My Best and Worst Moment

Here is a prezi I made of my best and worst moment. Click on the link below to check it out. I hope you like it

Prezi of My Best and Worst Moments

A Sad Ending To a New Beginning

The last day going to St. Mary's was a sad day for me. I had a great experience teaching at St. Mary's. Going to St. Mary's and working with the kids was one of the best experiences I've had at SUNY Cortland. For the last day my group and I had the 5th and 6th grade group and came up with modified games involving the game of basketball, since they loved playing basketball. I had a great time at my last day at St. Mary's. It was great playing games with the kids for one last time. Looking back at the first day compared to now, I am definitely not as nervous and more comfortable when going to teach at St. Mary's. All the kids are definitely more comfortable around us too. I know mostly all the kids names now and really loved getting to know each kid and talking to them. I'm going to miss St. Mary's and all the fun we had there. I'm gonna miss all the kids too. I really hope some of the things I've taught the kids, will stick with them their whole lives growing up. That is the best feeling in the world as a physical educator, knowing you've impacted a kids life and knowing that whatever it is they learn from you, that it will help them down the road growing up. That is why i think I love teaching so much. I love the feeling of helping others and watching them succeed in whatever it is I taught them.   Even if it's only one kid who I affected then I know i'm doing my job and making a difference with one kid at a time. I hope I've made a difference in the kids lives at St. Mary's because I know they've made a difference in mine.

Sweet Success

Going back to St. Mary's after not being there for a couple of weeks was real exciting for me to be back. I was looking forward to seeing all the kids again. The theme of the day was Easter, since the week before Easter had just passed. My group and I was assigned to come up with an opening game and a closing game. My partners in the group did the opening game, so I was going to do the closing game. When we first arrived at St. Mary's all the kids were excited to see us and eager to see what games we had planned for them since we haven't seen them in awhile. I was really excited to teach my ending game since the kids were so excited about playing the games we came up with. Since the theme was Easter, I made and cut out 40 Easter eggs and wrote an activity on each egg and colored each egg. I came up with an Easter egg hunt for the kids as the ending game. I hid all 40 Easter eggs and when the kids found an egg they would have to do the activity that it said on the egg. For example 5 jumping jacks, the kid would have to do 5 jumping jacks. Then after the kids were done finishing the activity they would take the egg and put it in the Easter basket and go look for another egg. This game was a huge success. I couldn't believe how many kids loved the game and how well the game went. Overall this day at Saint Mary's was awesome and went really well. 

Becoming Superstars the Gym Class Hero Way

                                                                                                                                                                                           
As a future physical educator, I am going to have to be able to think off the top of my head and be creative when teaching a physical education class. This assignment challenged us to be creative and think off the top of our heads. We had to come up with a music video and pick a song and come up with our own lyrics to the song using one of the chapters we were assigned. I had a great time creating this video and making up a song and rapping. My group and I had a lot of fun making this video. After being done with making our song and video, we were put on the spot in class and had to sing in front of the whole class the song we came up with. I was kind of nervous but it went well. This was nothing compared to what we had to do next. The next week we had to perform our music video in pool side, a place where everyone goes to eat in park center. So basically I was really nervous when it came time to perform this music video and performing in front of the class was a breeze compared to this. We had to perform this music video in front of about forty people who came to watch us because our teacher promoted this event to all the PE majors. After all said and done we did great. Everything went well and we were a big hit. This assignment was a great experience and I had a lot of fun. I think my group and I belong on Broadway after the show we put on for everyone. Our teacher also tapped us performing our music video at pool side. Here is the video of the Gym Class Heroes performing on that day. I hope you like it.

Exercising with Technology

Today at SUNY Cortland's Exergame lab I got the best of both worlds. I got to play video games while exercising at the same time. This was a great experience going to the Exergame lab. I got to play xbox 360 while at the same time exercising to power the controller I was using. I thought this new technology was awesome. This new technology is a great way to get kids that play video games to be able to exercise and get a work out even if all they want to do is play video games. I hope all this new technology in the Exergame lab really makes a break through in the world today and starts to become popular in kids homes all over the world. This technology can help improve the health of many kids lives growing up and as a future physical education teacher that is the main goal to improve the health and skills of all kids lives. 


