Chapter 4 Questions

 1. What are three situations when you would use a spreadsheet?

• Situation One: Grading. You would use a spreadsheet to input grades for each student after each test, quiz, assignments, etc. You can have the names of all the students on the left and have the grades sorted by columns on the right. You can use the forumulas to figure out average grade, what the highest grade was, outliers, etc. You can also seperate classes by having each class have their own sheet. 
• Situation Two: Equiptment Managemnet. Spreadsheets can be used to keep track of how much of each equiptment that you have and where it is. Each piece of equiptment would have it's own row and in the row you would keep track of not only where it is, but how much of each piece. That way, when cleaning out the storage rooms, or even putting equiptment back, you know exactly how many pieces are suppose to be there and where. This cuts down on lost equiptment, and makes it easier to replace broken equiptment. 
• Situation Three: Budgets. Every teacher has budgets but physical education teachers have to really pay attention to their budgets. Between ordering new equiptment and trying to keep up to date with standards, and needing the proper equiptment in order to do this, it is a lot to keep up with. Spreadsheets can help organize it all so that you can keep track of how much you have spent, how much you have left, and how much different equiptment is going to cost. This keeps you from going over budget and helps make the best of the budget that you do have. 

2. What are three situations when you would use a database?

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Chapter Two Reflection Questions


1. Describe your ideal computer. On what did you base your decision?
My ideal computer is very simple. I don't use my computer to do a lot but I want it to be able to high definition videos, have enough memory where I can download as much music and videos that I like and not have to worry about the computer slowing down or running out of memory. I don't necessarily need a DVD drive or a CD drive but I would like a video camera. It needs multiple USB ports and needs to be able to print wirelessly. I based my decision on simply what I use my computer for. I typically only use it to listen to music, sometimes watch videos and do my homework. I am not making videos, music, etc, so having a top of the line computer that does all these would be a waste of money for me.

2. Which of the peripherals would you purchase? What do you intend to accomplish with each device?
I would order speakers. Speakers I would use to have better quality sound and make music and videos louder. Nothing is more frustrating then when you are in class and can barely hear anything out of the computer because the speakers are of low quality. I would also order a laser printer and a scanner, but I would try and get one that has both built in. This way if I need to scan something (which is rare, but does happen) I can do so from home and also a laser printer would print things a lot faster than a normal printer which would be beneficial if I have to print something that has a ton of copies.

Chapter One Reflection Questions

1. Which technologies have you heard about that you would like to try? What would you do with these technologies?
A technology that I have heard of and would like to try is the xbox connect. Although I have used it sparingly, I think that it would be a benefit for me to become more comfortable with it since teaching with it can be extremely useful since there is no controller and it is all hands free. For example, if we are in a dance unit, instead of some students get to hold the Wii remote while others just do the moves, the xbox connect makes it so that every person is hands free so those that don't have a remote don't feel stupid doing the moves.

2. Can you demonstrate each skill listed for the ECDL as well as the ISTE NETS-T? If not, what can you do to acquire these skills?
I can demonstrate some of these skills very proficiently, some I can do but not very well, and others I cannot do. To acquire these skills such as 2D computer Aided Design, I can take a class, or I can simply download the proper software and figure things out on my own. I feel that when it comes to technology, I do the second one a lot.  


3. Is your personal computer set-up ergonomically correct? Why/why not?
No it is not. I never sit at my desk and when I do I do not sit up right. I don't think that it is very comfortable this way and I am more comfortable doing my homework laying down in bed or slouched down in my chair. Also, if my computer is at eye level I feel that I am to low to the ground.

Technology Savy...or so I Thought

This semester seemed a good time to challenge myself. I only had one class left that was necessary for my concentration and I needed credits to fill my schedule, and since I am well aware of the fact that technology is forever growing, I decided to take this technology course.

I have always used technology. As soon as my parents let me use a computer, I did. I have had a smart phone for as long as I can remember and I recently invested in an iPad and I am forever searching for apps that I can use in a classroom. When I am at home, if my mom has issues using computers (which is everyday) I am the one who tries to show her how to email/skype/browse the internet. I always thought that I knew what I was doing with technology, and then I was asked to create a Google site.

