UJAM is a new service that might make you a Rockstar! OK, maybe not but it could help you create music tracks for your lessons or videos!
This is going to be fun and will definitely be an assignment next year. GO ROCKSTARS!
Friday, December 24, 2010
UJAM - Record Your Own Music Online
UJAM - Record Your Own Music Online: "
UJAM is a new service that might make you a Rockstar! OK, maybe not but it could help you create music tracks for your lessons or videos!
This is going to be fun and will definitely be an assignment next year. GO ROCKSTARS!
UJAM is a new service that might make you a Rockstar! OK, maybe not but it could help you create music tracks for your lessons or videos!
This is going to be fun and will definitely be an assignment next year. GO ROCKSTARS!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Jeremy West - Letter and Presentation to the Superintendent/Board
Dear Mr. Superintendent,
My name is Jeremy West. I am a physical education teacher at JTS High School. I recently became involved in the Speed Stacks Ambassador Program. I work with about 50 children at the local recreation center teaching the art of Sport Stacking and cannot tell you how popular it is becoming. The children love it, and it is a great way to promote not only physical benefits but cognitive and affective benefits as well.
Let me tell you a little about Sport Stacking. It was invented by a physical education teacher named Bob Fox. In a nutshell, the objective of Sport Stacking is to stack cups into certain patterns as quick as you can. It may not sound too special if you never stacked before, but there are a lot of benefits to Sport Stacking.
Hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and speed are three components of skill-related fitness that are developed through Sport Stacking. A study done by Dr. Steven R. Murray, Brian Udermann, John M. Mayer, and Kenneth Sagendorf has shown that Sport Stacking is an effective way to improve both hand-eye coordination and reaction time. Another thing Sport Stacking develops is bilateral coordination. The use of both hands is essential to a quick stack. Chris K. Rhea, Kathy Ludwig, and Monique Mokha conducted a study that has shown Sport Stacking may lead to better development of bilateral coordination. Sport Stacking is a good way to maintain overall fitness as well. There are numerous games that incorporate cardiovascular and aerobic exercise. The possibilities are truly endless with Sport Stacking!
I mentioned previously that Sport Stacking is beneficial to other domains besides the physical. It is known that Sport Stacking activates both sides of the brain. Dr. Melanie Hart examined the electrical activity in the left and right hemispheres of the brain during Sport Stacking, and she concluded, “The results of this study support the claim that Sport Stacking does utilize both sides of the brain.” By utilizing both sides of the brain, it also develops them as well. The left side of the brain is responsible for logic, mathematics, language, and analysis to name a few. The right side of the brain is responsible for things such as creativity, feelings, intuition, and imagination. One of the biggest benefits for these children that Sport Stacking contributes to is self-esteem. It allows children that may not be athletic to participate and be good at it. These children now have the opportunity to compete with their peers that are athletic thus resulting in higher self-esteem. All of these characteristics would help these children in all aspects of school.
Sport Stacking is not your traditional unit in physical education class. It is different and kids love to try new things. Sport Stacking is the perfect opportunity to bring about change to the physical education program and start a new PE. Different activities, like Sport Stacking, will make physical education class fun for everyone and not just the kids who love sports. The physical education program needs change, and Sport Stacking will lead that change.
If you are skeptical about Sport Stacking, the leader in Sport Stacking, Speed Stacks, has a program for schools to borrow the necessary equipment for free. Please grant us this opportunity to bring about change in our physical education program. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Jeremy West
My name is Jeremy West. I am a physical education teacher at JTS High School. I recently became involved in the Speed Stacks Ambassador Program. I work with about 50 children at the local recreation center teaching the art of Sport Stacking and cannot tell you how popular it is becoming. The children love it, and it is a great way to promote not only physical benefits but cognitive and affective benefits as well.
Let me tell you a little about Sport Stacking. It was invented by a physical education teacher named Bob Fox. In a nutshell, the objective of Sport Stacking is to stack cups into certain patterns as quick as you can. It may not sound too special if you never stacked before, but there are a lot of benefits to Sport Stacking.
Hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and speed are three components of skill-related fitness that are developed through Sport Stacking. A study done by Dr. Steven R. Murray, Brian Udermann, John M. Mayer, and Kenneth Sagendorf has shown that Sport Stacking is an effective way to improve both hand-eye coordination and reaction time. Another thing Sport Stacking develops is bilateral coordination. The use of both hands is essential to a quick stack. Chris K. Rhea, Kathy Ludwig, and Monique Mokha conducted a study that has shown Sport Stacking may lead to better development of bilateral coordination. Sport Stacking is a good way to maintain overall fitness as well. There are numerous games that incorporate cardiovascular and aerobic exercise. The possibilities are truly endless with Sport Stacking!
I mentioned previously that Sport Stacking is beneficial to other domains besides the physical. It is known that Sport Stacking activates both sides of the brain. Dr. Melanie Hart examined the electrical activity in the left and right hemispheres of the brain during Sport Stacking, and she concluded, “The results of this study support the claim that Sport Stacking does utilize both sides of the brain.” By utilizing both sides of the brain, it also develops them as well. The left side of the brain is responsible for logic, mathematics, language, and analysis to name a few. The right side of the brain is responsible for things such as creativity, feelings, intuition, and imagination. One of the biggest benefits for these children that Sport Stacking contributes to is self-esteem. It allows children that may not be athletic to participate and be good at it. These children now have the opportunity to compete with their peers that are athletic thus resulting in higher self-esteem. All of these characteristics would help these children in all aspects of school.
Sport Stacking is not your traditional unit in physical education class. It is different and kids love to try new things. Sport Stacking is the perfect opportunity to bring about change to the physical education program and start a new PE. Different activities, like Sport Stacking, will make physical education class fun for everyone and not just the kids who love sports. The physical education program needs change, and Sport Stacking will lead that change.
If you are skeptical about Sport Stacking, the leader in Sport Stacking, Speed Stacks, has a program for schools to borrow the necessary equipment for free. Please grant us this opportunity to bring about change in our physical education program. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Jeremy West
Sport Stacking Presentation
View more presentations from coachjeremywest.
Crosby
Here is the beginning of my post.
I have seen sites and programs much like Daily Burn before. These programs can be very useful. I have used another form of online tracker before and I have also used a tracker on my phone. I like how simple it is to track your nutrition and progress when it comes to exercising. This helps you to improve your health by using all the tools that are available. This site allows you to track bodyweight and sleep as well.
This website could help to accomplish our Recommened Regents Level for LS #1B. this would be helpful in aiding students to create their own personal fitness plan. This allows students to set goals for themselves and to excel in many different areas. This will improve areas such as nutrition and exercise.
An academic tool that we have used throughout the semester has been Picasa. This could be used to show progress of fitness plans to teachers and easily track progess. Students can use Picasa to show their work at the end of each week and then at the end of the year show work from each week. This will help to show the progress that has been made.
