Happy Jing~ Inbox Instructions

Have a listen to this ~

Here's a description of the different types of Zumba classes.

My First You Tube Video~!

Picture This!

Photosharing Ideas

Action photos!  As I was looking over the assigned information, and following the links, I found myself on a Flickr page featuring rollercoasters.  I was immediately transported to a rollercoaster, and was bracing my body for the ride, instantly.  This gave me a great idea to incorporate action photos into a fitness class.

Using the big screen and overhead projector in a classroom, show a selection of photos each with an action theme, and have the students respond with their body, words, &or movement.

Here’s some ideas that I came up with after doing a Flickr search for Action Photos:  Rollercoaster HILL, people jumping into a lake, catching a foot ball, huge ocean wave, a motor cycle taking a tight corner, skate board ramping, cartwheels, two birds flying, a bike in midair, ice mountain climber, water skiing, salsa dancing, photo shopped image of guy hanging onto the Eiffel tower…. Got the picture?  Just imagining these images creates response in the body.  How about seeing them on a large scale and taking action! This could be especially fun in a Kids PE class to get them out of their head and into quick action.  Talk about an Action photo!

Another activity with photos in the classroom could be used in Zumba class.  The Zumba dances originate from around the world.  We could focus on the individual dances and share photos depicting the style of dance; and with the use of geotagging, share cultural aspects of each dance.  For instance, the Cumbia originates in Columbia, the Flamenco in Southern Spain, the Reggaeton from Puerto Rico, the Salsa is influenced by Cuba, Africa and Spain.  What a great way to get a well-rounded feel for the different styles of dance.

Indeed, a picture is worth mucho words~  Muy Bien!

CouchSurfing ??!!

CouchSurfing for you and me~

A hospitality exchange is an organization that connects travelers with local residents in the cities they're visiting. Connecting with the right people at the right time, can lend you a room or sometimes a couch in the place you’re visiting for free. A grassroots effort that gave the hospitality exchange network a stronghold on our planet is CouchSurfing!

In 1999 Casey Fenton found a great deal on a flight from Boston to Iceland.  Rather than afford a hotel or even a hostel, he “spammed” 1500 students from the University of Iceland asking if he could stay with them.  He received more than fifty offers of acceptance.  On his return flight to Boston, he began to pencil in the ideas that would create the cultural phenomena that would be forever known as CouchSurfing.

The target audience was for travelers who had flexibility and were traveling on a dime.  Flexibility was and still is important to ensure that schedules were harmonious and suitable to the couch owner, and travelers themselves.  On a dime, because money is not exchanged, staying with your host(s) is always free; it is contrary to the values of CouchSurfing and against their terms of use to charge someone to surf your couch. Many surfers like to bring their hosts gifts or treat them to a meal as a "Thank you," but it’s not a requirement. “There are infinite ways to reciprocate goodwill”, they say.

CouchSurfing.org became a public website in January 2004. Initial growth was slow, and by the end of 2004 the site had just over 6000 members. In 2005 growth accelerated and at the end of that year the membership stood at just under 45,000.

CouchSurfing is still popular.  In fact its mission statement is to create inspiring experiences and is intending to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!

There are other hospitality exchanges in the network but according to this chart from Wikipedia, CouchSurfing is way ahead of the rest.

Members * Organization

 -------   ------------

1,430,318 * #CouchSurfing Project   

  437,042 * #Hospitality Club

   56,961 * #GlobalFreeLoaders

   13,000 * #Servas

    7,236 * #BeWelcome

    4,000 * #Evergreen Bed and Breakfast Club

    4,000 * #Affordable Travel Club

    1,350 * #Pasporta Servo

      700 * #Hospitality Exchange

        ? * #Casa Casa

        ? * #Belodged.com

        ? * #Stay4free

I would definitely consider becoming a member of this site.  There are built in safety features that make me feel comfortable. Like the fact that they’re a self moderating community, which means they work like a neighborhood watch program to keep each other safe. This includes a valuable rating system that collectively shares experiences that others have had with a particular couch.

A world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter?  I like this.  Let’s call it the couch effect.  Sleep Well~

Digesting some ideas from Steve Hargadon

Failure is free.  What a sweet concept.  This allows me to know that I can just go for it.  Get my ideas out there in any out-of-the-box way that I can dream up.   See what brings people to the network.  Try different videos, pictures, messages and links.  What will grab the attention of my audience and keep them there to engage and share.  Because, according to Steve Hargadon, it is the engagement that trumps the topic.  We want to create a place where conversations can take place.

