Check out our Multi-Cultural Games Unit

We are finally ready to launch our multicultural games website!

What is it all about?

The website is based around a wiki platform to create collaboration with other schools around the world. The main purpose of the site is to build a resource of international games that is simple to use and accessible for students from all over the globe with an internet connection.

Kerry Dyke and I want to show case the best student work that we can find from schools interested in collaborating in this project. The hope is that students can get a better understanding of what sport and recreation looks like in different cultures. We believe this will foster global citizenship and help incorporate technology in PE.

What do student's learn?

Well it is best to let them tell you. Here are a few thoughts from some of our grade seven students who took part of the unit.



To find more about this project go to our multicultural games website and think about how you can add this to your curriculum.

Taking it to the next level... integrating IT in the classroom.

So how can teachers and schools ensure that their students are learning what they need when it comes to Technology and Information Literacy? Before we even ask this question, we have to ask what does a school want to achieve when it comes to Technology and Information Literacy?

There is clearly a continuum that schools lie upon from those which don't embrace technology to schools which fully immerse themselves in technology. Each of these schools will have different information technology aims, and therefore when we ask the question of ensuring students get what they need, we have to frame this in light of the schools philosophy. Schools which fall under national curricula requirements have their hands tied to some extent, however as can be seen in the NETS or the AASL Standards there is a lot of room for interpretation in terms of what level of technology is actually taught. Many of the standards are broad and could be easily integrated into other subjects without a firm focus on 21st century I.T. Skills

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7830713@N03/510785371

As my last post suggested, to not teach technology is to ignore the life world's our students exist in, this in turn potentially disconnects us and may hinder a positive learning relationship. So, long story short... schools need to teach IT, what depth they chose is situational. In order to achieve this integration into the classroom there are some key areas schools need to consider:

Curriculum

By adopting a formal curriculum for IT, schools have an agreed upon set of learning goals which they need to meet with each student. In many ways this is just a step to 'legitimise' the domain of IT, however statements can provide schools with the necessary lever to integrate technology and source funding.

Budget

Probably the biggest limiting factor on any school is the available budget as this will effect every other suggestion below.

Staffing

To ensure that curriculum goals are met it is vital to have strong IT leadership amongst a school and the appropriate support provided, both in terms of technical 'maintenance' support and specific IT learning related support. There are many models of IT learning related support from teacher leaders, IT support staff, IT coaches etc... what is important is that handing a tool to someone is useless unless the user knows how to use it most effectively. Trained, competent staff are critical to delivering a quality curriculum.

Internet connectivity

What one can achieve in a web 2.0 environment is now highly limited by web connectivity. Wireless options and general internet speed has to be sufficient so not to waste learning time.

Appropriate hardware & software choices

Budget and internet connectivity will have an enormous influence on hardware and software choices. In saying this schools can effectively use much shareware and web 2.0 tools, which reduces cost, software and even hardware in some cases.

Regular Professional learning opportunities

The opportunity for teachers to engage and be extended with technology is critical if technology aims are to be achieved. Learning opportunities need to be linked to the school's vision of technology and any curricula adopted. This ensures that staff have adequate opportunities to master skills required to be taught in the classroom.

When schools take a good hard look at the above areas for implementation of IT, then there is a greater chance of ensuring we impart the information literacy skills students need.

7 ways I integrate IT...

Our COETAIL course has started again and I am going to be posting blogs a little more regularly over the next few months. Since starting the course last year I can see quite an impact in how I integrate IT into my everyday teaching.

So here's my top seven ways that I have used IT...

1. Google Forms: These have played such an important role in how I collect data. I use the forms in such a varied way and the fact that they are so easy to custom fit, has meant I have found many uses for them: collecting registrations for a monthly run that I organise in our local school community, collecting students choices for units, gathering sports team personal data and to gather parent feedback. Google forms have saved me enormous amounts of time and allowed me to focus on more important things.
   
2. Wetpaint Thai-ing in Wiki: As part of the role I shared with my wife as the new staff coordinators for our school we created this wiki to help people assimilate smoothly into Bangkok and our school. The wiki proved to be a collaborative space in which nearly 100 members came together to ask and answer questions, share knowledge and most importantly, connect. Although highly time-consuming in setting up the wiki the site answered numerous questions and the collaborative nature of the site meant that we weren't the only one's answering these questions! I used Google Analytics to track how much the site was being used and was surprised to see an average of 9 visits a day with over 12,000 page views in the past 5 months! Definitely worth it!
   