Google has always been a part of my life. Through out high school, and all through college if I didn't know something, I would Google it. I have a Google plus and I thought making a Google website would be easy. That might be true for some people, but I am struggling with it. I have played around with it, deleted and re-made sites, and some of the elements I still cannot figure out. I am having trouble with adding links to my website, and adding new tabs on the left side. Already I am learning, technology will always be one step ahead of me, and this is just Google! However, doing this project also makes me realize how glad I am that I took this course because it can only benefit me as a future teacher, and will definitely help me as I work towards becoming an athletic director.

Field Experience 4/27/2012

Last day!

Today was our last day of field experience, and again the girls were playing indoor soccer. Our teacher went over our evaluations and then talked with us individually about what she would like us to improve on.

My teacher said that I was a very strong teacher. She said although we had limited teaching ability I was still able to develop a relationship with the students and was able to take command of a classroom. She said that my objectives in my lesson planning have improved tremendously and that I take criticism and turn around and improve upon right then. She said my classroom management still needed some work, which I completely agree with but she said that will come with practice.

On our last day she let us completely take over. We separated the girls into 3 teams and each picked a team to coach. The class went really well we were both very vocally and we had the girls attention. We did have one special needs student in our class that needed a little bit more encouragement but after a while she felt more comfortable with the game and got really into it.

Over-all this experience has been...interesting. With vacations, a late start, and state testing it was very hard to do everything we wanted to. Our master teacher felt horrible that we were not able to teach and that we were only able to turn in two lesson plans. She said that other semesters that get in four lesson plans and there is no problem with them teaching, doing their assessments, anything. I feel that maybe 355 students should not be placed with 6th graders in the Spring because of all their state testing. Other then that I had a great experience and my master teacher honestly taught me so much that I will always remember and I will use when I have a classroom of my own.

Field Experience 4/24/2012

Today we were back at our home school and our master teacher was back. The girls again were playing indoor soccer and our teacher told us that we were to ref the game. She had us take turns in being the ref and gave us constructive criticism after each turn.

When my turn came I was kind of quiet. I thought I was doing an okay job I was mostly just letting the girls play and calling our reminders here and there. The girls understood the rules and the game so I feel like i did not have to do much. However, after both our turns are teacher took back over and showed us what we should be doing. She run up and down the gym with the girls and was always talking saying good job good pass good kick, good save. She was also more persistent with the girls who were not trying as much as the other girls by constantly running next to them or saying like remember this is a running game if they stopped moving.

When my turn came again, I stepped it up a lot more. I was more vocal and spent a lot of time running with the girls. My teacher said that she likes how I take criticism and then instantly get better. She said the thing that I have to work on the most was my voice, which she said would develop over the years. She said that eventually I won't have to yell to be heard but I my voice will deepen a little bit and I can just project more. My teacher also liked that I worked well with students one on one. Instead of just yelling out directions, I would go up to individual students and show them exactly what I wanted them to do.

Field Experience 4/20/12

Our third teaching round of the day. This time we were back at Cortland Christian Academy and we were teaching and post-assessing the 2nd and 3rd graders in balancing.

Today walking in went a lot more smoother then last time. We were definitely more prepared to teach and as soon as they kids saw us walking in with hula-hoops, jump ropes, and a poster they got really excited. It really solidifies the fact that I want to work with elementary students.

Our lesson went really really well. We played a game called dragons and princesses for our instant activity and the kids loved it. They got really into the game and they got to work on balancing. It is so much easier to teach students how to do a skill when you can incorporate it into a game instead of just saying "here, lets practice balancing!". The kids don't get bored, and they most likely do not even realize that they are being taught something.

When we got to our main lesson, it was kind of hard to get them to settle down. I kept having to say hands on your head to get them to quiet down. Looking back on it I would have sat down and told them once that I cannot teach them about the game if they keep talking over me. Especially when I brought out my poster, which had the balancing cues on it. My main cue was to refer to balancing as the Flamingo, and the kids really loved it, but they got a little too excited. Classroom management is something that comes with practice and this was just another learning experience. I also did not realize the time constraint that we were under. We originally planned on having the kids play an instant activity, the main game, and then a small tag game where when they were tagged they had to freeze and assume the "Flamingo!" and we would post-assess them that way. Since we did not have time, we post-assessed them in the main game.

