Journal #6

"Social Justice: Choice or Necessity" By Colleen Swain and David Edyburn

How are students affected by the personal decisions their teachers make regarding when and how to use technology inside the classroom? In this article Swain and Edyburn say that students are greatly affected by these decisions. When teachers decide not to use technology in the classroom or in lesson plans students are disadvantaged. Nowadays students must not only have access to technology, but they have to be technologically fluent. Universities are making admission standards more complicated and students who are admitted but are not familiar with technology are at a decided disadvantage. Many jobs are now requiring employees to be technologically fluent in order to be successful. The number of classrooms that have computers in them is growing, though there are some classrooms that have no or limited access. This article goes over some ways to gain access and also how to locate resources for using this technology effectively. Swain and Edyburn state that teachers can influence the gap in the digital divide. If instructional technology is used in the classrooms as a means for social justice then students will have a different educational experience.

Questions…
1. How can I assure that my students are getting an education which is up to par with technology standards?
One way I can be sure that my students are receiving a proper education, from a technology standpoint, is to review the NETS standards and design lesson plans which use them. This should provide my students a level of technology understanding that is acceptable by national standards.

2. What resources are available to me, as a physical education teacher, to provide a lesson which is “technology-rich”?
Even though I will be in the physical education field, I think that I can give students homework assignments which require research on the internet (for example, on sports or health-related topics). The school’s computer lab can be used to complete this work. Also, I believe that schools will allow me access to digital still and/or video cameras to record student progress.

Journal #7

"Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom" By Elizabeth Ross Hubbell

There have been many articles that have shown how important technology is in the world of education. Most of these articles though are not focused towards very young children. This is a controversial issue and some feel that technology should not be used with this age group and could lead to hyperactivity or physical impairment. Those that support the use of technology for young children feel that technology should be used alongside a variety of learning experiences and that it will help early learners to communicate, practice skills, and better understand concepts in a growing world filled with technology. In this article Hubbell provides some great ideas and websites that teachers can use to help their young students to engage in critical thinking activities and practice basic skills. Hubbell provides examples of great websites that can be used for identifying similarities and differences, homework and practice, and generating and testing hypotheses. Some of those websites include Kidspiration, Create A Graph Website from the National Center for Education Statistics, and Vernier.

Questions…
1. What is an example of a website that I can use which is both, tailored to physical education/health, and tailored to young children?
www.sciencenetlinks.com provides many fun, interactive resources which promote learning and science (including health topics). I found this website through another assignment, and I saw a whole bunch of activities which are related to health, and appropriate for young children.

2. What are some benefits of using technology in physical education class, with young children?
I think that the use of technology not only allows the students to become familiar with technology, but it also makes the learning more interactive and fun. I think a simple running exercise can be enhanced through the use of digital cameras. I think the young students would find it fun to watch themselves during these exercises.

Journal #8

"Virtual Schooling" By Niki Davis and Dale S. Niederhauser

Virtual Schooling, which includes K-12 courses that are offered in online learning environments, is becoming more and more popular in education systems throughout the United States (especially at the high school level). Many students are now choosing this option because classes they need are not available, they want to gain access to advance placement options, it’s flexible, makes possible credit recoveries, and it can serve as an opportunity for students who are displaced. Virtual Schooling is similar to the traditional classroom in the sense that there are groups of students and a teacher. Rather than meeting in a traditional classroom, the teacher and students communicate through digital technologies. As Davis and Niederhauser explain in this article, there are many roles and responsibilities of virtual schooling. The three main roles are the teacher, designer and the virtual schooling site facilitator. One of the current challenges in U.S. education is to prepare teachers for virtual schooling. Someday every teacher may have a role to play in the facilitation of virtual schooling.

Questions…
1. What are some ways in which virtual schooling can be applied to learning physical education?
I think that students can still complete work related to physical education in a virtual learning environment. There is a lot of “book-learning” (for instance, related to muscle groups, body-systems, etc) that can be taught remotely. These lessons can be taught in addition to the student participating in local, outside sports teams and other physical activities.

2. What are some issues that students are could be faced with in a virtual schooling environment?
It’s very important for students to interact with each other. They need to be in social environments, be outside, and be active in order to live healthy lives. Students sitting at the computer won’t get many of these, so I think that the virtual classes definitely need to be complemented with other activities.