3. Google Docs: In our PE department we used a Google Doc as the 'virtual white board' to review our PE curriculum. It began with us all entering our thoughts about our current PE curriculum using 6 questions guided by De Bono's 6 thinking hats (we eached typed in a different font so we knew who wrote what). This rich document was then refined to create a list of things we liked and disliked about our current PE curriculum and gave us direction for curriculum changes. From here we created a new Google Doc which became the sketchboard for our new scope and sequence. The fact the document was shared, available for all to input, change, rearrange etc... allowed for much greater collaboration than would a static file.
   
4. Panthernet (Moodle): We are now using this school managed site in our PE department for information delivery, quizzes, and enrichment work. It isn't always the most simple to use, however once you know the ropes you can create a rich online support site for your classroom.
5. iWeb: From fooling around with iweb on my mac I created a static web-page which houses all our PE department's important documents on once site (Scope & Sequence, Standards, benchmarks, philosophy) and hyperlinks to all our units on our school shared server (which can be accessed from home). I then was able to email this to all our department (we all use mac's), and they were able to save this on their laptops. The idea is that this has the most up-to-date resources we are using and is user-friendly so that our fellow PE teachers who aren't so tech-savy can access the information they need swiftly and simply, saving time in the long run! They bookmark this static page and can access it directly through firefox.
   
6. My Google Reader: This has been a simple and effective way to receive relevant professional reading. I love the fact that I can get a quick summary of others blogs, read deeper if I wish, or mark as read as needed! My favorite two blogs include 'Mr Robbo -The PE Geek', a great blog from an Aussie PE teacher who has IT ideas oozing from his pores and 'Leadertalk', which sometimes provides some inspiration for aspiring leaders!
   
7. My Blog: This has given me a chance to be reflective to a wider audience. It has provided a reason to write and to share and it is creating a professional learning focus for me.
   

At the start of the course I set a goal in my first blog post: "My goal is to use technology so that I can do the things I REALLY want to do, it has to free up my time, not suck up my time." The reality is that technology has freed up much of my time, with the above examples really making life easier. The problem is that staying up with the technology has filed some of the time that has been freed up. The more I learn, the more realise how much more I could learn. The reality is that somewhere we have to draw a line... I'm learning this and drawing some clear lines with permanent marker... so don't worry, I'll never be tweeting you, I'll be out for a run.

Google Forms take the pain out of fitness testing... well at least for the teachers!

Ok, so we all know that PE teachers hate paperwork (well most of them), but there is one thing that seems to frustrate us all... when paper work takes away from activity time and our own time.

In my current school we have been using the FitnessGram tests to complete our triannual fitness testing. In the past all the results were taken manually and entered into either excel, the FitnessGram software or onto PowerSchool (our online reporting software). We thought we were pretty good at keeping the kids 'connected' by getting them to log onto PowerSchool to check there results and then use these in moodle via an online worksheet which allowed them to reflect on their results and where they were positioned with the different fitness zones. This proved to be a effective way for the students to reflect on their fitness levels out of class time, while also increasing activity time and integrating IT into our subject.

What was a hassle was the process of transferring the data from the little sheets the kids recorded their results on, into our online reporting system (PowerSchool). What should be an easy task tended to take a few hours going through each child's fitness result form, collating the results and then manually entering them onto PowerSchool... not any more.


All we did was create a GoogleDoc form, which allowed the kids to input their data, which was automatically collated, and then exported, sorted using excel, and finally uploaded into PowerSchool.

Very sweet, very smooth.



To ensure the kids didn't loose activity time we built the input session into a fitness circuit around the gymnasium. At one station we had 12 laptops ready to go with the GoogleForm bookmarked for each child to input their data into. Students referred to charts to work out their fitness zones and in a short time got a clear picture of their fitness level. This station served as a rest and drink station as well, which all combined to create a meaningful learning experience, while saving us time. Good times! We had class sizes from 30 to a combined block of four classes with 110 students in the gym entering data within the lesson. Never again will I manually enter this kind of data again!


If you haven't tried GoogleDocs check them out. They are very easy to use and effective in the classroom.

Technology in PE... Worth it?

So why integrate Technology into PE?

It is quite fascinating looking back to what people wrote over ten years ago about the possibilities of technology in Physical Education (See McLean, D. 1996, 'Use of Computer-based Technology in Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance'). Specialised software, multimedia enhancement, computer assisted instruction and use of the web were some of the major suggestions made by McLean. But the big question still remains: Have we really moved much beyond the these suggestions? Are we changing our profession and modernising the way we teach Physical Education? Has Physical Education entered the 21st Century?