Assessing went so much better then it did when we pre-assessed. The students were playing and have a great time and did not even realize they were being assessed, which is want NASPE wants us to do. Over-all teaching this class was probably the highlight of my EDU 355 experience. I loved working with the younger kids and it just made me want to teach elementary students even more.

Field Experience 4/20/12

Our second class of the day was back to our normal class. Our master teacher was out this week on her vacation so we had sub that actually is going to Cortland right now. She let us take over the class from the beginning. We went over the rules, which lane could and could not go into. We also set up rotations for goalie so there was no arguing when the time came to switch. Since this was a bigger class we split the girls up into 3 teams and had them play four minute games so that way they all played the same number of games.

The only thing I would really do differently looking back is say something more to one of the students who was not participating as well as the others. Not necessarily negative things but maybe cheer her on more and when she did something correct be overly encouraging to get her going before taking her aside and asking what is wrong.

Field Experience 4/20/12

Today we did double at Homer. The first class we were with the guys host teacher and the kids were playing indoor soccer still. The class we were observing was not our usual class and it was extremely small and it was only a class of girls.

However, I felt that the game was better played with a group of smaller girls. They all got to play the entire time and did not have to keep switching back and forth which is our ultimate aim as physical education teachers. However, the teaching style was completely different. Instead of going through the rules and how to actually play offense and defense before the game, the teacher let the game start and then kept throwing out directions while they were playing. While this is a good idea since it keeps reminding them of they are suppose to be doing, I feel that the rules should have been reviewed before the girls started playing.

It was good to see the students really getting into it though and they did keep moving. There were no students that we had to talk to to keep moving or to play they all were participating and having a great time.

Field Experience 4/17/2012

Today we were teaching at the Cortland Christian Academy doing our per-assessing of our skill theme balancing.  Instead of our usual 6th grade class we were teaching 2nd and 3rd graders. It was a little weird going to a different school. At Homer we are really comfortable there, we know exactly where to go how to get there we talk to the secretary in the office all the time. Going to a different school is definitely confusing. We got lost getting there and then we didn't know how to actually get into the school.

I have heard of schools that use regular classroom teachers to teach physical education, but hearing about it and seeing it are two completely different things. I feel that the 355 students who got to go to this school got a really great experience. Although it was probably a lot of work being expected to teach every single time they went, they really got a huge experience teaching and I have to admit I am a little jealous.

I feel that our pre-assessing went okay. We definitely could have done a lot better. We should have communicated better with the two girls that were teaching that day instead of just assuming that they were doing stations. As a teacher I feel that you need to plan for everything, including taking charge even if you may not be in charge of that lesson. I also feel that we should have planned how we were doing our assessing better. NASPE says that when assessing elementary students to use stations and to make it so that students do not realize they are being assessed. We did the complete opposite. We pulled the students out of their soccer game one by one and assessed them that way, and when that was not working we had the students do it all together which was actually extremely hard.

All in all, not our finest moment. Then again if every teacher was perfect we wouldn't have to go through all this experience. Lesson learned for the next assessment!

Field Experience 4/3/2012

Today's lesson we were suppose to do our skill theme with our class. We had picked jump roping and we were going to teach them how to cross the rope while jumping and assess them on how many times out of ten they could successfully cross the rope.

From the beginning there seemed to be a conflict with trying to fit our lesson in. With all the vacations going on and testing, we were crammed for time so we were doing the per-assessment, teaching, and post-assessment all in the same day. However, I was under the impression that although we would not be teaching and/or assessing the whole class, we would at least have a small group of girls that we would be teaching while the rest of the class played indoor soccer. This was not the case. We were per-assessing, teaching, and  post-assessing all in a matter of five minutes.