This can be an asset for the classroom to get students to engage and converse.  Frequently students don’t really say what they mean, they may hold back as they look around the room a little shy of speaking up and/or sharing for fear of sounding weird, or making a mistake.  The online social environment can create an arena where they can add information, ideas, links and such, as a way to speak, be commented to, create dialogue and feel that sense of leadership and participation online.

I appreciate what Steve says regarding promoting the philosophies of being authentic, polite, setting boundaries, expanding on ideas that will better the social experience.  A great example of this in action is one of our teachers, Todd Conaway.  Todd’s online presence is polite, encouraging, he strives to improve the network, and he promotes authenticity.  If we all modeled our social networks after him, what a wonderful world this would be~

As perhaps as our own social networks evolve, we will create an environment where the students and participants can blossom, share, lead, improve, converse, and create an authentic experience that will have far reaching benefits that leave the screen and crescendo out into the real world.

Wiki Fun~

Have a look at the early stages of my Physical Education Wiki~

http://roxannezoom.wikispaces.com/

Wiki and Physical Education

Here Wiki Wiki Wiki~

As I am creating my new wiki, I am assured by Todd that this is the first. It’s a practice and definitely not my end all of wikis. Thank goodness. It is like learning a new language. I find myself hunting and pecking, losing my info, un-saving what I was working on, typical challenges of the tech world, eh. However, I did create a wiki, in minutes. And it really was user friendly.

My intentions are to use this as a showcase for exercise videos. As a place to share new steps, and choreographies, and see how other classes are interpreting the same music we are using.

Yet, I feel I must broaden my expectations a bit, and expand my ideas regarding this general use of my multi-paged wiki. So if I were to think outside of my own box for a moment, I might say that we can create other pages based on the benefits of physical exercise. To include pages reflecting different types of exercise that give examples of a full range of fitness options. Also to list benefits, and perhaps contraindications of exercise, healthy recipe ideas, numerous charts stating the proper heart rate range, healthy weight levels, effects of exercise for different age groups.

Now that I am really brainstorming with myself, I see lots of potential for the use of not only an exercise specific wiki, but a full physical education wiki. We see this information in magazines all the time, but to bring the students into a co-creative role in this could be that extra momentum they need to increase the levels of fitness into their individual lifestyles.

I could create a student page as an exercise journal, where they list fitness goals, and what they are doing each week to take them closer these goals. Also, welcome their input on extracurricular fitness ideas and have them share what they are doing in our community incorporating a healthy lifestyle.

I see how the wiki would evolve and grow outside of the classroom experience and create an engaging aspect that continues long after the class is over.

Instructional Design

Looking at the Behavioral and Constructivist Approach towards Instructional Design

The Behavioral approach involves conditioning and stimulating a natural reflex as in the classic observation of Pavlov’s dogs that salivated when they would smell, and even see food.  People are biologically inclined to respond to repeated positive and negative reinforcement techniques.   This could be very beneficial when attempting to mold children into a specific way of thinking and acting in the class.

The instructor gives very black and white information usually in front of the room, and expects the student to listen, remember, and reiterate this said information, which can be observed and assessed individually through tests.

The Constructivist approach encourages the students to take an active role in their education.  Literally constructing & collaborating to create a unique learning environment that involves assimilation of the material at a deeper, more memorable level.

The Constructivist approach is similar to the Behavioral approach, quite broadly, by way of a classroom; that they are both usually taking place in a classroom setting.

These models differ from one another due to the Constructivist focus being more on process and interaction, and less on what is specifically to be accomplished as a result of the lesson as in Behavioral.

As I am in the design phase of a new class format, I will be implementing more of the Constructivist approach.  My intention is to start a new children’s movement class.  This will be for elementary aged children, in a community setting.  I plan on bringing in more of their pop culture music, and welcoming their teaching me and their peer’s new steps, and encouraging them to bring music and costumes from home.  Ultimately we will share excitement and encouragement on a blog so we can engage the rest of the family and friends outside of the classroom.

It is my hope that by allowing them to explore the learning environment in concert with others and construct meaning from their learning experiences, we can collaborate and create a win-win environment that will carry over as an increased level of fitness in every aspect of their lives.

Getting It~

Getting It~

Will Richardson “Get’s it.” He is passionate about it. He shares it. He believes it. He lives it. He is indeed re-thinking our education process and making this knowledge available to educators around the planet. I believe that he intends, and is an advocate for, the creation of a new pedagogy. I am thankful that he is such a forerunner and spokesperson for this.

His participation in Educon 2.2 this past January, in Philadelphia, was expected. Yet his follow through is spectacular! He is creating this collaborative project, by addressing many of the top concerns, ideas, and responses generated at this conference. He is welcoming a full participatory exchange. What a grass roots effort to initiate change!

