tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23685827815403854822024-03-06T20:28:06.417+11:00I.T Inside P.E OutsideThis blog is all about ideas on how to use technology in the PE classroom. The main author of this blog is a keen Secondary College PE teacher located in Melbourne, Australia.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-17444355065673653372014-05-28T22:26:00.001+10:002014-05-28T22:29:28.882+10:00Changes in time and a look at them goalsWell, this year has been super hectic! Our school has made the move from 52 minute periods to 75 minutes, meaning that some of my lessons have shrunk by 29 minutes (from a double session to a single) and some have grown by 23 minutes. At first I was a bit hesitant about the change as I've loved the lesson length of 100 minutes for practical lessons and 52 minutes for Health classes but 75 has proven to allow me to "trim the fat" from my practical lessons and to think smarter about what I really want to see my students achieve in all classes. It's been a steep learning curve this year as our school goes through an array of changes including the structure of leadership roles, class locations and the time length of classes and planning time allocation.<br />
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At the moment I can't help but feel that the goals I set myself at the start of the year have turned out to be fairly ambitious given the pressure I feel at the moment to keep up to date with the work load I'm under (I'm sitting next to 3 different piles of assessment tasks to correct). One goal was to create quality feedback and to be timely with my feedback to students. I still want to do this and in some regards have been able to do this already, however it is still a skill I've yet to master. Some things I've learnt however are:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Set yourself an achievable standard. Don't get excited about marking and returning everything in a very short period of time. Whilst it's great, it does set an expectation that you will <u>always </u>be able to do this (when the reality is often very different).</li>
<li>Video feedback is time consuming... I really wanted to film students performing a skill that they want to develop. I filmed them, then found it hard to find a way to provide them with a copy of the video, let alone the time to sit with each student in class to go over their video. I'm still trying to find a best practice for this method of feedback.</li>
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I'm currently happy with my tiered lessons, though I'm now flirting with the idea of differentiating some tasks, but will need planning time to plan these out well, before submitting them to my colleagues to see if they're interested (we all do the same "report assessment tasks").</div>
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As for my goal of continuing to work with technology, this year I've decided to set up a website for my Yr11 VCE class and I've been very happy with it's progress so far. I've used Weebly (free) and so far the students and I have gotten some great use out of it! <a href="http://vceoes12.weebly.com/">http://vceoes12.weebly.com/</a> The most important aspect of the website has been the blog where I can outline everything we study as we study it, making it a handy revision tool come exam time (next week). </div>
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Oh and I've started playing around with making videos... look out!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-40965201761849250782014-02-03T22:02:00.000+11:002014-02-03T22:14:01.106+11:00Back to school for 2014!Well it's the start of the new school year and I've been busy plotting what I will be attempting to do in my classes for 2014. Last year I made the decision to not reapply for my role as head of department in an attempt to give myself more time to change my practice and to hopefully assist the HPE team in a more grass roots kind of way. I've set some goals that I will slowly map out at the start of the this term to ensure that they are successful! They are:<br />
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1.) To scaffold my lessons to provide a more challenging environment for more of my students. I'll do this by creating a variety of tiered assessment pieces that will provide students with choice when it comes to being assessed. The use of Stile will assist with this.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFevE4ASqt8OuVFShPszG61-1eKXKIds7Kj2soOQ-UFG_bLtTsQma4WnZm4akA2FEG5PyaYJciUv1GeB87wumxcCGKtZh4i5r0amBK0Me3cBUJevUANCS9TY6a5htJSVWMGpqXB48rM2p/s1600/Stileexample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFevE4ASqt8OuVFShPszG61-1eKXKIds7Kj2soOQ-UFG_bLtTsQma4WnZm4akA2FEG5PyaYJciUv1GeB87wumxcCGKtZh4i5r0amBK0Me3cBUJevUANCS9TY6a5htJSVWMGpqXB48rM2p/s1600/Stileexample.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of how my classes look to me. <br />
I can create lessons and then drag them up when I'm ready for students to do them.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.stileeducation.com/" target="_blank">Stile</a> is a relatively new comer to the world of cloud based education. We had an opportunity to trial their system within our school last year and many of us loved it and asked for it to continue on so management ticked that box for us. In it's most basic form it allows you to create "online worksheets" for students to complete and once they have you can correct it online and send them individual feedback. I'm hoping to use it on the next level up though by creating a more "flipped classroom" look with explanatory videos to be created on a host of topics from healthy eating right through to how to swing a golf club. If I model the videos right... I'm hoping the students will make their own in return with the use of their iPads.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuW5nPM01CQm-gcwgNCor_XEGKK20UtsxzOdJyltYvP9a6LT_jI-J7avvajcuOkLZ9F_COTvv109zyTG_iWgba5ByQdSF6eGGRnWHWt_4-xMY7mNiOzyq6hv1epgL68-LmyesPsH4zMFi/s1600/stileexample2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuW5nPM01CQm-gcwgNCor_XEGKK20UtsxzOdJyltYvP9a6LT_jI-J7avvajcuOkLZ9F_COTvv109zyTG_iWgba5ByQdSF6eGGRnWHWt_4-xMY7mNiOzyq6hv1epgL68-LmyesPsH4zMFi/s1600/stileexample2.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a lesson looks like (mixture of introductory video and then exploratory style questions.</td></tr>
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2.) To increase the amount of meaningful feedback being given to students and to do so in a timely fashion. My goal is to construct better tasks that assist me in enhancing the quality of feedback given to my students. I also hope to construct a series of self assessing items using various ICT tools.<br />
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I'm hoping to do this using a variety of tools including:</div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://socrative.com/" target="_blank">Socrative</a></li>
<li><a href="https://getkahoot.com/" target="_blank">Kahoot!</a></li>
<li>Stile</li>
<li>Email</li>
<li>iDocieo (to record keep student progress)</li>
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iDoceo is an app I picked up last year. It's not a free app but it has been worth the money spent. It's everything in one for me in terms of a "teacher's chronicle" so much so that I didn't buy a hard copy book this year to record student progress and marks.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivaTb5kUSDhSLXL9yozRqojpn9W7eMs0bPxu4eOFm-etMwKsniWEefOlqW1b55Q-8720AwvI8h-VW5Xd6uXD5w6d9DA0vXzMD4yiWocHKkW63ogz3ZZeQIJykFgM5a5zNPl5M-FmVI7xBK/s1600/screen480x480.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivaTb5kUSDhSLXL9yozRqojpn9W7eMs0bPxu4eOFm-etMwKsniWEefOlqW1b55Q-8720AwvI8h-VW5Xd6uXD5w6d9DA0vXzMD4yiWocHKkW63ogz3ZZeQIJykFgM5a5zNPl5M-FmVI7xBK/s1600/screen480x480.jpeg" height="234" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of iDoceo at work.</td></tr>
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3.) To continue being a leader within my school when it comes to integrating tech tools in a meaningful way both in and outside the classroom.</div>
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I love being able to show my colleagues new and exciting ways to do something, as well as just introducing new tools. The main reason is because I strongly believe that we're more powerful as a team than as individuals and whilst I can think of how to use new tools I'm forever impressed by the new things I learn from my colleagues.</div>
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I have other exciting plans too but I might save them for future posts!</div>
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So what are your goals for 2014?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-48036821764896713992013-11-07T22:51:00.001+11:002013-11-07T23:06:41.996+11:00The good thing about bad PD...Recently I had the chance to attend a PD that was suppose to be on a series of cool tools you could use within (and outside) the classroom. The PD was attended by those from my school who were fairly familiar with integrating IT tools within their classroom and we went in anticipating a sandbox style session where we got shown a series of useful tools to then play/create with but instead we got a talkfest. In 4 hours we got exposed to only 3 tools and I spent most of it internally screaming for the speaker to "get on with it". At the very least it gave me insight to what it's like for our gifted students who sit through lessons on content they already know.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCc6huwqfWMYKuELek70TIuNFml3HOt28dOmHdlP239So6tqLrYJfu8Gh4VDOGNoBnORngf2o-p92ZGqoMzm3vDg-fPbE3_mIg7YG5BW5uYGM_DWtSyPPHdmI7aiZna0jI4zulTlUNDhc/s1600/Frustrated+Cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCc6huwqfWMYKuELek70TIuNFml3HOt28dOmHdlP239So6tqLrYJfu8Gh4VDOGNoBnORngf2o-p92ZGqoMzm3vDg-fPbE3_mIg7YG5BW5uYGM_DWtSyPPHdmI7aiZna0jI4zulTlUNDhc/s1600/Frustrated+Cartoon.jpg" height="289" width="320" /></a></div>
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The tools shown were handy but nothing new or cutting edge, but the great thing that I personally got out of the session was a desire to do something better than what I was being exposed to. So rather than spending my time sandbagging the presenter I'm going to explore and share the tools on here.<br />
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<b><u>Recording lessons for students.</u></b><br />
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<b>Tools:</b> <a href="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">Audacity</a>, <a href="http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/" target="_blank">Screencast-O-Matic</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeTaymjSZpz2kvxf_Ftuy06m-lphpUExXEX49WRdNKAvA2hqHK0nbOD4eeYWiJ3fSfdITZ4huNSdxoh1aS4nPes0IMWI6O8m5zNmDbcugWLm33o2OJsjwhZcwPaim4n-sqMbhbfPg6jA3/s1600/audacity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeTaymjSZpz2kvxf_Ftuy06m-lphpUExXEX49WRdNKAvA2hqHK0nbOD4eeYWiJ3fSfdITZ4huNSdxoh1aS4nPes0IMWI6O8m5zNmDbcugWLm33o2OJsjwhZcwPaim4n-sqMbhbfPg6jA3/s1600/audacity.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audacity</td></tr>
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Use Audacity to record a series of your very own podcasts, then upload them somewhere handy for your students to download and listen to. You can use your school's internal network, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/" target="_blank">Dropbox </a>or your own website/blog to host the files. The benefit of Audacity over other voice recording programs is that you can edit your work and add in layers. This means you can have a jaunty little jingle at the start of each podcast, sound effects or just connect a series of different recorded conversations together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCa7OhIiTNWdy6H3l_7WLFaiY_GzQS-Ya8kpgfUkA783FDEgFm_fkNfH4thLOyGlzfnE7gLKOx9nHYr7krySTlY-PLzElWa36-2O2T6nZf1wjD0pJ-qy90xfg_7ucow4ms-sKr0QURUBKJ/s1600/screencastomatic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCa7OhIiTNWdy6H3l_7WLFaiY_GzQS-Ya8kpgfUkA783FDEgFm_fkNfH4thLOyGlzfnE7gLKOx9nHYr7krySTlY-PLzElWa36-2O2T6nZf1wjD0pJ-qy90xfg_7ucow4ms-sKr0QURUBKJ/s1600/screencastomatic.jpg" height="290" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screencast-O-Matic (website)</td></tr>
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Screencast-o-matic allows you to select part of your screen to record what you're doing when you do it. Draw complex diagrams, use your favourite programs and don't be limited to what certain other screen recording programs have. The program is web based and requires flash (sorry iPad fans) but it's darn nifty in its ability to adjust to what you would like to do as opposed to forcing you into a corner like many free programs tend to do. The files save as a video naturally but you get three options on what you would like to do including uploading to YouTube or downloading for personal use elsewhere.<br />
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<b><u>Website building</u></b><br />
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<b>Tool: </b><a href="http://weebly.com/">Weebly.com</a><br />
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Now website building and hosting is nothing new for most of us, it's certainly nothing new for me. I went through the geocities craze back in the day with the feeling that I was clever being able to code and create my own website complete with animated gifs and midi files playing in the background. So it would be that we would eventually get introduced to one of the numerous free website creating/hosting sites known as <a href="http://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weebly</a>.<br />