When I heard that this is what we were going to be doing. I was a little shocked since we are suppose to be actually teaching not just observing and I felt that is all we had been doing. This also showed me how much communication is important because if we had known the time constraints and the that we were not going to have the whole class to teach a skill we could have picked a more simple skill or maybe tried to figure a better plan to fit in where we could actually teach.

The rest of the class the students were playing indoor soccer. I like how our master teacher actually went through and explained the rules and how to play. She also worked in a ton of check for understandings to make sure the students 100% knew what they were doing. It was not just a simply roll out the ball and play indoor soccer, it was a legit game of soccer.

Field Experience 4/20/12

The fourth and last class of the day.

In this class we were assessing fourth and fifth graders on dribbling. We were assessing them on whether or not they learned the cues (cognitive) and how well they worked together in class (affective).

We again, took what we learned from our pre-assessing mistakes and learned from them when doing this assessments. This time, since the students were a little bit older, we set up stations for them to complete. One stations the students had to practice dribbling around cones, and then we had them dribble into the cones in order to knock them over to help test their ability to control the ball. The third stations was the station I was manning, and this was the cognitive assessment station. I had cue cards that had the correct dribbling cues on them, mixed in with cue cards that were wrong. I had two of each and I had two students go at once and race against each other to see who could complete the assessment first. Most of the students got it the first time around, although there were a couple that I had to keep saying look again! After the kids had gotten the answer correct I gave them back their basketball and let them play dribble knock out.  The third station was the affective assessment station. Here the kids played kind of a tag game while dribbling, and at the end they had to fill out the smiley face sheet. If they did really well they circled a big smile for the question, a neutral face if they did okay and a sad face if they thought they did bad. The students were surprisingly honest. There was not one paper they had a full smiley face circled for every question.

I felt that the lesson went really smooth. The only big issue we ran into was that we were told that half the students would be leaving so we kind of rushed through everything so that all the students had a chance to go through all the stations and be assessed. In the end, only two students left early and the rest left maybe five minutes before class ended. If we ran into something like this again, we would ask which students typically leave first and have them do the assessment stations first so if worse came to worse they would miss out on the one station that was not an assessment station. 

Field Experience 3/30/2012

The lesson that was conducted today, not only had students learn to work together in teams, but it also tied in their English classes into the p.e. The students were put into two groups, and were told to work together to figure out which two students would do which station. One group had a bit of an issue doing this, a student in one of the groups our master teacher informed us gets nervous and starts crying and forgets what he's suppose to be doing. To work around this, the students tried to just tell the student what he was going to be doing instead of asking the student what he would like to do. This was not wrong of the students, but they are too young to have any experience with dealing with this.

After the groups were formed and the students knew which stations they were going to perform our master teacher handed them a card with a werbble (worrble?) on it that the students had to solve in order to move on to the next skill. This mixed English class with Physical Education and also worked the cognitive domain into the lesson by having the students need to think about what the worrbles meant.

We did have a bit of an issue with another student. Two seconds after our master teacher handed her the card she got the answer. This worrble was something that we did not even know, and our master teacher even said there was no way she knew the answer unless someone told her. This is a student that we have had trouble with all semester with not listening or not following rules. Our master teacher ended up taking the card away and giving the group a new card.

Field Experience 3/27/2012

Today in class we continued with project adventure and the trust falls. The master teachers had the students do a brief review of what they learned last class, and then they had them do trust falls off the bleachers and do levitation's in a group.

Our host teachers management style of this class was very organized. Both master teachers split the strongest kids in the class equally so they both had the same number in each falling group. The master teachers then stepped in and lined the students up. They put taller students towards the front, with the student teachers and stronger 6th graders in the middle with students being on the short side at the end. This allowed students to safety fall without the fear of being dropped. When it comes to trust falls, the teachers definitely need to have a more direct teaching style then they usually would since there is a huge safety concern when conducing this unit.

The next station was to do levitation in groups. The students had to work together in order to lift the student in the center. If one student went to fast or to slow it would feel like the student was being dropped. The student teachers were each assigned a group to keep an eye on with the master teachers walking around. I had an issue in my group of girls when one of the girls thought it would be funny to say let her fall let her fall. I had to stop the entire group and tell them that if I heard it again I would sit the whole group, since I couldn't figure out who has said it.