Final Part 1
TJ Crosby
Brain Gains
Part 1b
i. This web-site is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Story comes fro two different places, one school is in Southern Saskatoon Canada and the other is in Naperville, Chicago, United States of America.
ii. This piece about activities relation to the brain was eye-opening. We have been stressing "learning through the physical" in EDU 255, this piece was the first time I was able to see it in use outside of our classroom. I found this article to be very interesting. The book "Spark" about neurogenesis is directly about "learning through the physical." The exercise helps with many different things, mostly it seems to help with behavior and helps studens to stay focused. It is very interesting to see how physical activity can improve subjects other than just physical education. One eye-opening fact was that when students were tested before and after beginning the program, they gained a full grade level in reading, writing and math. This piece makes you want to learn more on the subject.
iii. I don't think we hear anything about the PE teacher being involved is because there are athletes in the class that can do the activities. PE teachers usually get into a curricullum that the school already uses. The programs have never used anything like this before, they may have thought that this wouldn't be useful in PE since they are already supposed to be active. I will be able to ensure that my PE program will be a benefit to the students of the school by using techniques from "Spark." I will adjust my program accordingly to how the students respond.
iv. The main benefits of the program were the ways it changed these students' lives. There were obvious outcomes such as improvement in grades but I tihnk it was the way the program changed the behavior that was most important. One student, before the program was always angry and wouldn't participate. After, his grades improved and he was more involved in the class, without anger. Another student had been smoking since age 8 and drinking since age 10 and he could not read entering 8th grade. After going through the program he began to turn down his bad habits. He also saw a 400% increase in his comprehension. I was very surprised to see how much of an improvement had been made in many different areas. These outcomes are similar to our New York State PE Standards. Standard 1a is met when the teacher is shown having the students try different movement on the treadmills to stimulate different parts of the brain. Standard 1b is met because the students are told to stay keep their heart rates at a certain level and they know how to do so. Students meet standard 2 because this program causes the students to behave better. Standard 3 is met because these students knew what they had to do from the program, so they can do the same in their community.
v. BDNF stands for Brain-derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF occurs during physical activity and increases ability to learn. The book mentioned in the video is called "Sparks" by John Ratey. Another book is "The Kinesthetic Classroom" by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala.
Part 1c
There are many different categories that one can be proficient in. These categories include team passing, net/wall, target, striking, fielding, aquatics, dance and aesthetic, outdoor, personal performance, and fitness. The recommended regents level for NYS Learning Standard 1A should be atleast 90% of the senior class should be competent in 6 activities and proficient in 3 across 3 different categories.
I think that it should be the recommended regents level of 100% of the senior class for NYS LS 1B, reaching competency in the personal fitness plan. This will allow students to know how to improve their health related fitness.And here is the rest of it.Brain Gains
Part 1b
i. This web-site is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Story comes fro two different places, one school is in Southern Saskatoon Canada and the other is in Naperville, Chicago, United States of America.
ii. This piece about activities relation to the brain was eye-opening. We have been stressing "learning through the physical" in EDU 255, this piece was the first time I was able to see it in use outside of our classroom. I found this article to be very interesting. The book "Spark" about neurogenesis is directly about "learning through the physical." The exercise helps with many different things, mostly it seems to help with behavior and helps studens to stay focused. It is very interesting to see how physical activity can improve subjects other than just physical education. One eye-opening fact was that when students were tested before and after beginning the program, they gained a full grade level in reading, writing and math. This piece makes you want to learn more on the subject.
iii. I don't think we hear anything about the PE teacher being involved is because there are athletes in the class that can do the activities. PE teachers usually get into a curricullum that the school already uses. The programs have never used anything like this before, they may have thought that this wouldn't be useful in PE since they are already supposed to be active. I will be able to ensure that my PE program will be a benefit to the students of the school by using techniques from "Spark." I will adjust my program accordingly to how the students respond.
iv. The main benefits of the program were the ways it changed these students' lives. There were obvious outcomes such as improvement in grades but I tihnk it was the way the program changed the behavior that was most important. One student, before the program was always angry and wouldn't participate. After, his grades improved and he was more involved in the class, without anger. Another student had been smoking since age 8 and drinking since age 10 and he could not read entering 8th grade. After going through the program he began to turn down his bad habits. He also saw a 400% increase in his comprehension. I was very surprised to see how much of an improvement had been made in many different areas. These outcomes are similar to our New York State PE Standards. Standard 1a is met when the teacher is shown having the students try different movement on the treadmills to stimulate different parts of the brain. Standard 1b is met because the students are told to stay keep their heart rates at a certain level and they know how to do so. Students meet standard 2 because this program causes the students to behave better. Standard 3 is met because these students knew what they had to do from the program, so they can do the same in their community.
v. BDNF stands for Brain-derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF occurs during physical activity and increases ability to learn. The book mentioned in the video is called "Sparks" by John Ratey. Another book is "The Kinesthetic Classroom" by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala.
Part 1c
There are many different categories that one can be proficient in. These categories include team passing, net/wall, target, striking, fielding, aquatics, dance and aesthetic, outdoor, personal performance, and fitness. The recommended regents level for NYS Learning Standard 1A should be atleast 90% of the senior class should be competent in 6 activities and proficient in 3 across 3 different categories.
Daily Burn
Autism and Technology
There are many different resources for parents of children with autism to help their children grow and learn. One resource that is growing rapidly and is being proven to be a successful tool when dealing with autistic children is technology. Autism children often have social problems, problems understanding basic concepts and emotion. I recently started looking into technology and autism and I came across of website that had a variety of games for children with autism. The website can be found here: http://iautistic.com/free-autism-games.php. I played most of these games to get a feel for what they try and teach an autistic child.
The first game on the page shows three pictures and in each picture the person is acting out a different emotion, there is a question at the top of the page asking which picture is showing a particular emotion. If the child guesses right they move onto a different emotion, if they get it wrong they can keep guessing until they pick the right answer. This games helps children recognize feelings.
There is only games that shows a little video clip of a person performing a basic task such as blowing up a balloon or stacking legos. After the child watches the movie they they are given three pictures of the process that had just taken place in the clip and are asking to put them in order. This helps children learn processes and which order they go in. There is another game that ask children to point out basic directions. One question may show to mice and ask which one is on top, or which one if in the front. This helps children associate directions with the placement of a person or an object. There are many websites just like this one across the internet and they are being proven to be effective. Technology can play an important role in helping an autistic child.
The first game on the page shows three pictures and in each picture the person is acting out a different emotion, there is a question at the top of the page asking which picture is showing a particular emotion. If the child guesses right they move onto a different emotion, if they get it wrong they can keep guessing until they pick the right answer. This games helps children recognize feelings.
There is only games that shows a little video clip of a person performing a basic task such as blowing up a balloon or stacking legos. After the child watches the movie they they are given three pictures of the process that had just taken place in the clip and are asking to put them in order. This helps children learn processes and which order they go in. There is another game that ask children to point out basic directions. One question may show to mice and ask which one is on top, or which one if in the front. This helps children associate directions with the placement of a person or an object. There are many websites just like this one across the internet and they are being proven to be effective. Technology can play an important role in helping an autistic child.Ryan Carpenter Final Part 2
I impressions of using Traineo were not really what I had expected. I was only able to use this with the basic style; recording activites and weight. In order to record the amount of food I had eaten to keep track of calories, I would have had to pay $10. This may be something teachers should stay away from having their students use because you will not want your kids to have to pay money for this. Currently, I began using another form of an online exercise and nutrition tracker called Daily Burn. I definitely like Daily Burn a lot better than Traineo because it was a lot easier to navigate. Also, you are able to keep track of weight, nutrition, activity, and sleep all for free. This makes it more accessible for students and teachers to use. I liked that when you put in your different work out, it has different pictures and videos for you to watch as well. This can help you in deciding what other workouts you would like to perform, or improvement on your current workout plan. One good feature I did like about Traineo was that you could set a goal for a certain date, and this would track how well you were doing and how much more you had to go.
You could definitely use Traineo to accomplish our Recommended Regent’s Level for NYS Learning Standard #1B because it will help them in forming their personal fitness plan. Students would be able to set up a goal by a certain date. They could keep track of their performance on this website and use the activities to put into their fitness plan. Using this site, they would be able to keep track of what activities were more beneficial to them and use those in their fitness plan. Also, with activities they may need improvement on, they could use in a fitness plan to make other goals for themselves. Maybe they want to start running a mile for cardio, but they are running at a 10 minute-mile pace. They could keep track of cardio workouts and work their way up to a 7 minute-mile pace. If I had to choose of these websites to use, I would definitely use Daily Burn over Traineo. It is a lot easier to navigate to make recordings and find trackings. Also, because it is free to keep track of these recordings, it makes it that much more attracting. Daily Burn also has a new iPhone Application where you are able to log in your meals almost immediately. This makes it easy to keep track of exactly what you are eating and when. With Daily Burn graphs, you can see relationships between a lot of different components such as Body Weight with Daily Calories, Body Weight with Distance Run, etc. This is also very quick and easy to navigate through in order to see. One cool feature that Traineo has is that you can record time playing the Wii. In Lab D, I thought a Hip Hop Dance lesson using Just Dance from the Wii. This could allow students to record their time using the Wii as an activity instead of just the basic workouts.
