Cortland PE Student-Athletes to Compete at NCAA Div. III Championships

Men's Baseball
Cortland to Open vs. Kean at NCAA Div. III World Series Friday in Wisconsin
The SUNY Cortland baseball team earned its 11th trip to the NCAA Division III World Series and its fifth in eight years by defeating host Farmingdale State, 2-1, Saturday afternoon in the championship round of the New York Regional. The Red Dragons (39-7-1) will face Kean (pronounced Kane) University of New Jersey (37-10) during the opening day of competition Friday, May 25, at 1:15 p.m. (2:15 p.m. Eastern) at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis. (near Appleton). The eight-team, double-elimination tournament runs until Tuesday, May 29.

Men's LacrosseCortland outscored Tufts 8-1 over the final 26 minutes to overcome a 9-4 deficit and the nationally second-ranked Red Dragons defeated the fourth-ranked Jumbos, 12-10, in the NCAA Div. III men's lacrosse semifinals at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex. Cortland remained undefeated at 21-0 and will face top-ranked and unbeaten Salisbury University (22-0) in the national title game on Sunday, May 27 at 4 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.


For more details, please click here



Track & Field
SUNY Cortland athletes are scheduled to compete in five men's events and two women's events at the NCAA Div. III Outdoor Track and Field Championships Thursday-Saturday, May 22-24, in Claremont, Calif.

SUNY Cortland Athletics - Cortland to Compete in Five Men's Events, Two Women's Events at NCAA Div. III Championships

Lives in Crisis: Transformed by Tony Robbins (Bright Spots)

Author, life coach, and motivational speaker Tony Robbins. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anthony Robbins is a world-famous motivator and life-coach but its great that he offers lots of little videos to compliment their Coach Training website and his mega workshops. I think it is so important for everyone, especially those in education, to work on your own professional development and growth.  To really make a difference you need to be a lifelong learner and have a thirst for constant growth.   Reading, taking workshops, discussing with peers and mentors and contributing to your Personal Learning Network will make all the difference in your potential.

Click here to see how he transformed Rechaud's lifelong struggle with stuttering by listening first and identifying the first time he remembers stuttering and what was the emotional trigger. The term Bright Spots comes from a great book by Chip & Dan Heath called "Switch" - a must read.

Cover via Amazon

What Recent College Grads Regret the Most

What Recent College Graduates Regret the Most [Chart]: "

According to a recent survey by Rutgers University’s Heldrich Center for Workforce Development [pdf], the above are recent college graduates’ seven biggest regrets looking back on their college years as they consider their current employment situation. While most graduates say they are ultimately happy with their decision to have gone to college, a full 74% regret not doing something differently. The tops: Wishing they had been more careful about selecting a major or choosing a different major, or getting more part-time work or internship experience.

(via Andrew Sullivan. h/t Hannah Waters)

Related articles

• Will You Be More Successful Than Your Parents? (economix.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Jobless grads: What they would've done differently (cbsnews.com)
• Recent College Grads Wanted More Tech Classes (speedofcreativity.org)

Understoodit: Checking for Understanding for the 21st Centruy

I've been toying around with lots of these Classroom Response Systems (CRS) and like the fact that many of them are free and can be accessed with multiple devices (SMS, twitter, web, apps, etc.). I've listed a bunch of systems at the end of the post but wanted to share 2 new ones including one still in closed Beta.  Although I love the intent of these tools, the majority of the scenarios are unfortunately still modeled in the traditional teacher-centeted class or lecture-based delivery format. From what we know about different learning and teaching styles, surely we can give better examples of student-centered learning, problem-based, project-based, team-based, just something besides the lecture.

Teaching, Quizzes, Online Polls, Study Aids

1. GoSoapBox
2. GoClass
3. Poll Everywhere (SMS, Twitter, Web)
4. ResponseWare - (Smartphone & clickers)
5. StudyBoost
6. SAP Web 2.0 (Twittter) - PC
7. UnderstoodIt (Beta)
8. Wiffiti

Understoodit is still in closed Beta, but you can sign-up and try to score your own Beta invite. It looks to be on par with a lot of the other systems that allow anonymous responses, but is that just between students or is there a tracking mechanism for teachers?

