The goal of this education blog is to share my love of being physically active with my students while giving ideas and suggestions to increase their activity levels outside of school. By showing students that physical activity is not only about doing push-ups and sit-ups, they are exposed to alternate ways to take total control of their health and wellness. Using this medium, I am giving the students the ability to interact and dive deeper into this topic which will ultimately enrich their learning. An additional benefit of the students using the blog is so that they become more active individuals outside of the classroom while they practice skills learned in their classrooms. This interdisciplinary activity, as Richardson (2010) mentions, will strengthen their understanding of the skills while supporting differentiated learning. A blog that is designed for my population of students will allow them to connect their in school learning with their physical activity outside of school.
Currently, I teach Physical Education in a Title I Elementary School in Connecticut. I have taught in this school district for 18 school years, and my goal has always been to increase my student’s awareness of skills and games so they may live a more active lifestyle. By using a blog as an interactive resource, I am able to increase their exposure to a variety of activities that they may enjoy playing with their family and friends. Students are not only given the opportunity to choose from a various activities, but they have a model or visuals to refer to so they are able to follow along and be confident in doing so. No one participates in a physical, mental, emotional, or social activity in which they do not find any enjoyment. In an article by Hopple (2018), he mentions that each person has their own rationale for why they feel physical activity is fun. Having a choice and guidance from the blog supports a fun physical fitness experience. Being physically active allows people to deeply connect to themselves or others, whether it is through the competition, the comradery, or the relaxing nature of the exercise.
The creation of this blog is going to help me and my students meet the International Society for Technology Education standards. Using the technology-enriched environment and sharing the most current information regarding the importance of health and wellness, I will be creating an online learning environment that allows my students to “pursue their individual curiosities” (ISTE, 2008) all while sharing “relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers” (ISTE, 2008). The internet will allow my students the chance to make connections with other students around the globe. By participating in the blog, they will have the opportunity to learn about different games and activities from around the world. This will ultimately help them learn about different cultures through play. The population of students with whom I work are very diverse as well. Incorporating their interests and cultural experiences will help them to connect to learning and to each other. This creation of personal networks and collaboration will “broaden mutual understanding and learning” (ISTE, 2016), forming necessary skills my students will be able to use for the rest of their lives.
In my first 3 years of teaching, I was a general education teacher with an average of 25 students per class. Every year, from November to mid-March, I would never take the students outside to play or I would get one of my colleagues to supervise them and take them outside. I had spent most of my life in the Caribbean and my body was not use to anything below 60 degrees. The idea of standing outside for 20 to 30 minutes in any temperature less than that was extremely uncomfortable for me, but I made a comprise that both my students and I enjoyed. They told me about the app called “Go Noodle” which provides movement and mindfulness for students, and the rest is history. Go Noddle boosts productivity, improves behavior and builds community among students when used regularly (GoNoodle, 2020). As I watched my students participate with the interactive videos, I noticed that their moods would be lifted and they played well together. Occasionally, I would dance and sing along with them unless I had work to grade or lunch to gobble down while they were busy playing. We also use the videos as brain-breaks during testing or regular instruction.
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GoNoodle (2020). Research: Why classrooms need movement every day. Retrieved From: https://www.gonoodle.com/blog/research-why-classrooms-need-movement-everyday/
- Christine Fevrier
I attended a Professional Development session on Physically Active School Systems two years ago. GoNoddle was one of the options we were to go back to the teachers and introduce too. I was a little late to that party, the teachers were already using and happily found the same results as you. "Active kids learn better!Classroom physical activity helps students feel better, work together as a team, reduce anxiety and maintain focus." (Active Schools, 2020)
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Active Schools (2020). Active Classroms. Retrieved from: https://champion.activeschoolsus.org/active-classrooms
Educators need to ensure that their students are engaging in the learning process in a positive, nurturing environment (Laureate Education, 2016). Encouraging students and families to be more active is a positive and healthy initiative, however, as with any positive endeavor, we need to hope for the best, yet prepare for the worse. A potential challenge that I see arising is the exposure to cyberbullying. Health and weight management is a sensitive topic for some people, especially if they have been bullied and teased in about it in the past. As a precaution to protect yourself and your students, I would suggest requiring all participants of the blog (students, teachers, parents, etc.) to sign a safe-zone or safe-space contract before using the blog. This will ensure that all participants are fully aware that they should “engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior” when using the blog (ISTE, 2016). Also, if any authorized user posts inappropriate and hurtful responses appear on the blog, you can take the necessary steps to rectify the situation since the individual violated the contract.
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International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). The ISTE standards for students. Retrieved from: https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
Laureate Education, Inc. (2016). RWRCOEL Diversity Proficiencies (PDF). Retrieved from: https://class.content.laureate.net/a08a4a2a6f6799ef98d006d658fd2a67.pdf
That is a GREAT idea! As an age group swim coach, everyone over 18 needs to sign off on something similar through USA Swimming. I have also run into issue with some of my high school age swimmers with social media and are now in the process of coming up with a contract (with the help of my supervisors) for all members to sign to help lessen this downfalls.
DeleteA a P.E. teacher, I imagine allowing students to use technology is challenging since this is the time they should be physically active and otherwise involved. Richardson (201) mentioned that “districts can use Weblogs as articulation tools to highlight and share best practices…” (p. 25). Is it possible to have students that photograph for the yearbook come by during a really fun day, or a day packed with teamwork and have the photos sent to both the yearbook staff member as well as to a district Weblog staff member so they can share what fun adventures are happening in P.E. class? My district just began a Weblog like this where we are able to provide a snapshot of what is happening around the school and in other classrooms so staff is all kept in-the-loop.
DeleteRichardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
I love the idea that you have with your blog. It is great to show students that we practice what we preach. Giving access to your students to see that their physical activities are not just something that you teach is important for building relationships with your students. What is the expectation for the students in your blog? Are you making it a grade or just for fun? Being able to post pictures and interact with them through blogging or projects is a great way to utilize it (Richardson, 2010 p. 39). It might be fun to have them post or blog on their own outside activities that they are doing as well. Good luck with this. I am looking forward to seeing how it works for you.
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Richardson, W. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781452271385/