Brain Gym

Discussion Board

I've never joined a discussion board and truth be told it's a little daunting at first. When you enter the discussion board section there are numerous different topics to choose from. After a short while, though I found the various discussions to hold a wealth of knowledge for any Adaptive Physical Education teacher. I was able to obtain great information that I have used in class when working with students in wheelchairs. I have posted several questions in the discussion board and have received feedback on two of them. I almost feel like it's cheating, because I simply ask a question and don't have to do any research to get the answer. I feel like I've been missing out on so much helpful information for so long by not participating in Adaptive Physical Education discussion boards. I can honestly say that the use of the discussion boards has already made me a better teacher and that's exciting.

My discussion board website: http://www.lyris.sportime.com/

Technology Plan

Currently the blend of technology and Physical Education are worlds apart. There have been improvements with the addition of projectors, cameras and sound system in the gym but without the integration of computers, advances in incorporating technology are nonexistent. The only way I am currently able to incorporate technology into my class is buy bringing them to the computer lab during Adaptive Physical Education. I have done this with my students several times to work on the basic webquest I assigned but it takes away from time allotted towards working on each students IEP goals in class. For these reasons my current technology goals for my classes is very limited. I will be setting a goal for myself that includes having students complete one webquest per trimester. I also have set a goal to update my web sight every two weeks. My final goal comes in the form of a grant. Currently Playstation and Xbox gaming platforms have out a game called Dance Dance Revolution. It has been approved by the national fitness board as an activity that promotes health and fitness. I will be writing a grant with the assistance of two other Adaptive Physical Education teachers to try and purchase three gaming systems with Dance Dance Revolution. There are currently several schools that have them in place in the district.

Webquest

Having students in my Adaptive Physical Education class participate in a webquest has been more difficult than I would of thought possible. The first complication comes from the fact that I don't have a classroom but rather a gym to conduct my class. Secondly, I'm only at each school for the one period a day making it difficult to address any webquest issues that arise when I still need to work physical education issues with students every day. The third and most difficult aspect is my student population. Most of my students are so low funcioning that the aids in my class have ended up doing most of the work for my students. With all this being said I only had two of my twelve students turn in the completed webquest I assigned. Below is the link to the webquest I used with my students. The webquest is designed for elementary students, but appropriate for my secondary Adaptive Physical Education class.

http://www.yorkville.k12.il.us/webquests/webqascolani/webqsascolani.html

No Country for Old Men

In picking my topic I thought I would write my own movie review for the movie, No Country for Old Men. For those of you who haven't seen it, you're really missing out on one of the best movies made in a long time. I will not go into the story line to much for those of you who haven't seen it but will discuss the underlining message of the movie, because it is so relevant to what is currently going on in our country. The story follows a man who has come across some money that does not belong to him but rather to some very unsavory people. This unsavory crowd then unleashes a very destructive and disturbed individual to retrieve the money for them. The hit man (that's what we will call him) possess no feeling of any kind, no remorse, no guilt, no anger he simple goes about his business destroying everything and everybody in his path. This lack of emotion helps demonize the character to the point that he seems to be truly evil. On the trail of the Hit Man is an old sheriff who is very knowledgeable, but has realized that perhaps his life really hasn't made any difference in the larger picture of things. He realizes that there's evil in this world and always will be and he's started to give up on trying to change things. The movie is very eerie and not once does it use any music to change the slow methodical pace to which it unfolds. I'm not going to say much more about the movie itself but the underlining message is that, all evil needs to succeed is for good men to stand by and do nothing. A very relevant message to what's going on in our country today. To much today people just accept the actions of our leaders and don't question or oppose the machine that is our government. The more we stand by and let or government increase the power it has over us the further we are from what makes this country great. I read a quote once that sums things up pretty good but can't remember the author, the quote goes, "People should not fear their government the government should fear its people. Shouldn't the many have power over the few when it comes to the direction our country wants to take this country. I feel we've lost that power and are slowly heading in a direction that in time may change the way people live in America. I'm rambling - See you in class.

My Best Christmas

It's hard to say what my best Christmas memory is. I had to give this alot of thought and came up with the Christmas when I was 12 years old. In my family we are allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve every year and then get to open the rest of them on Christmas morning. On this particular year I picked a present that turned out to be a motorcycle helmet. Being only twelve my parents told me it was for when I rode my bike around our property to make sure I didn't crack my head open. As I went to bed that night I was thinking this was the worst Christmas present I'd every gotten. What kid wants to ride his bike around wearing a big blue motorcycle helmet. As you've already guessed when I came down stairs the next morning and saw my brand new Honda 80 sitting next to the tree I freaked out. I had no idea my parents were going to buy me a motorcycle. I loved that bike, and some of my fondest childhood memories are of riding it around our property. I think this is my favorite Christmas memory because I was so surprised by the gift as well as it being my favorite Christmas present of all time.

Now this really bugs me.

The CIA is under investigation for the use of certain torture techniques used on detainees from the Middle East. The idea of torture to obtain information from individuals is a nasty bit of business but not the issue that has me up in arms. What has me so upset is the fact that our government agencies now see themselves as above the law. The CIA comes out and says that it is going to investigate individuals involved in the torture as well as individuals who gave the orders. Then the CIA goes and tells several judges that are involved in the investigation to stop because the CIA is going to handle the entire investigation itself internally. Does this make any sense to any of you? When an individual or group (company) is under investigation in the US are they allowed to tell the courts that they will investigate themselves and then tell the courts what they've found. This is absolutely ridiculous, it's just another example of our government as seeing themselves as above the law and not having to answer to anybody. I find the state of our government and acting agencies appalling. They preach that America is the greatest country in the world where everybody has a say but when they are in trouble the only people who have a say are themselves. Our government is starting to resemble a totalitarian state in which the leaders in this country don't have to answer to anybody.