Looking back at the first day of the semester and comparing to what I see when I reflect on each of my teaching videos, I can see a vast difference in many aspects of my teaching as well as my character. As I recall being thrown into a lesson on the first day of class I can remember the nerves that came with that task as well as the mistakes which were made during the lesson. As each lesson after this, it was a great opportunity to learn and grow as a physical education teacher. From that first day of class, I have taken bits of information and little tricks to help me with the next lesson I will teach. This is what teaching is, learning with each lesson and constantly adapting, and improving with each day. Looking at the previous lessons of wheelchair handball, and bowling I feel that I have improved in that my nerves are not from the mere idea of teaching, rather the idea of teaching the lesson the best I can. From this class I have taken with me more knowledge and information than I could have ever imagined. Rather then a class, I feel that 255 was an overall experience. I have learned many things that I still have to work on, such as projecting my voice. I have learned various ways to incorporate technology into physical education. This is very important in that society is moving more and more towards technology and it is the best way to get young kids involved and active. I have learned many important things about physical education as well as myself as a teacher candidate. In doing so, I am more confident in my abilities and I feel that I am a better physical education teacher candidate, and more prepared for the future.

Growing as a Teacher

Throughout my time here at Cortland I have grown a lot as a teacher. I've had the chance to take two classes by Professor Yang (201 & 255). In both classes, I have learned a great deal. My confidence and ability has growth through the challenges presented to me. I have created and executed games, activities, and lesson plans. My overall knowledge has also grown concerning how to be a promoter for physical education. I know so much more than I did coming into this year. I can now take charge and teach with the amount of practice, preparation, and knowledge I have had. I still have a long way to go and many more hours to work but I am looking forward to learning more and getting out there to teach.

Take a look at my journey so far:

Never Ending Growth

Good afternoon 255 Rockers!

Thanks for a great semester of learning and laughs. I speak on behalf of all the TA's in saying that we've seen a ton of growth in awareness, knowledge and application of developmentally appropriate PE practice. And just because this semester is ending in teaching methods, the real learning never ends. Challenge yourself to learn new things, activities, technologies, languages, crafts, etc.. it is the only path to lifelong learning and a life dedicated to helping students learn and reap the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle.

We will not have class Friday as I will be on FOX News (morning broadcast) in Baltimore introducing exergames to the Fox 45 Baltimore area and speaking at the B ‘More Healthy Expo Saturday, May 1st, 9am - 5pm, at the Baltimore Convention Center i http://www.bmorehealthyexpo.com/

Be sure to check our schedule for the final classes and assignments.

For your Monday's class your assignment will be:

1. Create a video using the pictures from class
2. Consider www.Animoto.com ( username: rockstarpe@gmail.com; password: cortland) or Other Movie Makers
3. The length of the video must be a minimum of 2 minutes
4. You must add music (clean lyrics and content) to convey how you've grown as a rockstar teacher candidate/communicator.
5. You will also need to add text to describe how you've grown as a teacher candidate and effective teaching elements you've demonstrated.
6. The video must be embedded and playable on our Rockstar PE blog (no links). I've added each of you as a blog author.
7. As all assignments this semester, it is due by the start of class.

After listening to some comments from fellow rockers - I understand there was some miscommunication about Lab D packets.  Let's set aside time to discuss this on Monday's class (classroom).

Please bring your textbooks and read through the assigned readings (schedule) before class.

Please also bring your best Cortland Polo shirt so that you can be videoed for a short intro for your blogs (re-do from start of year).

Practical Experience

If you still need practical hours (minimum 10 hours) there is a Wellness Fair that James Thompson (09 grad)  is running on Sunday.  Please contact james.thompson@cortland.edu or your lab assistant Chris Infante for more information and times (Sunday 11am in Park Center).

Portfolios

For your Portfolios (Paper and Electronic) make sure you use the correct NASPE Standards (Beginner Teacher) and not the K-12 Student Standards (the standards listed on our lesson plan).

