Changes in time and a look at them goals

Well, this year has been super hectic! Our school has made the move from 52 minute periods to 75 minutes, meaning that some of my lessons have shrunk by 29 minutes (from a double session to a single) and some have grown by 23 minutes. At first I was a bit hesitant about the change as I've loved the lesson length of 100 minutes for practical lessons and 52 minutes for Health classes but 75 has proven to allow me to "trim the fat" from my practical lessons and to think smarter about what I really want to see my students achieve in all classes. It's been a steep learning curve this year as our school goes through an array of changes including the structure of leadership roles, class locations and the time length of classes and planning time allocation.

At the moment I can't help but feel that the goals I set myself at the start of the year have turned out to be fairly ambitious given the pressure I feel at the moment to keep up to date with the work load I'm under (I'm sitting next to 3 different piles of assessment tasks to correct). One goal was to create quality feedback and to be timely with my feedback to students. I still want to do this and in some regards have been able to do this already, however it is still a skill I've yet to master. Some things I've learnt however are:

• Set yourself an achievable standard. Don't get excited about marking and returning everything in a very short period of time. Whilst it's great, it does set an expectation that you will always be able to do this (when the reality is often very different).
• Video feedback is time consuming... I really wanted to film students performing a skill that they want to develop. I filmed them, then found it hard to find a way to provide them with a copy of the video, let alone the time to sit with each student in class to go over their video. I'm still trying to find a best practice for this method of feedback.

I'm currently happy with my tiered lessons, though I'm now flirting with the idea of differentiating some tasks, but will need planning time to plan these out well, before submitting them to my colleagues to see if they're interested (we all do the same "report assessment tasks").

As for my goal of continuing to work with technology, this year I've decided to set up a website for my Yr11 VCE class and I've been very happy with it's progress so far. I've used Weebly (free) and so far the students and I have gotten some great use out of it! http://vceoes12.weebly.com/ The most important aspect of the website has been the blog where I can outline everything we study as we study it, making it a handy revision tool come exam time (next week). 

Oh and I've started playing around with making videos... look out!

Back to school for 2014!

Well it's the start of the new school year and I've been busy plotting what I will be attempting to do in my classes for 2014. Last year I made the decision to not reapply for my role as head of department in an attempt to give myself more time to change my practice and to hopefully assist the HPE team in a more grass roots kind of way. I've set some goals that I will slowly map out at the start of the this term to ensure that they are successful! They are:

1.) To scaffold my lessons to provide a more challenging environment for more of my students. I'll do this by creating a variety of tiered assessment pieces that will provide students with choice when it comes to being assessed. The use of Stile will assist with this.

Example of how my classes look to me.
I can create lessons and then drag them up when I'm ready for students to do them.

Stile is a relatively new comer to the world of cloud based education. We had an opportunity to trial their system within our school last year and many of us loved it and asked for it to continue on so management ticked that box for us. In it's most basic form it allows you to create "online worksheets" for students to complete and once they have you can correct it online and send them individual feedback. I'm hoping to use it on the next level up though by creating a more "flipped classroom" look with explanatory videos to be created on a host of topics from healthy eating right through to how to swing a golf club. If I model the videos right... I'm hoping the students will make their own in return with the use of their iPads.

What a lesson looks like (mixture of introductory video and then exploratory style questions.

2.) To increase the amount of meaningful feedback being given to students and to do so in a timely fashion. My goal is to construct better tasks that assist me in enhancing the quality of feedback given to my students. I also hope to construct a series of self assessing items using various ICT tools.

I'm hoping to do this using a variety of tools including:

• Socrative
• Kahoot!
• Stile
• Email
• iDocieo (to record keep student progress)

iDoceo is an app I picked up last year. It's not a free app but it has been worth the money spent. It's everything in one for me in terms of a "teacher's chronicle" so much so that I didn't buy a hard copy book this year to record student progress and marks.

Example of iDoceo at work.

3.) To continue being a leader within my school when it comes to integrating tech tools in a meaningful way both in and outside the classroom.

I love being able to show my colleagues new and exciting ways to do something, as well as just introducing new tools. The main reason is because I strongly believe that we're more powerful as a team than as individuals and whilst I can think of how to use new tools I'm forever impressed by the new things I learn from my colleagues.

I have other exciting plans too but I might save them for future posts!

So what are your goals for 2014?

