Stephanie Werner's 20% Project Part II

For my 20% project assignment I focused primarily on the iPad 2 and how it can be used in a Physical Education setting.  I was awarded a grant from the Edina Education Fund to purchase two iPads.  Fortunately I received the iPad before the end of the school year so I had some time to put into action what I had researched to attain the grant.  I also did more research using twitter as well as the internet to find how other educators are using the iPad in their classrooms.  I then spent some time downloading various apps relevant to PE.  I downloaded iMuscle, Coach Whiteboard, Burstmode, and Jot.  I used Coach Whiteboard while teaching ninth graders football plays and to better explain the positions and their “jobs” in football.  I also used Burstmode to film students batting.  I then played it back to them frame by frame.  The last app I used with students is iMuscle.  We were talking about ankle sprains and what is involved when someone sprains an ankle.  I opened the iMuscle app and showed the students exactly what tendons and ligaments are involved when an ankle is sprained.  The iPad has made teaching more exciting and it is rewarding to see how the students respond when technology is present! (NETS*T Standards 3,5)

I have grown as a learner through the Technology Cohort in a number of ways.  I now have a moodle page for my seventh and ninth grade classes.  My seventh grade students have learned how to access a fitness scorecard I created for them in google docs, copy it, rename it, complete it, and then share it with me.  http://tinyurl.com/Fitness-Scorecard  Seventh graders now have record of their own scores which they can add to each year they are tested at Valley View.  My ninth graders went into my moodle course and completed a Future Fitness Plan that required them to set fitness goals for the year they graduate, and when they are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.  They reflected on their current level of fitness and listed specific ways they would stay in shape as adults. It was great to have them look into the future and then make decisions based on what they wanted to achieve during various decades of their lives. 

http://tinyurl.com/Future-Fitness-Plan  (NETS*T Standards 2,5)

Because Valley View PE department received enough money to purchase two iPads, we have had a lot of discussion in our department of ways we can effectively use the iPads in class with students, as well as personally for grading, attendance, and other record keeping we may need.   There are other teachers in our building who also received iPads and it has been helpful collaborating with them as to how they are using it.  Particularly helpful has been the sharing of how to set up the iPad with a projector. A projector will allow us to put an image from the iPad up for the entire class to view. 

(NETS*T Standard 5)

The 20% project assignment gave me the time to research, learn, and implement technology in my class.  It also allowed me to collaborate with my peers about how technology can be used to benefit our students and make a positive impact in their learning!