's an awesome tribute to Fleetwood Mac. Even Stevie Nicks was moved and touch by their performance.

Other reasons why kids' work should be published to the web is because it exposes an unlimited amount of learning opportunities. One thing comes to mind is the Personal Learning Networks in which our class has an assignment. It allows teachers and students to learn from one another and to inspire one another. It also makes learning active and creative. Not that it already isn't in traditional classrooms, but kids get excited about technology and all that it has to offer.

A..C.C.E.S.S.

In addition to ALEX, there is another resourceful tool provided by the state of Alabama's Department of Education. That program is called ACCESS, short for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators & Students Statewide. The program is categorized as a distant learning program, which differentiates it from ALEX. Distant Learning allow teachers and students to take classes that would otherwise be unavailable or too difficult to take in their area.

I believe these sites are very worthy in their approach to providing educational opportunities and literature for students and teachers. There is so much information available to us that allow this to be possible. Distant learning is quickly becoming one of the fastest forms of education in history. Some great examples would be the explosion of online colleges such as Phoenix.

A.L.E.X.

Thanks to Ms. Averitt in my Educational Media class at the University of South Alabama, I was introduced to a program that is provided by the state of Alabama to assist teachers in and out of the classroom. ALEX, which stands for Alabama Learning Exchange, provides a multitude of information for teachers and potential teachers. The information provided ranges from lesson plans to to professional learning opportunities.

This is a great tool to expand learning and to study different ways of preparing lessons. The lessons plans are standard and very easy to adapt into a potential teacher's lesson. In this new age of technology where information can be shared at an exponential rate, it is important for educators to continue to expand the classroom and make learning possible for everyone.