Reflection

When I first heard we would be creating a "visual essay"  I was quite confused.  I wasn't sure exactly what this meant but I was excited to find out.  We heard details about the project and I realized that it might actually be pretty fun.  I have had experience in iMovie before so I looked at this project as an opportunity to further my skills in this program.  Unfortunately I did not have enough time to incorporate everything I wanted into the video, but I believe it turned out pretty well.

I think that this project was a good way to get students who have never used movie creating software a chance to explore something new and exciting.  I also believe that this project was a good way to visually display an essay about beliefs.  The concept fit well with the tool.

I personally had a lot of fun creating the essay and video to go along with it. When I begin to educate I think this is an activity I might consider using with my students to help get them familiar with creating movies and recording. 

This I believe

My Desire to Educate

                I was only a sophomore in high school, preparing for summer, when my parents announced that we would be taking a three and a half week camping trip across the United States and Canada, visiting major national parks and landmarks along the way.  Needless to say I was not exactly ecstatic about being stuck in an SUV for nearly a month with my little sister and parents, but this was not an optional event.  We would make our way due west towards the Grand Canyon, continue north into Canada, looping back around into Michigan and southeast back to Pennsylvania. To my surprise, this trip would turn out to be a major turning point in my future, sparking my interest and love for the field of science, and eventually leading to my decision to become a Science teacher.

                As we embarked on our journey a mixed bag of emotions consumed me.  I would be losing almost a third of my summer, but I was extremely curious; not only about the landscape of the west, but what North America’s national parks had to offer.  We made our way across the central United States and my anxiety began to build. 

“Where the heck are all the tree’s?” , I remember thinking to myself.

We were a long way from home, and to be honest, it was quite dull and uneventful. These thoughts soon flipped as the landscape began to change and we gradually made our way into the western United States.  An explosion of trees, wildlife, and mountains filled the windows of the SUV as we crossed into Colorado, where the trip actually began for me.

                Over the course of the next three weeks I would explore the wonders of the west while living in nature over which time I truly found my passion for the sciences as each new stop drove my curiosity more.  From the depths of the Grand Canyon to the geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone I was hooked, and only wanted to learn more.

                Growing up with educators as parents, I believe is one of the main reasons I desired to be an educator.  Constant discussion of school and education was the center of dinner conversation every night. Having so much respect and love for my parents made me want to be just like them when I grew up, but I was could never find a subject I was truly interested in learning or teaching; until this trip.

When we returned, a long period of reflection was followed by happiness; I had finally found my niche in the education field and my career path was never clearer.  As a whole the trip was one of the best experiences of my life completely refuting my worries prior to the endeavor. I believe that all it takes is one experience to completely change a person’s outlook.  This trip was the experience that I needed, and I would not trade the passion for science that I gained for the world.

A Cool Tool for School: VoiceThread

When searching the web for "A Cool Tool for School" I came across a website on Google that had a large list of Web 2.0 tools.  I took some time to page through them and stumbled upon a very interesting web tool called VoiceThread. VoiceThread is a 'cloud-like' networking program that allows multiple users to upload video, presentations, live text and video chat.  Documents are uploaded to the VoiceThread cloud and then be viewed by all members of the group.   Here is a little bit about VoiceThread.


VoiceThread Simply Speaking from VoiceThread on Vimeo.
VoiceThread seems to be an extremely useful tool for students and professionals to communicate and share documents.  Many schools including The Pennsylvania State University have already implemented the VoiceThread tool to the school interface.  Michael Fort of the Baltimore County Public Schools explains more.



In conclusion I feel that VoiceThread would be a viable and useful educational tool for all classrooms and anybody interested should check it out VoiceThread.