Field Experience 3/23/2012

The students  started trust falls today in class. Our master teacher was very adamant on the fact that if any student was caught fooling around, for example laughing, saying let them fall, or not following the cues, the student would be dismissed from this activity. I feel that although we are taught as physical educators to not have students sit out an entire class as a punishment, when you are doing a unit such as trust falls, it is a reasonable punishment since it compromises students safety.

Our master teachers had the students start out very basic. They had the students pair up in order of size, and height. The students started off very simple, with very slow, relaxed, paired trust falls. We, as the student teachers, had to walk around and correct students posters. There were a lot of students, especially girls, that were bending at the waist or knees which made it harder for their partner to catch them when they fell.

Once students were comfortable with this, they moved on to trust falls that involved three students. IT was the same concept yet students were falling forwards as well as backwards. Again, we were told to be on the look out for students misbehaving and for students that did not have the correct form. Students then moved onto circle trust falls.

I feel that although we did not teach in this lesson, I felt that we still had more control over the class because we had the ability to pull them out of the lesson if we heard them misbehaving. Also, we worked with the students who had trouble doing the trust falls without bending. I feel that this lesson also showed how I am getting to know the students more. I know more of their names and they actually call on me to ask questions instead of going straight to the master teacher.

Field Experience 3/20/2012

Today was the first day that I was allowed to teach in my class. In all honesty if that was thing I could change about all of this, it would be the fact that I feel that I am not allowed to teach.

Back to my lesson. My lesson today was Python Pentathlon. This was a complicated game where the kids had to put their arms on each others shoulders and wrap their legs around the person in front of them.  I feel that my lesson over all, really connect to the NYS Standards. My lesson had the psychomotor domain, (NYS Standard 1A/A) affective, (2A,5) and very cognitive heavy, (1A/2).

The psychomotor skills were demonstrated in the fact that students had to shift their weight front to back in order to get to their cone. Affect was demonstrated since they had to work together as one team in order to be successful. If one person was out of sink, the entire team was thrown off. It was very cognitive heavy since I allowed students to figure it out on their own, and also at the end of my lesson I asked them how else they could have successfully moved their line.

On another note, I feel that this lesson allowed me to see the improvement that I have made as a teacher. Looking back when I first started working with kids in 201, I was nervous when it came to actually disciplining students. I was very soft spoken and I let students get away with more then I should of. Now, however, I am very vocal. If I see a student breaking the rules I am more able to deal with it. I think that being a lab assistant for Dr. Davis has definitely lead to this improvement. For example, in today's lesson the students were very excited for my game (which I was very happy about :) ) and they kept talking. I simply stood there until they looked at me and I said I am not going to continue talking until all of you are listening, and you are only wasting your own time. My master teacher even complemented me on this, saying that a lot of students she has had in the past were too timid to say anything like that.



*I uploaded my lesson plan into goggle documents and have linked it into my blog.

Field Experience 3/16/2012

In today's lesson, the kids had a small "break" between pickle-ball and the start of the project adventure unit that the class would be starting next week. In today's lesson, the students were separated into two groups, the boys were with us and our master teacher, and the girls were with the other master teacher. The boys were doing yoga/stress management while the girls were doing self-defense.

Today's blog is going to focus on my reflection of the lesson. The first part of the lesson our master teacher had the boys play cross fire, which is just another version of dodge-ball. At first I was thinking, we should never play this game in a physical education class, but then she informed us that since they were doing stress management and yoga, she let them play a game that she knew they never get to play in class in order to make a compromise with them to behave. She also informed us that this was the only time she has allowed a class play this game. At first I kind of thought she was bribing her students, but the more I think about it, it is a smart idea. Yoga and stress management is all about relaxation, and lowering your energy levels. By allowing the boys to exercise their energy out of them before doing this exercise, our host teacher was making it so she had better control of the classroom.

Our host teacher did an excellent job of opening up the lesson on yoga. She went through and explained what stress was and gave examples of how different people deal with it. I expected the boys to still have to much energy, but surprisingly though the exercise I only had to remind them once to be quiet and pay attention. Most of the boys got into the relaxation and a couple of them had actually fell asleep.