This is the graph that shows a relationship between my body weight and daily calories rather than just a chart with activity or a chart with just weight like with Traineo.
Because it is not free to record food intake and calories with Traineo, it is better to use Daily Burn. The snapshot above shows a recording of food intake and water intake. The pie chart shows the percentages of protein, fat, and carbs.
When keeping tracks of your workouts, I also found it better to use daily burn because you are able to record the number of sets and reps performed in each workout. Also, with each workout, you can watch a video of the workout being performed to get more clarity of the workout for improvement.
Here is a lesson plan and block plan to use in teaching students how to use the Daily Burn with fitness results.
Mark Arcara-Lunch Crunch 2 and Pyramid Pile Up Plus
I have recently played two games on the internet that are great for kids. It teaches them about good nutrition and what is bad for you. These are the types of games that we need to introduce to our youth because with the drastic obesity rate in the United States if we don't make a change it could get worse.
The first game that I played was Lunch Crunch 2 (http://www.playnormous.com/games/lunch-crunch-2 ). If I had to rate this game out of 10 i would give it an 8. The concept to the game was great. You have t take the unhealthy foods off the trays and replace them with healthy foods before time runs out. This is great for ids because maybe it will stimulate some sort of response in the lunch room at school. Maybe instead of grabbing for the chips they grab an apple instead. i didn't give the game a full ten because I don't know how exciting the game really is and it kind of gets repetitive. All together I think it was a great game but maybe needs some more excitement in it. the message it send s though is awesome for kids and could lead to healthier lifestyles.
The second game that I played was Pyramid Pile Up Plus (http://www.playnormous.com/games/pyramid-pileup-plus). this also was a great game for kids and really sends a great message. This game you need to put the foods in the right categories and it even gives you nutrition labels to show what is good and what isn't. Then you need to place the foods into the correct categories. If i had to rank this game out of ten I would give it a 10/10. I ranked this game so high because I enjoyed playing it and it gave you different levels to the game. After the first level which was easy it gradually gets harder and harder giving a real challenge to the game, and without a challenge games get boring. This was the better of the two games because it keeps you on your toes and sends a great message.
TASK PROGRESSION
ACTIVITY SHEET
ANSWER KEY
Education Through the Physical- Holly Jung Final Part 1 and 2
Holly Jung
EDU 255
Part 1: B.
i. The website is from CBC news. The story takes place in Saskatoon, Canada at a school called City Park Collegiate. The story also mentioned a school near Chicago called Naperville that was making great strides with their program.
ii. I think this news piece is very interesting. It helps to shed light on the benefits that physical education can have on children not only physically but mentally as well. It was interesting to see how much the physical activity really impacted student learning. The part that talked about all the success that Naperville School had experienced due to the 45 minutes of vigorous activity was incredible. Seeing students with very bad behavioral problems that affected their schoolwork agree to take part in the program which changed their grades completely was amazing. The story also showed me that as a physical educator I need to make sure my students are engaged in high physical activity for a continous amount of time to help them in my class and their other classes.
iii. The physical education teacher was not mentioned at all throughout the story. We don’t hear anything about them because it was a teacher by the name of Allison Cameron that started the program. The school seemed like they focused more on getting the students off of the streets and into the school to better educate themselves. I don’t think the physical education program is very big or successful in seeing as the school mostly stressed academic performance. Cameron was the one who started integrating the treadmills and the 20-minute daily workouts into her classrooms. In being a physical educator one must put all their efforts and time into helping the students benefit from the program. When I become a physical educator my program will do just that. I want my student to succeed not only in my classroom but in their other classes as well. My program will focus on getting students involved in their physical education classes and making sure they are being fully engaged as well as getting their heart rates up. This will help them to be successful in their other classes; according to the story it will help students to concentrate more, be less fidgety and well as try harder with their school work.
iv. The program had many benefits for the students that were shown and interviewed. One of the students that participated in documentary started using drugs at age 8 and drinking at age 10 and when he first came to City Park School he could not read or write. He agreed to participate in doing 20 minutes of physical activity. The story later shows the impact that the physical activity had on this particular student’s grades. His reading improved over twenty percent and his comprehension increased over four hundred percent! These results are incredible. This student also started turning his life around and thinking about his future. He did not want to end up like the people he saw everyday on the streets doing drugs and doing nothing with their lives. Another student, Desten, was a problem student for Cameron, he has ODD (oppositional defiance disorder) as well as ADD (attention deficit disorder). He often swore at his teachers and refused to do anything he was told. After participating in the program Desten was taking interest in his classes, he was less defiant, and ever had a better relationship with Cameron. Desten put a lot of effort into this program and is now reaping the benefits, he says is he feels more energized and even happy. Desten’s grades improved greatly; his reading increased by over twenty five percent, his math increased over twenty five percent and his comprehension
increased over thirty percent. These two students are not the only examples of improvement Cameron says that most of the eighth graders moved up an entire grade level. This may seem normal and sensible for most students but for students that are at a fourth grade level when they are supposed to be at an eighth grade level it is a big achievement. These outcomes are very similar to the New York State PE Standards. For Standard 1A students are meeting this because they are engaging in basic movement skills as well as becoming competent in these skills. For 1B, students are learning about physical fitness so they should be able to put together some sort of fitness plan. For Standard 2 students are understanding the benefits and opportunities that physical fitness can have. Student’s attitudes towards others and school changed for the positive. Lastly, for Standard 3 students started bringing classroom ideas to their homes asking their parents to get active with them and to also eat healthier.
v. BDNF is a type of nerve growth factor that acts as a live fertilizer on the hippocampus of the brain as well as other areas of the brain. It is often referred to as a "fertilizer" that helps make nerve cells stronger, makes them more pliable and helps them withstand stress which is good for increased learning. BDNF is released when a person is engaging in sustained vigorous activity. So in physical education class students should be involved in enough vigorous activity to release BDNF. Two key books that outlines the benefits of exercise and learning/academics are: The Kinesthetic Classroom by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala and Spark by Dr. John Ratey.
C. Physical educators need to make sure students are following the 6-3-3 model. Which means they are recreationally competent in 6 categories, proficient in 3 in 3 different activity categories. The Recommended Regents Level for Learning Standard 1A, I believe that at least 85% of students should exhibit the 6-3-3 model. This is not too much to ask for seeing as there are a lot of different activities offered that students can chose to take part in. Each student should be able to find activities that they find interesting and want to increase their knowledge and skills in that area. As teachers we need to be prepared to teach most if not all of those activities because students have different interests and we cannot clump all students into specific activities. I believe that 85% is a good number because it is more than the majority of students and there will always be some students that resist the program or just can not physically meet the standards. Those students occupy the missing 15%, but if we can get 85% then I would say the program is successful. The Recommended Regents Level for Learning Standard 1B should include at least 98% of students reaching competency in their own personal fitness plans. Seeing as these students are high school seniors they should be able to develop a personal fitness plan that they can actually follow and become competent in. When creating their fitness plans students know which areas they need to focus and work on specifically to them. Students should not be incorporating exercises that they cannot perform. That is not realistic and it does not help them to follow their own fitness plans. Students will leave the classroom with an understanding of the importance of physical fitness and how they themselves can monitor and create fitness plans that will help benefit them throughout their lives.
