Kid Tracker

I have always wanted to be a part of the reality show MANTRACKER.  From what I can tell  the show  is a great adrenaline rush for the participants.  The goal is to try and find a location without getting caught by Mantracker.  Well I am not sure if I will ever have the opportunity to be on the show, but I do have the chance to play an adapted version with students.

A good friend of mine, Graham Hayes, teaches physical education at St. Francis Community School. He approached me with the idea of using GPS units in a game that involves the same ideas as Mantracker.  The game became know as "Kid Tracker".  I tried the idea out with grade 7 and 8 students from Deshaye Catholic School  where another friend of mine, Bart Cote is vice-principal.  Students develop navigation skills and learn how to problem solve through decision making.  Likely the best part of it all is the fact the kids run for an hour and do not even realize it.  Check it out.

Moving Forward

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We should always be teaching kids to assess self, reflect, and then plan for next steps.  When one begins a training program, it is important to know where you are, what your goals are, and how you are going to get there.  It is never productive while moving forward to make excuses for what might have been.  The same can be said with the results from the Saskatchewan Physical Education Survey that was conducted in 2008 through a partnership with Saskatchewan in Motion, University of Saskatchewan, and the Ministry of Education.  The results of the survey in some aspects are not flattering.  Many barriers and concerns have been identified by the hundreds of teachers and administrators that completed the survey.

The simple point is... there is work to be done!  As my grandmother would say, 'there is no use crying over spilled milk'.  It would be easy to say that school divisions do not support physical education enough or there are not enough resources or support.  We need to work on connecting teachers and supporting each other.  We need to support each other.  There are great people doing great work in the area of physical education.  It is crucial that these resources are shared within a network of physical educators.

Take two minutes to create a Twitter account and connect with other physical education teachers.  This is one easy way to begin to enhance your knowledge base and resources for physical education.

We are moving forward, but we have work to do.  Below is a prezi that provides an overview of the PE survey. What are the next steps in your mind?

View the entire survey at Saskatachewan in Motion 

Connect on Twitter @gymovers

Connecting Future Physical Educators



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I am not sure if there is anything more refreshing then to work with pre-service teachers.  I am very excited to have the opportunity to teach EPE310 this semester at the University of Regina.  This course is designed specifically for student teachers preparing to teach physical education to Elementary students. The course focuses on an overview of curriculum content, teaching methods, assessment and evaluation and learning resource materials and their application in teaching physical education in the context of schools and society today.


We took the opportunity to share some of our experiences and memories of physical education.  Many common themes came out in the conversation.  A great deal of dodgeball and running laps!  I really appreciated the honest from the group.  Many recalled 'gym' as a great experience and others found it to be less then enjoyable.  The hope for me is to help the group understand that there are many things we as physical educators can do to make sure the experience is enjoyable and successful for all students, regardless of skill level and physical ability. 
 
One outcome from the course is for the group to create and be a part of a professional learning network in the area of physical education.  If you are a physical educator on Twitter please feel free to subscribe to our #epe310 list.  As we journey through this semester we are also wanting to reflect and share with others as much as possible.  Any comments or feedback in the student blogs would be invaluable to the group. 

Six of one, half dozen of the other

What game are we playing today?  How many times in your physical education career have you heard that one?  Kids love to play games and it is important as physical educators that we embrace that.  However, it is not enough just to play the game.  There needs to be direction and intent when engaging students in the game.  The game is really a way to deliver curriculum. 

I often have teachers ask me if I have any "new games" that they can use in class.  I ask them, what it is they are trying to accomplish with the game.  This can be a real 'eye opener'.  I can play the same game at various grade levels with minor variations, and achieve grade level indicators and outcomes.  It all comes down to what the focus of the game will be that day.

Take for example the following game of Speedball.

This clip was taken in a high school class but the same game with variations could be done down to grade three.  One could use a game like this to work on tactics and strategies for invasion games. Perhaps the focus of the game for that particular lesson has to do with cardiovascular endurance.  Subtle changes to the game will keep it fresh for the students and allow you as an assessor to accomplish various indicators. 

It is not always necessary to have a 'new' game for the students.  It is important to ensure there is a purpose to the game!

Thanks to Mr. Kelly Cozine for helping out with the video.  His class of Grade 10 Wellness students were a fantastic group.

Many hands make light work

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I have spent some time building my final project for eci831.  I have developed a resource that will help teachers from primary to high school develop a geocaching experience.  Geocaching is a great way to incorporate alternate environment activities into a quality physical education program.  As you will see, geocaching is a great way incorporate various subject areas into a meaningful experience. 

As I have continued to learn more about technology and the benefits of it in physical education, I see how important it is to share.  One thing that I always teach kids when I am working with GPS and Geocaching is the term, "Cache in and Trash out".  The idea is about not only enjoying the outdoors and experiencing geocaching, but also giving back.  In this case, giving back to the environment by picking up small pieces of garbage along the way.  It is a simple act that really does not take much but can do alot more than just make the park look better.

Teachers have a great deal of knowledge and expertise.  We need to share our talents with others.  I have set up the geocaching resource to allow teachers to take from the google docs in order to create caches.  Like any good geocacher, if you take something you need to leave something.  I am hoping teachers will start to leave ideas.  Either add to an existing google doc on the site or send ideas on new themes that can be covered.  I would be happy to place them in a google doc for all the share and benefit from.  I just takes that one to get the ball rolling.