Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Final Course Blog Post
Here is the link to final document that I have had to submit on TaskStream. The document contains the blog posts that meet the requirements for the class. Overall, I have really enjoyed the class and I have gotten a lot out of it.
Monday, September 27, 2010
OTEN Conference
I recently attended the OTEN conference and as a whole, the conference was very worth while and took a lot away from it. I really enjoyed both of the presentations that I attended. I liked the way that Jason incorporated video into the classroom. He showed us the video that he uses for the first day of his Animal Behavior class. It was really cool and really got me fired up to learn about Animal Behavior. He really just showed how effective it was to use video to get kids into the material. The next presentation that I went to was about Smart Boards. It was the first time that I have ever seen a Smart Board in use and it was absolutely mind blowing. It really excited me about the technology that is out there for teachers to use. Overall, the conference was very worth while and I am glad that I attended.
Here is my Yodio
Here is my Yodio
Monday, September 20, 2010
Oregon Technology Standards and Requirements
I think that the technologically standards are important because technology is something that is often ignored or neglected in the classroom. Without these standards students may not be given the opportunities to keep up with our ever changing technological world. Take for example my mentor teacher. He refuses to use technology in his classroom and doesn't give students the opportunity to do so. Without these standards, unfortunately I think that this might be more common place.
I think that the goal of these standards is to give students the necessary tools to thrive in our technological world. Often times students won't get this from their parents so it is important that as educators we educate our students on all of the technology available to them. Another important aspect of this is technological etiquette, particularly when it comes to use of the internet. It is important that students understand how to be safe and how to utilize the internet most effectively. This would apply to the digital citizenship standard.
As a P.E. teacher there are a number of creative ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. My favorite idea is to utilize video cameras to provide students with instant feedback on their movements. This would be extremely useful because it is often easier to change what you are doing when you see yourself doing it on film. By using a mini camera you could instantly show students the feedback rather than waiting and watching it at another time. This could also be a very useful tool in coaching. This applies to the communication and collaboration standard. Another strategy that I hope to be able to use is to incorporate the Nintendo Wii into a P.E. classroom. This may not be a possibility at most school districts but if you access to them it would be a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom. Students would be extremely excited to participate which is the majority of the battle in P.E. Students would play games on the Wii and would be exercising without even understanding it. This applies to the creativity and innovation standard. I have embedded a demonstration of Wii Fit below.
I think that the goal of these standards is to give students the necessary tools to thrive in our technological world. Often times students won't get this from their parents so it is important that as educators we educate our students on all of the technology available to them. Another important aspect of this is technological etiquette, particularly when it comes to use of the internet. It is important that students understand how to be safe and how to utilize the internet most effectively. This would apply to the digital citizenship standard.
As a P.E. teacher there are a number of creative ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. My favorite idea is to utilize video cameras to provide students with instant feedback on their movements. This would be extremely useful because it is often easier to change what you are doing when you see yourself doing it on film. By using a mini camera you could instantly show students the feedback rather than waiting and watching it at another time. This could also be a very useful tool in coaching. This applies to the communication and collaboration standard. Another strategy that I hope to be able to use is to incorporate the Nintendo Wii into a P.E. classroom. This may not be a possibility at most school districts but if you access to them it would be a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom. Students would be extremely excited to participate which is the majority of the battle in P.E. Students would play games on the Wii and would be exercising without even understanding it. This applies to the creativity and innovation standard. I have embedded a demonstration of Wii Fit below.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Multimedia Project
For my multimedia project I used an idea like Jered's and used Google Drawing as a coaching tool. One of the reasons that I got into teaching was so I could coach, so this was a very practical application for me. I used Screenr to capture my work.
I really liked using Google Drawing for drawing up plays a lot actually. Initially, I was a little apprehensive because I didn't think that it would work very smoothly. I have used football software to draw up plays in the past, but Google Drawing compared to it very nicely. Plus, Google Drawing is free whereas the football software costs hundreds of dollars. I used Drawing to draw up a basic defensive play, Even Sara Xchange versus a Wide set. You don't see it in the video, but Drawing very easily drew formations up. I also really like how it will provide lines on the screen so you can line everything up straight. With Drawing I was able to do everything that I need and I'm sure I could have done a lot more with it. It would definitely be worth exploring more to find other applications that can be applied to coaching. I love how you could easily share it with members of your team through Google Docs. This way players and coaches could access their playbooks at any time and access it easily online.