Part 2:
i. I think daily burn is a great tool for those who want to track their fitness levels and for those that need help losing weight. It is easy to navigate around the pages and to keep track of your daily log. I am not using any other form of online exercise or nutrition tracker. I do not use any nutrition trackers because I keep track mentally. I don’t have much extra time to go log onto a tracker everyday and mark down exactly what I eat, how much, how long I exercise for and exactly what exercises I do. I can pretty much keep track in my mind how well I am doing with my eating and exercise habits throughout the day. I am not sure that I will stay apart of the rockstar daily burn group. It’s something that I think I will lose interest in quickly because I have my own fitness plan that I follow. I also know a lot about nutrition so I eat well and I can keep track of what I eat mentally.
ii. I do however think this would be a great tool to use in physical education classes. I would have students make an account and keep track of their physical activity as well as their eating habits. It fits right along with NYS Learning Standard 1B. Students can develop their own fitness plan on the website as well as chose a premade fitness plan. I would have students track their eating habits to go along with the fitness plan so they can keep track of everything as a whole. To modify this for individuals I would have them create their own fitness plan as well as keep track of their consumed calories. For groups I would modify this for a group of students to follow a specific workout plan as well as an eating plan. If students don’t have computer
iii. For Learning Standard 1A I would have students use an excel spreadsheet to capture and report date. Each student would have to set up his or her own spreadsheet according to specific guidelines that the teacher would provide. They would have a spreadsheet to coincide with the unit being taught in class. Everyday they will update their spreadsheet and record their heart rates, if their skills increased from last class, by how much, if their skills stayed the same of decreased students would record that as well. Students will write a short paragraph on why they think their skills are increasing, decreasing or staying the same. They have will to track specific skills such as if students are engaging in a basketball unit they will track their lay-up skills, free throw skills, and game play skills. Each class day instant activities or closing activities will incorporate some kind of quick skill testing that can be done individually or within a group that students can use to record on their spreadsheets. This would work well with high school students because they will have to do this on their own time so not only will they learn how to evaluate their skills but they will practice independence and time management. An example of this can be found here.
EDU 255
Part 1: B.
i. The website is from CBC news. The story takes place in Saskatoon, Canada at a school called City Park Collegiate. The story also mentioned a school near Chicago called Naperville that was making great strides with their program.
ii. I think this news piece is very interesting. It helps to shed light on the benefits that physical education can have on children not only physically but mentally as well. It was interesting to see how much the physical activity really impacted student learning. The part that talked about all the success that Naperville School had experienced due to the 45 minutes of vigorous activity was incredible. Seeing students with very bad behavioral problems that affected their schoolwork agree to take part in the program which changed their grades completely was amazing. The story also showed me that as a physical educator I need to make sure my students are engaged in high physical activity for a continous amount of time to help them in my class and their other classes.
iii. The physical education teacher was not mentioned at all throughout the story. We don’t hear anything about them because it was a teacher by the name of Allison Cameron that started the program. The school seemed like they focused more on getting the students off of the streets and into the school to better educate themselves. I don’t think the physical education program is very big or successful in seeing as the school mostly stressed academic performance. Cameron was the one who started integrating the treadmills and the 20-minute daily workouts into her classrooms. In being a physical educator one must put all their efforts and time into helping the students benefit from the program. When I become a physical educator my program will do just that. I want my student to succeed not only in my classroom but in their other classes as well. My program will focus on getting students involved in their physical education classes and making sure they are being fully engaged as well as getting their heart rates up. This will help them to be successful in their other classes; according to the story it will help students to concentrate more, be less fidgety and well as try harder with their school work.
iv. The program had many benefits for the students that were shown and interviewed. One of the students that participated in documentary started using drugs at age 8 and drinking at age 10 and when he first came to City Park School he could not read or write. He agreed to participate in doing 20 minutes of physical activity. The story later shows the impact that the physical activity had on this particular student’s grades. His reading improved over twenty percent and his comprehension increased over four hundred percent! These results are incredible. This student also started turning his life around and thinking about his future. He did not want to end up like the people he saw everyday on the streets doing drugs and doing nothing with their lives. Another student, Desten, was a problem student for Cameron, he has ODD (oppositional defiance disorder) as well as ADD (attention deficit disorder). He often swore at his teachers and refused to do anything he was told. After participating in the program Desten was taking interest in his classes, he was less defiant, and ever had a better relationship with Cameron. Desten put a lot of effort into this program and is now reaping the benefits, he says is he feels more energized and even happy. Desten’s grades improved greatly; his reading increased by over twenty five percent, his math increased over twenty five percent and his comprehension
increased over thirty percent. These two students are not the only examples of improvement Cameron says that most of the eighth graders moved up an entire grade level. This may seem normal and sensible for most students but for students that are at a fourth grade level when they are supposed to be at an eighth grade level it is a big achievement. These outcomes are very similar to the New York State PE Standards. For Standard 1A students are meeting this because they are engaging in basic movement skills as well as becoming competent in these skills. For 1B, students are learning about physical fitness so they should be able to put together some sort of fitness plan. For Standard 2 students are understanding the benefits and opportunities that physical fitness can have. Student’s attitudes towards others and school changed for the positive. Lastly, for Standard 3 students started bringing classroom ideas to their homes asking their parents to get active with them and to also eat healthier.
v. BDNF is a type of nerve growth factor that acts as a live fertilizer on the hippocampus of the brain as well as other areas of the brain. It is often referred to as a "fertilizer" that helps make nerve cells stronger, makes them more pliable and helps them withstand stress which is good for increased learning. BDNF is released when a person is engaging in sustained vigorous activity. So in physical education class students should be involved in enough vigorous activity to release BDNF. Two key books that outlines the benefits of exercise and learning/academics are: The Kinesthetic Classroom by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala and Spark by Dr. John Ratey.
C. Physical educators need to make sure students are following the 6-3-3 model. Which means they are recreationally competent in 6 categories, proficient in 3 in 3 different activity categories. The Recommended Regents Level for Learning Standard 1A, I believe that at least 85% of students should exhibit the 6-3-3 model. This is not too much to ask for seeing as there are a lot of different activities offered that students can chose to take part in. Each student should be able to find activities that they find interesting and want to increase their knowledge and skills in that area. As teachers we need to be prepared to teach most if not all of those activities because students have different interests and we cannot clump all students into specific activities. I believe that 85% is a good number because it is more than the majority of students and there will always be some students that resist the program or just can not physically meet the standards. Those students occupy the missing 15%, but if we can get 85% then I would say the program is successful. The Recommended Regents Level for Learning Standard 1B should include at least 98% of students reaching competency in their own personal fitness plans. Seeing as these students are high school seniors they should be able to develop a personal fitness plan that they can actually follow and become competent in. When creating their fitness plans students know which areas they need to focus and work on specifically to them. Students should not be incorporating exercises that they cannot perform. That is not realistic and it does not help them to follow their own fitness plans. Students will leave the classroom with an understanding of the importance of physical fitness and how they themselves can monitor and create fitness plans that will help benefit them throughout their lives.
