WRUP - What Are You Playing?: Mario Kart Wii

Now I'm sure you're wondering... Mario Kart? How can anyone be active playing Mario Kart? That's what ordinary people may think but my friends and I are no ordinary people.

My friend Jay is a physical education major at Brockport and we started talking about what we were doing in classes and then I started telling him about technology and we intergrade it into our major. He loved the idea! So all my friends are home now and we all got together at a friends house to play Mario Kart Wii. (It's a little tradition we have) So I started talking to my friend Jay as we were playing and I asked him "Jay, what could we do to make this game more active?" Immediately the ideas started pouring in from not only Jay and myself but all my friends. We decided on rules and wrote them down a piece of paper... we all agreed to follow these rules and we began to play! I'm always Bowser because he's big and bulky and when push comes to shove, he does both!

So we can up with a way to incorporate physical activity while playing Mario Kart. The rules we came up with were very simple.

Mario Kart Movement Rules:

-Game must be played on 150cc circuit

-Before the race the player must be doing push ups. When the light turns green the player may stop, grab his controller and start the race.

-While the kart is moving the player must be running in place until the race is over.

-If you were flattened any time during your race you had to sit in the squat position against a wall until you returned to normal size.

-If you spun out, you had to do 180 jump turns until you returned to normal.

-If you lost you had to 30 jumping jacks.

-If your performed a special jump, you had to perform a special jump in the air as well.

-If you were hit with a green shell, red shell or blue shell you had burpees until you returned to normal.

-If you fell off the track on Rainbow road you had squats until you returned back on the track.

-All players must cool down with a 50cc two race minimum.

So as you can tell this got pretty intense! We were all dead tired after the games but some of my friends said that it was the best workout they had in a while. You don't Wii Fit or any of the new dance games to get a sweat going, all you need are rules for the game, a goal you want to achieve while playing and little imagination. We took a well deserved rest after with some ice cold water and went back to playing again. Needless to say my Sunday night was a blast!

Historical Figures in Education/NCATE

In this weeks broadcast SCOPE Media cast would like to inform you of some of the historical figures that have impacted education. We would also like to discuss what NCATE is. Included in this video are also a few personal standards that SUNY Cortland students hold themselves accountable for. Enjoy the video and don't forget to leave a comment below!

Noun Project = Universal Symbols

Check out the Noun Project free clip art that can be used for your blogs or posters.  All of the images are either public domain images or Creative Commons licensed images. Public domain images can be used without attribution but Creative Commons licensed ones need attribution.

Via Free Tech for Teachers: Noun Project - Free Clip Art of Universal Symbols:

Digging Into Lab C (255)

Reminders for Lab C and Beyond!
- Please send your plan of attack to your TA's and me by Friday March 11th ,so that we know you have a plan. Remember if you fail to submit your lesson plan, you will not teach and receive a zero for lab C. You must submit your own work for all parts of the resource packet, (LAB C Packets DUE March 25th) including block plan and scope and sequence. It also makes sense to just publish all of these as webpages on Google Docs and share it us, so we can help in the editing and refining process.

- BE SURE TO CHECK THE SYLLABUS FOR ALL LAB C Details. 


-Each of you need to submit (E-mail) 40 tasks, cues, and challenges on your progression sheets and a separate lesson plan by March 11th then a printed one on the day you teach.

- From that list of at least 40, choose 5 (place them on your lesson plan) that you think you might need in your lesson.

- Remember that you will only have 15 minutes to teach so plan on only getting through 2 or 3 for the entire class; however, you should also be showing how to use intratask variation for individuals and small groups.

- Also, I may ask you to teach from something else on your list of tasks, so you need to be familiar with all of the tasks and be able to teach them.

- On the assessment front, we are using a C9 form for each of you. Although the C9 lists introduction as a requirement - we trust you would introduce yourself on the first day of school/lesson - and therefore you are not required to do so.  If you feel you need to practice doing so, please feel free to.

As we discussed in class, the first half of the semester you've been given the tasks, cues, and challenges to teach as you worked on your emerging teaching skills. This second half of the semester you will be working to find the proper resources to guide your selections of tasks, cues and challenges. On top of finding developmentally appropriate tasks, cues and challenges for middle and high-schools, your teaching responsibilities will also increase to include unforeseen circumstances and behavior management scenarios.  Be sure to read:  Prevent Behaviour Problems cortland.ppt and   Positive Learning Environment  to understand our approach to providing a safe and positive learning environment.

