I came across this handy little application which is essentially a nutritional analysis tool. It has over 7000 foods that are loaded into it and you simply enter what you eat on a given day and it gives you a nutritional analysis, including for vitamins and minerals and the ratio of carbohydrates, fat and protein.
You can do this each day to develop a food diary and this could be a great little tool to use with our students when looking at nutrition to see how nutritionally sound their diets are. While it is American based this should not be too hard to use and make relevant for us here in Australia.
I was first introduced to the game sense approach while at Wollongong University under Dr Paul Webb. To me it is an approach that makes sense and keeps the element of fun at the heart of what we do which I think is critical when trying to get young people physically active. If they are having fun then they are more likely to participate beyond their years at school which is one of our major goals in physical education. There is ample evidence in the links below to support the approach from a pedagogical perspective beyond it being more fun for participants.
There seems to be a growing list of resources to support the approach and I figured I might try and organise some of them together here. We are in the process of revamping our practical programs and it is always handy to have the resources somewhere close by.
activehealth- game sense – University of Wollongong Site which is a great resource for the game sense approach.
Curriculum support – NSW DET resource on game sense. Great information and sample lessons available also.
Barker College – an outline of interesting study taking place with some great information in regards to the game sense approach (games for understanding).
Greg Forrest – Lecturer at UOW – presentation delivered at the 2007 PDHPE Teachers Conference on Game Sense.
del.icio.us/gamesense -my links at delicious about game sense. Will update these over time to add relevant resources etc.
After watching Chris Lehmann speak at the NECC conference about his schools (Science Leadership Academy) approach to teaching and learning, I have realised I need to ask better questions of my students more regularly. He talks in his session about asking questions that we don’t know the answer to and allowing students to find their own answers. While I am aware of the importance of asking fertile questions I think I have fallen into the habit of not asking anywhere near enough of them.
I think the ‘googleable’ questions are much easier to ask and allow us to remain in control because we know what the answer should be and can lead our students to them. To ask questions that students are forced to interpret and think about can get ‘messy’ but opens the door for authentic learning and is something I think I need to refocus on.
The verdict: works well and plenty of potential with this one!!!
I finally got around to having a go at setting up interactive whiteboard using a nintendo wii controller and a homemade infrared light. I stumbled across a presentation on TED talks by Johnny Lee who developed a program to enable the wiimote to interact with the light source and projection of the computer screen to effectively create a very cheap interactive whiteboard. When I noticed that fellow PDHPE teacher Ben Jones had done this it got me into gear to have a go.
Not being handy at all I followed these directions to create the infrared pen and managed to get it all up and running. If I could solder it would have halved the time it took me but a good hour or so and I was done!!
Then I just downloaded the program to read the wiimote on the macbook and I was away. I had the kids playing a few games on the wiggles website which they loved and had a little play around myself. I Will play around with this some more in the near future and hopefully get back with some ways I have integrated this into the classroom.
There is loads of information out there on the wiimote intereactive whiteboard and a great starting site is www.wiimoteproject.com. Ben Jones’s video is also a great insight into potential uses.
I have been enjoying my journey on the web 2.0 path, but have really looked forward to finding other teachers using the technologies in meaningful and relevant ways in the PDHPE learning area. I was very excited to come across Ben Jones’s work, who is leading the way in how to implement these technologies for both personal professional development and also in the classroom to enhance student learning. Check out this great video Ben created about using a wii remote to create an intereactive whiteboard at a cost of $55.
I am sure there are lots of other PDHPE Teachers doing great work also but my searching has not uncovered them as yet. I am sure I will come across more and more teachers utilising these tools over the next few years and then I think the real benefits of web 2.0 will come through with a larger range of teachers with common goals using and sharing with one another. Exciting times ahead!!
Our ICT coordinator, John Coppola came into our class the other day and put me on the spot to talk about what we were doing with our class blog and the video is below. I wrote an entry just the other day about this so here is the class in action!!
I’m not all that comfortable being on camera and don’t really like publishing it on here but the purpose of me blogging is for reflection and sharing so I have to get over my own issues and put it out there. I also like the idea of an open classroom where we share what we do in our classrooms and open it up for discussion so I am trying to back that up in practice.
As always the words don’t seem to come out just as I would like and it is all much clearer in my head but articulating what I do and think is something I definitely need to work on so this is a start. The key element I missed talking about was the students being able to collaborate and use each others work to develop their own understanding which is very useful in a competency based course like sport coaching.
I have posted previously about youtube videos and how I am a big fan of it as a resource. I noticed recently that a really good video has been taken off and this is one of the downfalls of this service – that the videos can be removed by those who originally post them. A way around this is to download the videos and keep them in case they are removed. Downloading can also be helpful if you plan to use the videos in class and the internet is down or unavailable. I have played around with lots of ways to download youtube videos so thought I would put a few of the easiest ways I have found.
1. Get YouTube video – this is by far the easiest way I have come across. It allows you to download the videos as mp4 files which are much more convenient and useable than the usual .flv files. Go to this google blog for instructions on how it all works.
