Using Blogs in the P.E Classroom

I think in this technology heavy era, blogs are a great way for instructors to communicate with parents about what their students are covering in class, what is coming up, any field trips etc. Blogs allow parents to see what is happening in their students' classroom, and to comment on what they see going on. I also believe that blogs can be used as a tool for assignments, or as a way for students to journal about their experiences with a unit or topic. In my classroom I would use a blog as a way for students to turn in written assignments. I would take a class period to go over how to set up and use a blog, and then provide the class with a prompt related to the skill/topic being worked on in class. Students would create a blog and send me a link, and then make weekly posts in response to the given prompts. This would allow me as an instructor to get several different types of feedback using a single medium. I could provide prompts that ask students to give all the information they know about a topic before we begin as a way to gauge prior knowledge, I ask students to provide examples or explanations of the content as a way to gauge understanding, I could ask for feedback about what could have made a particular lesson more effective and/or enjoyable to help me as an instructor know how I could improve for following classes, and I could provide prompts that asks questions about what students would like to see/cover in future units as a way to tailor my lessons using topics and activities that students have a genuine interest in learning to help keep up motivation and participation. The ways blogs are set up also allows for comments, so that as an instructor I can comment on what my students are posting, to correct any incorrect information or misconceptions, or respond to their ideas and questions. Students would also be able to access their peers' blogs, so that they could lean from one another by reading other students' ideas on a topic. They would also be able to post comments and reply to posts to maintain a back-and-forth on the ideas being presented in class; in my mind I see this as a teaching tool were students offer and receive information in a sort of online dialogue.
As an instructor I would also be able to provide links to additional resources that students could utilize, schedules for sporting and activity events so that students and parents could go support peers, and reminders about assignments and copies of the requirements so that students would have a  "back-up plan" if the originals were misplaced.

Learning Styles

Students are expected to process information at different rates and in different ways, so material is presented in as many forms and mediums as possible to benefit all students. The unit topic, daily lesson and lesson objectives are written out at the beginning of each class period so that students know what to expect, and what will be expected of them during the class period. Students will be given direction, and then allowed to explore the movement or concept on their own in small groups.  This age group holds peer interactions as very important, so using models such as TGFU (teaching games for understanding) where one student takes on the role of "teacher" for his/her group for a particular topic can be very beneficial for teaching content. Also at this level students are expected to have mastered basic movement concepts such as throwing, kicking, catching, running, sliding, etc. so the focus is more on cognitive aspects of game play such as how to mark an opponent, or a certain "play" used for a particular sport,  rather than on individuals' physical performance of movement skills.  High school students also typically demonstrate a much lower level of motivation during P.E than the lower grades, 9th grade P.E in particular since it is a requirement and not a class that the students have chosen to take themselves. , teaching novel, or unusual sports is a great way  to increase interest and motivation in students, and also levels the playing field for those students who are not as physical active, fit, or who have lower ability levels as their peers since everyone is learning something new. These activities can be totally new, such as the game of kin ball, or have novel elements such as the sport of rugby where it is illegal to perform a forward throw in order to move the ball up the field. Most high school students don't lack physical ability to participate in P.E classes, just the motivation to do so and providing stimulating activities can help to increase that motivation.

Specific Entry Competencies

In order to benefit from lessons on a daily basis, students need to display competency in locomotor, non-locomotor and manipulative skills. Students also need to understand basic social cues, and how to interact appropriately with classmates and peers when participating in physical activities. Students should have learned the basic locomotor and non-locomotor skills beginning in kindergarten, and then adding to those skills in subsequent grades; by 5th grade students should have a firm grasp of how to perform locomotor and non-locomotor skills, as well as basic manipulative skills such as holding and swinging rackets and bats, and kicking skills. Students are not expected to know technology related to P.E such as pedometers, heart rate monitors, compasses or GPS devices, however students are expected to know how to navigate webpages and utilize search engines, open and reply to email, and use other basic computer programs such as Microsoft word and Microsoft Excell. However, in my experience some students have had adequate exposure to these technologies so teachers need to provide step-by-step instructions or extra practice time before being required to produce a finished project or assignment.
At this age it is more difficult to get students motivated to participate in P.E lessons, especially the girls. Also, students are more prone to mood swings as the result of changes in their hormone levels; this means that a student who was enthusiastic about the lesson on Monday may reuse to participate without a lot of prompting on Wednesday.  Students  also  sometimes have to re-learn skills that they have previously excelled at due to physical changes such as larger feet, longer arms and legs, etc as the result of changes in the body due to puberty.  The positive side, is that students are more able to work in pairs or small groups on their own, and to "self referee" during game play. Students are also able to learn, apply and implement defensive and offensive strategies related to the different games and activities covered in class and extrapolate how those skills can be applied to daily, real-life situations.

General Characteristics of Target Learners

The general age of my target learners is high school age, so about 13 to 18 years old. The split between girls and boys in a 9th grade P.E class is about even, but in higher level elective-type classes there is typically  a greater number of boys than girls. Girls have a tendency to be more self-conscious about their body size/type compared to their peers, and don't want to participate at a level of activity that would cause them to sweat. Boys on the other hand are more concerned with level of ability and proficiency compared to their male peers and do not want to appear less able in front of others. The level of diversity within a classroom is dependent upon the school district (at least in my experience) and students who have positive attitudes about P.E tend to be those who are athletes, or just more athletic.