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Whilst the guest speaker went on about the virtues of Weebly (there are some) I decided I could sit bored with the experience or I could just get creating and see how much I could do whilst he continued to talk. I picked a potential class that I could teach in the future and got designing.<br />
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<b>The pros for Weebly include:</b><br />
Drag and Drop function to assist those (student or teacher) who have never built a website before.<br />
Plethora of template and design options.<br />
Minimalistic branding.<br />
Free.<br />
Offers a paid option to have your own domain name.<br />
Anyone could use this.<br />
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<b>The cons for Weebly include:</b><br />
Drag and drop only assists in helping someone learn visual design concepts of a website, doesn't allow the option of challenging those who would like to further their understanding of website building.<br />
Obsessive email updates. Like an over-attached lover that just doesn't know when to draw the line between connecting with you and smothering you I can safely say that since signing up (under 2 weeks) I've had 4 emails telling me that my website wants me to come back to it, that I can increase my viewing statistics and that there are other new key features.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ik04FR9GXL2VAtZl9IwVS69V1w6yPkN30fkxPsegCvfmNo5ZNktjEOBgNUgs7Mc5nxSktuN5AQwVg-Ccw-zZM4-7fI_92QB88N507KtjnuIVn6HdHcP4xW-_v4mF8V1CcJQf5sbIY1-b/s1600/weebly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ik04FR9GXL2VAtZl9IwVS69V1w6yPkN30fkxPsegCvfmNo5ZNktjEOBgNUgs7Mc5nxSktuN5AQwVg-Ccw-zZM4-7fI_92QB88N507KtjnuIVn6HdHcP4xW-_v4mF8V1CcJQf5sbIY1-b/s1600/weebly.jpg" height="174" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Weebly website attempt</td></tr>
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So whilst our guest talked on I put together a <a href="http://vceoes12.weebly.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">website</span> </a>that had a home page, a code of conduct for class page, a blog page (added a blog posting on it once I got home), a resources page and an assessment tasks page. Safe to say that Weebly is dead easy to use.<br />
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<b><u>To website build or to not?</u></b><br />
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Website building is naturally an easy thing to do these days in some regards (the harder part being to design well), however the conversation regarding website building is often one that isn't explored well by others. When getting students to create websites there needs to be the fundamental question of "why am I asking my students to do this?" If it's just for the sake of doing it... well then you're doing it wrong. If it's to allow students to explore a new way to express themselves... well then you're on the right path.<br />
Another question worth asking is how will you support those who struggle with either poor literacy skills or poor digital skills? For students it's one thing for the teacher to read your bad spelling and grammar in an essay, and quite another to have it published for family and peers to witness as well.<br />
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As for the question on whether we as educators should have our own websites? My thoughts are simple... Yes only if you plan on using is consistently. It's not as powerful if you allow it to appear like your latest new gimmick only to be abandoned when the next cool trick comes rolling out.<br />
I'm planning on running a weebly website next year for curiosity's sake to see how popular/useful it will be for my students. I'll let you know how it turns out.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-80131460207430929412013-10-24T22:36:00.000+11:002013-10-24T22:51:43.485+11:00Teacher and Peer Assessing using SocrativeI did an activity today in class that I felt I should share with my fellow educators. It involved using Socrative to assess a series of student created videos on Sexually Transmitted Infections (S.T.Is)... I know fun right!?<br />
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In my last <a href="http://itinsidepeoutside.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/exit-tickets-for-differentiation.html" target="_blank">post </a>I spoke about the web based tool <a href="http://socrative.com/" target="_blank">Socrative </a>and its usefulness in regards to gathering feedback from students to improve the content and skills we as teachers deliver. So now it's time to flip the idea on it's head and talk about how this tool can be used to provide feedback to students regarding their own progress.<br />
In previous lessons my year 9 class had been exploring STIs and sexual health, this led into their main assessment piece which was for them to develop a video/cartoon/podcast that focused on one STI of their choice. They needed to cover signs & symptoms, treatment, prevention and how it could impact on their lifestyle. They also needed to introduce interesting facts or statistics regarding their chosen STI. Students were told that their finished product would be shown to the class with their mark coming from both their teacher and their fellow classmates.<br />
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Today was the day of their video presentations. Prior to the lesson I set up a quiz on Socrative called "STI - Peer Assess Quiz". I also had in the room their other HPE teacher (we share this class) and a Pre-Service Teacher. As each video played I would open the quiz on Socrative and students would vote through a series of key questions such as:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Your name</li>
<li>Name of the group presenting</li>
<li>How engaging is this presentation?</li>
<li>Have you learnt anything new?</li>
<li>Does this presentation cover signs and symptoms?</li>
<li>Does this presentation highlight how the STI is treated?</li>
<li>Overall what did you think of this presentation?</li>
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Each question was multiple choice (except the first two) and students quickly filled out the quiz at the end of each video. At the same time as they filled their quizzes out my colleagues and I would tick our own marking criteria sheet and them compare our answers. I gathered all the marking data from my colleagues and was sure to email myself a copy of the students responses to each quiz.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-UcwAit_h3HN-UbYqdg5su7pNYWFpiUbd1x43cv4cp6tuFnFXRfoNcjBL8C2_zBkOHlTOrQyqieF64G4ZTee1gNZuAperzngmdMOw5WxqsRA4MfbO87OtPY4hQZGRIHFRheKaJ2nK3WQ/s1600/overallmark.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-UcwAit_h3HN-UbYqdg5su7pNYWFpiUbd1x43cv4cp6tuFnFXRfoNcjBL8C2_zBkOHlTOrQyqieF64G4ZTee1gNZuAperzngmdMOw5WxqsRA4MfbO87OtPY4hQZGRIHFRheKaJ2nK3WQ/s1600/overallmark.png" height="320" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rubric with a combination of 3 scores two teachers (highlighter)</td></tr>
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The student results came through as separate Excel documents so I placed the data into an easy to read grid (google document located <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzhXUFoqzcVsUDhYSnpzSDJOVVU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>)that also turned the results anonymous. Students will receive both sets of mark sheets back in their next lesson.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMimI9QsG38OdkydUB9nyOET8BwzvbB-cS7Il-Dsh9O36mA2Z58QKRSCWed5fg7SlrE3NGlcU-KPS18FhfpDpCA2nOnD51Ib787BDjc0kDPMNPd-2ZIp1bTD2JcM5_f8YZ030wLjtnRauI/s1600/Peermark.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMimI9QsG38OdkydUB9nyOET8BwzvbB-cS7Il-Dsh9O36mA2Z58QKRSCWed5fg7SlrE3NGlcU-KPS18FhfpDpCA2nOnD51Ib787BDjc0kDPMNPd-2ZIp1bTD2JcM5_f8YZ030wLjtnRauI/s1600/Peermark.png" height="92" width="320" /></a></div>
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What we found most valuable and interesting from the whole experience was that everyone was engaged in the process of reviewing and that everyone felt they had a chance to comment on what they thought was good practice and what was in need of improvement.</div>
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Other things we liked included:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Instant cross marking and discovering that we had similar "marks" for each group presentation that we assessed as teachers.</li>
<li>That students were honest in the process and marked their peers to a similar grade to what their teachers had done.</li>
<li>Everyone was engaged.</li>
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I'm doing this again tomorrow with my other year 9 class, can't wait to see if the results fall similar again!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-67015562302240998252013-10-16T19:35:00.001+11:002013-10-16T20:19:25.832+11:00Exit Tickets for differentiation!<span id="docs-internal-guid-1e5642f5-c043-dada-583a-61900543400d"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Using Socrative for Differentiation within your classes...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is Socrative?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Socrative is a free web based application that has become very popular in education in the last couple of years. The best thing about it is that only the teacher needs to sign up for an account and students only need to know their teacher’s room number.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1e5642f5-c043-a3bc-f2c4-51cbe3073c57" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What does it do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can create quizzes that are either teacher paced or student paced. The quizzes can be Multiple choice, T/F or Short Answer in nature. You can also create Exit Tickets which are the main focus of this blog post.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So differentiation is involved how?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Exit Tickets gauge exactly where your students are at by the end of a lesson with a quick series of questions for students to answer. This information is compiled in a excel file for you to skim over at the end of a lesson or series of lessons. This will allow you to alter lesson ideas to suit students and their learning needs. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So just what is an “Exit Ticket?” you ask? Well in it’s simplest form it is a short survey filled out at the end of a lesson. They are becoming common practice at the end of most sessions at any PD conference to allow presenters and hosts to gauge how successful the sessions run were. Questions are usually in a poll or short answer form and are designed to be completed quickly by participants leaving your lesson.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">So let’s have a look at how it all works. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">You will need to create/sign up for a Teacher’s Account, and then it’s all systems go!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7Sc1GzI83YtAQDy6tP5in0bSx2S1y9PYUMLjiwgwfdOvt9h1xhK-wwlb9Ab2mbVbZgRWdaaHmtUgPmXCGPGeJMDmehyphenhyphenDABwjpxol5f89eWop5WTNFGgMkDs6349Y7Xigruk9tqjvxAEW/s1600/Socrative.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7Sc1GzI83YtAQDy6tP5in0bSx2S1y9PYUMLjiwgwfdOvt9h1xhK-wwlb9Ab2mbVbZgRWdaaHmtUgPmXCGPGeJMDmehyphenhyphenDABwjpxol5f89eWop5WTNFGgMkDs6349Y7Xigruk9tqjvxAEW/s320/Socrative.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students will need access to the internet and either the website </span><a href="http://socrative.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://socrative.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or they can have the Student version of the app (available free on both apple and android devices). I have both apps on all my devices in case I ever need to be a “student” as well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you sign into Socrative as a teacher you are greeted with this view:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzbGJvOgXEx-qato_4SAQENOQdOwYteypMz5pwAvinEqn1oFIP7TUn9eJ0S3-8W6QX0R0IWHDlk-xF42l2S8Nh8JQfyb2tfhw1LsFMK5fk7xEJR0TWo6XtJWH8DRpzcA1uMVgxVDT-GI0/s1600/SocrativeT1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzbGJvOgXEx-qato_4SAQENOQdOwYteypMz5pwAvinEqn1oFIP7TUn9eJ0S3-8W6QX0R0IWHDlk-xF42l2S8Nh8JQfyb2tfhw1LsFMK5fk7xEJR0TWo6XtJWH8DRpzcA1uMVgxVDT-GI0/s320/SocrativeT1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge - Exit Ticket is 2nd from the bottom of image.</td></tr>
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There is a standard or default Exit Ticket already available and does the job nicely (I use it). When you select it, it will become active in your "Socrative room" and students can now join your room to fill out their Exit Ticket. You get an overall live view that allows you to see how many Tickets have been submitted as they happen it looks like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1me02vqy7SYkDeHD2dl-nZd9tz_2AaRhxFobK6VnoUn2I-pKgY2tA8Zfu0_j2JPbo-x6hQcM8e49gmbnS6UebLgC5l0DMnJjg3v2Pbt8WXvq3qPRLkQnePpG4vYdJiCaZI2-_8TBBHlFl/s1600/SocrativeT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1me02vqy7SYkDeHD2dl-nZd9tz_2AaRhxFobK6VnoUn2I-pKgY2tA8Zfu0_j2JPbo-x6hQcM8e49gmbnS6UebLgC5l0DMnJjg3v2Pbt8WXvq3qPRLkQnePpG4vYdJiCaZI2-_8TBBHlFl/s320/SocrativeT2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The student log in is really basic, they only need your room number which is always visible on your summary page. I place my number (which never changes) on the board and ask the students to record this down in their diary or in a note on their device for future reference.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKO3dIEmEvO7B5aLvjoCM1_0Q89Zcs6V0azNZ5ev7DrmH_vnIbZorc9WerCk-7-g0_fex-Mmv8r3QVQcq4-d00y01XhgwZHJ9bSToK9NxRd_VGQpsb8UBw85Epvr10Yr3sggFUw0CeUlO/s1600/SocrativeS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKO3dIEmEvO7B5aLvjoCM1_0Q89Zcs6V0azNZ5ev7DrmH_vnIbZorc9WerCk-7-g0_fex-Mmv8r3QVQcq4-d00y01XhgwZHJ9bSToK9NxRd_VGQpsb8UBw85Epvr10Yr3sggFUw0CeUlO/s320/SocrativeS1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student Log in view.</td></tr>