Teacher and Peer Assessing using Socrative

I did an activity today in class that I felt I should share with my fellow educators. It involved using Socrative to assess a series of student created videos on Sexually Transmitted Infections (S.T.Is)... I know fun right!?

In my last post I spoke about the web based tool Socrative and its usefulness in regards to gathering feedback from students to improve the content and skills we as teachers deliver. So now it's time to flip the idea on it's head and talk about how this tool can be used to provide feedback to students regarding their own progress.
In previous lessons my year 9 class had been exploring STIs and sexual health, this led into their main assessment piece which was for them to develop a video/cartoon/podcast that focused on one STI of their choice. They needed to cover signs & symptoms, treatment, prevention and how it could impact on their lifestyle. They also needed to introduce interesting facts or statistics regarding their chosen STI. Students were told that their finished product would be shown to the class with their mark coming from both their teacher and their fellow classmates.

Today was the day of their video presentations. Prior to the lesson I set up a quiz on Socrative called "STI - Peer Assess Quiz". I also had in the room their other HPE teacher (we share this class) and a Pre-Service Teacher. As each video played I would open the quiz on Socrative and students would vote through a series of key questions such as:

• Your name
• Name of the group presenting
• How engaging is this presentation?
• Have you learnt anything new?
• Does this presentation cover signs and symptoms?
• Does this presentation highlight how the STI is treated?
• Overall what did you think of this presentation?

Each question was multiple choice (except the first two) and students quickly filled out the quiz at the end of each video. At the same time as they filled their quizzes out my colleagues and I would tick our own marking criteria sheet and them compare our answers. I gathered all the marking data from my colleagues and was sure to email myself a copy of the students responses to each quiz.

Rubric with a combination of 3 scores two teachers (highlighter)

The student results came through as separate Excel documents so I placed the data into an easy to read grid (google document located here)that also turned the results anonymous. Students will receive both sets of mark sheets back in their next lesson.

What we found most valuable and interesting from the whole experience was that everyone was engaged in the process of reviewing and that everyone felt they had a chance to comment on what they thought was good practice and what was in need of improvement.

Other things we liked included:

• Instant cross marking and discovering that we had similar "marks" for each group presentation that we assessed as teachers.
• That students were honest in the process and marked their peers to a similar grade to what their teachers had done.
• Everyone was engaged.

I'm doing this again tomorrow with my other year 9 class, can't wait to see if the results fall similar again!

Handy Online Tools

So recently I've been exposed to a host of online tools in my quest for better tools to use in the classroom. My goal was to find things that can slide seamlessly into what I do in the classroom without having to spend a lot of time explaining to students how to use the application. So here's what I've found to be super handy!

Strawpoll.me
This website is handy when you want to get a quick response from students. The results are displayed as a pie chart and update as votes roll in. You can make the chart visible as students vote or you can show at the end of voting if you want to avoid number persuasion. Simply visit strawpoll.me and fill out the blanks.

Today's Meet
If you're looking for a way for students to quickly respond to a scenario and to briefly discuss, todaysmeet.com might be a great choice. It allows you to set up a room, create a name and to choose how long the room exists for. Great for revising something just covered or for introducing a new concept.

Powtoon
I've been wanting to make informative videos in my quest to ensure that important information delivered in class can be accessed by my students who are absent from key lessons. The website powtoon.com allows users to create up to 30 free videos which can be uploaded straight to YouTube. It's fairly flexible in its use and has a variety of templates to play around with for the less adventurous video maker. I trialled it last night making a short video on HIV for my students:

So what online tools are your favourite?
Props to @flattero  for introducing strawpoll and TodaysMeet to me at a recent PD.

Apps I Wish My Students Would Use...

So I just finished scrolling through my twitter feed and saw a blog post titled "Apps I Wish My Students Would Use" from thephysicaleducator.com and it got me thinking... what Apps would I love to know my students are using outside of school that have a direct correlation to Health or Physical Education? If I could give them a gentle guiding towards some key apps which would they be? These are 4 favourites!

MapMyRide - MapMyWalk - MapMyRun 

These little apps are neat! You enable the GPS settings on your device and hit "record" and go on your merry way. It maps out where you travel during your workout and provides results including: distance, average pace, time taken and speed. The results including the map are kept journal style and can be accessed later on via the app, or the website. Meaning users can review their week, can share with others (there is an online community associated with the website) or users can just revisit older workouts and try to better them. The other neat thing is members can set themselves goals to achieve with a variety of parameters for consideration to make the goals more achievable. Members can share their achievements via social networks as well, meaning students could continue to encourage one another. The best thing is this app is available on both Android and iOS.