Initially, I had planned on using Screen Toaster to capture and publish my work. When I went to use it though, the site was down so I used Screenr instead. One thing that I didn't like about Screenr was that I had to create a Twitter account in order to use it. It was one inconvenience of the product. Screenr was however extremely easy to use. I simply hit record and then expanded the box to encompass everything that I wanted to capture. I do like how with Screenr you can capture only what you want whereas with Screen Toaster it captures your entire screen.
Here is the link as well.
Analyzing Student Data in a Spreadsheet
At first I had a difficult time with this activity. After playing around with it for a while I finally became efficient using Google Spreadsheet. Once I got going with it the activity was pretty easy. I did have a difficult time embedding it at first but I watched Tony's video and after that it was pretty easy. I found Google Spreadsheet way easier to use than Excel. I always had a really difficult time getting anything completed with Excel, but Spreadsheet was easy to pick up and once I did, worked really well for me.
As far as my data is concerned, I analyzed a couple of different things. First, I determined each student's test average, and the average for each different test for the class as a whole. All of the analysis is within the sheets. I also analyzed the mean, median, and mode of the below class average students, as well as for the entire class. I also graphed the below average students which is another way to effectively analyze the data. The data is present in a visual representation that is very easy to compare numbers with others. One feature that I really like about Google Spreadsheet is that when you click on one of the bars in the graph it also gives the numerical value.
Here is the link to my graph and it is embedded below.
As far as my data is concerned, I analyzed a couple of different things. First, I determined each student's test average, and the average for each different test for the class as a whole. All of the analysis is within the sheets. I also analyzed the mean, median, and mode of the below class average students, as well as for the entire class. I also graphed the below average students which is another way to effectively analyze the data. The data is present in a visual representation that is very easy to compare numbers with others. One feature that I really like about Google Spreadsheet is that when you click on one of the bars in the graph it also gives the numerical value.
Here is the link to my graph and it is embedded below.
Monday, August 30, 2010
My Favorite Web2.0 Tools
My definition
To me Web2.0 is any website or tool that promotes the sharing of information and collaboration and does so through the internet. I think that Web2.0 can be any website where you interactively share information with one another. It could be anything from Facebook or Twitter to blogs or Wikipedia.
TinyURL
TinyURL is a very cool tool that takes your long URL's and condenses them into a small URL. The website is very easy to use. All that you do is copy the URL that you want to be condensed and then paste it into the box on their website. It then turns your URL into a very short, condense URL. I really like that it gives you the option of customizing your URL as well. This way if you want something that you can easily remember or want a URL that relates to your page, you can easily do so. I also like that you can very easily add the tool to the toolbar on your browser. Then all you have to do is click the toolbar and it will make a URL for the website that you are visiting.
As far as increasing productivity, this website allows you to condense URL's that often times don't always work because of their format. You then eliminate a lot of the hassle that is involved with sharing a lengthy URL with others. Additionally, TinyURL makes things look much more professional in an email or blog. This is very important when trying to make a good impression.
ScreenToaster
ScreenToaster is another very cool tool that can easily and effectively be used in the classroom. ScreenToaster allows you to record all on screen action that you are doing on your computer. For example you could easily record a PowerPoint, or record how to insert a chart in Word. Once you are done recording you are given a few options. You can either save it to your computer, save it on their website, or upload it to YouTube. ScreenToaster is also very easy to use and very straight forward. You also have the option of viewing other videos that have been produced using ScreenToaster.
The uses of ScreenToaster in the classroom are seemingly endless. It is such a neat thing that so many teachers and students can easily utilize. Anything that you do on your computer can be easily recorded, which I am absolutely amazed by. Say, for example, that a student misses school because they are sick. The teacher can simply upload what they did in class to YouTube and the student can easily catch up on what they missed. Teachers could also post lessons captured by ScreenToaster to their blogs for students to review. You can use it to record presentations, demonstrations, webcams, literally everything that you can do on your computer. ScreenToaster is an amazing tool that I plan on utilizing in my classroom.
To me Web2.0 is any website or tool that promotes the sharing of information and collaboration and does so through the internet. I think that Web2.0 can be any website where you interactively share information with one another. It could be anything from Facebook or Twitter to blogs or Wikipedia.