GoSoapBox is another classroom response system that has an interesting tag-line "Hear what your students are thinking!" Now if I could really hear what they thought, that would be pretty scarey because I know what I think while I'm in a class. This system is anonymous between students but the interactions can be tracked by the teacher.

Getting started with GoSoapBox

View more presentations from John Pytel'

GoClass is a new iPad app that allows teachers to create lessons using different forms of media, project these lessons with a compatible projection system and broadcast specific media to student iPads.

Related articles

• Understoodit Lets Students Voice Their Confusion Without Having to Raise Their Hands (techcrunch.com)
• Confused in Class? There's an App for that (understoodit.com)

InPE = The PE Interviews

Here are my interviews with Dr. Ernie Medina, Paul Zientarski, Ken Reed, Ed Kassanders and George Velarde at the Phil Lawler DuPage County Institute For PE, Health, Driver Ed.held in Naperville, IL back in March 2012. With a special message for SUNY Cortland PE teacher-candidates and student-teachers. http://schools.naperville203.org/north/academicdepartments/DuPageCountyInstit...



Note: Phil Lawler was the crusader who helped to refocus physical education to a wellness-based model that encourages fitness for a lifetime. 

Ken Reed
Game Changer captures the passion of this legend in the field of physical education who believed that every child—regardless of athletic ability—should be given a chance to find an activity he or she can embrace and enjoy for a lifetime.
Ken Reed's book Game Changer (based on Phil Lawler's mission) is available http://www.amazon.com/Game-Changer-Improving-Education-ebook/dp/B0076QCB7Q

Dr. Ernie Medina
Dr. Medina practice and business centers around using technology to improve health including using exergames and mobile applications - http://www.medplaytech.com/

In this interview he showed his Mobile Adventure Walk app - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mobile-adventure-walks/id464283791?mt=8 and discussed how important it is to be unique as well as practical in addressing the needs of his patients. Certainly a message we can all relate to.

George Velarde
Be sure to check out George's PE programs for lots of information and some of the programs they run at Sierra Vista Junior High http://www.hartdistrict.org/sierra/pe/

Ed Kassanders
Be sure to check out Motion Fitness & Exergame Fitness for lots of product information and programs around exergaming - http://www.exergamefitness.com/

Paul Zientarski
Be sure to check out Learning Readiness PE for lots of information and some of the studies done at Naperville's schools - http://www.learningreadinesspe.com/

Yangs Rockers

When the day came when I had to do my Lab D for Professor Yang emotions were running through my body. It seemed to be so much work, however when you have something you love to do you don't mind running around like a chicken with your head cut off. While keeping your cool of course.


Unfortunately Lab D was not the only thing on my mind

  at the time, I had recently got a summer job in Cortland for the summer so it felt like I was working two jobs at once! Talk about exhilarating. I think this will help me in the long run however. If I could learn now how to handle two jobs then I think I'll be better off in the future. When I do get out into the teaching world I wont be able to just teach. I feel like I need another job, such as coaching or working at a fitness club or even a camp. Something to make myself more available to the people in my community. I feel it is very important to have outside resources readily available. It is not only us that should be the P"E Rockstar" for life but everybody. If we can get the idea of being healthy is fun into peoples minds, then we've done our job.

If we could get kids moving more times a day at the heart rate that would qualify as a good workout then we are going to have healthier kids. There are ways to make every child want to be physically active, whether that means "tricking" him into doing so or not. Professor Yang is a huge endorser of the exergaming workouts, how innovative is that! Talking about reaching out to the people who don't usually like Physical Education! Reaching out to these students is our duty, we might not be able to force them to play, but the ability to let them have fun is always there!
I encourage you to visit my personal blog. the site is www.pemrus.blogspot.com. I will be doing my 256 field experience this summer and I am very excited to keep everybody updated on what I am doing and how it is panning out. Who could forget about raquette lake this summer as well. Both of these experiences should be one to remember for a long time.