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Students filling out the default Exit Ticket available will be asked the following 4 questions:</div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Their name </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">How well did you understand today's material? (Multiple Choice)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">What did you learn today? (Short Answer)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please solve the problem on the board. (Short Answer)</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">When they fill out the last question they have an option to just Finish the Exit Ticket or to Finish and then allow someone else to fill it in out after them. The flexibility of this meant that I could use this in a class with a limited number of devices or a class where everyone had a device.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEira2HC6-fjprD3O484Vzv3BOIouU4xvtGxu7kTm9Axvm5tLXso67BRu-BCe5NY9ozol9NV5DHQ4pXYigsjCJmeWkYVz3X7h9k_TMgM6oH8mUStTULkXpLKLRkG7NgTE0z3mMSjSutSNDVF/s1600/SocrativeS5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEira2HC6-fjprD3O484Vzv3BOIouU4xvtGxu7kTm9Axvm5tLXso67BRu-BCe5NY9ozol9NV5DHQ4pXYigsjCJmeWkYVz3X7h9k_TMgM6oH8mUStTULkXpLKLRkG7NgTE0z3mMSjSutSNDVF/s320/SocrativeS5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The results are compiled and you have the option of downloading the report or emailing the report to yourself for later viewing. If you are using the mobile app you only have the option to email to yourself.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX7Ul6IlS967_fuIPvxWTcCG18NEVo6FAStTMBWIdoitJ5vJh5bj7gBXKJ2tEwZ9F_qtakKbJIM2LqSlYATIeTMdU1WiOoXXgyaYlwkKJIBTANKyu-ABsYkXbVkGVXojqoX0mxOGKwnc2/s1600/SocrativeT4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX7Ul6IlS967_fuIPvxWTcCG18NEVo6FAStTMBWIdoitJ5vJh5bj7gBXKJ2tEwZ9F_qtakKbJIM2LqSlYATIeTMdU1WiOoXXgyaYlwkKJIBTANKyu-ABsYkXbVkGVXojqoX0mxOGKwnc2/s320/SocrativeT4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How would you like this data you have just collected?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The information is sent to you in an excel document with each question/answer in a column and each student/responder in a row, you can simply scroll across to see how a student went individually or scroll down to see an overall result for a certain question.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This works well in both theory and practical classes as the main aim is to assess whether students have felt that they have learnt something or have been challenged in their way of thinking. You might find in the first couple of attempts of doing this that students will be tempted to be silly or even untruthful in their answers especially if reflecting and reviewing their progress isn't a regularly occurring practice for them. Don't be put off though, instead ensure that this practice is a regular event and that it is <u>always consistent</u>. Students will come to develop self reviewing skills as a result and you will soon find that they are quite descriptive in their responses to the answers in their Exit Ticket, thus building on the class practice with you as opposed to waiting for you to just deliver the content and hoping that it is something that will engage and challenge them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The great thing is it also provides feedback to the teacher instantly that may help them determine why a lesson wasn't as successful as they thought it would be when planning it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Give it a go! You could be surprised at the results.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-20846612497271607662013-09-14T09:58:00.003+10:002013-09-14T10:25:12.377+10:00Handy Online ToolsSo recently I've been exposed to a host of online tools in my quest for better tools to use in the classroom. My goal was to find things that can slide seamlessly into what I do in the classroom without having to spend a lot of time explaining to students how to use the application. So here's what I've found to be super handy!<br />
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<b><u>Strawpoll.me</u></b><br />
This website is handy when you want to get a quick response from students. The results are displayed as a pie chart and update as votes roll in. You can make the chart visible as students vote or you can show at the end of voting if you want to avoid number persuasion. Simply visit <a href="http://strawpoll.me/">strawpoll.me</a> and fill out the blanks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4W_PaUJRmWC8AnMunLoG4FQivD6eiUahu0tt4w9YTJnjP3Genbp84DUklYVkaCy_0vHmx0W-4VDtdV_PYWeqKqUqkhNhCDFFCogllkaJsVS1KL998CigDsNjMK6BVJ7Kg0Us4A07dA_M/s1600/strawpoll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4W_PaUJRmWC8AnMunLoG4FQivD6eiUahu0tt4w9YTJnjP3Genbp84DUklYVkaCy_0vHmx0W-4VDtdV_PYWeqKqUqkhNhCDFFCogllkaJsVS1KL998CigDsNjMK6BVJ7Kg0Us4A07dA_M/s320/strawpoll.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Today's Meet</u></b><br />
If you're looking for a way for students to quickly respond to a scenario and to briefly discuss, <a href="http://todaysmeet.com/">todaysmeet.com</a> might be a great choice. It allows you to set up a room, create a name and to choose how long the room exists for. Great for revising something just covered or for introducing a new concept.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMlEGfoPbjchwEaSX2nDeyNDuZqzT1_Ff866LsAkx0XICf8WW6DmUPwgLUxwiGj7NeYj7DTolYpaRKI0ggZPDQiwowWBvg_0iAWPS55ZNeJOhbTMk6MjvN86eABdWWmPec0ShFc8S2VaO/s1600/todaysmeet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMlEGfoPbjchwEaSX2nDeyNDuZqzT1_Ff866LsAkx0XICf8WW6DmUPwgLUxwiGj7NeYj7DTolYpaRKI0ggZPDQiwowWBvg_0iAWPS55ZNeJOhbTMk6MjvN86eABdWWmPec0ShFc8S2VaO/s320/todaysmeet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Powtoon</u></b><br />
I've been wanting to make informative videos in my quest to ensure that important information delivered in class can be accessed by my students who are absent from key lessons. The website <a href="http://www.powtoon.com/">powtoon.com</a> allows users to create up to 30 free videos which can be uploaded straight to YouTube. It's fairly flexible in its use and has a variety of templates to play around with for the less adventurous video maker. I trialled it last night making a short video on HIV for my students:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/FYLraujZHc4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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So what online tools are your favourite?<br />
Props to <span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; direction: ltr; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a class="account-group js-user-profile-link" href="https://twitter.com/flattero" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">@flattero</a> </span>for introducing strawpoll and TodaysMeet to me at a recent PD.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-67695095163126776692013-06-12T23:21:00.001+10:002013-06-12T23:33:03.475+10:00How I keep student work - Digital PortfoliosSo I'm back! It's been a very busy year this year with my school making some big changes but I'm here tonight to share what I've been doing in the classroom. I've been wanting a more permanent way to monitor my students progress as I work with them throughout the year, I also wanted to model a practice for my Year 9 students who each have access to an iPad.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdEbcRrw_fHoxIsD6oM35JXSw-LZIiJAk1uxTM8qZi96fDL39AIzviDsTHeyV6l1xY1cKI7l8ZFZx_BrlgYXgKX6Nn7w4mklMMyRt0I80T2qntibaghiKb8478W2MgyC0fG6FALpnPea5/s1600/easy+portfolio.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdEbcRrw_fHoxIsD6oM35JXSw-LZIiJAk1uxTM8qZi96fDL39AIzviDsTHeyV6l1xY1cKI7l8ZFZx_BrlgYXgKX6Nn7w4mklMMyRt0I80T2qntibaghiKb8478W2MgyC0fG6FALpnPea5/s1600/easy+portfolio.png" /></a></div>
I’ve started using the app “Easy Portfolio” which was developed by #pegeek <a href="http://thepegeek.com/" target="_blank">MrRobbo</a>. This app has changed the way I record student progress within my class. It did involve a little bit of setting up at the start (entering students/classes) but I’m so glad I took the time. Now I want to share with you all what I’ve been doing with it (see the comic strip below). <br />
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Firstly I created my classes as “groups” and then created a “portfolio” for each student within each group/class. Now when I tap on a student’s name I’m presented with a portfolio that is broken up into file types (Video, Images, Audios, Notes, URLS, Docs). So when my year 9 or 10 classes submit work I ask them to send their files as a PDF document (Pages, Keynote etc will offer this option) and I save their attached work into their assigned portfolio. This has been fantastic as I can monitor student progress whenever I want to. I can have students submit what they have done in the day’s lesson every time we meet or I can simply ask them to submit assessment tasks for me to save as a record. <br />
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When I mark a rubric I save a copy of the rubric to their portfolio as well. As for my classes that don’t have iPads I just simply take photos of everything. I recently had year 7’s complete an assignment on Melanomas they all handed in their proudly constructed assignments and I photographed the work and then photographed the hard copy of the rubric I marked prior to handing back to students. This ends up being a great resource when parent/teacher interviews come around. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwMZOScQ92-RwdamBixUQTBjBE7APJZFxde88oZhgtClBZh8REvjE5PG4HNwNzpt5x9722eiM1hhFlrURZw9sD1T1yKS3C9-CBbLrV3iA7HtClnSIRcDzrbWcfH2T76papxY7q00bCZWA/s1600/easyportfoliocomic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwMZOScQ92-RwdamBixUQTBjBE7APJZFxde88oZhgtClBZh8REvjE5PG4HNwNzpt5x9722eiM1hhFlrURZw9sD1T1yKS3C9-CBbLrV3iA7HtClnSIRcDzrbWcfH2T76papxY7q00bCZWA/s400/easyportfoliocomic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the uses of the Easy Portfolio App</td></tr>
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What I really love though is that I can film my students performing skills in a variety of skill development lessons which I can then use to review one-on-one with the student. Video analysis is a powerful tool when used right and can correct technique issues faster than any verbal or demonstration style instruction given by a coach. The goal for me is to film regularly enough to then hopefully capture skill improvement during a unit of work. I can then keep this database of videos for reporting as well as parent/teacher interviews. The app also allows me to email any items in the portfolio to the student, parents or homeroom teacher. I can also back up my files using my Dropbox account.<br />
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So that's what I've been up to recently, tell me how you keep track of your students, do you have a great suggestion for us fellow #pegeeks? How important is it to track student progress in a Phys Ed class? What do you like to have on your table when meeting parents at interview time?<br />
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Stay tuned, my reporting period is nearly over and I aim to update this blog again soon! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-28064750724455746362012-10-24T18:49:00.000+11:002012-10-24T18:57:03.181+11:00Apps I Wish My Students Would Use...So I just finished scrolling through my twitter feed and saw a blog post titled "Apps I Wish My Students Would Use" from <a href="http://www.thephysicaleducator.com/blog/files/apps_for_students.html" target="_blank">thephysicaleducator.com</a> and it got me thinking... what Apps would I love to know my students are using outside of school that have a direct correlation to Health or Physical Education? If I could give them a gentle guiding towards some key apps which would they be? These are 4 favourites!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/" target="_blank"><u><b>MapMyRide - MapMyWalk - MapMyRun </b></u></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIajxYCYkxeC7OxuC7MsRX7qLZtm70lP9bGz10UG6k2c-LHXyXLIjJWW-OEJRLL_ELdpFvC_bZKk3pbVGxlc_uvKZyvIKDB94WxPQkN8fJDitwsU25Ah61s7A5lxyU1OLB8M5-6UQMQ7P/s1600/iMapMyRide--iphone-app.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIajxYCYkxeC7OxuC7MsRX7qLZtm70lP9bGz10UG6k2c-LHXyXLIjJWW-OEJRLL_ELdpFvC_bZKk3pbVGxlc_uvKZyvIKDB94WxPQkN8fJDitwsU25Ah61s7A5lxyU1OLB8M5-6UQMQ7P/s1600/iMapMyRide--iphone-app.jpg" /></a></div>