TinyURL
TinyURL is a very cool tool that takes your long URL's and condenses them into a small URL. The website is very easy to use. All that you do is copy the URL that you want to be condensed and then paste it into the box on their website. It then turns your URL into a very short, condense URL. I really like that it gives you the option of customizing your URL as well. This way if you want something that you can easily remember or want a URL that relates to your page, you can easily do so. I also like that you can very easily add the tool to the toolbar on your browser. Then all you have to do is click the toolbar and it will make a URL for the website that you are visiting.
As far as increasing productivity, this website allows you to condense URL's that often times don't always work because of their format. You then eliminate a lot of the hassle that is involved with sharing a lengthy URL with others. Additionally, TinyURL makes things look much more professional in an email or blog. This is very important when trying to make a good impression.
ScreenToaster
ScreenToaster is another very cool tool that can easily and effectively be used in the classroom. ScreenToaster allows you to record all on screen action that you are doing on your computer. For example you could easily record a PowerPoint, or record how to insert a chart in Word. Once you are done recording you are given a few options. You can either save it to your computer, save it on their website, or upload it to YouTube. ScreenToaster is also very easy to use and very straight forward. You also have the option of viewing other videos that have been produced using ScreenToaster.
The uses of ScreenToaster in the classroom are seemingly endless. It is such a neat thing that so many teachers and students can easily utilize. Anything that you do on your computer can be easily recorded, which I am absolutely amazed by. Say, for example, that a student misses school because they are sick. The teacher can simply upload what they did in class to YouTube and the student can easily catch up on what they missed. Teachers could also post lessons captured by ScreenToaster to their blogs for students to review. You can use it to record presentations, demonstrations, webcams, literally everything that you can do on your computer. ScreenToaster is an amazing tool that I plan on utilizing in my classroom.
Google Drawing
Brief description of the tool:
My learning curve with drawing was very quick. I had used Microsoft Paint a lot in the past so it as a pretty easy transition for me. I like Drawing much more than Paint though, because there is a lot more that you can do with it. I wouldn't consider myself particularly tech savvy, and I had no problem figuring out what you can do with the program. I also found Google's Drawing blog very helpful in figuring out what exactly you can do with the program.
I contributed to the project by first just playing around with Drawing on my own. It is a very easy way to kill a bunch of time just playing around with it. After I got familiar with the program I detailed the basic features of it on our document. I also contributed my thoughts to the reflections portion of our document.
Here are the links for our work:
Drawing
Document
- Create drawings and diagrams that can be easily transferred to other Google apps
- Import and edit images
- Can search for images through Drawing
- Share with others and allow others to edit the drawing
- Can use pre-made lines and images or can create your own
- Add text to your images
My learning curve with drawing was very quick. I had used Microsoft Paint a lot in the past so it as a pretty easy transition for me. I like Drawing much more than Paint though, because there is a lot more that you can do with it. I wouldn't consider myself particularly tech savvy, and I had no problem figuring out what you can do with the program. I also found Google's Drawing blog very helpful in figuring out what exactly you can do with the program.
I contributed to the project by first just playing around with Drawing on my own. It is a very easy way to kill a bunch of time just playing around with it. After I got familiar with the program I detailed the basic features of it on our document. I also contributed my thoughts to the reflections portion of our document.
Here are the links for our work:
Drawing
Document
Monday, August 23, 2010
Post #2: Specific Applications of Blogging Cont.
When completing this assignment I came across a number of blogs related to the Physical Education and Health fields. A couple of the better ones that I found are listed below. These two blogs are interesting in the fact that they are kind of on both ends of the spectrum. One uses technology to cover the basics of his classroom whereas the other really pushes the envelope as far as the use of technology in PE.
Mr. Loftus' PE Website
http://www.mrloftuspe.com/
This was the first PE blog that I came across. It is done by Mr. Loftus who evidently is a middle school PE teacher at Virgil Middle School, wherever that is. This blog is straightforward and is easy to navigate. Mr. Loftus uses it as a way to post homework assignments, a calendar, syllabus etc. All of the basic things that you would expect on a teachers blog. Along with this it also appears that he has students enter their times for physical fitness tests such as the mile run. Students are also expected to create their own blogs for the class.
