My Best and Worst Moments Revealed

Copy of Best Worst Momements on Prezi

The PED 201 Experience!

Check out this video collage of pictures from PED 201! Not only are there more pictures from our lab at St.Mary's but also some from The Great Debate and our Spring Concert in Park Center!

Live Performance!

Check out our live performance in Park Center! 

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Our time at St. Mary's has come to an end. Time really does fly when you're having fun. I am so thankful to be given this opportunity to go into an after school program and work with children to help us develop as future Physical Educators. What I have learned at St. Mary's I will carry with me for a lifetime! Check out my Lab 6 write up to read more about what we have learned at St. Mary's.

Ballin'

Lab this week was a lot of fun. It was very warm outside so we played with the preschoolers on the playground for a little while. I had a nice chat with one little girl who was trying to sit in the shade and stay out of the sun. I learned that kids will talk about anything and everything. She was a Chatty Kathy to say the least. After some time outside, we went back into the gym and started a basketball game against some of the older boys. The teams were split boys versus girls which turned out to be a lot of fun. My lab group has some good players so we were able to stay close in score with the boys. They had a lot of fun and I got a great workout running up and down the court. The rest of the day was pretty relaxed as we just played a lot of basketball and hung out with the kids. St. Mary's has some very good basketball players so it's fun to see how skilled the kids are. Check out my Lab 5 write up for more information on the day!

Technology in Physical Education

This week we were given the privilege to explore the ExerGame Lab. This room is filled with all sorts of exciting technology linked to exercise. One of the first activities I participated in was Dance Dance Revolution. This was probably my favorite games because it was actually a great workout! There were several mats placed on the floor so many people could participate. I think this is a great game to get kids to be active. There are many levels so beginners can start off easy and work their way to the higher levels. Some of the other activities included playing a video games but you had to be active while playing rather than sitting on your behind on the couch. One game featured the movie, Cars. While playing the game you had to ride a stationary bike. The faster you pedaled the more speed your car gained. An Xbox game was hooked up to a different type of exercise equipment that simulated walking up and down stairs. The only way the game would work was if you were constantly walking. These games keep you active and change your view on video games. I typically think of video games as lazy and not fun. By adding the exercise equipment, kids can get a good workout in while also doing what they love. It takes the lazy characteristic away from video games.

In a smaller room in the lab were some other technology games. There were several toy cars that made sounds when you hit them against your hand or the table. These toys could be used in a physical education class very easily. Each saying the car has could be a different task the child has to complete. You could incorporate these toys into a relay race or some type of running activity. The kids will find this more entertaining than just having you tell them what to do. It changes things up and makes it new and exciting. I think more and more technological advances will continue to be made that we could incorporate into physical education classes. It is important to stay up with the times and change up the old fashioned ways of doing things.

Go Baby Move

Check out my Lab groups video, Go Baby Move! This was one of our assignments for 201 where we took a chapter and the information in it and created a song. Enjoy! 

"Hands to Yourself!"

This week's lab went very well! My group was in the Pre-K room. Amanda's craft was to have the kids make their own Easter egg design on a paper plate. They really seemed to enjoy this. Next, Shannon read her book, Rainbow Fish, to the children. This was a book I used to read all the time as a kid so I even loved it. The kids wanted to touch the pictures and the shiny scales on the fish. When we let them touch the book we had to quickly take back control and continue reading. When we went in the gym Payge and the kids practice some simple jumping, running, hoping skills in a Simon Says-like game. My game had the children practicing their throwing and catching. Each kid got a partner and practicing throwing to a partner. After they had some practice they went one at a time trying to throw their soft ball into the net. I think having them go one at a time then sitting down once they had thrown was really effective. They loved the game and really paid attention. I did have some problems when I was beginning to explain the activity because the kids wanted to be in my lap or right near me. I had to pick up kids and sit them down farther away or tell them "hands to yourself" a couple times but they finally understood and respected me as a teacher. Although we do face some problems during lab, it is getting easier and easier every week. Everyone is becoming more comfortable and learning what works and what doesn't work with the children. To hear about other challenges and how we've dealt with them check out my Lab 4 write up! 

The Great Debate!

For the Great Debate we had in class I was in probably the most difficult group. My group which only consisted of three people tried to prove how using sticks in physical education classes is the most appropriate. This was no easy task and we were defeated very easily. The board did think we put up a good argument though. I personally think starting at a young age playing sports like lacrosse, baseball and hockey is a great idea. As kids get older it is going to become more difficult for them to just pick up the sport when everyone else around them has been playing that much longer. This is not so ideal in a physical education setting though. As physical educators we want to teach our students the basic physical skills they will need to continue being active for the rest of their lives.