Before we answer that question we have to ask why change? Why actually go to all the trouble to integrate technology into our lessons? Is there any research out there that suggests it is a good thing to integrate? There sure is a heck of a lot of resistance supported by a view that technology takes away practical time. Possibly it does. But I would argue that although we may lose practical time we maximise 'learning time', increasing the chance that our learners will become 'life long learners', motivated to gain in knowledge, understanding and application about what this actually means in a 'Physically Educated' sense.

Research isn't that easy to find and most web-sites offer limited scope on how one can integrate technology into PE. The most current trend being implemented is that of pedometers and HR monitors into PE (e.g PELINKS4U), primarily to assist in measuring effort (the whole concept of an effort grade is one that still bothers me... do we give an effort grade in academic subjects?). When used appropriately I have seen HR monitors and Pedometers improve participation and in some cases where there has been sufficient teaching, it has also lead to a greater understanding amongst the students of what is occurring during exercise in their bodies. But take caution! Research from McCaughtry, N., Oliver, K.L., Dillon, S.R., & Martin, J.J. (2008). (Teachers' perspectives on the use of pedometers as instructional technology in physical education: A cautionary tale), highlighted that the use of pedometers does not necessarily mean better learning in our classrooms, nor does it motivate all students to participate better.

But what about other technologies? Are we utilising digital video footage? Web 2.0 learning opportunities? Online feeds such as You Tube (have a look at the endless sporting videos online). What about software like the fitnessgram, Polar's PE Manager, are these promoting better learning? PDA's are useful in recording assessments, but are these enhancing learning? Are they giving the teacher more time to provide meaningful feedback within the class?

I think we have to test technology integration with three critical questions....

1. Does this integration of technology increase the participation of the student in physical activity in and/or out of the classroom?
2. Are students LEARNING better about being a physically educated person as a direct result from implementing this technology?
3. Does this technology remove barriers to participation?

I think when we can honestly look at our technology integrations and say yes to each of these questions then we are doing the right thing, if not we need to seriously question what we are doing.

Techin our Multicultural Games Unit

Kerry Dyke, our fellow Middle School teacher has been implementing a great unit on Multicultural games for a number of years here at International School Bangkok. I am pretty fired up to build on this unit and take it into the 21st century.

Here's my project sketch for our intercultural games unit:

Students currently partake in a very short unit which requires them to research and present a game from their culture. The unit begins by the teacher demonstrating some games from a variety of cultures to inspire the students to find games from their own culture. Students research a game from their own culture for homework, then are assigned to teach this game to their peers. They are also required to hand in a one page overview of their teaching plan and overview of the game.

The problem with the unit is that it currently gets 'squeezed' within other units. It needs to be more substantial, especially given that developing intercultural understanding is one of the key areas of the ISB vision. This project creates authentic learning experiences for children from a wide range of cultures, directly developing intercultural understanding. By 'Techin' this project it should give it more worth by expanding it's length, creating better opportunities for children to collaborate together online, and by forming a platform in which students from ISB can work with students in other schools.

Students will be peered up with someone from either their own culture or another culture. In peers they will research a physically active game unique to their or another culture. They will work on a wiki together to create a page which explains the game, includes pictures and the basic rules of the game and explains the games unique features relevant to their culture. They will also plan a short teaching lesson which they will be expected to deliver to their peers. The class will be divided in half for each teaching session to make the teaching itself less daunting.

Students will then deliver this lesson to their peers. The lesson will be recorded on digital video. Students will be expected to work with the recorded video to create a 2-3 minute video which assists explaining the game and shows them teaching. This will be uploaded to You Tube and embedded into their wiki page. The final part of the assessment will require the students to go onto each others sites, watch the videos and complete a small peer assessment task which will be managed through Googledocs. It would also be nice for students to offer feedback (via threads) on the wiki.

The ultimate goal will be to actually do this with students from another school in another country. In the first year of implementation it will be completed with students from ISB to work through 'teething' problems. In the second year the plan will be to join peers together from one school with another so they work in groups of four planning their wiki page and mini lesson together on the wiki. Once planned the peers will deliver the instruction in their own school then each post a video to their wiki. They will then be involved in providing feedback to each other online and completing the peer assessment through googledocs.

The most relevant links to the NETS are as follows:

2. Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments
and media.
c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.

3. Research and Information Fluency

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:

b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources andmedia.

5. Digital Citizenship

Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:

b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:

a. understand and use technology systems.

Pretty exciting aye??!!

If you are reading this from another school and want to join my PE class in this adventure please respond to this post. Please also have a look at the unit plan which I am developing.

A few ideas for integrating Technology in PE...

