The last full week we have of 255 is a depressing one. As the projects are passing their due dates its easy to see the finish of the semester sprinting towards us. It's fun to see how much we have developed in the past few months. In such a short time we have accomplished so much. Integrating technology into our lesson plans and responding to emergencies are only some of the experiences we got from this semester. In the beginning of the semester Professor Yang told us that a lot of times the people you have 255 with are some of the closest friends in your major. I find this to be very true in my case. I can't help but see the contacts I have made in this class. How close we all have come is astonishing, especially without the use of group projects. We were not forced to come together and look at each others blogs and steal ideas for our lessons but we do this by choice and accept that it happens. This class has changed my learning experience and I could only hope to have many more like it in my next year and a half at SUNY Cortland. Unfortunately I don't have Professor Yang for 470 next year which is upsetting. But there is one thing he has taught me, don't be afraid  of challenging yourself and trying new things. I feel this class has taught me so many ways to go above and beyond while teaching physical education to students. I can't wait to see how the teachers at Homer Middle School and High School run there classes. This is where I will be doing by 256 experience and I am excited to start observing this summer. As one door closes another opens. Keep checking this page to see how my experience at Homer is doing!

Lab D

Last Friday was my Lab D for 255. Unfortunately I don't feel it was my strongest lesson of the year. However I feel that my Lesson Plan, Scope+Sequence and Block Plan are better than they have been all year. The lesson; failure gives life to success. The whole lesson, from a student being blind to using the technology to my maximum potential and lesson plans and progressions. Some aspects of lessons are better than others, learning from those aspects that are not as good is what makes a teacher candidate a better candidate.

New Animoto Video

Lab D not EYE

Last Friday really tested my abilities to keep cool and trust in my lesson plan development. It was all going great, until I found out one of my students was blind. This really put me in an awkward experience, having no interaction with a blind person before. This was a really good challenge and I tried the best I could to adapt to the situation as best as possible. The difficulties that arose during the lesson were incredible. She couldn't hear what I or anybody would yell out to her which made it difficult for her to do the zumba moves. I also found myself really focusing on her which could tend to be a bad thing, and I tried to get my attention away from her. This was a great experience for me though and learned a lot from it. Check out the collage and slide show!

Collage and Video

Preparing

                                 
Well a week without 255 is not a very fun one. I always look forward to class time. However this week is going to help me prepare for my next lesson. Which I found out is Zumba! I'm not entirely sure what zumba is, but from the little research I did it is some mix of dancing and a fitness work out with international music. Sounds pretty exciting because who doesn't love dancing. It is a great opportunity to get the students moving the whole class. I could even bring my pedometer with me and challenge different kids to see how many steps the can get in 5 minutes. This is going to be an exciting lab and it's coming up quickly! Stay tuned.

Week of Weak

This week was not a very good one for me. I was sick on tuesday and still am not 100 percent today. But after a day in the hospital I had time to reflect on how I thought my Lab C went. It was an alright lesson. However after receiving feedback from one of Professor Yangs old TA's, I discovered that my problem might lay within the lesson plan I write. I think if I could pay a little more attention to details with my lesson plan, the lesson itself will go a lot smoother. Also my dad suggested having a cushion activity for the end of class, just in case you do run short and need a quick filler. I'm going to be working very hard over the break on getting caught up on what I missed this week. I need to come back from break stronger than before that is for sure.