I think the overall idea of the debate was great! Everyone came really prepared and was able to argue their ideas. It is really important for us to start learning everything we need to know about physical education and stand up for what we believe. Physical education programs are getting dropped at everyday and it is going to be our job one day to fight for these programs. Physical education isn't just for fun, it's for teaching kids lifelong fitness.

Hall of Fame or Hall or Shame?

            There are many games our parents played in Physical Education class that would never be played today. These games have been put in the Hall of Shame. They include games such as Dodgeball, Duck Duck Goose, Giants, Elves, and Wizards, Kickball, Musical Chairs, Relay Races, Steal the bacon and many others. Although these games are fun and almost everyone knows how to play them, anyone can lead them. You could be a history major and still be able to lead any of these games to a Physical Education class.

            In a game like Dodgeball there are pros and cons. By playing Dodgeball you are practicing your throwing and catching motions, learning to dodge and move quickly, you also have to use some strategy. The problem is that in a gym class everyone is not at the same physical or skill level. There are going to be stronger kids who can throw the ball harder and move quicker. Kids who don’t get any physical activity outside of gym class are going to be easy targets in this game.

            I don’t believe that Dodgeball should be played in Physical Education class because from my experiences it doesn’t work. The more athletic students are going to enjoy the competition of the game but the “nerds” or “geeks” might want to be the first ones out or won’t want to participate at all. I think it is important to modify the game so everyone will be motivated to play.

            In my high school classes we played a similar version of Dodgeball called Medic. The “medic” was a pre-determined player on the team who was able to save people once they got hit. This allowed the team to work together and kept people in the game longer. Another game I played was called Astroids where everyone in the class had a partner to work with. By modifying Dodgeball more students become interested and have a better chance at succeeding.

        A game like Red Rover is a great example of a Hall of Shame game. The object of this game does not meet the National Standards for Physical Education. For starters, there is only one movement pattern practiced in this game. Students must try to run through linked arms. Not every student is going to be strong enough or skilled enough to perform this task. This game really goes against Standard 5. There really is no respect for self or others in this game. Whoever rover sends over is probably going to be the other teams weakest link and is going to get “bullied” when they try to run through the linked arms. I don’t see this game being played in a Physical Education setting without many modifications. 

Be curious about what’s ahead for you, it keeps you going

    So I've been a little behind on my blogging due to a recent event that took place in my life. A little over a month ago, one of my best friends took her life. No one saw it coming. Chelsea was a beautiful girl with high ambitions. She was a talented artist with dreams of going to FIT. Chels was also quite the risk taker. She was the first one willing to try something new. Last summer, Chelsea and her sister went sky diving for her birthday. At only 19 years of age Chelsea had lived a very full life. If Chelsea taught me one thing it would be to go for it, what's the worst that can happen anyways? So take advantage of opportunities given to you and live your life to the fullest.

    Since we don't have many answers and Chelsea never really showed signs of depression I want to remind everyone that there is so much to live for. Never give up because tomorrow is a new day. If you know anyone with suicidal thoughts go to SAVE right now and learn how to help. 

Accidents Happen

At last week's lab I learned to expect the unexpected. Although our games were going great and the kids were fun we did have a little accident. While playing tag two boys ran into each other and bumped heads. Except that one boy's head went into the the other's mouth, causing him to bleed...a lot. I later found out that he lost a tooth in the process. I felt so bad for the young boy but he ended up being perfectly fine. Of course, the collision wasn't our fault but as group leaders we had to take responsibility to make sure both boys were ok and that any blood was cleaned up. Amanda had to stand over some blood that dripped on the floor until we could get it wiped up. Here's my Lab 3 write-up.

Come to My Party

This week for lab my group was assigned to Special Projects. We started the day off with assessing two children during their opening game. We watched their ability to run, gallop, and hop. Although both did very well, they still have some work to do. When everyone split up my group decorated a big board in they gym. Our theme for the board was "Be Active." We wrote down a bunch of activities the children could participate in that involved being active. Some of the activities included running, dancing, skiing, jumping rope, playing basketball, and playing soccer. We tried to incorporate sports as well as the skills the students will be learning throughout the semester. Kids love visuals so we tried to draw as many pictures as we could next to the words. We put basketballs, jump ropes, dancing people, and roller blades as well as several others to try to draw attention to the board. After we finished the board we all split up and talked to kids in the gym. Amanda and myself were taught how to hula hoop by two girls and let's just say they had more practice than us. Shannon and Amanda led the closing game which went very well. After the game I led a dance. I started by asking all the kids if they wanted to come to my party. The song we danced to was called "Come on Everybody" and talks about going to a party. After a long, hard day of school I figured a party would be a good way for the children to have some fun. The dance would have gone a little better if there were more students there but none the less, we had a great party!