After doing a little bit of research, I found the Charleston County School District website, which has a few ideas for integrating technology into PE, here's their list of ideas (not awesome, but may provide a springboard for you):

Technology Integration Ideas for Physical Education

1. Develop a HyperStudio presentation that allows students to view separate "stacks" of skills and knowledge for various instructional units, such as tumbling, basketball, soccer or jump rope skills. Stacks can include digital video clips or still images of the skills. At the end of each stack, include a quiz, which enables each student to test his or her knowledge. Students who utilize this program enjoy learning in a multimedia setting.

2. Videotape students during PE class performing specific skills. Students can then check out their tapes for overnight viewing. This is an excellent opportunity for parents to visit their children’s’ PE class.

3. Email parents a positive message about their child and include a picture of them participating during physical education class.

4. Create or use an existing WebQuest that allows students to research a specific physical education, fitness or health topic on the Internet, then create a final project or product using that research.

5. Create and display a slide show of photographs of fitness activities or healthy food choices for discussion or a game.

6. Create a web page in Composer or Dreamweaver. Post it on eChalk. It can display class rules, fitness ideas, class projects, contact information and resources for students and parents.

7. Using computer “stations,” students rotate to a computer and go to a specific interactive web site to perform a specific task.

8. Students exercise, then measure their heart rates using heart rate monitors set up at stations.

9. Prepare a spreadsheet for students to fill out information to demonstrate their understanding of the food pyramid. (Students type a reason for eating each food listed in the 1st section, the nutritional value in the next section, and the part of the food pyramid in which the food is found in the last section.)

10. Students time their heart rates and plot them on a graph in a spreadsheet.

11. Students keep track of their steps per day with a pedometer and plot them on a graph in a spreadsheet.

12. Have students collect digital images from the Internet depicting motion, movement, dance, or another theme. Insert the images into a PowerPoint or HyperStudio presentation and add music or text. Present the project to the class.

13. Students create a brochure in Publisher promoting physical activity, fitness, nutrition, or a sport.

14. Students keep a daily log of their nutrition, exercise, or number of steps per day in a MS Word document.

15. Check out the video streaming web site http://streamlinesc.org accessible to CCSD teachers beginning fall of 2005. You can search for videos on health, fitness, dance, or movement. Digital pictures are also available to help depict health, fitness, dance or movement.

Take your marks, set...

It has taken me a while to get into this. I love technology, but I am also very wary of how it can form a giant black hole which potentially sucks people into a virtual life of a million connections, yet disconnecting them from a tangible reality. My goal is to use technology so that I can do the things I REALLY want to do, it has to free up my time, not suck up my time.

I resisted cell phones, now I text, call, surf the web and plan my lessons and life on its calendar. I refused to have an online email, now Gmail is the hub that keeps me in contact with hundreds of people all over the world. I hated the idea social networking thinking it was a waste of time. I am now linked on facebook to people I would never have been able to keep in touch with otherwise. I don't like the idea of anyone finding out all about me online... now I am blogging my thoughts here.

I learn. The gun went off and I may not have had a quick start, but anyone who knows anything about the sport I am passionate about... adventure racing, knows that it is a long race and you don't always know what is around the corner. You have to adjust, keep your bearings, become confident in your surroundings and you have to use your surroundings to your advantage.

My challenge lies in using I.T. in my current teaching discipline: Physical Education. Technology has become so embedded in sport that we have no choice but to role model it in Physical Education. It is easy to embed the physical technology of new products and sports equipment such as heart rate monitors and pedometers, but how do we specifically embed I.T. to drive students towards our number one goal: a lifestyle of personal fitness for health and enjoyment. How do we use it to inspire those students who want to push themselves that little bit harder so they can achieve better performance within their sport.

Some schools appear to embrace it, teachers walk around with palm pilots, downloading heart rate data from students, while assessing them in real time with pre-set rubrics. Some embed technology within lessons using visuals from the internet, and some schools are even buying into the new 'exertainment' systems. At ISB we are trying panthernet for online assignments and assessments in order to increase activity time. But will this really improve our students learning? We are trying to get kids off there rear ends and be active... therefore is embedding I.T. going to be counter productive to our goal? Possibly. We have to be wise about how we integrate it into our subject, it has to grow to a new level of connectivism... a state where it connects into the life of the student and inspires ACTION on their behalf.

I am doing a few courses through the school I currently teach at (International School Bangkok) and my challenge is going to be to take this learning and to apply it specifically to Physical Education. If it potentially takes away activity time for my students, I have to question it. If it makes them more inspired to take control of their own fitness I'm all for it. The gun has gone off and I am navigating through my environment working out which are the best tools to use; it should be fun! Look out for my reflections throughout this course.

"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger."

Frank Lloyd Wright