Also in the Exergame lab I was introduced to different games that are used to increase physical activity for younger kids. These games were used to increase physical activity and to help improve and practice different learning skills. A game that I was introduced to was call Hyper dash. This game had many different ways and variations in which you could play. Another game that I was introduced to was a game like hyper dash except it was with animals and I think it was called Animal dash. One way in which I could modify this game is placing all the toy animals on the floor and have the kids make a big circle around the animals. I'll have one kid start with the toy and have them press the button to start the game. While the kid that started with the toy is searching for the animal he/she has to find, the students on the outside will be doing whatever exercise I shout out while their class mate finds the animal. For example i'll yell jumping jacks and the students will have to do jumping jacks until their class mate finds the right animal. Once that student finds the right animal then he/she passes it off to a random student they pick and now they have to go find the next animal and the other students will be doing another activity that I will call out. This will go on until all the animals are found and the game is over. We would see how fast we found all the animals the first game and try to beat our time game by game. 

Being A Hit in Class

Today was a great day at St. Mary's. When my group and I first got to St. Mary's we were expected to have the older kids and was prepared with games to play with them. But as we got into our groups, to our surprise we were unexpectedly assigned to the Pre-K group again. So we went outside because it was a nice day out and the Pre-K class was already outside on the playground. We had nothing prepared for the group and was just going with the flow when we first got into the playground. As soon as I walked into the playground, I joined in the game of tag that the students were already playing. Of course they made me be it every time, even though I would tag someone else.

 After tag I sat down at a little table that was at the playground with a student because he was tired from running around from playing tag, and so was I. To my surprise about half the class circled around me and started to have conversations with me. I went around the circle asking the students what there favorite flavor gum was. This got them interacting with each other as well, asking each other what there favorite flavors were. Then I went around the group and asked each student if they had a brother or sister at home and they would all get into these stories about how old there siblings were,  what they liked to do with them when there home. I would ask one student if they had a brother and they would tell me yeah and the next student would say me too and start talking to the student I just asked. 

They all loved talking to me and it was so easy for me to have a conversation with the students about anything. Then we all went inside and came up with a game for them to play off the top of our heads. This day showed us to be ready for anything and to always think on our toes. At the end of the day I really enjoyed the day and was kind of glad we had the Pre-K class again. It showed me I can think on my feet and easily get along and think like a kid with the students.

Lab 4 Evaluations

Hanging Ten in Hawaii

Today was a fun day. It was Hawaii theme today and overall it was a great day for getting a lot of experience for teaching. My group and I had the Pre-K group today. We first started out in the Pre-K room and had everything planned out for how our time was going to be used and what activities we were going to do. After they had snack time,  I was going to read a book to the class and was already sitting in the chair with the book in my hand waiting for the class to finish up eating. But then to the groups and my surprise, the teacher rounded up the students and told them that they were going into the gym now. This was so unexpected for the group and   this caught us off guard. I thought this was great though because in the future any thing can happen when teaching and you have to be ready for whatever comes your way. So we went into the gym and came up with a jungle like game for the students that was related to the Hawaiian theme. All the kids loved it and had a great time. So today I learned you always have to be on your feet when teaching and be prepared for anything. 

Lab 3 Assessment 

The Great Debate

In class we were put into three different groups and had to debate which group would be the best for a physical education class why or why not. So my group and I got stuck with probably the hardest group out of all the different groups to debate about. My group had using stick in a physical education class. Going into this debate my group and I was well prepared for this debate and to win it all. We even dressed to impress wearing nice dress clothes. But on the day of the debate it was much harder arguing for sticks in physical education class than we thought. We made good arguments and answered all questions thrown at us by the board intelligently. I  was even getting a little heated and started to yell a bit at another group during one of the questions they asked us. Overall we did a great job and we tried our best, but the outcome was that we came in last out of the three groups for the great debate. We still did great and it was fun arguing and making valid points to try and win. 

 

Hall of Shame Reaction

To elaborate more on my previous comment about dodgeball, I do think it's a great game and you learn many important skills and stay physically active just like many other games on the Hall of Shame, but it's no game that should be played in a PE class. Dodgeball is too dangerous to be played in a PE class. A great way to play a similar game like dodgeball is to modify it and change the rules up and the game play. There are so many games  on the "Wall of Shame" that i loved playing as a child and are banned now for other children to play in PE classes. My job as a future physical educator is to take these games that i had so much fun and loved playing as a child and modify them so the kids in PE class are able to enjoy playing the same type of concept games but with a little different twist on them. Just think one day i can create a game that all children love playing and can be known all over America in different PE classes. Just knowing i can do something like that and make kids happy while increasing their physical activity there really is endless possibilities. I'm so excited and look forward to these task as a future physical educator. 

A New Year of Being More Healthy

For my new year's resolution I intend to use technology to help improve my health. So many people today are out of shape and don't really tend to do anything about it. People don't understand how important physical activity is for them and their health. In order to live a healthy long life, physical activity must be part of your life every day. That is why I really hope people check out HealthIT.gov to inspire and motivate them to increase their physical activity and live a healthier life. I made a video of how i'm using technology to help me improve my health and entered it in a contest on http://healthynewyear.challenge.gov/. Hope you like it and i hope you all get active and improve your health to live a better life. 