Mr. Robbo - The P.E. Geek
http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/
This one was by far the coolest blog that I came across. Mr. Robbo has some really creative ideas as far as ways to incorporate technology into PE. He did one post about iPhone apps that are useful in the PE classroom. I really liked his idea about using instant replay in class, similar to how they use instant replay in the NFL or other professional sports leagues. While Mr. Robbo is really creative and a lot of his ideas are awesome, he is obviously at a very affluent school where they have a ton of technology available to them. Regardless his blog has really inspired me as far as different uses of technology in the PE classroom.
After looking through a number of PE blogs I now have a much better idea of how I can incorporate technology into physical education. The majority of the blogs were similar to Mr. Loftus' blog, simple and straightforward. They did the job for what they were looking for. It was really cool to see someone like Mr. Robbo though, as he is really pushing the envelope in technology and PE.
Mr. Loftus' PE Website
http://www.mrloftuspe.com/
This was the first PE blog that I came across. It is done by Mr. Loftus who evidently is a middle school PE teacher at Virgil Middle School, wherever that is. This blog is straightforward and is easy to navigate. Mr. Loftus uses it as a way to post homework assignments, a calendar, syllabus etc. All of the basic things that you would expect on a teachers blog. Along with this it also appears that he has students enter their times for physical fitness tests such as the mile run. Students are also expected to create their own blogs for the class.
Mr. Robbo - The P.E. Geek
http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/
This one was by far the coolest blog that I came across. Mr. Robbo has some really creative ideas as far as ways to incorporate technology into PE. He did one post about iPhone apps that are useful in the PE classroom. I really liked his idea about using instant replay in class, similar to how they use instant replay in the NFL or other professional sports leagues. While Mr. Robbo is really creative and a lot of his ideas are awesome, he is obviously at a very affluent school where they have a ton of technology available to them. Regardless his blog has really inspired me as far as different uses of technology in the PE classroom.
After looking through a number of PE blogs I now have a much better idea of how I can incorporate technology into physical education. The majority of the blogs were similar to Mr. Loftus' blog, simple and straightforward. They did the job for what they were looking for. It was really cool to see someone like Mr. Robbo though, as he is really pushing the envelope in technology and PE.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Post #2: Specific Applications of Blogging
The most obvious application of blogging to me is that it serves as a place where students can easily access important course information. The syllabus, handouts, announcements, homework assignments, etc. can easily be put on the blog and students can easily view this information. Another application for blogging would be to have students comment on posts that you make. Students could present their views on an issue and as a teacher you can easily keep track of who has and hasn't posted. You could also post links and videos that apply to what students have been learning in the classroom. Blogs can be used in a myriad of ways and are useful for any teacher.
Post #1: Personal Bio
Hey everbody!
My name is Matthew Banta but I typically I just go by Matt. Really anything works though. I grew up in Baker City, Oregon a small town in Eastern Oregon. I did my undergraduate work at Willamette as well. I was an Exercise Science major and I played on the football team for four years. This is the first year that I have not played football in fifteen years so it has been kind of a weird adjustment. I plan on getting into coaching in the near future though. Along with football, I love to play and watch most sports. My other main hobbies are skiing, fly fishing, and hunting. Basically I love to do anything in the outdoors.
As far as teaching goes I will be endorsed in K-12 Physical Education and MS and HS Health. I am also planning on adding a science endorsement somewhere down the road. I am really looking forward to starting student teaching and I am hopeful that I will enjoy it as much as I think. Along with teaching I really want to get into coaching and it is one of the many reasons that I have chosen to teach. Eventually I hope to relocate back to Eastern Oregon and ideally back to Baker City.
My name is Matthew Banta but I typically I just go by Matt. Really anything works though. I grew up in Baker City, Oregon a small town in Eastern Oregon. I did my undergraduate work at Willamette as well. I was an Exercise Science major and I played on the football team for four years. This is the first year that I have not played football in fifteen years so it has been kind of a weird adjustment. I plan on getting into coaching in the near future though. Along with football, I love to play and watch most sports. My other main hobbies are skiing, fly fishing, and hunting. Basically I love to do anything in the outdoors.
As far as teaching goes I will be endorsed in K-12 Physical Education and MS and HS Health. I am also planning on adding a science endorsement somewhere down the road. I am really looking forward to starting student teaching and I am hopeful that I will enjoy it as much as I think. Along with teaching I really want to get into coaching and it is one of the many reasons that I have chosen to teach. Eventually I hope to relocate back to Eastern Oregon and ideally back to Baker City.
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