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These little apps are neat! You enable the GPS settings on your device and hit "record" and go on your merry way. It maps out where you travel during your workout and provides results including: distance, average pace, time taken and speed. The results including the map are kept journal style and can be accessed later on via the app, or the <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. Meaning users can review their week, can share with others (there is an online community associated with the website) or users can just revisit older workouts and try to better them. The other neat thing is members can set themselves goals to achieve with a variety of parameters for consideration to make the goals more achievable. Members can share their achievements via social networks as well, meaning students could continue to encourage one another. The best thing is this app is available on both Android and iOS.<br />
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<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/" target="_blank"><u><b>MyFitnessPal</b></u></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTw8Ai1el-usdaJ0CaqrsqE1UV7dXxNdd5NQ_0mP6JLZFVrJOoM6IIJT1anNrGuIdfb_2og-HkepMtvTs8bf9Xje0fa53h8IVZcjgnjS8jY1pklckZJV8V-zdbNGHZ2VX_4bd8fuKzwpX/s1600/41nnclZgruL._SL500_AA300_.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTw8Ai1el-usdaJ0CaqrsqE1UV7dXxNdd5NQ_0mP6JLZFVrJOoM6IIJT1anNrGuIdfb_2og-HkepMtvTs8bf9Xje0fa53h8IVZcjgnjS8jY1pklckZJV8V-zdbNGHZ2VX_4bd8fuKzwpX/s200/41nnclZgruL._SL500_AA300_.png.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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This app is a great way for students to monitor their exercise and nutrition. Users log their workouts and what they have consumed throughout the day. They can add friends and share their progress with one another. The food bank is extensive as is the exercise bank, meaning most things can be found and added to the daily log book. Just like with MapMyRide/Run/Walk members can set goals and track their progress. This app is also available across most platforms including Android and iOS and the website is a great place to stop as well.<br />
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<u><b>Nike Training</b></u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJXkRF4hl0yyOCG_XIlv3PfDywRQ8Jy2DWfYgR2CgvrsPKC54nioavBVbHFAYARCZO8G_DRJT1k5azcbSBhY4kplFNlw7594Y6ehUcbP8LBrN45Fbzxi5P0knvbbG8-7zpDciwHyTtIuv/s1600/tumblr_m3ggopKJ5v1rn2kl4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJXkRF4hl0yyOCG_XIlv3PfDywRQ8Jy2DWfYgR2CgvrsPKC54nioavBVbHFAYARCZO8G_DRJT1k5azcbSBhY4kplFNlw7594Y6ehUcbP8LBrN45Fbzxi5P0knvbbG8-7zpDciwHyTtIuv/s200/tumblr_m3ggopKJ5v1rn2kl4.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>
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I've mentioned this app on the blog before and still have faith in it's ability to give students a good workout, particularly those who are self motivated. I've shared this with a few students who have either told me that they enjoy working out by themselves or that they want to work out but can't access/afford a gym. It's only available on iOS at this stage but is worth the large download with a variety of workouts available to try. <br />
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<u><b>Zombies Run!</b></u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXy-h5_-Wogvqh5Z4FfOMRSIdbjcTHSS433rRAmDdb4qBwtaHIqiTnW4d7byB4hr2S_uqFRBZC1KksplXTkvcjPCmukUCtffN-DQcK_XqNXzjbzREcrZVX0NVrXJy3aUy5xFKbDGVcl7H/s1600/iphone-app-icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXy-h5_-Wogvqh5Z4FfOMRSIdbjcTHSS433rRAmDdb4qBwtaHIqiTnW4d7byB4hr2S_uqFRBZC1KksplXTkvcjPCmukUCtffN-DQcK_XqNXzjbzREcrZVX0NVrXJy3aUy5xFKbDGVcl7H/s200/iphone-app-icon.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Ever heard the excuse "I'm not going to run unless I'm being chased"? Well this app provides just that... Plug your headphones in, hit play and start running. The app is clever and suits interval training as well as continuous. As you run you are involved in a story that includes the growl of chasing zombies (meaning you need to go faster or risk fictional death) and the GPS means your run gets included into the story with suggestions for side streets to gather "supplies" to help you on your run. This app certainly appeals to students who are enjoying the recent rise in zombie popularity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-20988744830785259312012-08-13T21:35:00.002+10:002013-06-12T22:55:53.252+10:00Future focused fueled by feedback<div>
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Wow, okay! I went to another PD today with two colleagues (I
know right two weeks in a row go me!). We went to see a multi campus school
present to Professor John Hattie regarding the changes they’ve made within
their school after developing a series of “Action Research Projects”. This
school has been working closely with John and we were very curious to see what
has been transpiring there. </div>
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I have to admit I’ve come away with my head loaded with
ideas and thoughts on better practice regarding whole school approaches to
change and if you get the chance to hear or read John Hattie’s work I recommend.
All I’m going to do with this blog post is summarise the key themes that kept
popping up during today’s PD.</div>
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<u><b>Future Focus</b></u></div>
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The day was very future focused, each group that presented
(there were 7 all up) asked “where to from here?” They reflected on their
practice and avoided descending into the hang ups of what didn’t work, instead
focusing on what worked and what could be improved. It was generally accepted
that engagement and activity was a precursor for learning, yes it was needed
but teachers were encouraged to ensure that learning occurred after “hooking
the students in”. This train of thought is crucial when considering the use of
technology in the classroom. Yeah iPads and smart phones are great ways of
getting students engaged in the process but if those tools are not being used
to gather further understanding of content being studied then it’s up to both
teachers and students to determine their usefulness.</div>
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<u><b>Feedback</b></u></div>
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The majority of the day was aimed at feedback. Whether it is
gathering feedback from students regarding their understanding of a topic or gathering
feedback of how the teacher was going in terms of delivering content. Feedback
is important when done right because it lets the teacher know what needs to be
done to assist those who need assistance, and also to know when things are done
right. Most groups discovered however that questions need to be well planned in
order to get quality feedback, and in most cases students needed to be
explained the difference of providing constructive feedback as opposed to “good
work Miss!”</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeNQQZQSPNqBwLPgTTF4jjqQW2tGpmBhtW6U1-dRddLV7hpWa_bmewIRcmVWbVBv9iyH6w0Tu64nR8FdQepIVIEIBJRSUWnIO4uD2IF5AjxjiJGWHz6uNV3lWPverpTjDREhpwOB1paS3/s1600/feedback.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeNQQZQSPNqBwLPgTTF4jjqQW2tGpmBhtW6U1-dRddLV7hpWa_bmewIRcmVWbVBv9iyH6w0Tu64nR8FdQepIVIEIBJRSUWnIO4uD2IF5AjxjiJGWHz6uNV3lWPverpTjDREhpwOB1paS3/s1600/feedback.gif" /></a></span></div>
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<u><b>What is Progress?</b></u></div>
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Another crucial point that was mentioned during the day was
that all teachers needed to have a common perception of what constituted as “progress”.
Often teachers have a vastly different view of what is progress and they share
this view with their students either explicitly or subconsciously. When
different teachers in the same school present different understandings of progress
to their students it becomes a confusing affair not only for the students, but
also their parents and other teachers within the school. The way this school
was attempting to tackle the mammoth task of understanding progress and having
students aware of their progress was through the use of visual spaces. They
placed the VELS progression points around the classroom and students used
avatars of themselves and stuck them to the progression point that they were
currently at. Students then used “I Can...” statements to assist them in
planning how to move to the next progression point. This process meant that
students were aware of their progress as they moved through their course work as
opposed to just being handed an end result as if it’s a signal that the
learning has ended.</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgz1ZKzUofEmAjAsimw-2zxhC8PHC_qogDwljNrk4RbnQ4qbquPXUCvcF9R7Vt-gPAt25n-mmiWkyd5mKXQ-HeeEeRZ2wFQla4iMUKPpphqtU9QBmSgmebBPLTYgiz7SBCDChHttN0JD7v/s1600/thcpfmfj-1343969059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgz1ZKzUofEmAjAsimw-2zxhC8PHC_qogDwljNrk4RbnQ4qbquPXUCvcF9R7Vt-gPAt25n-mmiWkyd5mKXQ-HeeEeRZ2wFQla4iMUKPpphqtU9QBmSgmebBPLTYgiz7SBCDChHttN0JD7v/s320/thcpfmfj-1343969059.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<u><b>Senior teacher only?</b></u></div>
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An interesting point that came up was schools that place
certain teachers in senior classes only, and continue to do so year after year.
These senior teachers are also often not exposed to junior or middle year
classes and therefore the earlier development of their potential future students.
This has always struck me as odd. Why leave your best players out of the game until
the last quarter? Why not give our senior teachers a chance to better prepare
their students well in advance before they even step into their senior classes?
Keeping key teachers in senior year levels can sometimes send the message to
students that some teachers are more “expert” than others and sometimes this
could be far from the truth. </div>
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<u><b>All in or nothing at all...</b></u></div>
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It became abundantly clear that if you want to take on a
whole school project that will eventually change the way things happen in your
school then you really do need everyone on board. If not students fast
recognise which teachers are moving with the change and which ones aren’t. We
as teachers also need to recognise that as a professional in a profession we
should be staying well read on best practices and implementing what we can to
show that we are well equip to develop the young minds of tomorrow. In this day
and age it is no longer acceptable to state that technology (in particular
iPads/tablets/smartphones) has no place in a learning environment when it is
clear that these tools are being used in the business world that we plan on
sending our students into.</div>
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I’m going to close this long blog post with some key
reflective questions that popped up during the course of the day that I found particularly
powerful or interesting: </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Who is asking the
questions in your classroom? </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is it
you (the “expert”) or is it the students (The “learners”)?</i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What is success? </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What does it look like? Do we demonstrate to
our students what success is?</i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How often do you
receive feedback from your students regarding your practice?</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> How comfortable are you about receiving
feedback from your students?</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Are you aware of your
impact on students? </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As a result do
you challenge them? Do you challenge yourself?</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-83632717678915907192012-08-06T21:36:00.003+10:002013-06-12T22:56:37.461+10:00What I learnt from my day at the VITTA conference!<div>
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.5974366390288863" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So
today I had a rare chance to go off and get immersed in some
Professional Development. I took myself across Melbourne to Caulfield
Race Course to my first foray into the VITTA (Victorian Information
Technology Teachers Association) Conference. I was to hear from two
keynote presenters and from 4 other speakers on an array of topics all
related of course to the use of technology in education. I was excited, I
packed my iPad, my android phone (Samsung Galaxy III) and pen and paper
(just in case). These are the thoughts that I came away with:</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.5974366390288863" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">What I learnt from my day at the VITTA conference!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Factory Model is out... Creativity, global awareness and entrepreneurship is in!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
old model of marching students into class, having them sitting in rows,
asking them to open their brains and teachers then attempting to stuff
as much information as we can in before running a memory test is no
longer an acceptable mode in which to prepare our young for the future.
Instead we heard at the VITTA conference Professor Yong Zhao reiterate
what we are fast becoming to accept is the ideal future for education
within a school environment and that is a shift to developing
individuals that are creative, passionate and globally competent.