2. Unplug- this one is a firefox add on and presents itself as a little fish that is on your toolbar. When you are on the page with the video you want you simply click on the fish and it shows you all the files on the page that can be downloaded. Only problem with this way (and most other ways I have come across) is that it will only download it as an .flv file which is not as versatile as .mp4 format. You need to have a program to run the .flv files. Which makes the process a little cluncky. SWF & FLV PLayer is the one I use to play these files.
3. Video Downloader - another firefox add on that will download the videos in .flv format. The link provided has a good explanation of how this one works but is essentially very similar to Unplug.
4. Video Download x – is a web-based downloader which means you do not have to download any software etc. I have found that the quality of the downloads is not quite as good as the other methods but still useful if the others are not workable for any reason.There are a lot more applications out there that do the same job. Let me know if you find any that should be on the list!!
As our school pushes forward with a 1:1 laptop program in 2008, i am rushing to get my head around the place of ICT in the area of PDHPE. The laptop program has huge potential for us to engage students in quality learning experiences that are relevant and meaningful to our students. It offers the opportunity to differentiate learning for students in ways that were previously unavailable and engage students who struggle to motivate themselves with traditional teaching strategies. It will enable us to continue to utilise the practices and strategies that have proven successful for us while providing scope for a whole a new range learning experiences that have only recently become available to us.
If all we do is use the laptops to do what we have previously done then we are doing a great disservice to what the laptops are capable of. For example, if we all we get students to do is type their answers rather than write them then we achieve nothing besides improving their typing skills at the expense of their writing skills. Quality teaching practise is vital in the success of this program.
PDHPE is a unique subject area in the sense that our focus on encouraging students to lead healthy active lifestyles requires interaction in the classroom and some may argue laptops may inhibit the environment required to learn a lot of the knowledge and skills required.
The obesity epidemic has largely been atributed to poor nutrition and a decrease in physical activity and part of this decrease in physical activity could be related to an increase in time students spend watching popular media and the use of computer related technologies. It is ironic that we shall be encouraging the use of this technology to develop their health literacy, possibly at the expense students enagaging in other activities that improve their social and physical health. This needs consideration, however i believe that the we can have the ‘best of both worlds’. Through quality education we can encourage a more active and healthy lifestyle while using the technology in a positive way to help educate students.
I have read quite a few handy little ‘top 10′ posts so figure I will give it a try for PDHPE online resources. Not in any particular order.
1. HSC Online – Lots of great stuff here and hopefully they will continue to add to it over time.
2. PDHPE Teachers Association – particularly the conference link which has content from previous keynotes and workshops.
3. Curriculum support – exists to assist the implementation of the PDHPE syllabus. Has access to professional development, resources and online courses.
7. Bored of Studies – site where students submit study notes and assignments. Good to be aware of for plagiarism but also can be a good resource for students.
8. AIHW – publishes a number of reports that are heavily used in the HSC Course including Australia’s Health.
9. del.icio.us – I have written an entry about social bookmarking previously and this site has great potential to help teachers share great resources and save a lot of time finding great quality sites. The more people that use it the more beneficial it should be. Here are my pdhpe links http://del.icio.us/bmcallis/pdhpe
It is a good experience to be learning to surf with year 12 students and cheering them as they drop into waves that are way too big for them to take off on and laugh with them as they emerge from the whitewash a few seconds later. They return the favour many times throughout the session and we always seem to have a good laugh at each others misfortune. One of my favourite things about surfing is that the wipeouts are just as important to the experience as the great rides you have. There are not many things we do where ‘mistakes’ are not frowned upon and avoided at all costs and I like that the ‘mistakes’ you make when you are surfing are all part of the fun.
While I am often hassled a little for organising a ’surfing’ excursion I feel it really is a beneficial day and I think the students get a lot more out of it than they realise also. You really cannot replace the look on the face of someone who has just stood up and ridden a wave for the first time and the adrenalin and excitement almost always leads itself to them paddling furiously out the back with renewed enthusiasm to get another wave. I think it is a great experience for students to have and I am sure there are self esteem benefits in having overcome a difficult and exhilarating skill. The more positive and engaging experiences we can give our students the better and I am sure the day will be remembered long after a lot of the other school day memories fade.
I think one of the most beneficial things that comes out of the day is the interaction between staff and students. The importance of developing quality ‘relationships’ has been talked about widely as a crucial factor in teacher success and one that I see as more and more important the longer I teach. Establishing a genuine connection with students built around respect for one another is one of the key challenges I think we as teachers have in motivating our students to achieve their potential. Surfing excursions and other extra curricula days have the potential to provide us with the opportunity to ‘connect’ with some of those students who we may find it difficult to connect with in the classroom setting. While there is always a tight line in ensuring extra curricula does not impact too greatly on instructional time, I think it is important that we do not underestimate the value of these extra curricula activities.