Check out my Lab 2 write up for more information on the students skills we observed! 

Child Abuse

During our training with Sister Harriet we learned a tremendous amount of important information regarding child abuse. One important fact we learned was that a victim of abuse is often abused by someone they know and trust. In the movies we watched, the children all knew their abuser and had trusted them at one point in their lives. The men we saw who were accused abusers also knew their victims very well. This fact is very important to remember, especially when working in a school. Although we might think that the students all trust their teachers, if we see something funny going on it is important to act on our gut feeling. The video we watched gave us several steps to follow if we think a student may be getting abused. The first thing to do would to confront the suspected abuser about the situation. If things don't change, we would want to call the abuse hotline and NOT the police. By calling the hotline your identity is protected. The hotline would then take the appropriate steps to call social services, the police, etc. We need to remember that it is better than to take action rather than wait and see what happens. A child may need our help. Child abuse cases keep coming up in the news today so learning more about it was very helpful. For example, both Syracuse University and Penn St. had cases in their athletic departments with reports of athletes and ball boys being abused. The main concern of all abuse cases is the safety of the children. We want to protect the kids in the school and never put them in harms way. It is important to remember that child abuse does happen but we can take actions to stop it.

Lab 1

Our first lab at St. Mary's was an observation lab. We watched the students participate in different games while observing their motor and social behaviors. Most of the students in the program were fairly young. To get the student's attention the instructor had to speak clearly and with a loud voice. A trick go get the focus of the students is to have them face the wall or corner so they aren't looking out towards the rest of the kids in the gym. It is also important to get on the student's level so squatting down may be necessary. Young kids don't have a very long attention span so it is important to have them participate in several activities. They were more successful at an activity when they didn't have to stay on it very long. The kids were also a lot more motivated to play when they liked an activity. If the instructor relates the activity to a TV show or a book that the students may know they become more interested. Having the chance to observe the students proved to be very beneficial because now we know what works and what doesn't with the students.

Check out my Lab 1write up!

Learning Through the Physical

  What exactly does learning through the physical mean? Well the meaning is just what you would expect. A goal of physical education is to educate students by practicing physical activity of movement. The goal of learning-through-movement is "based on the fact that effective physical education can positively influence both the cognitive and affective development of children. This goal is especially important in the education of young children because it can impact their choices later in life. Students are introduced to an active way of living when they learn through the physical.

  Affective growth is learning that increases the ability of children to act, interact, and react effectively with other people as well as with themselves. Physical activity very much impacts affective growth within an individual. A child who plays sports and is physically active is going to think of themselves very differently than a child who sits at home and watches TV everyday after school. The child moving around is most likely going to have more self-confidence and more self-control. They will know how to deal with others, how to become a leader, and be more open to other experiences. Physical activity plays a major role in enhancing one's affective growth.

First Day Thoughts

After the first day of PED 201 I was very excited for the course. I think this class is going to be very helpful in preparing every student for the future. Our assignment for the first day was, in simple terms, to get online. The first part of the assignment was to create a GMail account. Next step was to use the new email account to create a blog. To activate the account we had to make our first two posts. After that, we had to get connected with social media websites like Twitter and Facebook. Getting online is a great way to share your experiences and build relationships with other people. The blogs are going to help showcase the best features of each person. Through the blogs you can post pictures or share your experiences, thoughts, and ideas with others. Blogging helps build your character and keeps you up to date. I think being online is going to help everyone become a better educator in the future.

Welcome to the Blogging World!

I've always thought about blogging so I was very excited to learn we had to create a blog account for PED 201. I think blogging is a great way for people to share information, pictures, experiences with others. It is also great for making connections with others that may be beneficial in the future.

This past winter break I had arthroscopic knee surgery. Due to the surgery I spent a lot of time on my couch elevating and icing my knee. When I finally starting walking again I started my physical therapy. It's amazing how your muscles disappear after surgery. After the first day of therapy I learned I had a long road of hard work ahead of me. I went to therapy about three times a week and worked very hard to get back in shape. Although I am still working on getting my muscles back to the strength they were before surgery, I came a long way. My surgery story is one I could tell future students. Everything in life takes a little effort and hard work if you want to become successful. I wouldn't be back in shape right now if I didn't go to my therapy sessions and push myself to get better. It is important for kids to not get down on themselves if they can't get something the first time or mess up. By working hard and striving to become better they can achieve anything.