Thing 6 Reflective Practice

Thing 6 : Reflective Practice

Thing 6

Reflective Practice

Becoming a "Blogger"

Becoming a blogger was new to me – I didn't fully understand the term and to be honest I'm still struggling a little bit with the finer points. However I found an article in the national newspaper which was topical at the time " PE as an examination subject" and decided to give it a go. I enjoyed the experience and this task gave me the opportunity to get rid of some angst about a topic that has been troubling me for quite some time. To this end I found it a worthwhile experience and I got to see some other bloggers and their posts as well which was helpful. I am not too sure how much of this style of writing I will use in the future however. It may be something I will have to delve into a little deeper in order to get a full understanding as to how I can apply it to areas that I ma interested in.

"Flicker" is a wonderful app and very useful. I enjoyed playing around with this one and I will come back to it again and again as it was very entertaining but also educational. I can see how it will be useful in my work as I make a lot of instructional presentations and the choice of images that are available to use is remarkable. I didn't know such a facility was available without breaching copyright.

Photofunia is a very entertaining app and I had great fun exploring all aspects of this one. Humour is very important to me particularly in my teaching and there are ways of using this app which can lighten up a serious topic and make for a fun and enjoyable teaching environment.

I had done some voice over work before using powerpoint but I found screen o matic an easy and user friendly tool for making video presentations. I feel with this one it would be necessary to upload the premium version so as to make audio possible but in general I found this tool very easy to use.

Finding your training Zone Thing 5

This presentation is about finding your training zone. It is an instructional video for people who want to begin a cardiovascular fitness programme.

Thing 4

My own private jet awaits!!!

Had great fun with Photofunia  - super app. Will get great mileage (excuse the pun!!) out of this one.

Animal Lovers:

In attempting to complete latest task I decided to use one of my favourite photos of my dog. It took a while but I learned how to use Flickr and to continue in my quest for digital excellence!!! (I have a long journey ahead!)

"Thing 2" PE as an Exam Subject at Leaving Cert Level

There has been much discussion about PE as an exam subject recently in the media - from blaming the PE curriculum for worsening obesity levels, lack of fitness and the general ill health of our teenagers to vilifying schools for the lack of resources and time allocated to PE. A general misconception is equating PE and Sport. There is a huge difference between PE, Sport, Exercise, Activity and Training to mention but a few words that become confused in a myriad of terminology.

Students who excel at running, gymnastics, dance etc. etc. to name but a few, rarely get any reward for their kinaesthetic or aesthetic skill apart from a medal around their neck, a photograph in the local paper or some lip service from some well meaning politician. Never have they got points in their leaving cert which would benefit them in acquiring a place at third level. Meanwhile those who can paint a beautiful picture or play an instrument with acclaim can use those skills to benefit their careers ( and rightly so!)

There is a huge injustice here and as usual it is our young people who bear the brunt. I would ask all politicians, journalists and educators to stand up and be counted and give PE the priority it deserves and leave the responsibility for the health of our teenagers primarily on the shoulders of those who are ultimately responsible as the primary educators : Parents.

Haven been a PE teacher for 32 years - PE as an exam subject has been a long wait!!