Sample of Scope and Sequence
Sample of Lesson Plan
Sample of Progressions
My Blog
My Professional Portfolio
My letter to my Superintendent
Sample of my Block Plan

Scavenger Hunt: Mobile Adventure Walks - K. Arnold

Scavenger Hunt by Kimberly Arnold

My last teaching experience for Basics of Effective Instruction in Physical Education course has come to a close. The experience, however challenging it was for me, revealed my potential. It was a great learning opportunity. As I reflect back, there were both positive and negative outcomes. I know that I have come a long way from that four-minute skill-teaching lab at the beginning of the semester and yet I there are still mountains in the distance. I can see that I have developed a certain confidence talking in front of a group that I never had. However, I still need to be careful with my words, as at times I'm less than precise with my words.

This last lab gave me a change to be creative and original. I believe that some of the components really enhanced the experience for my classmates. I presented them with a Challenge By Choice in which they would link up with classmates during the scavenger hunt. This forced every last person to work together and cooperation with each other. I would do something similar to this again, however I might use a Hula Hoop instead and have only two or three people in a group. Either way, the concept lends itself to a true cooperative learning experience. Additionally, I started the class with two different lead in activities.  I felt that both activities were necessary to begin to establish the working climate between students. They quickly played a game of Blog Tag and then I had groups work their way through three stations to introduce the topic of the scavenger hunt (the harmful effects of cigarette smoking). The class did the final station together. FYI, I had planned to do all the station in groups but I rotated the groups incorrectly. Nonetheless, I was glad that I goofed up because I think that the last station activities created a fun and spontaneous atmosphere.

However, there were a few near fatal flaws in my teaching. First, I failed to provide students will emergency contact information. Since one group was on their one during half the class, I should have given contact numbers if there were any problems. Second, I planned to do the first pinpoint location on the Mobile Adventure Walks App together. 

This would have allowed me to make sure that each group took a different route. In addition, at that time I knew that had to give them cues on how best to work the app. I should have address how to determine their next destination. This mistake did cause some hiccups. Also, I never told the students who were the acting touring guides to read the question aloud as they reached each location. Futhermore, I should have better explained what they were looking for and what they were to do at each location (take an index card and leave the item in the container). All of those glitches could have been avoid had I remember to complete the first location together.

Another significant problem of my lesson was that I gave them too many tasks to complete while the hunt was in progress. I asked them upload pictures to Twitter, complete a worksheet, and create a jingle. Looking back I probably should have left the assignment to the end of class as a take home assignment. They had too many things in their hands.

On the other hand, many qualities about my lesson were strong. My lesson was structured to educate the participants, learning through the physical, as my professor says. It was not just a simple scavenger hunt but rather a means to have student begin to understand their own health as it relates to personal decisions and smoking cigarettes. It is this concept that inspired me. If you don’t already know, I currently work in the healthcare field. The reason for my transition into Physical Education is largely due all that I have witness in my career. Physical Education can’t just be about promoting athletes and good PACER scores, but must be about teaching children the ways in which to develop and maintain their own personal health. This is vital; so that future generations will not continue to experience the same health aliments that are facing our nation now.

Resource Packet
Tobacco Information
Assignment to Assess Leaning
Behavior Management
C-12 Form
Transcription
Time Coding
Superintendent


My Blog
Professional E-Portfolio

Great news, my bulletin board was accepted and published by PE Central's Bulletin Board section. Check out the link to my published bulletin board PEC: Bulletin Boards for Physical Education

Non-Traditional Students Inducted into Honor Society

Congratulations to two of Cortland PE students and Rockstar PE Alum Tracy McClure and Nate Davis for being elected to membership in Alpha Sigma Lambda, an international honor society recognizing the academic achievements of non-traditional students.