Individuals who are confident in their abilities, willing to take risks,
able to connect with others to develop friendships and of course be
alert to their world in order to make the best decisions possible. As we make work places more and more efficient we lose more and more jobs so those students we prepare for the "factory" life will find it harder and harder to find long term employment.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKIMMJNjaQ4xIRrghdzDIRScZVQPziPVnpq2ZnOQ9iw_Vxbq6LeV0OejUfrYyBoLHH5hYss_On8JxHG5f6zby7F_mJudBY1HxsPpCpZFRPGOyiJh-vAIiEpbz4Dnc795N1tW911aE92y1/s1600/p6_educationfactory_2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKIMMJNjaQ4xIRrghdzDIRScZVQPziPVnpq2ZnOQ9iw_Vxbq6LeV0OejUfrYyBoLHH5hYss_On8JxHG5f6zby7F_mJudBY1HxsPpCpZFRPGOyiJh-vAIiEpbz4Dnc795N1tW911aE92y1/s320/p6_educationfactory_2a.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The factory model prepares worker people for the unlikelihood of gaining a job.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhfqQNcEplcvPmmuZVFPbvFljMFp1koxZGJOh8uRfHuWwi1rhYaW9M8scSNBmtRICJe53ZxbL_EzD1x5Ro81w6lj45k8iyHDbiL8glKiKXcbXJsv44ZXXfmNZyQJt5vz1_XPz3rbltni5/s1600/twi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Twitter really is a big deal...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Every
serious presenter had a twitter account and used it. This is how the
world is interacting and we need to embrace and accept this. In fact as
we were sitting in our conference listening to key speakers the twitter
world was afire with conversation regarding the Mars Landing. The first
keynote speaker discussed using twitter for Professional Development and
networking. The next presenter I saw discussed it in a similar way, and
also for using with a class. The next presentation I went to was about
the global classroom and a teacher from a rural school discussed how she
used Twitter to network with teachers across the globe to enrich her
classes (and in the process her school). Through twitter this teacher
was able to connect with teachers overseas as well as professionals in a
variety of fields to match what the students were learning, including
an explorer in Antarctica.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhfqQNcEplcvPmmuZVFPbvFljMFp1koxZGJOh8uRfHuWwi1rhYaW9M8scSNBmtRICJe53ZxbL_EzD1x5Ro81w6lj45k8iyHDbiL8glKiKXcbXJsv44ZXXfmNZyQJt5vz1_XPz3rbltni5/s1600/twi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhfqQNcEplcvPmmuZVFPbvFljMFp1koxZGJOh8uRfHuWwi1rhYaW9M8scSNBmtRICJe53ZxbL_EzD1x5Ro81w6lj45k8iyHDbiL8glKiKXcbXJsv44ZXXfmNZyQJt5vz1_XPz3rbltni5/s320/twi.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div>
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<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mobile Phone / Tech Policies need to be revisited/revised...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Every
few years we as educators take the time to review the resources that we
are using (usually textbooks) and we make a decision to
upgrade/change/develop those resources to best suit where the students
are at. Some schools have even decided to introduce iPads/tablets or
netbooks to their change. One thing that became abundantly clear from
the sessions I sat in was that there were many passionate teachers who
had brilliant ideas on how to engage their class using technology, only
to be hampered by restrictions and policies. Many were whispering in the
corners of conference rooms how their students aren’t allowed mobiles
at school “but I ask them to bring them in and use them anyway”. These
confessions could be construed as naughty teachers breaking the rules
and not supporting the “policy” and maybe some are being deliberately
cheeky but knowing this is happening just means a bigger question. “Why
are so many teachers encouraging students to SBYOD (Secretly Bring Your
Own Device)?” The answer if you haven’t already figured it out... is
because it is obviously resulting in engagement in the lesson at hand.
No teacher is going to invite more distraction into an already over
stimulated environment (I’m assuming that all teachers are endeavouring
to have engaging, interesting and challenging classes to begin with).
Students and teachers alike should consider exploring and understanding
Digital Citizenship and what is a responsible use of online capable
devices so they can then begin to develop an agreement that will allow
more flexibility in regards to bringing mobiles into the classroom.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlQST0sxe47XmUHRM69KwZZPLowO7iUSM_M-4UuFAKcayGW3-Q_bmIkuM8QA3zhOlMC7TJHUsInDyowwe9XcEZLatsdcrQJFdtydcf9d1gRcH3SQo_hJuc-wc8XDhCiHDJQPUxvs_tNwc/s1600/byod-edudemic-400x266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlQST0sxe47XmUHRM69KwZZPLowO7iUSM_M-4UuFAKcayGW3-Q_bmIkuM8QA3zhOlMC7TJHUsInDyowwe9XcEZLatsdcrQJFdtydcf9d1gRcH3SQo_hJuc-wc8XDhCiHDJQPUxvs_tNwc/s320/byod-edudemic-400x266.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you SBYOD?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.5974366390288863" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The classroom is not square...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
teachers we’ve always known that learning doesn’t just occur in the
classroom, however the way our schools are designed, planned and
budgeted for often leaves us designing lessons that fit a timetable of
so many lessons per week for x amount of minutes. Students are expected
to walk through a door and instantly switch onto their subject. They’re
expected to remember what was discussed previously and in some cases
prepare for a future moment in the week when they will have a chance to
revisit the subject again. In some cases we attempt to assist this
behaviour with “homework” which may or may not be completed by the
student and may or may not result in any actual “learning”. A constant
underlying message during the sessions at today’s VITTA conference was
that the classroom can and most likely should be extended outside the
confines of the square room that we use to gather with our students.
This can be done a variety of ways including the use of online
collaboration tools for outside class hours, to the use of communication
tools to connect with the world outside of the
classroom/school/state/country. So if you’re not too sure, start
small... get your students on Edmodo, use twitter or even explore what
your school already has and start designing an online version of your
class. Invite a colleague to “guest teach” via skype or even better just
record your own podcast or start a blog for students to follow.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIV47JjUbA4l2bXpYnap-HMBsZaCZOTDlFuPFyQmOLJanDNGfBR3r7VRXe-ztcSYAB5HjoxUJdFnklBR5g8bUHDcSxStf1HlpHvFqL-Hb66E-qYYatQD3yxKSGe5GbI0Lo5CQwo5Cb7d0e/s1600/classroom.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIV47JjUbA4l2bXpYnap-HMBsZaCZOTDlFuPFyQmOLJanDNGfBR3r7VRXe-ztcSYAB5HjoxUJdFnklBR5g8bUHDcSxStf1HlpHvFqL-Hb66E-qYYatQD3yxKSGe5GbI0Lo5CQwo5Cb7d0e/s320/classroom.gif" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All in all I found the day a great exercise of the mind and it was nice to know that I wasn't the only one finding the I.T policies and procedures in my school challenging. It was great to connect with a few people through twitter and hopefully I can take back what I learnt from the day to share with my colleagues and develop more exciting and interesting dialogue.</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Peace!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-85047576627699113482012-07-30T23:19:00.000+10:002012-07-30T23:19:54.047+10:00The Olympic Challenge!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://mobigyaan.com/images/stories/Writers/Amol/London-2012-Olympics-Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://mobigyaan.com/images/stories/Writers/Amol/London-2012-Olympics-Logo.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="165" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The Olympics are well under way in London and I love the Olympic ideal that much that I wanted to find a way to include it into my classes, actually to be quite honest I wanted to inflict the Olympics on everyone within our 1,000+ strong school. So I devised "The Olympic Challenge" an academic Olympics that all students could get involved in regardless of their interests and strengths. The odds of holding a theme like event in a large high school across all curriculum areas is slim to none so I knew I was potentially setting myself up for failure but I figured the Olympic Creed was all I needed to help me persevere.<br />
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<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7642161542_d265cc6f60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" id="il_fi" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7642161542_d265cc6f60.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So here's a low down on what I've done.<br />
<br />
Firstly I pitched the idea to my fellow Health & Phys Eders to see if this is something they would consider doing in class, when they agreed I kicked started this mammoth task!<br />
I had determined that every homeroom in the school (there are 40) should have a country to represent during the challenge, I also decided from the start that certain countries should be excluded from the random draw so I removed the top 6 countries (including our home country of Australia) I also removed the bottom 40 countries to provide some fair balance. Names of countries were drawn from a hat and assigned to the homerooms at random. This was then emailed to homeroom teachers to give their students a heads up on which country they would be representing.<br />
The next step was to create a way that all learning areas could be involved in the Challenge and to keep it simple so that staff could participate without feeling like they've been given yet another thing to do in their classes.<br />
The last step was to announce this to all staff at a morning briefing inviting everyone to participate with the HPE dept in the Olympic Challenge and providing a short <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K3ORkCY9zlmtLCB9raJ2S2-Wt7Se5G9l__oaia0OchY/edit" target="_blank">flyer </a>via email for all to read.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YpjCEGJaRAM/Tt7FA4ebJQI/AAAAAAAAAvo/ApITe483Ji0/s1600/olympic%252520rings.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YpjCEGJaRAM/Tt7FA4ebJQI/AAAAAAAAAvo/ApITe483Ji0/s200/olympic%252520rings.gif" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" /></a></div>
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The beauty of this activity is that I'm only asking staff to put a medal value on what they already have students doing. The other neat thing is I have set up a basic Excel spreadsheet that does the maths for me all I need to do is add the medals in as they are earned.<br />
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The response has been great so far with staff emailing in the activity that they ran and their medal results. It's also had people talking about countries they didn't know much about (many complaining their country has yet to win a medal ever!). The students have loved the idea with some taking an interest in their country, and others just liking the chance for some friendly competition.<br />
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Whilst I admit this isn't the "techiest" of posts, I thought it's been so much fun that I had to share it with my fellow #pegeeks and keen educators! I hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics as much as I am!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-7224345621005903082012-07-03T17:01:00.002+10:002012-09-20T23:15:23.115+10:00QR Codes in PESo... QR Codes (quick response codes) are basically a matrix style barcode that allows you to store information to be shared with others. The information can be anything from an image, a web address, a calendar event, a phone number or just some plain old text. The great thing about these little fellas is that they are cross platform... meaning it doesn't matter if you're using iPhones/iPads,Windows or Android systems. The most common use of QR Codes in the world at large appears to be linking the user to a website. Examples of QR Codes can be seen in magazines, newspapers, on shop front windows and on advertising images. So in short a QR Code looks like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4WU6lnmg6VQF8ZDksHTgPsmlgPJTCCdcWGISuRp4LvmZc7YsJK-ioqCsXEP24TqBM6wEw7RZ-uH3awVqxTcrIr-XHoyS_yX61gGO83zrRwZnPjC8lfgINMJEvAsZJ_PbT8A9DBh59Q-6/s1600/QR_Droid_59474.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4WU6lnmg6VQF8ZDksHTgPsmlgPJTCCdcWGISuRp4LvmZc7YsJK-ioqCsXEP24TqBM6wEw7RZ-uH3awVqxTcrIr-XHoyS_yX61gGO83zrRwZnPjC8lfgINMJEvAsZJ_PbT8A9DBh59Q-6/s320/QR_Droid_59474.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scan to go to It Inside PE Outside</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As you can see if that little square matrix is placed on the corner of a big picture advertisement for say Nike, users could scan (using a device with a camera and a QR scanning app) the code which could have been generated to link people to the Nike website, or even to a specific page on their website (Mid year Sale anyone?). Sounds great you're thinking... but what use have I for that in my PE class? How do I even make my own QR Codes? Good questions worthy of an answer!<br />
