Sunday, October 4, 2009

Using Wikis in the Classroom and Online Courses

As I began to think about how I would use a wiki in my content area I realized that this could truly be an awesome opportunity for my whole department, not just me. I am the department chair for physical education at Mingus Union High School and with that came a bigger vision and larger scope for use. The question of using a wiki became two pronged with this assignment. How can I educate my colleagues on how to use a wiki or blog for instruction or communication and how can I use a wiki and blog to communicate and share information with my department?
By creating a wiki for my department to use I give them an opportunity to see the practical use of a wiki. So far in our education of technology use the advice we keep getting is to learn how to use it before you show it to your kids. By developing a site for my fellow teachers to create and participate we begin to increase our familiarity and our competency with such a site. I included sites that could catch them up to speed on how to use a wiki and blog and wrote them a letter that spelled out the mission of the wiki. I also give my colleagues an opportunity to be a part of possible curriculum development and use of resources. I will be able to give them time to reflect on my questions and come up with their own ideas for the pages. The page will become an interactive, collaborative resource for curriculum, lessons, professional development ideas and even use of technology.
Truly my goal is to create a wiki for collaboration of wellness ideas for the school district and then ultimately use a wiki and blog for the classroom. In the classroom wiki I would introduce ideas on things like the FITT principle, components of physical fitness, create templates for exercise logs and the list could go on forever. Any means to extend learning outside the classroom for parents and students is vital. In my field the education process would be better served if parents were intimately involved (well that’s the case with any area). Specifically when students are faced with modifying their diets or habits at home to make a fitness plan work at school, parents would be better served if they had resources at their fingertips.
I really feel like being a competent wiki user is key to the use of such a medium in and out of the classroom environment. I hope by sharing this wiki with my department they can help brainstorm ways we can implement it into our instruction.
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Philosophy

Susan’s Teaching Philosophy

Times have changed and the face of education has evolved and is trying to keep up with the changing American culture. I began teaching 17 years ago and I have learned that you must monitor and adjust as a teacher. One thing remains the same however, and that is teaching students the ABC’s. I take it a step further and call my teaching philosophy the ABCD’s of success. Without the principles outlined in my philosophy I believe Madeline Hunter's Direct Instruction Model has little or no bearing. In a culture where the student plays a larger role in molding their own education experiences because more one parent homes and working parents are a reality.

My philosophy more indirectly follows Bloom's Taxonomy. A student is more prone to learning if they are first affected by the material and are actively engaged in the possible outcome. Teaching students they are in control of their own Attitude, Behavior, Character, and Discipline empowers them to make positive choices toward a bright future. I make it my daily mission to plant seeds of wisdom in these areas. Attitude is a measurement of what’s happening on the inside of the student. Students are actually graded on what attitude they bring to class. Attitude can drastically infect the environment of a game in physical education. Behavior is directly related to what the student displays on the outside. Will they cooperate, use proper language, act their age the list goes on. When addressing a student about behavior you always state clearly your expectations and give them a chance to make their own. Character education gives the teacher the chance to be a pseudo parent. What life principles are important to have success outside the classroom? Those same principles should be daily implemented and pointed out in the classroom. Lastly discipline, this is not punishment this is an act of compliance to personal expectations. Teaching and implementing goal setting in small ways each day in the classroom.

The key to all of this is ownership. How do you teach the standards and convince them its worth and value in their life? It can almost be as simple as making it the students idea. I’m not sure that this can work in all classroom settings. For physical education however, it truly is the key to success. Students who take control of their attitude, behavior, character and discipline within the structure of the classroom create an atmosphere for learning to take place. Students will begin to make the FITT Principle and understanding the components of physical fitness an essential part of their personal goals and implement them in and out of the classroom. Hence, build in them lifelong learning principles, fitness for life and to be passionate about what they choose to do and the world is their classroom. Passion, that’s a whole different story, perhaps on the next assignment I can elaborate.