Blog Post #12

A lot of students who take EDM 310 are PE Majors. It's obvious that PE Majors won't be using Smart Boards and computers in the gym. So the huge questions that the these students have when they enter this class is, "Why do I have to take this class? How am I suppose to use technology in my classroom?" Well, I found a couple of items that may give these students some answers.
Watch the video, Wii in School. How do you feel about bringing in interactive video games into your classroom? What are the pros and cons?
Check out this blog, http://fairviewpe.blogspot.com/. What do you think about using your newly learned blogging skills to record your classroom activities? How would this be beneficial to you and to other teachers?
Lastly, look over this website, http://www.choosemyplate.gov/. This is a wonderful website that you can share with your students. Look through the website and find and explain at least 3 ways that you can use this site with your students.

Wii in School
I think that using the Wii fitness program in PE is wonderful! Students love the activities and it keeps their attention. Having a base pad for each student is probably pretty costly if you have a large class, but there are ways around that problem. The base pad is basically used to track each students progress. It's very effective if you have the money for it. If not, then you could just play the activity on an overhead projector and have the students follow along. The downside is that their progress isn't being tracked, but the upside is that they're still getting the exercise that they need and they're having fun. Activities include: kick boxing, dancing, yoga, and many more!
http://fairviewpe.blogspot.com/
Dr. Strange showed me this blog when I complained about the relation between blogging and PE. I fell in love with this blog immediately. It also encouraged me to find other related blogs. It's great because I can keep track of all of the activities that we do and whether they were successful or not. It's also a good way to share my ideas and get opinions from other professionals. This blog serves as a form of inspiration for other teachers who are in a creative slump. I'm definitely starting one once I get my career going.
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Super Tracker is a personal nutrition and physical activity plan. Have your students start a Food Tracker and a Physical Activity Tracker and bring in a copy of their progress at the end of each week.
Have the students find their Daily Food Plan. This shows each student a personalized plan of what and how much food they should eat each day. It's based on their age, sex, weight, height, and how much they exercise each day.
Have older students find their BMI (Body Mass Index). This lets each student know their ideal weight and whether they have reached it or not. This is not suggested for elementary students because they're still growing, but it is perfect for high school students. There is a BMI Calculator on this site.