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<h4>
<u><b>How QR Codes could be used in PE classes:</b></u></h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Station work. </b></li>
</ul>
Rather than printing sheets of paper that explain what students should be doing at each station, why not generate permanent instructions/information that exist either on a website (school Intranet) or as just plain text instructions/information. Create codes for each station and then just print and place those at each station. Students can then move from station to station and gather the needed information to complete set tasks.<br />
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<b>How might this look? </b><br />
PRACTICAL LESSON: How about we use fitness testing as our example? Have stations set up around the court (such as vertical jump, sit and reach, ball-wall toss) and place a QR code on the wall beside each test. Students move to the station and scan the code. The code then provides them with all the information they require to complete the test correctly. You could even have a second code underneath for them to scan after completing the test to see where their results fall in relation to the scale.<br />
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THEORETICAL LESSON: How about we use the sexual health unit as our example of how QR codes can be used in a theory based lesson. Put together small web pages of information about each Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). Develop QR Codes that will link students to each STI individually. Place these around the room and provide generic questions on the board. Students can then move about and develop their own "Fact Sheets" on each STI. Generic questions can be as simple as "how is it transmitted? how is it treated? how is it prevented?" etc.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERd8TUR9aLx8XYsI8u98f6GUJU8OB56HFCNC2XJuFxKHUDaxo3GfX_aXNKGt42jMlAYPtpnVwtKzPiohUgscahzSzktEQkOUGYDGpuPg52teM7SP8HH2MCihkllO5K-0CAgzMCO2BW0vM/s1600/dirty+dozen+fitness+stations+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERd8TUR9aLx8XYsI8u98f6GUJU8OB56HFCNC2XJuFxKHUDaxo3GfX_aXNKGt42jMlAYPtpnVwtKzPiohUgscahzSzktEQkOUGYDGpuPg52teM7SP8HH2MCihkllO5K-0CAgzMCO2BW0vM/s320/dirty+dozen+fitness+stations+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stations could be self run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<ul>
<li><b>Orienteering.</b></li>
</ul>
Create an orienteering course that uses QR Codes at each point to provide the next clue/direction for students following the course.<br />
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<b>How might this look?</b><br />
Create plain text clues that provide students with the next point on their map. When they make it to the correct destination a QR Code could be visible for them to scan providing them with their next coordinates.<b> </b><br />
Have students in pairs develop their own codes and trails for another pair in the class to then try out.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Y2hD984lfjBm4PJOacRa7pTV7fZOKXU4DSs3TwqxqusptTK4lE4VcxcUTF7lKBA7Sj9k4hRNSNDKrXO6G5A4d5PO-O4rTMwr8Fbq8PVYuzUPZqikLxsl3bW0paykZ2jy56IWaKFjJJHL/s1600/QR_Code_Scanning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Y2hD984lfjBm4PJOacRa7pTV7fZOKXU4DSs3TwqxqusptTK4lE4VcxcUTF7lKBA7Sj9k4hRNSNDKrXO6G5A4d5PO-O4rTMwr8Fbq8PVYuzUPZqikLxsl3bW0paykZ2jy56IWaKFjJJHL/s1600/QR_Code_Scanning.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scanning for the next coordinates?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h4>
<u><b>How to create QR Codes:</b></u></h4>
So you've got some ideas but now you want to know how to create these little pixelated squares of fun! Well truth be told there are a variety of ways... all depending on whether you're using a phone, an iPad or your PC... so lets explore!<br />
<br />
<b>Android</b> <b>phone/tablet</b> then check out:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yWvMbAsMUAdhMStBzZ0Ww4RnH8XYB50URQqTtK5yDO7vQz9EXoRKCWKpflDcEtQm0FsGuDinVv4fPOEornsBOrmwPKcNq5oKb4QdMha9Vu_9PLDuSVuYJ2Y-9XRH_o8-ylO4HWi9XCQv/s1600/qrdroid.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yWvMbAsMUAdhMStBzZ0Ww4RnH8XYB50URQqTtK5yDO7vQz9EXoRKCWKpflDcEtQm0FsGuDinVv4fPOEornsBOrmwPKcNq5oKb4QdMha9Vu_9PLDuSVuYJ2Y-9XRH_o8-ylO4HWi9XCQv/s1600/qrdroid.png" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=la.droid.qr&hl=en" target="_blank"> QR Droid</a><br />
This little app allows you to scan QR Codes, create your own, decode codes and keeps a history for you as you play.<br />
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<b>iPhone/iPad</b> then check out:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatcHByfnBzPgmlABW13HMafDX-8Wg5j66gdaqJgXHkju67iIC7cAsadHFXpWhvDcYOC9SDRd4adRLijOkzANbD5U1282O738pOi80f20L22Ohpd_FnoJpUCX_dtjVMfv5QbtmnJKSgCUk/s1600/qred.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatcHByfnBzPgmlABW13HMafDX-8Wg5j66gdaqJgXHkju67iIC7cAsadHFXpWhvDcYOC9SDRd4adRLijOkzANbD5U1282O738pOi80f20L22Ohpd_FnoJpUCX_dtjVMfv5QbtmnJKSgCUk/s1600/qred.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qrafter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPZz6Ab3UW470k1mo41H2ie2rykhCSJ-atOBqzg4KTOPEAvEt1NlR7IhniSl6gpEZ1dypXH0mW1V_dkWPB6ZgiPwu7AxqSb1GWaQvYz6q0J43767J1TbJsKbg_Fjr3fKeknvAYNZsgTxU/s1600/dsf.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPZz6Ab3UW470k1mo41H2ie2rykhCSJ-atOBqzg4KTOPEAvEt1NlR7IhniSl6gpEZ1dypXH0mW1V_dkWPB6ZgiPwu7AxqSb1GWaQvYz6q0J43767J1TbJsKbg_Fjr3fKeknvAYNZsgTxU/s1600/dsf.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EasyQR</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/qrafter-qr-code-reader-generator/id416098700?mt=8" target="_blank">Qrafter</a> or <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easy-qr/id440474474?mt=8" target="_blank">EasyQR</a> (there are also loads of free "scan" apps so be sure to find one that allows you to create codes as well as scan).<br />
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<b> </b><br />
<b>PC </b>check out the following links to assist you in making QR Codes:<br />
<a href="http://qrcode.kaywa.com/">http://qrcode.kaywa.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.qurify.com/en/">http://www.qurify.com/en/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.qreasy.com/">http://www.qreasy.com/</a><br />
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Each of the above platforms work in a similar way, you type or select the item to be turned into a QR Code then allow the app/website to create the code, then you simply save the code as an image and then it's ready for you to print or to email etc<br />
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So there you have it, that's QR Codes in a nutshell (ok in a website that looks nothing like a nutshell but you get me). The advantages of having QR Codes is that more information can be delivered at once than if you were to stand in front of the class and just talk it out. It means you can mix up the lesson and students can work at their own pace, and it also means you can mingle with your students and take the time to assist them where they need it most.<br />
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That's all I have on this for now, but if you've got a great QR Code idea let us know! You can add it in the comments section of this blog <br />
Peace out fellow PE Geeks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-59506389867309450942012-06-21T23:55:00.002+10:002012-06-22T00:00:45.443+10:00A digital classroom?So sometimes I find myself questioning whether homework is really worth doing in PE. After all our subject is predominately practical skill based and aside from planned assignments or projects what else is really worth setting as homework?<br />
I personally am a big believer in the fact that work set for students to complete needs to be worthwhile and meaningful. When we as either teachers or students can see the value in completing a task we're more likely to devote our attention to that task and in turn become fully engaged in the process of learning a new skill or developing new knowledge.<br />
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So with that in mind I started reviewing the topics we cover in our class (mainly Health related topics as our school combines Physical Education and Health as one subject for junior levels right up until VCE). I also reviewed my teaching methods and also how much time I dedicated to theory related lessons versus practical related lessons and I found that it was difficult to strike the perfect balance of time devoted to properly unpacking and exploring theory topics and time devoted to skill development and "just getting out there" with my students. As for teaching methods, one of the most common things I found occurring in my class was discussion based activities. Discussion based activities make real sense in PE classes considering the topics we cover (drugs and alcohol, sexual health, health of Australians and risk taking to name a few). That's when it dawned on me... why not have our discussions outside the classroom sometimes? So after doing some research online this is what I have discovered and started implementing in time for the new term.<br />
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First I signed up for my own page at <a href="http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/" target="_blank">Collaborize Classroom</a> which allows me to create my own online discussion forum which is very student and teacher friendly. I was given the option to create a name for my page (so I called it "PE with Ms M") and from there I was able to start customising the page for my classes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIF5CqzgWIiV11pfI_N9D2go7WlFi9-bYK1Ny-mv2iJABd3IpKeZJ5GAQfIn0XUTLrk_zR3g8Yyn84HmKxSoBBIPXbC5kRh6z6CIcqgkjy4pPdx-waiiws7_LPB4BRXO79-EpluOIQSZ6/s1600/collab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIF5CqzgWIiV11pfI_N9D2go7WlFi9-bYK1Ny-mv2iJABd3IpKeZJ5GAQfIn0XUTLrk_zR3g8Yyn84HmKxSoBBIPXbC5kRh6z6CIcqgkjy4pPdx-waiiws7_LPB4BRXO79-EpluOIQSZ6/s320/collab.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot of my digital classroom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you check out the screen shot I'm sharing with you of my digital classroom you'll notice that I've altered the colour scheme by simply hovering my cursor over <b>Manage </b>and selecting <b>Site </b>from the drop down menu (1). i then just selected the colour scheme I wanted.<br />
After that I tapped on the little pencil beside the heading <b>Categories </b>(2) and edited the sample categories already in existence renaming them as my classes (you can later manage these making them either visible or invisible to different classes if you wish). I then clicked on <b>Start a Discussion</b> (3) to create a topic "thread" where I posed a question to my students to then answer. Then all I had to do was provide each student (via email or paper slip) the address (URL) of my page and I invited them to come join the page. The neat thing about this site I guess is that they wouldn't need an email address to sign up.<br />
I instructed students to use their real name or a shortened version when signing up and to create an appropriate username as well (the real name isn't visible to anyone but me, others only see the username they select).<br />
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You may already even have a discussion forum style tool on your school's intranet system, if so it is much easier to set up, but if you don't then having something like this means being able to create a brilliant space where students can answer a set question, then respond to their peers and even be encouraged to re-evaluate what they have written after reading everyone's posts and provide a new post using facts or information/ideas/view points from others to back up or change their opinion or understanding of the topic.<br />
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Overall an online discussion can allow you to capture the thought process of your students as they plan responses, evaluate and re-evaluate etc. Through setting this page up I hope to hit two birds with one stone... one being the minimising of homework, and two ensuring that discussions aren't restricted to the limited time available in class time. The other beauty of having a site like this running means that if a student is away sick for a period of time, they can still be involved with the class.<br />
