Reflection of this year

Wow !!! What exciting things we are doing at WAIS and SFMS w/ the technology grant.
Students who have been served by this grant are around 300 students. Since I teach semester classes and year round athletics this number is probably higher.
Summarize how the grant impacted the students it served: Many celebrations of my students can't even be put into words as they have made great strides in their physical levels as well as new found self-esteem.
Athletics: athletes were videoed while performing a skill and then using the mini laptops, the flipcam video was played back to them so they could see what they were doing. This allowed athletes to correct their form and understand what I was asking them to do. We also took pictures and videos of each season and then made animoto videos to highlight the season. What I love most about this feature is I filmed athletes during track meets as they jumped , hurdled, and relay passed the baton. When we returned to practice the next day, I was able to let them see how they perform in competition. This allows them to understand my teaching of muscle memory. This makes perfect sense to the athlete, and they were able to correct and improve at the next meet. Athletics is an area where performance and skill is perfected and these girls are learning the fundamental skills that they will build on in the future. Professional athletes also do this so they can perform at a higher level and I feel that with this technology use, my athletes benefited over other schools that do not do this. Athletes parents were thrilled and amazed that I would do this and they talked about the difference they could see in their child. Of course, who doesn't like a video made about the team after the end of the season. The girls loved the videos and have downloaded them to their computers. I have also shared this with my athletic director and other schools as a way to promote what we are doing w/ technology in SBISD.
WAIS classes: Where do I begin.....we have created some exciting projects, learned how to use resources to enrich out classes, as well as created lessons for class. Students are 100% active in my classes which is way above the other schools participation level. I love to see the smiles on their faces as we finish a project. They take such pride in their work and accomplishments. My principal, Dr. Natalie Blasingame, has allowed me to create 3 classes at WAIS to meet the students needs. Since I write curriculum for the district, I knew that the basics of TEKS could be combined to create classes that the students would enjoy. One of these classes that I created is aerobics which is designed to be a type of intervention class for students based on BMI, TAKS scores, and FITGRAM scores. These students are at risk of obesity and based on national statistics, drop out of school at a higher level than other students. With this in mind, we selected students to reach and teach. I focus on positive comments and high energy teaching. With technology, students play wii games, create videos and personal fitness audio programs to use at school and most importantly ,at home. I have taught them how to use the Internet for exercise sites that they can access outside of class. We use the Internet sites to record personal data and progress so they can self monitor their progress. I also teach other fun and engaging activities w/o technology such as cooking and nutrition. We do use several website for nutrition games and research recipes that we can learn to prepare more healthy. Students have also made a variety of games using several web sites and created game pieces using the mac and minis. These games are shared with other classes and played in class.This class was such a success the first semester that I had now have students who have signed up for the class who are not targeted based of the 3 criteria I used to create the class. That certainly speaks volumes for how technology can reach students in a positive way and make a difference in their lives.
Outdoor ed classes create podcasts of lessons that pertain to cooking, orienteering, etc. I have downloaded a variety of lessons from u tube that teach very specific lessons we use in class. Students love to hear from experts and I feel that they are getting more out of the lessons than if I teach these skills. Students who need to brush up on skills or who were absent can access these videos at home and not get behind the rest of the class. We also make projects from the web based on skills learned such as trading cards, etc.
Briefly share a couple of specific experiences that went well Everything went well....well a few glitches, but that is part of the learning curve with new techniques. Right now, my 2nd semester aerobics and foundation classes are working on their personal fitness programs. This is accomplishing several things. One, I am testing their knowledge of information we have covered and how to make it applicable to them. Two, they are getting to be creative with their work. Most importantly, they are creating a program that they want to do and will continue to do after they have left my class. They understand how to create a fitness program and they will know how to adjust it or change it in the future without my guiding them through the process. They know that while they are at WAIS, they can come to me even if they aren't' taking my class to use the mac to create another program or they can now go on their own to the LRC and use the macs there to create another program. They are learning how to be independent of a teacher and become accountable for their fitness levels.
Marketing my classes and what we are dong at WAIS and SBISD has been a goal of mine that I have been working on for several years. I feel passionate about fitness and nutrition and I want to share with other schools and districts about the things we are doing. The technology grant has allowed me to produce more projects by my students as I don't have to borrow the equipment from RCE anymore. We are making videos constantly that I use in parent meetings and share with other schools. We have created a marketing project for WAIS, the fortune cookie, which has given me as well as the students a product to give out to others.
Your plan for next year – how you plan to take the project forward next year:
This is where I get so excited!!!!!!! Although I received a written notice that I may be terminated from my job at WAIS due to the states lowered standards for HF, I am going ahead with my plans for the future years here. My classes are packed to the max and students wait to get in to many of them as they fill up early. My enthusiasm and energy helps to create an atmosphere for high level physical activity. Technology use in the gym is attracting students who otherwise avoid the gym to sign up for classes. I have written many grants and contests since I received this technology grant which has allowed me to purchase more tools for class and fund activities we do. I am currently writing a huge grant with RCE that, when we receive it in the fall, will allow us to teach an after school program for students and their parents in nutrition, fitness and technology. All 3 areas will help educate the parents and students about the need to be active and eat properly. The first year of this program will be covered by this grant and then I want to find more $ to carry this on and expand the program in the future. The program will follow similar to my classes already, but we need to reach the community and parents so they can learn and apply this knowledge to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Because of this technology grant and the way I teach my classes, I have been awarded a PBS teacher award that will allow me to partner w/ PBS with my teaching and their education program. I can't wait to get involved with them and it is most exciting to me to be able to show and tell others about SBISD use of technology in the gym. I have several other national companies that want to work with me because of what I am teaching with technology and out of the box non-traditional classes. It is an opportunity that I have been working on for awhile and thrilled to have the opportunity to promote SBISD on a national level. I am hopeful that these companies and organizations will let me network with other companies to enrich the WAIS HF program. I am also networking to expand to an international level where, WAIS being international , I will get the opportunity to share with other schools across the world what SBISD is doing and share ideas of what they are doing with students. Next year, my students will be skyping with other schools across the globe where they can meet others on camera and talk about the foods and physical activities they are doing. I want my students to be exposed to all different styles of teaching and this is one way I can accomplish this goal.
I also want to take the programs we are doing currently and expand them in the future. I have only touched the tip of the ice burg and I am researching new and different ideas that I can teach my students. I want them to make more projects using the mac and create lessons that they enjoy. I hope to reach more of the SBISD community with lessons that students will podcast next year. They will be on lessons of nutrition, fitness, and recreational activities. It will also give "how to" videos on how to create projects and web links for exercises. Perhaps we can get the wiki up on the SBISD homepage ?????????????????
I feel like a kid in a candy store because I have so many choices that I can make and they all look good. I constantly ask my students what do they want to do and learn about and they bring in creative ideas...there's just not enough time in the day to do all of these.
My BIG goal that I want to reach is a combination class that is double blocked. One day fitness/ cooking class, the next day computer time where we create games, programs and research topics in these areas. I feel strongly about finding ways to reach my high school students to make them aware of the importance of being a complete person in the areas of academics and fitness for a lifetime.
THANK YOU TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE for awarding me this grant!!!!!