Alpha Sigma Lambda national standards reserve membership for students who are in the top 10 percent of all non-traditional students at the College. Members must have completed 24 credits hours of work at SUNY Cortland with a grade point average of 3.2 or higher. For the inductees to be in the top 10 percent of students at SUNY Cortland this year, they needed to have a GPA of 3.65 or greater.  The GPA range for this group of students inducted was 3.65 to 4.22.

Tracy McClure - Blog - ePortfolio

Nate Davis - Blog - ePortfolio

via Cortland News
Cross-posted from PE Dept blog

Power Yoga! - Trisha Clark

                  Today was the first day for Lab D! It was my time to teach and set the bar for the rest of the class since I was the first to go! My focus for the class was Power Yoga! This lab took a lot of time and preparation to get ready for considering I had to teach for 35 minutes, which is much longer then ever have before. Also I had to try and teach in the style of “practice”. On top of the task of teaching yoga, I also had a fitness/wellness focus of “why PE?” I had to introduce to the class.

          I started off my lesson with an instant activity that would teach students about why PE is important! The activity was just a simple game of “speed walking” tag but the taggers had to carry heavy backpacks and pass it off when they tagged the next person. I was hoping with this activity the students would realize that when you have to carry extra weight being active is harder and not as fun because of it. So after they finished the short activity I explained that 31% of NYS students are overweight or obese so PE is important to teach students to live an active lifestyle instead of a sedentary one. Not only does PE give everyone a time in their day to be active but also can teach students activities they can enjoy in their own time. 

                  Next I had everyone get a partner and find a station where there was yoga poses. There were a total of six stations and two people at each station. All the students were at a station for about 2 to 3 minutes and had to practice the pose and they could challenge themselves or modify the pose if they needed to. At this point in the lesson I walked around and gave feedback and helped them figure out the proper position. Also at one station I had my iPad set up for the students to record themselves while they were at the station. I would then use this as my assessment later on.

                  Then after everyone had been at each station I brought everyone back together as a group to perform a full routine. They followed a video that had specific directions of poses to perform including poses that they worked on in the stations. The video they followed I created myself, so during this time I walked around and gave feedback and corrections. The routine was 11 minutes long and was designed to get them working up a sweat! Then I closed my lesson by asking them to name a few poses and the muscles that were important to perform the position.

                  

Overall I was very happy with how my lesson went! I feel that I have really grown since my very first day! During the first lab I was so nervous, my voice wasn’t very loud or confident. Then for this lab I felt confident in what I was teaching because of the practice and preparation I had done and I was excited to teach my lesson! This lab took a lot of work but I feel like it was worth it because everyone seemed to enjoy it! With this lesson I wanted the students to work up a sweat and have fun with it and I think by the end of the lesson I accomplished this! One thing I feel I did well was giving specific feedback. During the station I tried to make my way around to each group helping them on certain little things to make their poses better. I also tired to do this during the full routine! After reviewing the my lesson I think I gave each student specific feedback at least twice during the whole lesson! 

                   While I was teaching Professor Yang asked a few students to act out to see how I would handle it. At first Eric said “Yoga is for girls!” so I addressed him by telling him to modify the position in any “manly” way he would like. That seemed to help that problem but then Eric and his partner Max were kept getting off task. At first I just would pay close attention to them and challenge them so they weren’t getting bored, but that didn’t seem to work. So Professor Yang suggested that I would separate them. Then when I had the class switch stations I tried to not make it obvious but split them up, so I had Emily join Max and then Eric was a partner with Devon. This was definitely a challenge to deal with because they were very persistent in getting off task, but it taught me a lesson for sure! Sometimes addressing students isn’t enough so you just have to break them up. Also this taught me that when you have an activity that involves groups or partners it may be best to break up the students yourself so you can make sure certain people are not working together if it could become a disturbance. Also because I had my iPad set up at one station it was almost like my extra set of eyes. After my lesson I reviewed the videos and it showed me how much I didn’t notice because I could in the background some students getting off task that I never noticed. I think from this if I were to redo my lesson I might keep the station time shorter and maybe have the challenges a little harder so they didn’t get bored. One last thing I learned from this lab had to do with my visual aids! I was making so many posters for each station that I ended up mixing up one of the instructions on a poster. So the directions didn't match the pose! Thank goodness it was only on one poster, but next time I will make sure to triple check my visual aids!!