MyFitnessPal

This app is a great way for students to monitor their exercise and  nutrition. Users log their workouts and what they have consumed throughout the day. They can add friends and share their progress with one another. The food bank is extensive as is the exercise bank, meaning most things can be found and added to the daily log book. Just like with MapMyRide/Run/Walk members can set goals and track their progress. This app is also available across most platforms including Android and iOS and the website is a great place to stop as well.


Nike Training

I've mentioned this app on the blog before and still have faith in it's ability to give students a good workout, particularly those who are self motivated. I've shared this with a few students who have either told me that they enjoy working out by themselves or that they want to work out but can't access/afford a gym. It's only available on iOS at this stage but is worth the large download with a variety of workouts available to try.




Zombies Run!

Ever heard the excuse "I'm not going to run unless I'm being chased"? Well this app provides just that... Plug your headphones in, hit play and start running. The app is clever and suits interval training as well as continuous. As you run you are involved in a story that includes the growl of chasing zombies (meaning you need to go faster or risk fictional death) and the GPS means your run gets included into the story with suggestions for side streets to gather "supplies" to help you on your run. This app certainly appeals to students who are enjoying the recent rise in zombie popularity.

QR Codes in PE

So... QR Codes (quick response codes) are basically a matrix style barcode that allows you to store information to be shared with others. The information can be anything from an image, a web address, a calendar event, a phone number or just some plain old text. The great thing about these little fellas is that they are cross platform... meaning it doesn't matter if you're using iPhones/iPads,Windows or Android systems. The most common use of QR Codes in the world at large appears to be linking the user to a website. Examples of QR Codes can be seen in magazines, newspapers, on shop front windows and on advertising images. So in short a QR Code looks like this:

Scan to go to It Inside PE Outside

As you can see if that little square matrix is placed on the corner of a big picture advertisement for say Nike, users could scan (using a device with a camera and a QR scanning app) the code which could have been generated to link people to the Nike website, or even to a specific page on their website (Mid year Sale anyone?). Sounds great you're thinking... but what use have I for that in my PE class? How do I even make my own QR Codes? Good questions worthy of an answer!

How QR Codes could be used in PE classes:

• Station work. 

Rather than printing sheets of paper that explain what students should be doing at each station, why not generate permanent instructions/information that exist either on a website (school Intranet) or as just plain text instructions/information. Create codes for each station and then just print and place those at each station. Students can then move from station to station and gather the needed information to complete set tasks.

How might this look? 
PRACTICAL LESSON: How about we use fitness testing as our example? Have stations set up around the court (such as vertical jump, sit and reach, ball-wall toss) and place a QR code on the wall beside each test. Students move to the station and scan the code. The code then provides them with all the information they require to complete the test correctly. You could even have a second code underneath for them to scan after completing the test to see where their results fall in relation to the scale.

THEORETICAL LESSON: How about we use the sexual health unit as our example of how QR codes can be used in a theory based lesson. Put together small web pages of information about each Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). Develop QR Codes that will link students to each STI individually. Place these around the room and provide generic questions on the board. Students can then move about and develop their own "Fact Sheets" on each STI. Generic questions can be as simple as "how is it transmitted? how is it treated? how is it prevented?" etc.

Stations could be self run

• Orienteering.

Create an orienteering course that uses QR Codes at each point to provide the next clue/direction for students following the course.

How might this look?
Create plain text clues that provide students with the next point on their map. When they make it to the correct destination a QR Code could be visible for them to scan providing them with their next coordinates.
Have students in pairs develop their own codes and trails for another pair in the class to then try out.

Scanning for the next coordinates?

How to create QR Codes:

So you've got some ideas but now you want to know how to create these little pixelated squares of fun! Well truth be told there are a variety of ways... all depending on whether you're using a phone, an iPad or your PC... so lets explore!

Android phone/tablet then check out:
 QR Droid
This little app allows you to scan QR Codes, create your own, decode codes and keeps a history for you as you play.




 
iPhone/iPad then check out:

Qrafter

EasyQR

Qrafter or EasyQR (there are also loads of free "scan" apps so be sure to find one that allows you to create codes as well as scan).








