The Best and Worst

This class was a great refresher from my undergrad educational technology class.  I did learn some new stuff like Prezi and Google Blogger (and a lot of other things) which I really enjoyed.  I found that for the most part it was very similar to the class I took during undergrad.  The worst part of the class was having to complete the TPA portfolio/website.  The only reason this was my least favorite part is because I already have a Kentucky version of the TPA.  Although it was nice to shape up and learn how to use the KompoZer program, realistically, I will never use this software again.  The best part of the class was the professor!! He has been fun, easy going, and very personable.  I enjoyed the flexible dead lines and being able to work on my own.  He understands that we are teachers and have a lot going on outside of this class, which was nice. : )

PLN

I found a blog I am really excited about! It's called, Physical Education Update Blog, and has a lot of cool updated PE stuff.  There are ideas for the classroom, updates about what is happening in the nation when it comes to Physical Education.  It is refreshing to find a blog that actually gets updated regularly.  The majority of blogs I looked at head not been updated which was a let down.

Maybe I will create a health and PE blog... : )

Others Blogs

I enjoyed looking at the other blogs and reading their responses.  I was most interested in the way the set their blogs up and how everyone made them their own.  I enjoying reading Jennifer's Blog, Life as a Business Teacher, because we are good friends and it was funny to read her blogs! I think it is neat that we were required to respond to others blogs because otherwise we might not have read them : )

Portfolios as a Valid Assessment Tool

Having completed a portfolio myself in college to graduate with an education degree, I can give an honest opinion about whether or not I feel they are vaild assessment tools.
I do feel they can be a great and also not so great when assessing people.
First of all, it is a good way to see a persons best work.  Portfolios give people the opportunity to show professors/employers "what they've got". However, they can also be a good way to "fool" a person into thinking you can do great things, with the chance of possibly not living up to the portfolio expectations.  Last, in my experiences in education, very few employers actually look at student portfolios because they know sometimes it is nothing more than "fluff".

Being a 21st Century Teacher

When it comes to being a 21st century teacher... I'm not 100% sure where I stand.
When it comes to physical education I stick to the basics and do not use a ton of technology.
I do believe I prepare my students for the world outside of school when it comes to health and fitness and keep them up to date on the changes and developments in the world of health and fitness. 

Free Write

I am really excited about a recent opportunity I have been presented with!
Since graduating from college with a degree in K-12 health and physical education, I have always wanted to teach elementary physical education.  This is where I have always pictured myself and for the past 4 years I have kept all of my elementary ideas tucked away for the day I finally landed my dream job. 
In the mean time, I have taught high school health and P.E., periodically checking for elementary openings in the area.  I have interviewed twice for positions in elementary schools,  but unfortunately have had the "experience card" pulled on both occasions.  Because of that, I realized my dream job wasn't going to be as easy to  land as I had originally hoped....or was it?
In class last week, my principal knocked on my classroom door and asked to speak to me.  She told me she had something I might be interested in.  She let me now our school had hired a new baseball coach who happened to be a PE teacher at an elementary school in our district.  Because he was coaching at our school, he was interested in teaching here too.  She offered me the opportunity to swap him positions.  I couldn't say yes fast enough!!
My mind has been full of fun ideas I will be able to incorporate with elementary jobs since that day and I can't wait for next school year to start!!

Seeing and Hearing Myself on Video

Welp... seeing myself on video was pretty much what I expected!  I thought I sounded silly and hoped I didn't sound like that in real life! I think watching myself being serious and talking to a class was entertaining, but the outtakes were even better : )