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Other sites that do similar stuff include:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.edmodo.com/" target="_blank">Edmodo</a> (looks and feels like the nerdy sister of facebook making it appealing to teens and powerful fun for teachers... imagine notifying students to remind them to bring their PE uniform).</li>
<li><a href="http://www.schoology.com/" target="_blank">Schoology </a>(similar to Edmodo)</li>
<li><a href="http://gosoapbox.com/" target="_blank">Go Soapbox</a> (a real time interactive tool where students can share with their teacher how they are going with any set task given).</li>
<li><a href="http://socrative.com/" target="_blank">Socrative</a></li>
</ul>
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What I have planned here, could be the beginning of introducing the "Flipped Classroom" model to my classes, who knows!<br />
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Next week I hope to tackle amongst other fun things.... QR Codes!!<br />
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Stay tuned and share the blog! Leave me a comment if you have a suggestion on what I should look at next!<br />
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Peace out!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-65076337022382597172012-06-13T23:59:00.002+10:002012-06-14T00:20:07.586+10:00Top 5 PE Apps worth your timeThere are so many blog posts floating around the blogosphere recommending this app or that app that often it's hard to determine which apps are worthwhile getting, and which apps are just being promoted by the app creators. The other killer is that there are so many apps that are similar to one another that it makes it even harder to get something worthwhile at all.<br />
As teachers, we're far too busy to sit down and try out app after app until we find one that does the job... we also don't have the time to learn how to use the app... only to then teach students how to use the app too. So to help ease the world of apps a little allow me to share with you the top 5 PE apps I have used in class and therefore know work well!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h3>
1. iMuscle ($4.99)</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx80511BR1yzjNNTYs5ndL8Uqzr0p6hKSzl_tCk45mr5PIuXNzbinVoPkGvfXN7HX9zstgMJqFz7A8qh0TWuePNNQ_u-KUmgy2QZVqufYLiObscl5vKPksyLKMGa_geeL-0PKA1uou5ll/s1600/imuscle-app.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx80511BR1yzjNNTYs5ndL8Uqzr0p6hKSzl_tCk45mr5PIuXNzbinVoPkGvfXN7HX9zstgMJqFz7A8qh0TWuePNNQ_u-KUmgy2QZVqufYLiObscl5vKPksyLKMGa_geeL-0PKA1uou5ll/s1600/imuscle-app.jpg" /></a><br />
This is a killer app! Forget your Anatomy textbook... this app smashes it out of the ballpark! It can be used as a standard "okay let's look at the muscles in the leg" tap on and read the label/name of the muscle... or it can be used as a powerful resource that demonstrates complete with moving clips how to exercise each muscle. So whether you want to use it to explain muscle movements (flexion/extension) or you want to show your star athlete's why they are doing the exercise that you just prescribed to them... you just know visually this app just makes sense. Professionals in the medical fields are loving this alternative way to demonstrate things to their clients too by the way.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNtd-kLX98sG3NgufLeUtvreiwZ_SXYIDA2RhXVWjPA0Dw1_yakhvE_JFBMy5iFqoEN2zpU9tCxib9IFm0g7_YcKQ0iV6qJwi5Zgq2JUZ9L-BOhg6Vvhht-TXOyrgdeTZvEQ97LfJj0Gs/s1600/mzl.krdzluxj.1024x1024-65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNtd-kLX98sG3NgufLeUtvreiwZ_SXYIDA2RhXVWjPA0Dw1_yakhvE_JFBMy5iFqoEN2zpU9tCxib9IFm0g7_YcKQ0iV6qJwi5Zgq2JUZ9L-BOhg6Vvhht-TXOyrgdeTZvEQ97LfJj0Gs/s320/mzl.krdzluxj.1024x1024-65.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The App in Action</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h3>
2. TimeMotion (Free)</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yXBJPYPPEDl7nSSI6U916qJrofASK7nCGqKVKxxHzNdewAi99Q6ev3o07VvezwSOh_LUg20iyw3GmhsdlDQU8JhWzzYgR8PpseZmlOjCB8Bf2nd9mGZ4Jxz40-NmAWbJ7j7NxdYQqE-P/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yXBJPYPPEDl7nSSI6U916qJrofASK7nCGqKVKxxHzNdewAi99Q6ev3o07VvezwSOh_LUg20iyw3GmhsdlDQU8JhWzzYgR8PpseZmlOjCB8Bf2nd9mGZ4Jxz40-NmAWbJ7j7NxdYQqE-P/s1600/images.jpg" /></a>This little app is simplistic in design and functionality. The app is used simply to record how long a player spends doing the following: Running, jogging, sprinting, walking, standing etc. Have students monitor someone in their class as they participate in a game. All they need to do is tap whatever is occurring as it occurs. When the game ends they hit "Stop" and ta-da! an instant break down of how long their player spent doing each movement type. They can record the data and discussion can then take place on the value of knowing how hard players work in a team environment.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4omGzdJ5xrWNEJbQQkBjLXpaVnSMwD1QtZ0AnqU8QuYUV7t9odsNTCeX2D0dETa7zzzpuT4zifzycFhyphenhyphenOVTpnleKmClmilhuk82D1I4SodXaAvwuQRFk2Nd48Eov3BLNjHnvs8Letw9x/s1600/mzl.tfykucwd.320x480-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4omGzdJ5xrWNEJbQQkBjLXpaVnSMwD1QtZ0AnqU8QuYUV7t9odsNTCeX2D0dETa7zzzpuT4zifzycFhyphenhyphenOVTpnleKmClmilhuk82D1I4SodXaAvwuQRFk2Nd48Eov3BLNjHnvs8Letw9x/s320/mzl.tfykucwd.320x480-75.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The app in Action</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<h3>
3. Nike Training Club (Free) </h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8vy6zZgvmAuCl6lFlhXil9l0xTX0n2Cxa6U9VUBC8dl30D9jfXibeQCaXcGqLHPaKOKHVG3Qd8R7btKYk39KWCA7SHIxof8FWN1HDxoErUAXeG5QKr6tfeXIRJqP7FdqmyINRnTD9-mS/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8vy6zZgvmAuCl6lFlhXil9l0xTX0n2Cxa6U9VUBC8dl30D9jfXibeQCaXcGqLHPaKOKHVG3Qd8R7btKYk39KWCA7SHIxof8FWN1HDxoErUAXeG5QKr6tfeXIRJqP7FdqmyINRnTD9-mS/s200/images.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>
Want to punish your students? Want to make them work out but allow them to select their own say 15 minute work out? Then this app is fantastic! But be warned for those who aren't involved in regular moderate to vigorous exercise the workout can prove to be brutal. The great thing about this app is the majority of exercises to be completed in any workout require minimal to no equipment. You can preview the list of exercises in the list prior to engaging in it to allow injuries or weak spots to be protected or targeted. You can select how long the workout will go for and the best thing is each exercise comes with an instructional video demonstrating the exercise. Students love the freedom of selecting what they want to work on, they can even play music with the app to keep them motivated as it counts down the time left.<br />
Apps like this one are great discussion tools too in regards to whether they really are beneficial for people wanting to build on fitness, the risk of uninformed people using the wrong apps in the pursuit of weight loss and dealing with body/self-esteem issues is a worthwhile conversation to have. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfA4uITpM8Zak-NB4aO8k4n6uEKWXDmB31krE01SYZB1PlBKQ5UirMWsGRWFQyIHpcHuaFJsgcpsbfzlVzZEqysXy8JXNpSMXf9uDu86B1w5penpHIsG7KY-4JZuIQC9TRuJbG_atIXlq/s1600/mzl.iojnsnlt.320x480-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfA4uITpM8Zak-NB4aO8k4n6uEKWXDmB31krE01SYZB1PlBKQ5UirMWsGRWFQyIHpcHuaFJsgcpsbfzlVzZEqysXy8JXNpSMXf9uDu86B1w5penpHIsG7KY-4JZuIQC9TRuJbG_atIXlq/s320/mzl.iojnsnlt.320x480-75.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The App in Action</td></tr>
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<h3>
4. AIDSinfo (Free)</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdHKl5tj1fTvLfetOtnks97246Y2YrP6ZmSwlHn09jnrE_oedUDVU20ltzaxl7KP-Z5FSQ17caoFBhvlGHO7QZXo59DeQTgNEMX0CdNjC1k4NoBKcPF9E1T5-DWmpUAcyoTs3bpYe_UDa/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdHKl5tj1fTvLfetOtnks97246Y2YrP6ZmSwlHn09jnrE_oedUDVU20ltzaxl7KP-Z5FSQ17caoFBhvlGHO7QZXo59DeQTgNEMX0CdNjC1k4NoBKcPF9E1T5-DWmpUAcyoTs3bpYe_UDa/s1600/index.jpg" /></a>This app is brilliant when it comes to looking at health related issues on a global scale. Information is updated and relates of course to the AIDS epidemic including life expectancy, risk of infection rate even education regarding AIDS. Just tap on the country of interest to find the facts and figures. Have students compare countries/continents. Great way to create discussion and debates can result with great use of factual information.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJT16zFgyXbhxPCQc85JM6DybK9IPhG5e-rrOQmHlPHAFTxbs0J3Hq7pn7tGMkZRv103B7u_vKneRaXrAoqLttUICdYZg7AXUQnbrXtUtCNLDM47EiXF70W1RKnecrP-_rkCGyOQbD14tx/s1600/unaids_small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJT16zFgyXbhxPCQc85JM6DybK9IPhG5e-rrOQmHlPHAFTxbs0J3Hq7pn7tGMkZRv103B7u_vKneRaXrAoqLttUICdYZg7AXUQnbrXtUtCNLDM47EiXF70W1RKnecrP-_rkCGyOQbD14tx/s1600/unaids_small.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The App in Action</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h3>
5. Tap Roulette (Free) </h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFUsQOGpi958CHBSPPdyFLZtV7We4pxNev_xBrFBLCVkXX5jPv8H1NU4kINictKwKOAvA29EOYZI2g-569pz6yJGAd8Y1ArY_Q5DTCTw89xGnexTzcv_2fGPyTIHZhihje6ZLMnMlRX40/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFUsQOGpi958CHBSPPdyFLZtV7We4pxNev_xBrFBLCVkXX5jPv8H1NU4kINictKwKOAvA29EOYZI2g-569pz6yJGAd8Y1ArY_Q5DTCTw89xGnexTzcv_2fGPyTIHZhihje6ZLMnMlRX40/s1600/index.jpg" /></a>This is the best app I have in my bag of tricks and it's best when it comes to picking who gets to go first, who starts with the ball, who gets to be captain, who gets to start on the bench and so on. This app beats flipping a coin because it allows for you to incorporate more than 2 teams in the picking. I often have my class split into three teams with one team resting on the bench/umpiring/scoring whilst the other two teams play (great strategy when you have too many players for games like basketball, netball, handball and indoor soccer). All teams select a captain who then meets me with my iPad on the court. I ask all three captains to place one finger on the black section of the screen and I hit "Pick Finger" The app then randomly picks one of the fingers to highlight. The captain belonging to that finger can then inform their team they're on the bench first.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTLv-hL_YsyOaO1AwaI3NnC2amqNFEMvk7Jvsxp6FoBQJwhyphenhyphen_iq4TB2HrUKSUhgQ5FWn29kf1b-WsF3yZ2xglNhMRcTRTiSl7pasLJEntDD_CxzOYA70CyfuTov6g1mPpUXOeqjRGMe7s/s1600/mzl.pdhwxhwc.480x480-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTLv-hL_YsyOaO1AwaI3NnC2amqNFEMvk7Jvsxp6FoBQJwhyphenhyphen_iq4TB2HrUKSUhgQ5FWn29kf1b-WsF3yZ2xglNhMRcTRTiSl7pasLJEntDD_CxzOYA70CyfuTov6g1mPpUXOeqjRGMe7s/s320/mzl.pdhwxhwc.480x480-75.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The App in Action</td></tr>
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So there you have it! These are by far my favourite apps at the moment as they're easy to use and act as the perfect tools without becoming cumbersome... and the best thing... you don't need to "learn how to use the app".<br />
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Keep checking back, subscribe and tell your PE friends I'm planning to keep the ball rolling on this bad boy of a blog! <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-65561738124637281442012-06-12T23:16:00.000+10:002012-06-12T23:29:00.269+10:00It's as easy as a click and a snap!So you're planning your lessons for the future and you know you want to use technology in your class room because it's the new thing that everyone is doing... the problem is your school doesn't have iPads or laptop/notebooks for every students. Never fear! All you need are cameras!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWvZ6c874iE5BxsZVfpXHmMF3pJoiZbM4523mbnoWuvjEhEQNVKCJz75SH8PRpSXB5meewIywbShEwQsQMdtax2oJVHztn5FQ20lzLn5bwTLiIO-gLEGS3v7qWsonsjAvekq2k91AKqNS/s1600/camera-clip-art-21.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWvZ6c874iE5BxsZVfpXHmMF3pJoiZbM4523mbnoWuvjEhEQNVKCJz75SH8PRpSXB5meewIywbShEwQsQMdtax2oJVHztn5FQ20lzLn5bwTLiIO-gLEGS3v7qWsonsjAvekq2k91AKqNS/s200/camera-clip-art-21.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
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In this day and age most students (<a href="http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Teens-and-smartphones/Cell-phone-ownership/Smartphones.aspx" target="_blank">Study</a>) have a smart phone of some capacity with most carrying the ability to take photos. This provides the way in where school budgets perhaps can't. Photo taking abilities in the classroom can enhance and alter the way an activity is conducted, however there needs to be a common understanding of why the camera/phones are being used, and also what is considered an appropriate use of these tools.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FCrWKVJeYlcDrrZUYHt9bkU83R00slJZdg43HB04HLUcyziJCFS9fVkd1c4cyrYUcnrx6AyHsE_RWADDgEA91Gz7scJikKB5mu0pAG_25jRTXXBbRX8zM4cSt0GNbx-H9xtMvYaTDg-v/s1600/smartphones-image.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FCrWKVJeYlcDrrZUYHt9bkU83R00slJZdg43HB04HLUcyziJCFS9fVkd1c4cyrYUcnrx6AyHsE_RWADDgEA91Gz7scJikKB5mu0pAG_25jRTXXBbRX8zM4cSt0GNbx-H9xtMvYaTDg-v/s320/smartphones-image.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The variety of smart phones available is astounding...</td></tr>