 
PC check out the following links to assist you in making QR Codes:
http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
http://www.qurify.com/en/
http://www.qreasy.com/


Each of the above platforms work in a similar way, you type or select the item to be turned into a QR Code then allow the app/website to create the code, then you simply save the code as an image and then it's ready for you to print or to email etc


So there you have it, that's QR Codes in a nutshell (ok in a website that looks nothing like a nutshell but you get me). The advantages of having QR Codes is that more information can be delivered at once than if you were to stand in front of the class and just talk it out. It means you can mix up the lesson and students can work at their own pace, and it also means you can mingle with your students and take the time to assist them where they need it most.

That's all I have on this for now, but if you've got a great QR Code idea let us know! You can add it in the comments section of this blog
Peace out fellow PE Geeks!

A digital classroom?

So sometimes I find myself questioning whether homework is really worth doing in PE. After all our subject is predominately practical skill based and aside from planned assignments or projects what else is really worth setting as homework?
I personally am a big believer in the fact that work set for students to complete needs to be worthwhile and meaningful. When we as either teachers or students can see the value in completing a task we're more likely to devote our attention to that task and in turn become fully engaged in the process of learning a new skill or developing new knowledge.

So with that in mind I started reviewing the topics we cover in our class (mainly Health related topics as our school combines Physical Education and Health as one subject for junior levels right up until VCE). I also reviewed my teaching methods and also how much time I dedicated to theory related lessons versus practical related lessons and I found that it was difficult to strike the perfect balance of time devoted to properly unpacking and exploring theory topics and time devoted to skill development and "just getting out there" with my students. As for teaching methods, one of the most common things I found occurring in my class was discussion based activities. Discussion based activities make real sense in PE classes considering the topics we cover (drugs and alcohol, sexual health, health of Australians and risk taking to name a few). That's when it dawned on me... why not have our discussions outside the classroom sometimes? So after doing some research online this is what I have discovered and started implementing in time for the new term.

First I signed up for my own page at Collaborize Classroom which allows me to create my own online discussion forum which is very student and teacher friendly. I was given the option to create a name for my page (so I called it "PE with Ms M") and from there I was able to start customising the page for my classes.

Screen shot of my digital classroom

If you check out the screen shot I'm sharing with you of my digital classroom you'll notice that I've altered the colour scheme by simply hovering my cursor over Manage and selecting Site from the drop down menu (1). i then just selected the colour scheme I wanted.
After that I tapped on the little pencil beside the heading Categories (2) and edited the sample categories already in existence renaming them as my classes (you can later manage these making them either visible or invisible to different classes if you wish). I then clicked on Start a Discussion (3) to create a topic "thread" where I posed a question to my students to then answer. Then all I had to do was provide each student (via email or paper slip) the address (URL) of my page and I invited them to come join the page. The neat thing about this site I guess is that they wouldn't need an email address to sign up.
I instructed students to use their real name or a shortened version when signing up and to create an appropriate username as well (the real name isn't visible to anyone but me, others only see the username they select).

You may already even have a discussion forum style tool on your school's intranet system, if so it is much easier to set up, but if you don't then having something like this means being able to create a brilliant space where students can answer a set question, then respond to their peers and even be encouraged to re-evaluate what they have written after reading everyone's posts and provide a new post using facts or information/ideas/view points from others to back up or change their opinion or understanding of the topic.

Overall an online discussion can allow you to capture the thought process of your students as they plan responses, evaluate and re-evaluate etc. Through setting this page up I hope to hit two birds with one stone... one being the minimising of homework, and two ensuring that discussions aren't restricted to the limited time available in class time. The other beauty of having a site like this running means that if a student is away sick for a period of time, they can still be involved with the class.

Other sites that do similar stuff include:

• Edmodo (looks and feels like the nerdy sister of facebook making it appealing to teens and powerful fun for teachers... imagine notifying students to remind them to bring their PE uniform).
• Schoology (similar to Edmodo)
• Go Soapbox (a real time interactive tool where students can share with their teacher how they are going with any set task given).
• Socrative

 What I have planned here, could be the beginning of introducing the "Flipped Classroom" model to my classes, who knows!

Next week I hope to tackle amongst other fun things.... QR Codes!!


Stay tuned and share the blog! Leave me a comment if you have a suggestion on what I should look at next!

Peace out!