Journal #9

"Activating Your School: Movement-Oriented Learning" By Pete Rognli

Welcome to the School of the Future! The concept behind this idea it that students are simultaneously physically and cognitively active. The project ran in March of last year and was very successful. One school in Minnesota is trying to embed physical activity into every aspect of the day, not just recess. Teachers can podcast assignments and students have the freedom to work at laptops at standing desks, crouch on the floor, sit, squat, or stand anywhere that suits the lesson. Students can also write reports on wireless iBooks and can receive podcasted lessons while walking laps. In this article, Rognli explains how The School of the Future began and the support it needs from parents, teachers and other school staff to keep it successful. The main idea is to keep students moving by using technology. Though technology is important, it is not imperative. Schools do not need fancy technologies to place movement into their educational environment. They need to make major changes that bring physical education out of the gym. Rognli explains that the main point of this concept is to find a common area between physical and cognitive learning.

Questions…
1. What are some ways I can keep my students moving, outside of my physical education classes?
I think that using technologies such as podcasts, wireless networks, etc, there are many opportunities available to promote an active lifestyle while learning. I think that I can give my students creative ideas of how to be physically active while working on homework in different subject areas. I could also provide ideas/alternative ideas in which students can be active while doing things at home. For example, instead of playing a video game at home that leaves a student sedentary, they could play the video game which requires dancing.

2. What can I do to promote the change necessary to achieve goals that The School of the Future is trying to achieve?
I think that I can be vocal with other teachers, in expressing how important it is to keep the students physically active, and how beneficial it can be to do so. I think that teachers are very open-minded on topics related to the health of students, and will be open to change if it’s for the best interest of the children.

Journal #1

"Finding New Ways to Connect" by Eleanor Yang Su

In this article Su describes college students whom she calls the “Millennial Generation” and the college professors who are faced with teaching them. These students are those who were born the 1980’s and 90’s and have grown up in a world of technology. Students sending text messages, playing video games, sending email and watching YouTube on their laptops are a few of the technologies that teachers are competing with in the classrooms. This generation has become very quick to multi-task, combing classroom listening with these other “skills”, which the article states is not advantageous. Due to the Web and other improving software, such as class Websites, professors are finding it a little bit easier to make an impression on their students. Su also explains that these advancing technologies are changing how professors and students interact. More and more colleges and professors are doing their best to keep up with the Millennial Generation and provide a great, technological education.

Questions...
1. What technologies can I use to make an impression on my students?
I would love to use technologies such as a classroom website and digital cameras to make an impression on my elementary school physical education class. Students could take pictures of each other engaging in activities an post them on myspace and/or the class website.

2. What can I do to keep kids focused on my lessons, as opposed to trying to “multi-task”?
To keep my students focused I can create lessons that are fun and that require 100% participation from each individual. In physical education, this task is much easier to accomplish. Team activities, volleyball for instance, can be fun for everyone, and require participation from the entire group.

Journal #2

"Breathing Fire into Web 2.0" by Justin Hardman and David Carpenter

While many schools seem to be far behind current technology trends, The Hong Kong International School (HKIS) is making good progress, due to their latest web-based classroom management system, according to authors Hardman and Carpenter. MyDragonNet is a web system designed specifically for HKIS. While it was originally designed for the simple task of storing files and display calendar tasks, it has since grown into something much more innovative and useful. MyDragonNet allows students and teachers to communicate and collaborate over an easy-to-use interface. This software incorporates many of the same attributes common to the new Web 2.0 sites popular across the internet. The solution is adaptable and expandable, paving the way for future needs and changes for technology trends. MyDragonNet integrates lesson plans, homework assignments, and other aspects of the course.

Questions...
1. How can a collaborative web environment help my students be more productive?
I feel communication between students is an important part of the learning process. A web environment will allow this to happen real-time, 24 hours a day. Normally communication would only happen in the classroom and this will allow better and more frequent communication.

2. If my school doesn’t have similar software, how could I still incorporate some of the same positive benefits into my class?
By using some of the free resources on the internet, I could enable some of the same benefits into my class. I could start a blog or register for a free forum for the class to use.

Journal #3

"Video in the Age of Participation" by Glen Bull

Technology is improving everyday. In this article, Bull states that “digital video is the next frontier in the technology world”. Many teachers have used films as part of their curriculum in class to help educate their students. With technology progressing, digital videos and companies such as The Discovery Education unitedstreaming Web site, teachers can now have short video clips that are aimed toward a certain part of their curriculum, grade level, and state standards. Bull also mentions that one company, Discovery Educator’s Network (DEN), is conducting an experiment where students and teachers can edit and remix licensed unitedstreaming content and repost it on the DEN site. This provides more knowledge to teachers on how to unite certain topics to their curriculum. With schools teaching mainly through text books and students going home to digital videos, there is a large potential for these two worlds to come together to further combine education and technology.