Lab 2 Reflection and Preparation

Last week in the gym during practice lab I prepared myself for the game I would be leading for the kids at St. Mary's school. This practice lab helped aid me in learning how to control and get the attention of the kids. For explaining the instructions and rules of the game it is really important to keep the rules short to keep the kids attention and show them as you explain the rules how to play the game. This will help them understand the game much better. At the end of practice lab, my group had to come up with a song and have a synchronized dance routine on the spot in 20 minutes. This wasn't as easy as it sounds. Being put on the spot like that in such short time to come up with something is pretty difficult. I think my group and I did pretty good.

• Although this task was difficult, I enjoyed coming up with something off the top of my head. I think task was given to us to really help us think on our toes and come up with something even if you have nothing planned out. Not always what you plan for the day in class happen smoothly. You have to be ready to overcome obstacles and be used to thinking on your toes when something doesn't go your way. This will help the students enjoy class more and will certainly help you get by the class without being stuck on not knowing what to do next.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  A week after 

  

  practicing our games and getting prepared in the gym for practice lab, we were going to be put to the test and play our games with the kids at St. Mary's school. I was really excited and confident about explaining my game and playing with the kids. I fell like practice lab really  

  prepared us well when explaining and demonstrating to the kids the game they will be playing. As confident and as prepared as my group and I were, the 5th and 6th graders just didn't want anything to do with us and shot all of our ideas and games down. All they wanted to do was play basketball. So to think on our feet as we did when making the music video, my group and I started to play basketball with the kids and then changed the rules a bit as the game went on. We found our selves playing handball at the end. The kids loved playing handball and had a great time playing it. This goes to show you no matter how much you prepare and practice for something things can go wrong and not according to plan. So you have to have a back up plan and think on your feet like my group and I did. Practicing helps with this, but experience i think is the ultimate way to get really good at it. 

  
  

  Lab 2 and Evaluation
  
  

Virtus and Abuse

After having Sister Harriet Hamilton come in and have us complete the Virtus training it really informed me of how easy it is for a person to manipulate a child. As a teacher we have to be aware at all times of the people around us and the people that are around the children. We have to make sure every kid is okay and if we suspect anything at all to call the hotline like Sister Harriet told us to do in the steps to take if we detect a person is sexually molesting a child. This training also really alarmed me of how careful I have to be around the students with what i do and to make sure someone is always with me when it is just me and a student. I got pretty angry when watching the video and listening to the two molesters talk about how they would trick and get their victims. I also saw how the kids were affected by being molested. I'm so happy i got to see this video and take in more knowledge if I suspect a molester. If I suspect someone of something you better believe i'm going to do something about it and stop the pain of the kids before it even happens. I'm really glad i got to experience this training and feel like it definitely helped me with my profession and in the future with a job. 

Lab 1 Reflection

I had a great experience my second time visiting St.Marys School. As soon as I walked through the doors I felt so much more comfortable around the kids. The atmosphere was more familiar to me and I wasn't as nervous to interact with the kids as I was the first day. I recognized mostly all the kids from the first day I went to St.Marys so this also made me feel more comfortable. When I walked into the gym the kids recognized me and wanted to have a football catch like we did the first day. After playing in the gym, I went downstairs to the cafeteria to play board games with the kids. They all wanted to play me in board games as soon as i walked in the cafeteria because last time I told them I wanted a rematch because they all beat me in checkers last time. As I sat down at the table I was amazed at this one kid by how intelligent he was. Triston showed me how to play this one game that i had no idea how to play. It was sort of like a chess game  and was all about using strategy and i was amazed how smart he was. I really enjoyed my second time going to St. Marys and can't wait till next time.




Lab #1

The Importance of Physical Activity

Learning through the physical doesn't just mean being active, but for the children to also learn many different aspects of life that will help them build them as a person and these characteristics will help them in the future. It's important for the children to be moving around and be active don't get me wrong, but i think learning through the physical has much more of a positive effect on children rather than just being active. Learning through the physical helps the children develop there social and emotional selves. Learning through the physical benefits the whole child. Learning through the physical can help promote fitness, self-esteem and self-confidence for all children. With that being said, physical activity is also important because it impacts affective growth. Having children being active helps promote a healthy body growing up. If they are use to being active and love physical activity, than hopefully physical activity will be apart of their lives for the rest of the lives growing up. 

I thought the first class was pretty interesting. I got a brief description on what the class is about and what we would be doing through out the semester. I'm really excited about blogging and interested to see what other people blog in class. I'm really excited about this semester and going over to St. Marys and working with the little kids.