Lasting Impressions

Lasting Impressions? Do you ever think back to your childhood or elementary, middle and high years? From those reflections, what experiences left a lasting impression on you that have lasted over time and perhaps will last a lifetime?

When I reflect back, I have a plethora of lasting impressions that have affected who I have become today: how and why I think they way I do; how and why behave the way I do; how and why I believe in what I believe; and how and why I am an educator today!

During my childhood years, I remember all of the positive comments that family members bestowed upon me that helped to boost my self-esteem. For example: you are so beautiful, you are very smart and never let anyone tell you differently, and you can be what ever you want to be... These comments and many others helped to develop and mold my self-esteem and provided me with ample mental confidence and power to achieve any goal that I had set for myself.

In elementary school, I remember how nurturing and positive my teachers were to me. That type of environment made it very easy for me to attend school; I loved going to school for this reason and learning new things everyday! My Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Podza, taught me: how to use my quiet voice so that I would not disturb others who were working, how to be kind to others, how to finger paint (lots of fun) and draw, and how to make homemade cards for my parents for the different holidays, and to laugh- because laughter makes people feel real good. I remember my Physical Education teacher, Mrs. Pingley, who is the mastermind behind what I do today! Everyday she was overly enthusiastic and she made all of us feel really good and we learned lots of cool things. Most importantly, she always took the time to tell us how much she really enjoys coming to work everyday to be with us and how much she loves each and everyone of us.

In middle school, I had one lasting impression that was one of the most pivotal points in my life! My eighth grade Science teacher, Mrs. Pruitt (Broskey now), saw in me the intellectual potential to do great things. She took me to the side one day and informed me that I was smart and if I really work hard and put my mind to it I can get an A in her class (I did). She also said that I have so much potential to excel and accomplish whatever I want. This one small moment of kindness was a catalyst for change in me. I gained a new found respect for myself and a higher level of self-esteem. From that point on, I did excel in all classes, and I am doing great things today and hopefully I will have many more years of it.

In high school, I especially loved the writing assignments in English because it provided me with the opportunity to showcase my creativity and artistic ability. I remember taking vocab words and turning those few words (twenty I think) into original short stories, or when I got to take on the roll of the mythical character Cyclops (Polythemus). I became Polythemus and created a heroic journey (no pun intended) for him to experience: he had to find his long lost father Poseidon who disappeared when Polythemus was young. I wrote Polythemus' journey filled with many emotions and adventures. I received an A++ on that assignment and it was on display for other students to read. It was an awesome experience writing that story and I still have it and the other vocab short stories in my possession! Last year I shared my Polythemus story with a seventh grade teacher who was hoping to have her students do a similar assignment; the students loved the story.

I never was bored of going to school; for me it was filled with anticipation of what I was going to learn new that day, week, month and year!

Today, I am thinking about my use of technology in the classroom and how these authentic experiences will affect my students, and I am thinking about the environment that I create for my students and how that environment plays a role in student experiences and learning. Then, I ask myself, "Is my use of technology in the classroom, effective in leaving a lasting impression on my students?" , or "What types of lasting impressions am I hoping to instill in my students with each technology integrated lesson?" As we each create, plan and implement our practicum lesson and unit plans, are we asking ourselves these very same questions? At the end of the lesson or unit, are students finding a connection to themselves that will leave a lasting impression?

Do you have lasting impressions from your childhood or elementary, middle and high school years? In planning activities, lessons, or units do you ask yourself the questions mentioned in the paragraph above? Or, do you have a different approach?

Podcasting

Podcasting, what a concept! I was amazed by the extensive collection of podcasts on the Internet. I was not sure exactly what it was but now, I'm liking podcasting. I was brainstorming ideas and came up with having students do a question and answer on topics covered in class podcasting series or a myth or fact podcasting series. What ideas do you have for Health and Physical Education?

Digital Video

Digital video is an interesting tool. There are many ways that we as physical educators can use this tool. Some ideas are having students create infomericals, commericals promote current health issues related to teens, instructional skill videos, or skits. Does anyone else have any ideas for use of digital video in physical and health education?

"Wiki, wiki, wikis"

Wow, I really did not know what wikis were until taking this course. I have been to the wikipedia site before and to tell the truth I had no idea that it was constructed by everyday people. I thought it was the product of a publishing company of encyclopedias. For now on I will tread carefully in deciding to use the information from this site soley. This book has opened my eyes to more precautions we as educators need to take when helping students become better information searchers and information sorters. The Internet has an abundance of resources but not all of the resources are 100% reliable in providing accurate information. In reading this book as an educator, I witness myself becoming more and more web tool literate. Being web-tool literate will help me to better create, design, and implement blogs and wikis.

It was interesting to read about wikis and how educators can use wikis in the classroom for collaborative writing. I can see my students writing collaboratively about the health benefits of being physically active, or the health diseases and conditions associated with leading a non-activie lifestyle, or the 101 ways to be physically active..... the possibilities are endless. I can also see my students creating a wiki on activities and games of various cultures. They will do the research to learning about various cultures, engage in the activity or game, and post their research and play results on the wiki site.

Blog Idea

My students do an end of the quarter self-evaluation and unit self-assessments every nine weeks. I could have students keep a blog portfolio. It would cut down on the amount of paper used and save some trees. I think that it would be easier to log the grades into Gradequick. It would be the end of lugging papers back and forth b/w home and work and students can share with parents their evaluations and assessments. Has anyone ever used blogs with students for portfolios?

Using blog in the classroom

After reading the first three chapters learning about blogs and how educators use blogs in the classroom, it made me think of ways that I could use blogs in Health and Physical Education. The one thing that troubles me is how to possibly integrate blogs with my subject matter. I was thinking perhaps students could use the blogs to keep a record of their self-evaluations or a journal of what they experience in each new topic covered. What suggestions could you recommend to me that would help me think of more ways to use blog in Health and Physical Education?

What's Up!

Hello, thanks for visiting my place. I hope to provide you with conversation that will add spice to your thought process and stimulate your senses to new heights. Here is some food for thought to start:

• What are your thoughts on this old Chinese proverb, "Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back"?