Technology In Physical Education

The European Journal of Social Sciences recently published an article concerning a very important issue in education today. What do Physical Education Teachers Think about Integrating Technology in Physical Education? by Rolf Kretschmann explores the opinions of a sample of physical education teachers on integration of technology in a physical education classroom. Results of this study are surprising; showing physical education teachers resistance to technology integration and a general consensus that their teaching in physical education is successful without technology. However, I believe integrating technology into modern education is becoming more crucial as we continue to evolve.  Today technology can be integrated into any subject area and become a useful tool in the classroom.  I feel physical education may be overlooked.  As America continues to be the most obese country in the world, educating students at a younger age on how to stay physically fit and maintain proper diet seems to be a pressing issue.  I feel the use of technology such as interactive workout programs or logs and online or interactive diet planning could be the key to reaching children at a young age.  Below is a video from the University of North Carolina of some other ways to incorporate technology into the classroom and get kids interested.

Below I have also linked to a couple interactive diet websites that could be helpful to educators and students:

StartYourDiet

USDA

In conclusion, I feel if we don't get kids interested in their health at a young age America will continue on the path of poor health and obesity.  The physical educators job is to break this cycle and ensure the future of America by keeping the future healthy.  I believe if physical education teachers began to incorporate more technology into lessons, younger students may take more interest in their health.

Response Blog Entry

After reading chapter one of Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education by Will Richardson and Rob Mancabelli, I must say that I agree with much of the key ideas these authors bring to light.  As we move forward in time, technology changes exponentially as new ideas and innovations begin to mold the framework of modern education.  Classrooms are becoming more technologically equipped and students are becoming  more adept to these changes.  We as teachers need to start Rethinking Learning.  Richardson and Mancabelli state two conditions, that as we have connection to the internet:  1) We now have two billion potential teachers and 2) The sum of human knowledge will soon be at our fingertips. 

I agree that the sum of human knowledge will soon be at our fingertips.  The internet is so vastly important today in the sharing of information.  When at one time if a student had a question on a particular topic, the only answer was found on the shelf of a library or conveyed by an educator.  But today, however, most students are connected to the internet in some way whether by computer, laptop, or even most handheld devices.  This puts even the most complicated and obscure of answers at the students fingertips.  Personally, I feel like this shift in technology is vitally important to the education field and if utilized correctly can help significantly in the education process.  I feel that some students may learn more efficiently and faster if the curriculum was integrated into something they were more interested in.

However, as much as I support the movement towards more technologically integrated classrooms, we as current and future educators must remember that we are still the educator, not the computer.  I agree with Richardson and Mancabelli’s argument that “learning, whether online or off, is still social...”.  This statement really seems to drive home the fact that even if we are technologically integrated, learning is still best understood in person to person social interactions.  I believe that using the internet and computer technology as an aid to formal instruction is the best way to allow all students an equal learning opportunity.  I also feel that some students just aren’t as tech savvy as others and adding in new components of technology could simply confuse these students more than help. 

In conclusion, I believe that the new era of technology in the classroom is vitally important in the role of better education for all students and educators alike.  However, I do feel that it is important to remember that technology itself is not the educator. Though the sum of human knowledge may soon be at our fingertips, it’s up to the educator to properly utilize these resources to formulate an efficient and informative lesson.

I'm going to use this post to tell you a little more about some of my hobbies and some related links to my favorite sights and music. 

This video is a live performance from Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival and features one of my favorite artists Pretty Lights performing his song I know the truth to a edited video recap of his entire performance.

This is a photo of me in the process of doing one of my favorite tricks a cork 540.

If interested in contacting me please email me at Mike Chizewick

Introduction

My name is Mike Chizewick, and I am a junior education major at Edinboro University.  When I'm not attending class I'm usually working one of my multiple jobs at Outback Steakhouse as a server.  In my free time I enjoy participating in a multitude of outdoor sports including hunting, fishing, skiing, and golf. I also love long walks on the beach and romantic candle light dinners for two.  I aspire to be a future educator in the science feild encompassing new technology and traditional teaching techniques to best educate my students.  One day I hope to become a college professor after serving some years in the middle level education field.  Through this blog I hope to share any insight or stories I have experienced in my life, keeping the tone light and somewhat comical, all while recieving feedback from peers and web users alike.