Questions...

1. How could I integrate digital video into a Physical Education class?
I think that it would be really be fun to use digital video to record activities that can be emailed to their parents or other family and friends. Also, video can be used to record progress throughout the year.

2. What would be the benefits of teaching with video, versus text books?
Movement concepts can be explained, however, I feel that students would benefit more if they could actually see the movement pattern. Video can also be beneficial when students are making corrections to their own movement patterns.

Journal #4

"From Toy to Tool" by Liz Kolb

In this article, Kolb gives an example of a time in her life when she thought that cell phones should be banned from classrooms and schools. She then realized that cell phones were devices that students used to interact with the world around them. Kolb decided that “as educators we can help students to use their everyday ‘toy’ as a ‘tool’ for constructing knowledge”. Through cell phones, students can develop multimedia projects, create blogs, and audioblog. Audioblogging allows students to conduct interviews and post those interviews to a blog through their cell phones. Cool features could then be used to edit each interview. These interviews can be subject matter specific. Cool, right? Well, there are, however, some concerns with audioblogging. Worries include privacy, copyright, cost, and control issues. Kolb points out that the benefits of audioblogging outweigh the concerns, and that integrating technologies that students use in their social lives will help them discover that they can also use these same devices for meaningful learning.

Questions...
1. Would I be able to use Audioblogging in my physical education class?
I think that it would be a neat idea for kids to conduct an interview with their cell phones, regarding health or athletics, and then be able to post it onto their blog for the rest of the class to see and learn from.

2. Besides cell phones, what’s an example of another “Toy” that could be used as a “Tool” in my classroom?
I think that “podcasts” could be used to send out announcements and assignments to my students. Students with ipods can hook them up to their computer and schedule audio downloads when updates are available.

Journal #5

"Cyberbullying: How to Fight the New Bullies" by Rosalind Wiseman

A new wave of bullying is taking place. It is called Cyberbullying. Bullies are now using technologies such as instant messages (IMs), text messages, photos, email, videos, etc. to put down and intimidate others. As Wiseman states, what makes cyberbullying so easy is that it is anonymous and can potentially have an enormous audience. Because this has become such a problem, legal and educational systems have begun to take action, placing cyberbullying into their bullying policies. School officials are permitted to get involved in incidents that take place outside of school if the activity impacts the child’s learning environment. The controversy has become whether school officials can “suppress student speech off-campus”. The decision has yet to be made. Wiseman also includes cyberbullying facts and tips for parents in this article.

Questions...
1. What’s my stance on this “off-campus” controversy?
I feel that bullying is not acceptable, no matter where it occurs. If the parents aren’t going to take the appropriate steps to put an end to this, then yes, I think the schools need to step in and do what’s necessary to protect the children.

2. What can I do to make sure my students have safe, fun online experiences, on and off campus?
I can keep my students informed of the dangers of the internet. Perhaps I could introduce them to the Netiquette guidelines, and make sure they are aware of who they should contact in the event that they experience problems online.

All about me...

Hello Everyone,

My name is Kaisa Lindeneau. I am twenty-five years old and currently live in Rancho Bernardo with my cousin. I recently got engaged and am very excited about planning my upcoming wedding. I am a full-time, private swim instructor, where I get to teach and interact with people (mostly kids) all day long. I was born in Denver, Colorado and lived there until I was three. I have lived in sunny San Diego ever since. I grew up in Escondido and completed my K-12 education there (Miller Elementary, Del Dios Middle School, and San Pasqual High School). I also attended San Diego State University where I received my Bachelors Degree in Kinesiology.

Since I was born in 1981, I feel that I have grown up around technology which is getting better everyday. I have a great deal of experience with common technology and really love my little laptop, little camera, and little nano. I consider myself to be somewhat tech savvy. I am a PC person probably due to the fact that it is all that I have ever known. At first thought, I would like to say that I don’t depend on technologies on a daily basis, but as I try to imagine myself without my car, my cell-phone, or even my hairdryer, I can’t imagine how I could get through a single morning, not-to-mention an entire day.

After reading the COE Mission Statement there was one part in particular that stood out to me, which was the mention of “innovative research”. This reminded me of a new development I heard about, where schools are trying to promote physical education to students at a much earlier grade level. Childhood obesity is commonly being attributed to the lack of health awareness at a young age. I feel that new studies and findings can have a great impact on the way we can teach children, and I think the College of Education’s dedication to research is valuable. Not having read it at the time, the mission statement was not a deciding factor in choosing to attend CSUSM. Now that I HAVE read it, I am even happier with my decision to continue my education at Cal State San Marcos.