Field Experience 3/13/2012 Classroom Observations

After working with our master teacher, we did our one hour of classroom observation. The classroom that we observed was a home and careers class, and they were reviewing words for their ELA exams and then they were sewing puppets.

I like how the classroom was arranged. Instead of having all the chairs in rows and all lined up, the teacher had the desks set up in a square, so that way the teacher can walk directly in front of the students and be in front of all the students, all the time. This helps defend against behavioral problems or attention problems that happen in a classroom. The students however, we were separated in the classroom then they are in the gymnasium. In the gymnasium that have to interact with the entire class, however in the classroom, students sat by themselves or they grouped together with friends. The boys were separate from the girls too which was kind of funny. However, the over all atmosphere of the classroom was relaxed, students did not seem to be judging each other in anyway. Students were allowed to sit where they wanted and one student was even eating and our teacher said that they were allowed to eat as long as it didn't disrupt other students and as long as it didn't distract them from what they were suppose to be learning.

The students were preparing for the ELA exam in the beginning of the class, and the level of these students seemed pretty high. I am not a 100% sure what words are normal for this age group, but they understood all the words the teacher through at them and when they were reading they all read and at what seemed to me a level that was beyond 6th grade.

I think that by observing the classroom and seeing how girls separate themselves and how the boys separate themselves can help my teach by trying to knock down those barriers. 6th grade is typically when "mean girls" start so as a teacher I feel that I would pay attention to who those girls seem to be and try and separate them in class to try and deter that kind of separate behavior. When it comes to separate boys and girls, in my gymnasium I would mix them as much as possible.

Field Experience-3/13/2012

Today we are on our last day of pickle-ball and the students were continuing with the tournament play. We had our spring break the week before so it has been a while since we have worked with the students, and this was a different 6th grade class then the one we worked with before break. This class had a special needs student in it, and this is a student with autism. This students autism is not severe from what I have observed. The student is very active and is fully able to play the game, he just has a harder time understanding the skill and how to make the skill worked to his advantage. The student also gets very frustrated, at least when I worked with him he did, when I was trying to explain the game to him. I feel that it was because he was trying to communicate the way he understood it, but he could not find the words.

I felt that the students who were on the court with this student were very patient with him considering the age group of these students. However, I felt that the two more developed students I had on my court with me could have done a better job. When the student with autism was on my court the two students ignored him and just played between themselves and the third student that was on the court. The one student would cut in front of him to get the ball and only let him serve when I told him that he had to take turns serving. 

Field Experience Day Five-3/2/2012

In class today we began to have tournaments in pickle-ball. I like the way that our master teacher set up the classroom, by having it so that the boys continue to move courts instead of the girls. This way, everyone gets a new partner every round and a new team to play. It was also good for us as teachers since we each got to meet more students in the class, and we got to see a wide variety of skills. For example, in other classes we were working with the same four students the entire class. You were also only able to assist those four students so if you had students that were on the lower end of the skill level, you only saw that level. This allowed use to observe a classroom as it might really be set up, where students of different skill levels played together.

This lesson I also felt that I communicated with the students and our master teacher more. I felt that communication with the students was, difficult. I had two girls on my court that were friends, and one had a higher skill level then the other and the student with the lower skill level was trying to keep up with her friend and was starting to get frustrated that she couldn't. I took her aside and showed her the proper way to hit the ball instead of trying to kill it, and when she saw that she was more successful this way, she was happier. However, her friend was more difficult. I had to tell her numerous times to stop killing the ball because she was hitting it so hard that students on the other-side of the net could not volley the ball, which was the entire point of the exercise.. She did not listen to me at all, and eventually I had to ask my master teacher if it was okay if I took her out of the game until she decided to listen. My master teacher supported me whole heartily because she had observed that I was having difficult with this student but wanted to see how I dealt with it. My teacher communicated to me afterwards, along with the other master teacher in the gymnasium, that they often have trouble with her misbehaving and not listening to teachers.