I've created a sample ePortfolio in Blogger. It has sample artifacts and reflections presented in different formats.

Portfolios-Clean binder
-Resume
-4 Artifacts with reflections
- labeled dividers
- page protectors
- pictures

E-portfolios
-4 Artifacts with reflections
- Resume (downloadable)
- pictures
- Record video intro for front page

Resumes

Both portfolios need to have your resume included.  Check out the samples listed on the Resume page.

Some hints for resumes that communicate professional traits:

- Reverse chronological listing of items (newest to oldest)

- Items grouped and clearly labeled 

- Clean formatting

- Consistent font size

- Same font

- Margins and text width consistent

Take care and have a great weekend.

SPY

Ji Lee: The Transformative Power of Personal Projects

Ji Lee’s 99% speech was a simply crafted and delivered eloquently to deliver his message of doing things that you enjoy and in which you are personally invested.

Bored with his ad agency gig and the uninspiring work he was producing, Ji Lee – now Creative Director of Google Creative Lab – decided to take matters into his own hands in 2002. The result was the ad-spoofing Bubble Project, in which Lee placed blank speech bubbles on ads around New York City. The masses responded and the project went viral, gaining Lee recognition and ultimately forwarding his professional career. Here, Lee talks about how he created, financed, and marketed the project single-handedly.

Tackle file conversions with Any Video Converter Freeware

Tackle file conversions with Any Video Converter Freeware: "

BY JASON DON FORSYTHE

We’ve touched on several video-capture tools and web-based file-conversion tools. Sometimes, though, you just can’t wait for Zamzar to get around to converting your file. Or maybe the video you need to work with is a local file and your online video capture tool won’t work on a local file. In cases like this you need a local solution installed on your computer, and Any Video Converter Freeware is an excellent choice for the job.

A completely free application, AVCF can convert most of the industry-standard file formats and output just as many (although you can’t input .swf files — it only outputs them). AVCF includes some editing functionality like cropping videos and arranging video clips to make movies (think iMovie without all the Apple aesthetics).

Speaking of Apple, those of you who don’t like iMovie and want to try something else, there is a mac version of AVCF.

Any Video Converter Freeware

Related stuff:

Zamzar: The easy file converter with an exotic name

Video DownloadHelper helpfully helps you download helpful videos. Helpfully.

Father Invents System to Help Autistic Son Communicate [Lifechanger]

Father Invents System to Help Autistic Son Communicate [Lifechanger]: "

As a result of severe autism and learning disabilities, eleven-year-old Callum Lodge is unable to talk. In order to allow his son to communicate with the world around him, his father has developed Speaks4me, an electronic communication system.As you can see in the video, Speaks4me appears to allow the user to choose images in order to communicate needs or thoughts. And while it's a pretty simple system, I think it might make quite a difference in the life of someone who was previously unable to express himself in a manner that could be understood by those around him. [Speaks4Me via BBC viaWired UK]

Send an email to Rosa Golijan, the author of this post, at rgolijan@gizmodo.com.

Foreign Service Institute's Extensive Language Courses Are Available Free Online [Free]

Foreign Service Institute's Extensive Language Courses Are Available Free Online [Free]: "

The U.S. Foreign Service Institute teaches foreign languages to government diplomats and personnel for duties abroad—and it's courses are available online, for free. Which means you can access audio, texts, and tests in 41 different languages.

The FSI Language Courses web site isn't actually maintained by the U.S. government itself, but the materials developed before 1989 are within the public domain (whether all of these materials came before then is not clear). Some languages contain more materials—for instance, the three texts on Sinhala isn't going to beat the giant course on French anytime soon. For the most part, most major languages have student texts in PDF format, and audio in MP3 format which you can later put onto your music player. The courses also feature tests to see how well you've covered the material. In some cases, "headstart" courses for certain regions in the world are also available.