Part 2:
access or do not have the time to do an individual plan they can get with a group of students and do a group workout.
iii. For Learning Standard 1A I would have students use an excel spreadsheet to capture and report date. Each student would have to set up his or her own spreadsheet according to specific guidelines that the teacher would provide. They would have a spreadsheet to coincide with the unit being taught in class. Everyday they will update their spreadsheet and record their heart rates, if their skills increased from last class, by how much, if their skills stayed the same of decreased students would record that as well. Students will write a short paragraph on why they think their skills are increasing, decreasing or staying the same. They have will to track specific skills such as if students are engaging in a basketball unit they will track their lay-up skills, free throw skills, and game play skills. Each class day instant activities or closing activities will incorporate some kind of quick skill testing that can be done individually or within a group that students can use to record on their spreadsheets. This would work well with high school students because they will have to do this on their own time so not only will they learn how to evaluate their skills but they will practice independence and time management. An example of this can be found here.Exercise To Increase Knowledge
Ben Paquette - Final Part 1
PART B - Brain Gains
i. The website is from Toronto, ON Canada. The school is located in South Saskatoon, Canada. Saskatchewan .Also Naperville Ohio
ii. This news piece was very interesting, and eye opening. I knew physical activity was good for the brain, but never saw definite evidence of it used in a school setting. The piece has set in my mind what I would like to see as a physical educator, which statistics like this, why do more schools not offer this type of opportunity? Although schools may not be able to afford the equipment, why not get kids active in other forms of cardio that don’t require much. Students spend the majority of their day sitting in class attempting to learn the material, but if we got them active with their heart rates up to 65-75% for 20 minutes every morning, not only would student’s grades improve, but we would not have to cover the same material over again. It would allow us new time to teach other lessons, that we typically wouldn’t have time for.
iii. They didn’t mention the PE Teacher being involved with the City Park Collegiate experiment at all. Based off the description of the class where students stood around the majority of the time waiting their turn, I get the feeling the PE teacher is that “old school” style of P.E. The teacher doesn’t take into effect how much they should be offering students with physical activity, and how much the students would benefit. I would ensure that my PE program would benefit my students as well as my faculty by getting students as active as possible for the entire class. For example, if the class was testing, students would not be standing around waiting for their turn, but in fact out working on perfecting their skills, or working on a fitness skill. If it was picture day, where in most case’s the gymnasium is used, I would not have my students sitting around, instead we would use whatever facility is open to us, or go outside if the weather permitted. Along with that, I would try to offer more than just physical activity, students could work on their math skills, science and history knowledge as well through tasks that a tweaked for the grade level’s curriculum.
iv. The main outcomes and benefits to this program is that students are becoming healthier, but more importantly their ability to learn is increasing. Students after their 20 minutes of vigorous activity are concentrated, with no one being defiant, or running around the classroom. Student’s attention spans improved from 10- 15 minutes to roughly 3 hours. Students began coming to school every day, and because they were now coming and exercising, most of grade 8 had improved by a full grade level. These outcomes are similar to our New York State PE Standards. Students are meeting standard 1a. By their teacher challenging them to try new movements on the treadmills. Students are meeting Standard 1b because they now know how to use a treadmill or stationary bike to meet the 65-75% heart range for themselves. Students meet standard 2 because they are responsible for their own fitness, and understand the how physical activity provided them with an opportunity for enjoyment. Students would be able to meet standard 3 if their teacher explained to them the opportunities they had to access equipment outside of the school.
v. BDNF is brain derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF is developed in the hippocampus of the brain, and acts as a brain fertilizer. It helps to develop new brain cells which are vital to learning. The creation of BDNF should be a goal of physical education class, because it would help students learn skills, and cognitive aspects of our units. It would also help students in classes following P.E. to learn their material better. BDNF is created when aerobic activity is presented and the heart is working at 65% - 75 %. The two “key” books that currently outline the benefits of exercise and learning/academics are, Spark written by John J. Ratey, and The Kinesthetic Classroom by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala.
PART C 1 - Regents Levels
vi. As future physical educators we need to know how to make our profession credible before it becomes on the chopping block from schools. One way is to implement a Regents level for LS #1a. I believe 95% of the senior class should be recreationally competent in 6 activities and proficient in 3 different activity categories. This will make students responsible for the curriculum covered in our P.E. class, just like any other class. This also put pressure on all physical educators to give students as many options as possible in their program. If 95% of the senior class is able to pass this, then we know the P.E. program is credible.
vii. For LS #1b, I think 95% of the senior class should reach competency in their personal fitness plan. Students need to have every tool possible in order to fight obesity, which is an increasing battle every day. Students should be competent in their fitness plan, so that they have the knowledge to continue their physical fitness plan after they graduate. These students should also have the knowledge to alter their plan as they grow older.
PART C 2 Daily Burn
i. I think Daily Burn is a awesome tool for anyone to use. It’s very simple to use and they give you workouts for what you want to work on. For anyone who isn’t sure how to work out those tools could definitely help. I don’t use an online exercise and nutrition tracker, Daily Burn is the first one I have looked at and used. I haven’t used one before because it’s hard for me to remember to get online and post the things I ate, what I did for the day etc. I definitely will consider staying about of the group because I have a month of vacation now where I can use the tracker, and become more familiar with it.
ii. Daily Burn would be a great tool for accomplishing the recommended regent’s level for LS #1B. Daily Burn would allow students to take some responsibility in their eating habits, and their fitness levels outside of the school system. Students could use Daily burn to help develop their own personal fitness plans and goals. By inputting what they would like to work on, how much time they have, what foods they should try and stay away from, our students could become much healthier, and active. A modification I would use is, for class has a goal for the week for my students as a whole. The goal would be for a week that students would have to work on inside and outside of class. Students would then report to me on Friday using daily burn how they met this goal.
iii.An electronic tool that could be useful for capturing data and reporting for the recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1A, would be Dartfish. Dartfish is a great tool that uses video analysis to break down basic motor and manipulative skills. Dartfish in a high school setting could be used as the end of a unit assessment. Students would be videotaped as they performed the skill in a game like situation. The teacher would make their way around the gymnasium taping students as they performed. For analysis, students could then be given their videos to break down and send back to the teacher using Dartfish. This would allow students to see what they need to improve on and learn the skill better by visually seeing themselves perform the skill. Teachers would then assess them based on their video. This would allow us as teachers to see if a student really did perform a cue, instead of just assuming they did because they performed too fast for us to see.
Jennifer LaMaida Final
EDU 255 Final
Physical Activity In A Classroom Setting
1. The website if from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is located in South Saskatoon, Canada. Later in the story there is another school mentioned which is located in Naperville Chicago.
2. I felt that this news piece was very interesting. Not many people are aware of the benefits of physical activity. Physical activity can help improve grades and behavior issues. Schools are removing physical education from schools because they feel that it is interfering with more academic subjects. However, if students are able to exercise and get their heart rates up every day they will learn more. Alison Cameron stated, “less sitting means more learning”.
3.I don’t think we hear about the physical education program because it is just a typical PE program. Students go to PE and if they show up and change they will pass. The students are benefiting more from academic classes in which exercise is incorporated then they are from physical education class.
4. The outcomes of the program were that many students achieved higher grades in many subject areas. Another big outcome was that behavior changed. Prior to the program, students were not paying attention, not doing work, and acting out in class. The program changed much of this behavior. Students were able to focus and complete assignments. Students were also excited to come to class, therefore there was more time for them to learn. I feel that this program met the NYS learning standards. Standard 1A and 1B were met because the students gained knowledge on basic motor skills, such as running, biking and walking, and were able to perform these skills. 1 B was met because students used the heart rate monitors, they gained useful information towards creating a plan of their own and knowing where they had to get their heart rates too. Standard 2 was also met because the exercise that the students completed daily actually decreased behavioral problems creating a safer environment. One student even reported that he wanted to change his lifestyle and be healthier by eating right and not taking drugs. Standard 3 was met because students were aware of what they could do at home. Some students were going home trying to convince their parents to exercise and go for walks.
4. BDNF stands for brain-derived neurotrophic factor. It iss a growth factor that is found in the brain. BDNF helps support old neurons in the brain and the growth and development of new neurons. It helps make the brain cells stronger. Basic aerobic activities help to develop an effective brain. The book mentioned in the clip is called Spark, By John Ratey.