His process began with a vote. Where are the main questions & concerns? Next, he’s proposing a full spectrum croudsourcing experience. A collaboratively written exchange in blog posts which can eventually lead to a published book on LuLu. This can, in turn, be a resource plan of action for schools as they tackle some of these “big” questions in their planning for adapting to the technology process.

This does mean that we are in the midst of new pedagogy. There may be some resistance to this, as it requires changing what’s always been done, and changing what’s already considered new. Yet we are living in exponential times. We have to change, and we can start small.

When browsing the compiled list of education blogs at Will Richardson’s www.weblogg-ed.com I am surprised at how much of this technology is already being used. What a resource. These examples show me the ease of which we can begin this process. They show me that something as simple as starting a blog, can be a doable first step in starting small.. I appreciate this because with the amount of choices and options available, all of this technology can feel a little daunting, as the classroom in this picture makes me feel.

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Here’s what Will says about this photo: I wonder how many educators look at that picture and think “OMG, puhleeeese let me teach in that classroom!” (I suspect not many.) I wonder how many of them already do teach in classrooms that look like that if we consider the technology in kids pockets (or lockers) as the access point. (I suspect, more than you think.) The problem is, and I can guarantee you this, 95% of the curriculum currently being delivered in those classrooms would waste 95% of the potential in the room that we could glean from that access.

There is tremendous potential all around us and we, as the generic educator, are still trying to wrap our brain around the concept. So that leads me to wonder about the reality of a new pedagogy. As teachers we might either say, “No way, it’s too much, I’m not using it.” Or, “hey, if I start small, collaborate with my peers; maybe I can bring this into the classroom a little easier”. And pardon me, Will, but I do prefer it to be easy(ier). In his post about the Smart Board and his response to their marketing piece and the suggestion that it’s all about being “easy”, there is something magnetic to that easy sounding tool. Life is full and busy, and teachers are people too, that smart board looked cool and easy. I don’t agree with his argument against the Smart Board. Not saying I like this board, just not agreeing with why he doesn’t like it. Because I do want my technology to be easy, at least to get me started and into the momentum of technology expansion!

And technology expansion it is. My insistence upon it being easy, has me at a Level 1 in “getting it”, as pertaining to his Nov. post, http://weblogg-ed.com/2009/what-does-getting-it-mean-anyway/ . Will is definitely at a Level 3, of “getting it”, as is George Lucas. So while I’m hanging out down here at Level 1 waiting for it to be easy and over thinking myself into stalling, they are getting things done, and are forerunners for a new pedagogy. Technology Pedagogy.

A Brief History of Pretty Much Everything.

Google Buzz hit the scene this week.
This a new technology that has taken off, and will continue to grow and evolve.

Jane Hart, an education blogger, and social learning consultant, found this youtube "flip book".

I think it shows an interesting synopsis of how quickly technology can advance and evolve.

Enjoy.

Michelle Obama says 'Let's Move' on obesity in American kids

Michelle Obama says 'Let's Move' on obesity in American kids / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com

Great Exercise for the Arms~ click here.

Trying out my new Blog This application from google chrome~

Very cool~

My Personal Teaching Philosophy

How lucky I am to cultivate the art of teaching something that I love!

“Listen to your body.” “Work within your personal fitness levels.” “How does your body feel today?” “Keep it easy for you.” “YES! That’s great!” These are some of the cheers that my students hear repeatedly from me, along with great music & encouragement, as a call to action.
I so appreciate the variety of body types and age groups of people in my fitness classroom. The decision to take a class requires commitment and drive. The fact that they show up is the first step of the experience. The next few steps are where the fun comes in, to create an ever-changing, challenging, duplicatable, fun, & safe fitness environment that keeps them coming back.
Yoga, Zumba, and Toning classes offer individual ways to increase levels of fitness. Even though these classes are uniquely different, I format them similarly.
We begin each class with a warm-up. Sometimes I surprise them with a circle, a new song, or even lying down. As we progress into the class, I am attentive to the strengths and assists necessary for the whole. Without singling anyone out, I encourage and model correct posture and footing so that we can progress as a group. There is usually an opportunity to allow for free movement to really let the body do its own thing, and get the mind out of the way.
Music is another big part of my classroom experience. When we are engulfed in good music, a party atmosphere is created and we forget the time and any drudgery associated with exercise. This is an important aspect of keeping them engaged and excited about the next session.
All in all, I am happy to proclaim that my personal teaching philosophy involves freedom, fun, challenge, variety, friendships, laughter, fitness, and an all ‘round effective, good time, which leads us to cheer, “I feel Great!” at the close of each class.

How lucky I am!

My first blog post~

Hello~
Welcome to the world of blog~
Isn't this fun?
Let's see what comes up, and all of the amazing things that can be created!
Cheers,
Roxanne~