The only major language not covered is English, which makes sense. The site is a little reminiscent of old-school language learning, but the resources are ridiculously extensive. As a native Vietnamese speaker, I didn't find the section archaic at all. Adios, Rosetta Stone.

FSI Language Courses

Send an email to Erica Ho, the author of this post, at erica@lifehacker.com.

Passion, Commitment, Pursuing Your Dreams & Goals

George Lopez is willing to try a lot of new skits, material and interactions for his studio audience in hopes that it ranslates well to the TV viewers.  Bringing internet sensation Lin Yu Chun to perform his Whitney Houston's "Saving all my love" and a duet with Academy Award William "Capitan Kirk" Shatner “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was awesome. Watch and listen to the audience as Lin delivers on the high and low notes of these technically difficult songs.  Not only is he singing the correct words and notes, but he is in tune and has very few pitch issues.  More remarkable is his ability to interpret the songs in the way similar to the original version with his own interpretations and within the limits of his vocal range and ability.  

• Can you tell he speaks very little English? 
• Can you tell he has never been on TV in the US prior to this performance? 
• How many hours do you think Lin practiced at his craft of singing? 
• How many times did he hit a wrong note or wrong lyrics? 
• How many times do you think people told him that he is a terrible or can't sing?
• How many times do you think people told him he would never be successful?

• How much time do you spend planning and researching your lessons/activities?
• How much time do you spend practicing and rehearsing your lessons/activities?
• Do you seek others feedback and input?
• Do you record yourself (audio/video) while rehearsing your teaching segments?
• Do you ask your teachers, TA's and peers questions about your assignments?
• What are you willing to do in order for you to perform at an equally high level that is eventually recognized as being inspiring? 

Applications for Learning

As teachers, we all have our comfort areas and expertise in certain sports, activities, games, etc...  The challenge for teachers everywhere is to continue to learn and adopt the mission of lifelong learning. Do whatever it takes for you to help your students engage in more meaningful and impacting learning experiences.  Take classes in other areas to broaden your base of knowledge, learn from others how to improve your blogs (or visit this PE Tech page on Rockstar PE Wiki), take clinics in First Aid Certification so that you can certify your own students in Emergency First Aid, and in general never stop learning. Don't wait for others to "give" you what you think you deserve, go out and become the inspirational, transformative leader.

Tal.ki - Quickly Add a Forum to Your Blog

From Free Technology for TeachersTal.ki - Quickly Add a Forum to Your Blog

Earlier this week I presented Lefora as a free alternative to Ning for creating your own social network. Lefora allows anyone to create a free message board forum complete with social networking profiles. Yesterday, the folks behind Lefora launched Tal.ki. Tal.ki allows you to create a discussion forum and embed it into your blog or website in seconds.

To add a discussion forum to your blog or website simply go to Tal.ki, copy the embed code and paste it into the code of your blog or website. You do not have to create an account to use Tal.ki nor do visitors to your embedded forum have to create a Tal.ki account. Users of Tal.ki login using their Facebook, Google, Yahoo, or Twitter accounts.

Applications for EducationTal.ki provides a great way to add a discussion forum to your classroom blog or website. Use Tal.ki to provide your students with a place to ask you questions. Or use Tal.ki as a place for students to ask each other homework help questions, essentially turning your forum into a student-run homework help center.

If you're using Blogger to host your classroom blog, the easiest way to embed a forum is to add a new page and embed the Tal.ki code into that page. That way your forum stands alone as an element of your blog.

Vocaroo = Online Voice Recording Simplicity

Using Vocaroo as a quick voice recorder that can be quickly shared online was a breeze and it's great that it gives you instant access to an embeddable player for your recording and a direct link. I love how you can just skip the part about having to find a web server to store the recording and I'm wondering if they will support audio uploads.  I just saw the feature / widget to test a recording of your voice, but it is not storable.

Powered by Vocaroo