Part 1C
There are many activities that meet learning standard 1a and 1b. The 6+3 across 3 means that by the end of grade 12, students should be recreationally competent in 6 activities, proficient in 6 across 3 different categories. In many cases this is not happening. For example, in my high school, students were able to get away with just showing up and changing for class. They participated by just the minimum amount in order to still get them a passing grade. I do not feel that many school districts are meeting the 6+3 across 3. In my opinion, about 90% of higher of grade 12 students should be able to meet the 6+3 across 3 categories. They have been taking physical education since kindergarten and by grade 12 should at least be competent in 6 categories. There are enough categories that students can learn from.
In terms of standard 1b, I think that it is very important for students to be able to create and follow a fitness plan. One of the main problems in the United States today is the upcoming rise in childhood obesity. Children are not active enough, they are too interested in television and video games. Students should have to create a fitness plan and follow it for a few weeks. This ensures that students know how. I think an appropriate percentage should be around 90%. Students also need to know about nutrition and proper eating because exercise, especially just in a physical education class is certainly not enough.
1. The website if from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is located in South Saskatoon, Canada. Later in the story there is another school mentioned which is located in Naperville Chicago.
2. I felt that this news piece was very interesting. Not many people are aware of the benefits of physical activity. Physical activity can help improve grades and behavior issues. Schools are removing physical education from schools because they feel that it is interfering with more academic subjects. However, if students are able to exercise and get their heart rates up every day they will learn more. Alison Cameron stated, “less sitting means more learning”.
3.I don’t think we hear about the physical education program because it is just a typical PE program. Students go to PE and if they show up and change they will pass. The students are benefiting more from academic classes in which exercise is incorporated then they are from physical education class.
4. The outcomes of the program were that many students achieved higher grades in many subject areas. Another big outcome was that behavior changed. Prior to the program, students were not paying attention, not doing work, and acting out in class. The program changed much of this behavior. Students were able to focus and complete assignments. Students were also excited to come to class, therefore there was more time for them to learn. I feel that this program met the NYS learning standards. Standard 1A and 1B were met because the students gained knowledge on basic motor skills, such as running, biking and walking, and were able to perform these skills. 1 B was met because students used the heart rate monitors, they gained useful information towards creating a plan of their own and knowing where they had to get their heart rates too. Standard 2 was also met because the exercise that the students completed daily actually decreased behavioral problems creating a safer environment. One student even reported that he wanted to change his lifestyle and be healthier by eating right and not taking drugs. Standard 3 was met because students were aware of what they could do at home. Some students were going home trying to convince their parents to exercise and go for walks.
4. BDNF stands for brain-derived neurotrophic factor. It iss a growth factor that is found in the brain. BDNF helps support old neurons in the brain and the growth and development of new neurons. It helps make the brain cells stronger. Basic aerobic activities help to develop an effective brain. The book mentioned in the clip is called Spark, By John Ratey.
Part 1C
There are many activities that meet learning standard 1a and 1b. The 6+3 across 3 means that by the end of grade 12, students should be recreationally competent in 6 activities, proficient in 6 across 3 different categories. In many cases this is not happening. For example, in my high school, students were able to get away with just showing up and changing for class. They participated by just the minimum amount in order to still get them a passing grade. I do not feel that many school districts are meeting the 6+3 across 3. In my opinion, about 90% of higher of grade 12 students should be able to meet the 6+3 across 3 categories. They have been taking physical education since kindergarten and by grade 12 should at least be competent in 6 categories. There are enough categories that students can learn from.
In terms of standard 1b, I think that it is very important for students to be able to create and follow a fitness plan. One of the main problems in the United States today is the upcoming rise in childhood obesity. Children are not active enough, they are too interested in television and video games. Students should have to create a fitness plan and follow it for a few weeks. This ensures that students know how. I think an appropriate percentage should be around 90%. Students also need to know about nutrition and proper eating because exercise, especially just in a physical education class is certainly not enough.
Daily Burn
1. I have previously used McGraw Hill Nutrition Calc 3.0 for the Foods and Nutrition Class. I feel that this program was easier to follow and work with then the Daily Burn. What I did like about Daily Burn is that it gave suggestions on what you can to do to stay fit and active. It is a good program to use, it breaks down what you eat and what activities you accomplish throughout the day to help you meet your goals.
2. This program provides students with many ways to create fitness programs. Daily Burn itself even gives you options on what you can do. This program will provide students with a place where they can log their activities for the day to see if they are meeting the goals they had set for their fitness plan. It will also help students keep track of what they are eating throughout the day. There is a challenge section of the program where you can select a challenge for individuals or the class to meet.
3. One of the ways students can benefit from this program is to simply keep track of their results. They can take screen shots of their results daily for a given amount of time. This will give the teacher a way to analyze their results and determine if they are meeting the criteria set or not. Students will also be able to look at their results and determine if the program in place is working for them or if they want to maybe change their program.
1. I have previously used McGraw Hill Nutrition Calc 3.0 for the Foods and Nutrition Class. I feel that this program was easier to follow and work with then the Daily Burn. What I did like about Daily Burn is that it gave suggestions on what you can to do to stay fit and active. It is a good program to use, it breaks down what you eat and what activities you accomplish throughout the day to help you meet your goals.
2. This program provides students with many ways to create fitness programs. Daily Burn itself even gives you options on what you can do. This program will provide students with a place where they can log their activities for the day to see if they are meeting the goals they had set for their fitness plan. It will also help students keep track of what they are eating throughout the day. There is a challenge section of the program where you can select a challenge for individuals or the class to meet.
3. One of the ways students can benefit from this program is to simply keep track of their results. They can take screen shots of their results daily for a given amount of time. This will give the teacher a way to analyze their results and determine if they are meeting the criteria set or not. Students will also be able to look at their results and determine if the program in place is working for them or if they want to maybe change their program.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Mark Arcara- Daily Burn
1. The daily burn was like nothing I have ever seen before. It was one of the most interesting sites that I have seen in a long time. I immediately told all of my house mates about it because they are all into going to the gym every single day. The thing about the site that I liked the most was how it showed you what you caloric intake was and how much carbohydrates and protein you are taking in on a daily basis. It also tells you how much you need to intake on a daily basis to reach your goals.
I have never used this type of website before but I plan on signing up for the pro package and using it on a daily basis. If you are into exercising and being conscious of what you eat this site will help you organize your whole program and bring you to your ideal goals.
2. I would use this website to accomplish our Recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1B by making each of my students sign up for the site and let it help them plan a workout routine for themselves. This would give the students freedom into making their own exercise programs based on their individual goals. The sky is the limit with this site and it will help you get to where you want to be. Some modifications that I would use to to establish a group or individual’s goals would be for the students to track their progress during a four week cycle and every week they should be moving closer and closer to their goals and if not they are not following their plans.
3. Some electronic tools that I would use would be straight off of the website. Each time you answer in the reps and weight used during your workouts I the assessor should see improvement as the time goes on. If the students are doing their programs then by the beginning to the end their should be significant growth and numbers should sky rocket. This would work in a High School setting because for homework students would have to print out their numbers and scores and could be tested in class.
Mark Arcara Final Part 1B-1C
Answer to Question to the video: http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/story/2009/10/06/national-braingains.html
1. The website is from Toronto ON, Canada. The school is located in South Saskertoon, Canada and then their is another school mentioned called Naperville Central located near Chicago, USA.
2. I thought this piece was very interesting due to all of the statistics that were given on the improvements the school had accomplished from adding exercise to their curriculum. The part that I found most interesting was the fact that ninety percent of the student in school had ADHD and after exercise was added, students were gradually coming off their medication and were functioning on their own. In fact the teacher says that the students attentions spans increased by three hours. Also I liked how the school acted as an aid to the children and would provide them with free clothes and food. This was very interesting to me because I am a firm believer in exercise stimulates your mind and makes you a better student. Statistics show that students on an athletic team have higher gpa's than the rest of the student body. This is definitely something the rest of the country and world need to be involved in because being active can only help.