                  Lab D was a great experience! I was really happy with the result of my last teaching experience for EDU 255! It really gets me excited to get out there and teach for real!! 

Power Yoga Resource Packet

Power Yoga Lesson Plan  
Teaching Transcription 
Feedback Analysis Form
Time Coding Form
Yoga Routine Video
Evaluation Form
Lesson  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Video Assessment - From iPad Station

Yoga Bulletin Board 
          - Free Information Card (from bulletin board)
Letter to a Superintendent 

My E-Portfolio

My Blog

Hantis: A Revolutionary Game - Kyle Roberts

Hantis Lab D

As you all know I taught Hantis for my Lab C and everyone, including myself, had a great time doing it, so I chose to teach some new skills for my lab D. I started by thinking about what I should teach considering many of the students were already sound in the fundamentals. I talked with the Hantis "Crators" and they told me about the importance of movement and dribbling, so i decided that this is what I would cover. When I first started planning for my lab D I was unsure about how I was going to incorporate the concept of Asthma into the lesson. I finally thought about the idea of showing the struggle of having asthma, through physical activity. I thought that I would first bring about the issue of hypo-kinetic asthma, which is asthma that is caused by inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle. I also planned on having students simulate the struggle of asthma throughout the lesson, but it didn't work out quite as planned. The lab also took a lot of careful planning as I needed to put in a facilities request form, and put in an equipment form for the materials that I needed. This really opened my eyes to how important planning and organization is when you are a teacher. Also I implemented technology into my lesson so I had to reserve a projector. Along with this planning I spent a great deal of time designing and creating visual aids that would be used during the lesson.

When I arrived at the classroom I was very excited to teach my lesson. All of the students were excited to play the game again and learn all of the skills. The set up was a little different from the first time that I taught because I was working on having the students move around, and the tables needed more space between them. I started the lesson out with an introduction and we were off to hantis from there. During my lesson, an issue arose that I had to deal with. One of the students "broke" their arm and it was a compound fracture. I immediately stopped the class and had someone call 911. I then had someone go out into the hallway and wait for the paramedics. The class was restless so I had two of the more advanced students showcase their skills while I dealt with the issue at hand. The only thing that I wish that I had done differently was to actually treat the injury myself. There was a first aid kit that I could have used to keep the arm form moving and preventing further injury.

Hantis Bulletin Board

I thought that the students had really come a long way from the first time I taught the lesson so I allowed for a lot of gameplay. I really felt much more comfortable directing the class and making the transitions. The last time that I taught I was nervous but now I am confident and can direct a classroom on my own.

I have truly seen a huge improvement from the beginning of the year and even from lab C. I really have worked toward creating more effective lessons the captivate the students. I also feel that I am able to take game that I do not know fully, learn them, and then be able to teach them effectively to the class. My time in 255 has truly benefited me, and I am happy with the changes I have made. I think that in teaching, professional development and change is never ending. It is important to practice, get feedback, reflect, and truly make yourself a better teacher. This can be done by doing just some of the things that we do in 255; video recording or conferences. I have developed so much as a physical educator and am looking forward to progressing in my profession. I will post some pictures and a video of my teaching so stay tuned!

Here's the Video of me Teaching:

Check out the forms from my Lab D:

Time Coding Form

Verbal Transcript

C-12 Form

SOFIT Lab D

Lab D packet

Letter to Superintendent

Board Meeting Presentation

Visit www.Hantis.net for more information.

Look for our presentation at the National AHPERD conference!