As 2008 looms ever so close by, it is time to start putting a lot of the ideas and thoughts into a concrete plan for the start of next year as our year 7 notebook program is about to kick off. At this stage my ideas will focus around integrating two key web 2.0 concepts into my teaching being blogs and wikis. We have Pearson Education (ABLE publishing) creating workbooks for our students which will incorporate a lot of ICT based skills and activities including mind mapping and using applications such as comic life etc. I think that extending this by incorporating blogs and setting up a class wiki as part of the students class work will provide extra scope for the students to engage with the subject and also help me trial using these. My ideas around the blog is to set up a class blog that I may post relevant material on and questions relating to the work we do in class and I will also have students create their own blog that I will link together through the blog roll in the class blog. Students will be required to complete a fortnightly post about what we have covered in class on their own blog and I may assist this by the way of providing a few stimulus questions if required by the students. I intend to keep it pretty loosely structured at this stage as I want to see where the students take it and how well they take to the ideas.
My idea for the wiki is that students will collaborate to produce study notes/class text book on the information we cover so that they have a quality guide they can use for the end of semester exams. Again I aim to structure this quite loosely and see how the students take to it. I may allocate some time for students to work on this at the end of each unit and I will probably set up a basic structure for them to operate within to keep them on the right track in regards to what they are required to do by the syllabus and program. A little limiting but at this stage still important I think.
I attended the annual PDHPE Teachers Conference in Wollongong on Friday & Saturday. I found it to be a great event that was very well run and the quality of the keynotes and workshops was exceptional. I will go through and reflect on a few of the keynotes and other interesting things from the conference in more detail when I have time over the next week or so. My initial reactions to the conference though was that I have certainly still got plenty more to learn and it has motivated me to improve myself as a teacher.
It is a shame everyone from the faculty could not go as it would have been a great experience for everyone to attend and to hear all the same stuff together. We have plans to organise a broader network in the Campbelltown region across all sectors and I think this holds a lot of potential also. Great to catch up with a heap of old uni friends and lecturers also.
Podcasts are essentially audio files that can be uploaded and downloaded on the internet. They provide an avenue for students to publish to the internet and can provide great opportunity for creativity and engagement. They also provide students with the opportuninty to download other podcasts and learn from them.
Podcasting has become a popular mainstream way of sharing information and is used by radio stations and mainstream media to connect with those who may miss their regular shows and to cater for those who prefer this ‘on demand’ method of communicating . The idea of creating and publishing their own podcast can motivate and focus students and is a learning tool that has relevance in a range of subject areas. A great example of using podcasts in pdhpe is this sample from St Josephs Albion Park. A year 11 class has created a range of podcasts on First Aid and have done a great job. Well worth look!! St Josephs podcasts.
In PDHPE there are lots of ways podcasting could be utilised. Some ideas include:
* Students could create their own radio show on a range of topics around healthy living.
- Creating radio ads about health related issues.
- Talkback radio theme.
- Creating their own songs related to health.
- Health podcast where students discuss issues.
I have recently been reading a lot of blogs from other educators and educational leaders and have been amazed at how much i have taken from the experience. To be able to get ideas and information from people all over the world who are experts in their field in such a simple manner to me highlights their potential in the classroom. Even the process of starting to blog myself forces me (in a nice way) to reflect on things and clarify in my own mind where i stand. While it may be messy at first i presume i will improve at this reflective practise and be able to organise my ideas better as i continue.
I suppose that blogs provide opportunities in a few ways in the classroom. 1. Through students reading other blogs and commenting on them, and 2. Students creating their own blogs.
I have included some basic information below on what blogs are for those new to the area from what i understand of them at the moment. There is a huge amount of material out there on them for those keen to research further.
Blogs or weblogs are essentially webpages that allow a person to provide an online viewpoint on issues and have the capacity for others to leave feedback. Some blogs can be set to private to act like a personal diary but essentially they are designed for others to be able to comment on points raised. They provide a very simple way for students to publish information to the internet. I have linked to a few good articles that explain what blogs are in more detail and more explicitly. These include wikipedia, blogger.com, and weblogs.com.
“In a broader and more educational system, blogs are about communicating. You observe your experience, reflect on it, and then write about it. Other people read your reflections, respond from their perspectives by commenting or writing their own blog article. You read their perspectives, often learn something through their eyes, and write some more”. classroom 2.0. I found this site quite interesting and provides information on a wide range of web 2.0 applications that can be used by educators.
How can we use these in PDHPE??
1. Journal type activities – eg: first weeks at high school.
2. Create a blog on an issue eg:skin cancer- could include video, podcasts etc.
3. process diary for a project. Teacher could use RSS feeds to monitor the class so they don’t have to continually check every blog in the class. RSS would collect all recent posts for the class for viewing. 4. Edublogs – 10 ways to incorporate blogs into your teaching.
Part of the process of successfully integrating technology into teaching programs is understanding what the specific programs and applications are and their capabilities. I will briefly outline my understanding of some of the technologies that i feel can be successfully integrated into PDHPE and how i feel they can be integrated. Again, my expertise in this area is limited but part of the learning process for me is to analyse what is available and think about how it may be useful.
I have written a little more on technology and what I think its role is in PDHPE on a seperate page as part of this blog. If you click on the ‘technology’ tab at the top of the blog I have shared a few more ideas there.