3. I believe we don't hear anything about the PE teacher being involved with the experiment because the teacher doesn't teach lessons that stimulate the brain as well as the body. The PE program is most likely a standard PE program where the teacher would stick to the main s probably ports of basketball, baseball, soccer, football. Their was never any thinking being done in this class and just a poor PE program. I will ensure that my PE program will be beneficial to my students and faculty by thinking outside the box and creating a buzz throughout the school. During my lessons I ant kids to be thinking at all times and have to solve problems during my lessons. Not only do i want my students to become better movers but to be better thinkers as well and this will carry into other classes like history, english and math and in the long run make better students.
4. The main outcomes and benefits from the experiment were very drastic and really sent the schools academic levels through the roof. Some main points from the experiment include that the students attention span would increase by three hours. Also after giving a pre experiment test and post experiment test students gained a full letter grade higher in the post experiment exam. These are drastic numbers that changed just from adding thirty minute exercises three times a week. I am not surprised at all from these finding because I was always told this and always have been a firm believer that academics and athletics go hand in hand. The outcomes from the experiment are very similar to the NYS PE Standards. The one that sticks in my head the most would be standard two. After the experiment students were able to control and manage their behavior better. As for standards 1A and 1B they are also so closely related because the students were able to perform better motor skills and were now able to make their own fitness programs by taking exercise they used in class. Standard three is also met because now like they said in the video kids want to come to school now just to exercise. The students are using their resources in their community to become more active and lead healthier lifestyles.
5. BDNF is a nerve growth factor that takes place in the brain. Dr. John Ratey describes BDNF as fertilizer on the brain which helps preserve the brain and helps it withstand stress. BDNF increases when heart rate goes up during physical activity. This directly deals with PE and learning because PE is where we get our heart rates up and when this is done we are increasing our BDNF levels hence increasing our learning ability. One of the books is mentioned in the documentary. The book is called “Spark” by Dr. John Ratey. The other boo is “The Kinesthetic Classroom” by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala.
PART C
1c. There are so many different categories of activity that one can be proficient or competent in. Some of the categories are, team passing, net/wall, target, striking fielding, aquatics, dance and aesthetic, outdoor, personal performance, and fitness. With the many choices to pick from students should find an activity that is right for them and really gets them interested. Not many schools follow the 6+3 across 3 because they are still doing bad PE. Students should be competent in 6, proficient in 3, across 3 categories especially seniors in high school. This regents in the PE program would stop kids from just sitting in the corner not participating to actually working for a grade and becoming healthier and better learners while doing it. Their is no reason why PE shouldn't be included at the regents level because without that title we are making it harder for ourselves as educators to move away from the old boring PE programs. I believe the recommended regent's level for LS #1A should be 90%. I don't believe that anything should be 100% because that is just to unrealistic. 90% is a more realistic umber that I believe is very accessible.
As for LS #1B I believe that also 95% of students in the senior class should be reach “competency” in their “Personal Fitness Plan". Again I didn't want to say 100% because that is unrealistic but even if kids don't pass the LS#1A they should still be able to make a personal fitness plan just by paying attention on how to be active. As a PE teacher you need to be able to explain to students that cant exactly do something, the correct way to perform the task. Then on the other and you have to explain to the students who can perform the skills how to put what they are doing onto paper. If the teacher can do this then their should be no reason why 95% of students shouldn't pass this with flying colors.
1. The website is from Toronto ON, Canada. The school is located in South Saskertoon, Canada and then their is another school mentioned called Naperville Central located near Chicago, USA.
2. I thought this piece was very interesting due to all of the statistics that were given on the improvements the school had accomplished from adding exercise to their curriculum. The part that I found most interesting was the fact that ninety percent of the student in school had ADHD and after exercise was added, students were gradually coming off their medication and were functioning on their own. In fact the teacher says that the students attentions spans increased by three hours. Also I liked how the school acted as an aid to the children and would provide them with free clothes and food. This was very interesting to me because I am a firm believer in exercise stimulates your mind and makes you a better student. Statistics show that students on an athletic team have higher gpa's than the rest of the student body. This is definitely something the rest of the country and world need to be involved in because being active can only help.
3. I believe we don't hear anything about the PE teacher being involved with the experiment because the teacher doesn't teach lessons that stimulate the brain as well as the body. The PE program is most likely a standard PE program where the teacher would stick to the main s probably ports of basketball, baseball, soccer, football. Their was never any thinking being done in this class and just a poor PE program. I will ensure that my PE program will be beneficial to my students and faculty by thinking outside the box and creating a buzz throughout the school. During my lessons I ant kids to be thinking at all times and have to solve problems during my lessons. Not only do i want my students to become better movers but to be better thinkers as well and this will carry into other classes like history, english and math and in the long run make better students.
4. The main outcomes and benefits from the experiment were very drastic and really sent the schools academic levels through the roof. Some main points from the experiment include that the students attention span would increase by three hours. Also after giving a pre experiment test and post experiment test students gained a full letter grade higher in the post experiment exam. These are drastic numbers that changed just from adding thirty minute exercises three times a week. I am not surprised at all from these finding because I was always told this and always have been a firm believer that academics and athletics go hand in hand. The outcomes from the experiment are very similar to the NYS PE Standards. The one that sticks in my head the most would be standard two. After the experiment students were able to control and manage their behavior better. As for standards 1A and 1B they are also so closely related because the students were able to perform better motor skills and were now able to make their own fitness programs by taking exercise they used in class. Standard three is also met because now like they said in the video kids want to come to school now just to exercise. The students are using their resources in their community to become more active and lead healthier lifestyles.
5. BDNF is a nerve growth factor that takes place in the brain. Dr. John Ratey describes BDNF as fertilizer on the brain which helps preserve the brain and helps it withstand stress. BDNF increases when heart rate goes up during physical activity. This directly deals with PE and learning because PE is where we get our heart rates up and when this is done we are increasing our BDNF levels hence increasing our learning ability. One of the books is mentioned in the documentary. The book is called “Spark” by Dr. John Ratey. The other boo is “The Kinesthetic Classroom” by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala.
PART C
1c. There are so many different categories of activity that one can be proficient or competent in. Some of the categories are, team passing, net/wall, target, striking fielding, aquatics, dance and aesthetic, outdoor, personal performance, and fitness. With the many choices to pick from students should find an activity that is right for them and really gets them interested. Not many schools follow the 6+3 across 3 because they are still doing bad PE. Students should be competent in 6, proficient in 3, across 3 categories especially seniors in high school. This regents in the PE program would stop kids from just sitting in the corner not participating to actually working for a grade and becoming healthier and better learners while doing it. Their is no reason why PE shouldn't be included at the regents level because without that title we are making it harder for ourselves as educators to move away from the old boring PE programs. I believe the recommended regent's level for LS #1A should be 90%. I don't believe that anything should be 100% because that is just to unrealistic. 90% is a more realistic umber that I believe is very accessible.
As for LS #1B I believe that also 95% of students in the senior class should be reach “competency” in their “Personal Fitness Plan". Again I didn't want to say 100% because that is unrealistic but even if kids don't pass the LS#1A they should still be able to make a personal fitness plan just by paying attention on how to be active. As a PE teacher you need to be able to explain to students that cant exactly do something, the correct way to perform the task. Then on the other and you have to explain to the students who can perform the skills how to put what they are doing onto paper. If the teacher can do this then their should be no reason why 95% of students shouldn't pass this with flying colors.