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Taking the time with your students to discuss and develop a set of agreed upon terms regarding the potential use of camera/phones within certain lessons is well worth the time. When all students feel that they have had a say in what will be the governing rules over a tool that they will be allowed to bring into the classroom they certainly feel the experience is more authentic overall. Never assume that they will know instantly what is appropriate and what is not when it comes to the taking of photos and the use of phones within the classroom.<br />
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Good questions to ask when developing guidelines for phone/cameras include:<br />
- Should permission be sought prior to taking a photo of someone? Why/Why not?<br />
- What should be done with photos once they are taken?<br />
- How can we use these to our advantage in class? <br />
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So now you've all agreed on rules regarding the use of cameras within the classroom... where to from here?<br />
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How about the following ideas:<br />
- Photo clue orienteering<br />
- Trio Film Coaches<br />
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What is.... <b>Photo Clue Orienteering/Scavenger Hunting</b>...<br />
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The school ground becomes the hunting grounds as you provide your students with cryptic clues for them to solve. This can be done a variety of ways with the aim of the challenge for students to make their way from one place to another via the clues provided. <br />
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I always start with this activity when looking at an orienteering unit. It's a great lead in activity and by the end you can have students discussing the difference between orienteering, rogaining and scavenger hunting. The only down side to this activity is the prep work you as the teacher needs to do prior to the unit, however set it up properly the first time and you can have a handy activity to repeat year after year.<br />
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<u><b>Prep work:</b></u> Prior to teaching the unit you will need to photograph your cryptic photo clues. I went around the school and took about 20-30 random photos of odd little things that exist in the school. I took photos of the tops of poles, edges of buildings or signs, parts of fencing, taps and drains. The aim of the photos taken is that they are hard to determine what they are at first glance. I then printed and laminated 5 copies of each photo with a number assigned to the back of each. I also created a tabled sheet that had as many rows as there are photos and three columns for students to track their progress. The last thing I created was an aerial map view of the school via Google Maps. I put a simple grid over the map image and created coordinates for the map. I then printed and laminated around 8 of these.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39jiY9cGoGMbPKAM_z7LGTV44sw8ayeXWSKY00WDbK3KBjhsxrhUlCSH6V3avziuCazCN_529eL69oC_zwjJ3lygDXILPzX8DIZTw8s8cX-OgPi-yAlg75YyY0k5CObEabSE6PiH6576_/s1600/mapgrid+example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39jiY9cGoGMbPKAM_z7LGTV44sw8ayeXWSKY00WDbK3KBjhsxrhUlCSH6V3avziuCazCN_529eL69oC_zwjJ3lygDXILPzX8DIZTw8s8cX-OgPi-yAlg75YyY0k5CObEabSE6PiH6576_/s320/mapgrid+example.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of map</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaRZNgicQDUvtto_9rxOYlvZz-On7PeMea_8o0Eo_xXBzGeWyKyPo38QwjGOpNmBj5OJGE_97oGnF2X6p9EHIdxgoW89CIkTX3DGda4R4D4JTVBiPNKi-fFFx4n8geUwSZpiCx6aGBSZD/s1600/photocoordsexample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaRZNgicQDUvtto_9rxOYlvZz-On7PeMea_8o0Eo_xXBzGeWyKyPo38QwjGOpNmBj5OJGE_97oGnF2X6p9EHIdxgoW89CIkTX3DGda4R4D4JTVBiPNKi-fFFx4n8geUwSZpiCx6aGBSZD/s320/photocoordsexample.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of results form given to students</td></tr>
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<u><b>Activity in action: </b></u>After introducing what the aim of scavenger hunting is I asked the students to get into teams of no more than 4.<br />
Each team needs to ensure they have:<br />
- someone with the ability to take photos<br />
- someone to record coordinates of located photo clues<br />
- someone to carry and read the map<br />
- someone to hold onto the cryptic clues that they are given by the teacher.<br />
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I then hand each team 2 of the many different photo clues and send them out with the following challenge "Step 1: Get a photo that shows the cryptic clue and it's surroundings and include your team in the photo.<br />
Step2: Try to determine which square on your map grid the location of your clue is at and record it on your sheet."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YXL0xuZ58-DrR8andsvcAitlAl_tyyd34MdVRZAYoK0q6tw12M5Nad46gtE4Q3K7-hfSkBqbfrgLlhuhfx5e2lmn3lt71T5tKUpqOuPITYumXYwBiDLpoaYjvpVnaOasHxuSukv4sZXC/s1600/cryptic+clue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YXL0xuZ58-DrR8andsvcAitlAl_tyyd34MdVRZAYoK0q6tw12M5Nad46gtE4Q3K7-hfSkBqbfrgLlhuhfx5e2lmn3lt71T5tKUpqOuPITYumXYwBiDLpoaYjvpVnaOasHxuSukv4sZXC/s1600/cryptic+clue.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cryptic Clue example</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzMCQQ5RpSa-eRhTrHpgJJrK47qaHOS6GV5cMKHiBLdak-sMWrBEXNfJydhIx3OkWLygA49ZPhyphenhyphenwY2b7uzWuUGK952dFq4GVHn10N3vzEjMw14IeYFFTDFwi9zaTVj99mx0dFozsa62SN/s1600/cluerevealed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzMCQQ5RpSa-eRhTrHpgJJrK47qaHOS6GV5cMKHiBLdak-sMWrBEXNfJydhIx3OkWLygA49ZPhyphenhyphenwY2b7uzWuUGK952dFq4GVHn10N3vzEjMw14IeYFFTDFwi9zaTVj99mx0dFozsa62SN/s320/cluerevealed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of photo to be taken including team,cryptic clue and it's surroundings </td></tr>
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What happens next is students take off running to where they think they remember seeing something in the school that resembles the cryptic clue. The photograph becomes evidence to show they made it to each destination. If a cryptic clue card proves to be too hard they can trade it in for a different card at any time. The beauty of having them return to base after finding each 2 clues means you can control how long they have until times up. An alternative option is to print the clues onto a sheet and number the photos on the sheet and provide each team with all the clues and an end time when they need to return to base (the classroom).<br />
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The next step after they've had a blast running around doing this activity is to have them create their own set of cryptic clues to challenge another team with. I've even had students use photo editing apps on their phones to change the colours of their clues or alter them slightly for added difficulty.<br />
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What is.... <b>Trio Film Coaches</b>...<br />
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Trio Film Coaches is a great way to use photo/video analysis during skill development when doing any sport unit.<br />
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Simply have students break into threes and provide them with a series of skills to practice. They are to take it in turns to practice a skill whilst one of the three films the skill. Threes work best as one can film whilst the other two act on the skill, this is particularly handy for most team related sports. The trick to getting this working well is to set a routine that stays the same regardless of the sport unit being looked at. Prep work is minimal but the benefits of the activity are immense.<br />
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<u><b>Prep work:</b></u> Be prepared to model this first so that students are aware of the aim and potential outcomes of doing such an activity. If you have time, film yourself twice performing a skill prior to the
lesson. Have one film of you performing a skill incorrectly and one film
of you performing a skill correctly and show it to the class then open up discussion "which was the correct way to perform that skill? Why do you say this? What benefit can we get from watching ourselves perform a skill?"<br />
Inform students that they will be working together in threes to film themselves performing different skills throughout the year to reflect on their skill development. Be sure to develop a routine when it comes to film sessions so that you only need to announce to students to get into their trios and they'll then know to repeat what they have done previously.<br />
For analysis you can create either a peer assessment form for the two coaches of the third person to fill out regarding the person they filmed OR alternatively a self evaluation form where students use the video and any advice from their peers to analyse their performance of the skill and highlight where things went right and what needs to be improved.<br />
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<u><b>Activity in action:</b></u> Introduce the skills you wish to be the focus of the session (Softball pitch). Demonstrate the skill correctly and highlight the main teaching points of the skill as per usual. Have students practice the skill as you normally would. Before moving onto the next skill that you would teach during the unit stop and announce that the drill they just practised is this unit's "skill to film" and ask them to get into their trios.<br />
Students then have the opportunity to film each other performing the skill they just practised and then time after the filming is set aside to analyse and evaluate.<br />
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The next step of course is to get your hands on some great video analysing apps that allow you to draw on the video to get angles of release, lines and angles of limb positions, weight and balance movement etc I personally use Excelade and Swing Plane HD on the iPad. Coaches Eye is another ripper too.<br />
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There are of course hundreds of different ways to use cameras or smart phones within the classroom to enhance the learning experience. In future blog posts I'll be sure to explain Google Goggles, QR Codes and other handy apps so be sure to stay tuned.<br />
If you like what you've read, share it around with others. If you have a question be sure to ask in the comments section. If you've got a suggestion for a lesson idea let us know that too! Until next time peace out!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368582781540385482.post-88506812542502153032012-06-11T21:35:00.000+10:002012-06-11T22:52:02.255+10:00Welcome!Welcome to I.T inside, P.E outside!!<br />
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This blog has been set up to tackle all the tech related ideas that are possible when it comes to engaging students with the learning process and then connecting those ideas with the Physical Education classroom in mind. I've set this blog up in the hope that it will assist my fellow PE super stars out there, as well as providing a handy resource for myself to refer back to from time to time.<br />
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So a little about me. I'm a P.E teacher in a secondary college in Melbourne, Australia. I've been teaching since 2007 and I have a love for gadgets, games and sport in general. My sport of choice is golf and have been moderately successful in that sport since I was 9 years old. I'm a passionate Sydney Swans supporter and I love Olympic years.<br />
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In the next couple of blog posts I aim to cover:<br />
- The magic of cameras<br />
- Managing iPads in the classroom<br />
- I.T + SEPEP = EPIC!<br />
- BYOD<br />
- QR Codes and other fun things<br />
- The most useful apps ever<br />
- How to get the best out video analysis <br />
- Digitising the paper world<br />
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and who knows... maybe I'll even look at Digital Portfolios. If you haven't gotten the hint yet... this blog is going to be fantastic! So stay tuned!... Bookmark me... Subscribe to me...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0