As we've encouraged you all year, please get in contact with me and your TA to go over ideas and even just to talk shop about how you're feeling and adjusting to the increased work load.  Believe you me, it gets harder and harder each semester.  

We also encourage you to blog more often as it will make writing and organizing your blogs easier.  A couple of you have been very consistent with your use of your blogs and I think your writing and reflection has helped your teaching.  There have been numerous studies that show that by blogging, a student's writing can actually improve because you ofter end up re-reading parts of your own work and that inevitably you find grammatical errors, syntax, and sentence structure issues.  

Feel free to try new gadgets and tools on our blogs so that others will enjoy your reading and summaries. Remember that you should be thinking about using blogs to keep your students, families, community members and social networks up to date on your awesome program.  If you don't do it, no one else will.  What are you waiting for?  Dig in and enjoy.

Are State Budgets Are Breaking US Schools? (presentations)

Image via WikipediaThe TED Talks series is a shining example of experts in their respected fields giving powerful and passionate presentations.  And although most of them use a powerpoint slideshow of some sort (Keynote) they never once use it to display insane amounts of information.  Rather they use the opportunity to tell a story that is important to them in order to get you do something about it.

Bill Gates presentation is a sobering view of economics and budget shortfalls overall and in particular for education.  What are the 3 things Bill Gates wants to happen?



I also love Adora's Svitak presentation and Prezi (www.prezi.com) about What Adults Can Learn From Kids. Could you do what she did in front of all those people?

Success Knows No Boundaries (470)

We often talk about overcoming obstacles and attaining new heights as if it were a catch phrase from a news broadcast but do we really know what its like to achieve thing most people think is impossible? This ESPN broadcast of the Gallaudet University women's basketball team is proof positive of that success has no bias. A great turnaround record of 14-12 last season was a stepping stone to a 24-3 record this season and earned them a spot in the Div. III tournament this spring. From the coach having to learn sign language to communicate with his players to his players learning how to read their opponents better, this team epitomizes what we want to instill in our students. Trust, Respect, Responsibility, Relationships, & Rapport = SUNY Cortland PE Dept Positive Learning Framework


Points to Ponder (P2P):

1. As a new teacher or coach, would you take on a position for which you don't have all the necessary skills or knowledge?
2. Would you be willing to learn new skills, tactics, philosophies, technologies, and even languages to help your students?
3. What came to mind as you watched the players using American Sign Language with the subtitles?
4. Do you know Sign Language and did you know that infants can learn to sign before they can speak? 
5. What is the sign for running, stopping, thirsty, hurt, and other signs you will one day use in the gym?

Related articles

• School for Deaf Makes Noise in Women's Basketball (abcnews.go.com)
• Deaf Team's Standout Season Draws Cheers (npr.org)

Choices: What Kind Are You Making?

                  Did you ever take the time to stop and think about the choices and their impact they've had on your day? Did you wake up early or did you wake up with just enough time to catch the bus? Did you eat breakfast or are you going to wait because you have a test study for instead? All of these little choices may or may not have a dramatic impact on our lives but still play a role in our everyday lives. Now think about big decisions you've made in the past week. Did you start your paper or early or did you spend all night working on it the day before it's due? Did you tell someone something and it's still having an impact four or five days later? Again, the choices we make have crucial impacts on our past, present, and future.
                 As future physical educators we need to be aware of the choices we make but more importantly the outcomes associated with those choices. The choices we will be making will not only affect us but our students. What choices are you making to help yourself become a better physical educator that will ultimately affect your students. I made a choice Spring semester of my sophomore to be try and better myself everyday! Everyday I would pick one thing from the day previous that I could improve on and try to better myself. Then I made the choice to become more involved here at SUNY Cortland with clubs, volunteer work, the program, etc. I understand everyone has their own agenda and everyone has about a million things on their plate but your making the choice not to do these things because of other commitments. Your choices don't have to be to join clubs or do volunteer work but just think about the classroom. 

License Plate For Your Bike?

Everyone loves riding a bike during the summer! It's a great way to stay and shape and get a breath of fresh air! But what if you had to pay a fee to have a license plate on your bike? Would you still want to ride your bike? Law makers in Albany are desperate for cash and are considering legislation that would require license plates for all bikes. This idea has people all over New York furious!

This legislation would require bikes to be registered, licensed, and pass inspection. One bill will apply to privately owned two-wheelers. The other bill will address commercially-operated bikes and require insurance. The plates would cost $25 for the "family" version and $50 for the "commercial" tags. The $25 license plates would produce nearly $2 million for the state in the first year, and with annual renewal fees, about $300,000 each year after the law becomes effective.