Daily Burn vs. Traineo, The Ultimate Battle
Daily Burn vs. Traineo
Daily Burn
Advantages
The Locker Room
A place you can call home, a one stop shop where you can put all of your workouts, nutrition etc into the database. It's so simple, right there for you, do not need to go searching the site, it's right in front of your nose.
iPhone App
Nowadays absolutely everyone is on-the-go, smart phone in hand, using technology to its fullest to make life simpler, why wouldn't Daily Burn be any different. With the iPhone application, Daily Burn allows users to update their progress from anywhere they can get Wi-Fi. Best of all there is a food scanner app that allows you to scan the barcode directly into your food log.
Workout Videos
Daily Burn has the best visual aids imaginable. For those fitness challenged individuals who are unaware of workouts or skills to help lose weight, Daily Burn has videos of users demonstrating the skill. What more can you ask for? For those workouts without a video, there is almost always a photo or a link to more information. It gives you no reason to get up and start working out.
Goals
Daily Burn keeps track of everything, the distance travelled, calories burned, push ups done, so you can set goals. If you want to run 100 miles in less than a month, Daily Burn can assist you in your dream. If you want to do 10,000 pushups in two months, boom, Daily Burn has your back. Tracking your own statistics can be tough and you will probably lose count, thus, Daily Burn is really helpful.
Disadvantages
Forums
Daily Burn forums, a place where users can interact, talk and help one another, as far as I am concerned does not exist. The Daily Burn community pages are extremely hard to find and seemingly dead. There is no chitter-chatter amongst users, sure makes it tough for people to achieve fitness.
All About Going Pro
Okay Daily Burn we get it you need money to thrive, but us users do not need to be reminded every two seconds of all the perks we can get when we go pro. Daily Burn sure does make it enticing to join the land of Daily Burn Pro, but they are very annoying about it. Can't I just log in my nutrition, sleep and workouts in peace?
Traineo
Advantages
Inclusion of the Wii
I have a Wii myself, and when I found out Traineo was smart enough to involve the Wii, I got a little excited. Wii in and of itself is a great tool alone, but along with Traineo now you can track calories burned amongst many other things. How can you not get pumped up about this?
Custom Logs
Traineo users can create their unique trackers of their custom data, whether it is inches, pounds, calories or so on. The custom logs generates a graph over time and helps you reach your goal.
Disadvantages
Activity Tracker
It does not even have push ups! Push Ups! Come on, give me a break, I'm sure about 80% of our country has at least done one push up in their lifetime, and you do not include push ups in your activity tracker? Give me something to work with, come on people!
Food Tracker
It does not let you enter individual foods just a section for calories and another for diet quality. Yes you can argue that is what is really important, but entering the individual foods is so much easier for everyone. So in general, I'd say Traineo's trackers are not up to par.
Conclusion
In the end, Daily Burn is definitely the way to go. You get more bang for your buck, you will definitely see results in no time. Traineo just does not stand up to Daily Burn.
Rob Flannigan - Daily Burn
1. What do your impressions of using Daily Burn? Do you currently use another form of online exercise and nutrition tracker? If so what is it and which features do you like better? If not, why not and will you consider staying apart of our Rockstar Group? Be sure to include your screen shots (at least 3) that you took and cropped.
I really like using Daily Burn, I feel that it is very effective and a good tool for people to use in order to keep track of their nutrition, fitness, and daily activities. I use a similar program on my phone which is directed more closely to weight lifting. I like Daily Burn better, in that it covers all areas of physical fitness rather than one single area. I would most defiantly consider remaining part of the rockstar group and continue with using this program. I would like to get a form of this as an application for my phone.
2. How would you use this website to accomplish our Recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1B? What
modifications would you use to establish a group or individual’s goals?
This website could be used to accomplish our Recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1B in many ways. Students could be assigned to follow their nutrition, fitness, and activity throughout the semester or year and keep track of their goals and accomplishments. Also this is a great tool to be used for assessment of students.
3. What electronic tool could you see as being useful for capturing data and reporting for the Recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1A? Describe how this tool might work in a High School Setting. If you plan to use Excel, or Google Forms, be sure to include a sample that can tried out online.
The electronic tools of Excel, Google Forms, or PowerPoint could be used for capturing data and reporting for the Recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1A. In a High School setting students could have an assignment given to them at the beginning of the year to record and asses their goals and nutrition for the entire year. This is a good way to open students’ eyes to what they are taking into their body as well as how much they are burning. The Picasa program can be used to take screenshots of good examples of nutrition or when each student reaches their goal, these screenshots can then be another form of assessment of improvement. It can also be a good motivational factor.
I really like using Daily Burn, I feel that it is very effective and a good tool for people to use in order to keep track of their nutrition, fitness, and daily activities. I use a similar program on my phone which is directed more closely to weight lifting. I like Daily Burn better, in that it covers all areas of physical fitness rather than one single area. I would most defiantly consider remaining part of the rockstar group and continue with using this program. I would like to get a form of this as an application for my phone.
2. How would you use this website to accomplish our Recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1B? What
modifications would you use to establish a group or individual’s goals?
This website could be used to accomplish our Recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1B in many ways. Students could be assigned to follow their nutrition, fitness, and activity throughout the semester or year and keep track of their goals and accomplishments. Also this is a great tool to be used for assessment of students.
3. What electronic tool could you see as being useful for capturing data and reporting for the Recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1A? Describe how this tool might work in a High School Setting. If you plan to use Excel, or Google Forms, be sure to include a sample that can tried out online.
The electronic tools of Excel, Google Forms, or PowerPoint could be used for capturing data and reporting for the Recommended Regent’s Level for LS #1A. In a High School setting students could have an assignment given to them at the beginning of the year to record and asses their goals and nutrition for the entire year. This is a good way to open students’ eyes to what they are taking into their body as well as how much they are burning. The Picasa program can be used to take screenshots of good examples of nutrition or when each student reaches their goal, these screenshots can then be another form of assessment of improvement. It can also be a good motivational factor.
Kevin Renzo Is Burning
I was pleasantly surprised with the Daily Burn program. I am currently using Daily Burn and Traineo, two great online exercise and nutrition trackers, personally I enjoyed using Daily Burn better. With no surprise there were restrictions with Daily Burn and Traineo, those restrictions can be lifted if I chose to pay a certain amount which I did not. However, Daily Burn, with the restrictions and all allowed me to do so much more than Traineo. Traineo was hard to follow, barely let me do anything without paying while Daily Burn allowed me to do so much! Daily Burn is a great program and tool for all people to use, along with their motivators, fitness plans and all, and if it were in my budget I would pay the fees and continue to use it. However, I will continue getting my exercise how I have been.
Daily Burn would be great for a physical education class or even a health class. Daily Burn goes right along with learning standard 1B, knowing how to create a personal fitness program. Daily Burn is literally a fitness program. Students can learn how to use the program and actually use it, it get go towards their grade in the class. Students will be asked to create a fitness program for themselves as an exit standard for completing Physical Education. Daily Burn has so many different perks to it, students can find out what best suits them, whether it is cardiovascular or weight training, In addition, the class can be motivators for one another to do well in the program. Together the class can set a goal to achieve, whether it is a certain distance, amount of push ups etc. Daily Burn can be great for everyone, including the teacher!
Along with Daily Burn, students can use Picasa. Picasa is an image organizer and image viewer for digital photos and the best part is that it is free! Students will be able to take screen shots of their progress in Daily Burn and enables the student to show the teacher all the hard work they are doing. With the aid of Daily Burn, Picasa can be a great way of reporting progress towards the learning standard 1A. The screen shots can be feedback for the student and teacher and will show what areas the student needs help in. I have taken plenty of screen shots, it is simple, effective and very helpful. If you look above at the first picture, you can see that I was recording my sleep for the night and that I only received 2 hours of sleep that night. It was a rough night for me and my finals, I felt I had to share that in my blog. There is no reason why any Physical Educator cannot do the same.
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