The author of the bills, Queens Assemblyman Michael DenDekker says that bicycles are considered moving vehicles in New York and more bike riders are using public thoroughfares and someone has to pay. The bills would also exempt riders 18 and under.

I personally feel that this is a horrible idea! How can someone put a price on being active and put a price on the enjoyment that others get from riding bikes? I personally ride my bike all over my town during the summer and have bills and shool/books to pay for, and now I'm supposed to give more money to NYS? This is outrageous! A lot of people train on bicycles during the summer and often will take the reflector off the bike. Make them put a license plate on their bike and that might start a riot! If the bill does pass, what comes next? Do we charge people to put a license plate on a skateboard? Or make people wear a tag that says their name and contact info when they run?

What do you think about the idea of this law? Answer the poll and leave a comment below!

To see more on this topic click here.

Superwoman Was Already Here: Maria Montessori (470)

Check out this great summary of the Montessori Method and the importance of discovering and encouraging each student to discover and be inquisitive. I thought this little video (although maybe too young for this method) reminds us not to be spontaneous and try to capture lightning in a bottle.





Via the Innovative Educator: Superwoman Was Already Here: "

By Daniel C. Petter-Lipstein. This post originally appeared on Kate Fridkis's blog Un-schooled.

Superwoman was already here.And she gave us a superb educational model to end the “Race to Nowhere.”
Her name was Dr. Maria Montessori and in the first half of the 20th century she pioneered and refined the Montessori method of education. Today, there are over 17,000 Montessori schools worldwide including thousands of preschools in the USA and hundreds of Montessori schools in the U.S. at the K-8 level.
This story also highlights the role of a teacher in a Montessori classroom as being a “guide on the side” rather than the “sage on the stage.”

(can you believe that I found this on the internet? source)

Students First

A new organization Students First,  created by Michelle Rhee (former chancellor of DC city schools), seeks to emphasize quality student learning through commitment, passion and growth within the teaching profession as well as in society.  


Points to Ponder (P2P)
What will this mean for you as teachers to be or for those teachers already in the system?
Are you threatened or do you embrace this opportunity and call for change?

Led by Michelle Rhee, the former Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, StudentsFirst formed in 2010 in response to an increasing demand for a better education system in America. Our grassroots movement is designed to mobilize parents, teachers, students, administrators, and citizens throughout country, and to channel their energy to produce meaningful results on both the local and national level. United For Children Advocacy is doing business as "StudentsFirst: a movement to transform public education" and is a 501(c)4 organization based in Washington, D.C.

Basics of APA Style (470)

Image by Olivander via Flickr

I know everyone in class said they know APA formatting but here is a guide (albeit a beginner's one) that can serve as a reminder. You can fast forward through sections that you already know and listen and read to the parts that you didn't know yet.

Via the APA:The Basics of APA Style

Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults

Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: "OBJECTIVE:

To review the effects, adverse consequences, and extent of energy drink consumption among children, adolescents, and young adults.

METHODS:

We searched PubMed and Google using 'energy drink,' 'sports drink,' 'guarana,' 'caffeine,' 'taurine,' 'ADHD,' 'diabetes,' 'children,' 'adolescents,' 'insulin,' 'eating disorders,' and 'poison control center' to identify articles related to energy drinks. Manufacturer Web sites were reviewed for product information.

RESULTS:

According to self-report surveys, energy drinks are consumed by 30% to 50% of adolescents and young adults. Frequently containing high and unregulated amounts of caffeine, these drinks have been reported in association with serious adverse effects, especially in children, adolescents, and young adults with seizures, diabetes, cardiac abnormalities, or mood and behavioral disorders or those who take certain medications. Of the 5448 US caffeine overdoses reported in 2007, 46% occurred in those younger than 19 years. Several countries and states have debated or restricted energy drink sales and advertising

CONCLUSIONS:

Energy drinks have no therapeutic benefit, and many ingredients are understudied and not regulated. The known and unknown pharmacology of agents included in such drinks, combined with reports of toxicity, raises concern for potentially serious adverse effects in association with energy drink use. In the short-term, pediatricians need to be aware of the possible effects of energy drinks in vulnerable populations and screen for consumption to educate families. Long-term research should aim to understand the effects in at-risk populations. Toxicity surveillance should be improved, and regulations of energy drink sales and consumption should be based on appropriate research.