Sunday, January 30, 2011

Blog Assignment 2

sir ken robinson



Did You Know?

This video brought to my attention so many things that I was unaware of. I probably wouldn’t have researched these particular things on my own, but it is definitely very interesting. I think these kinds of facts would be fun to use in the classroom. Maybe they would be good to use as the fun fact of the day or maybe turned into trivia for students to research.

It honestly is scary to think how quickly things are changing. It’s almost like technology is moving faster than we can keep up. I mean the students that start a technical degree pretty much are wasting the first two years of school learning things that will be outdated by the time they graduate. I personally think it is time to start allowing students to put more time into their actually major rather than spending two years spending time in “basic” classes. Imagine how much more we could practice and learn the skills we need to be successful if we didn’t spend so much time on something that probably will not help us in the future.


Mr. Winkle Wakes

I honestly think it is sad that education is so behind. It’s quite frustrating the lack of funding that is put into bettering education. How are we expected to provide the best for our future students when things haven’t changed in 100 years? I’m sure this was not meant literally, but is very obvious that there is a lack of progression in the use of technology in schools.

Now, I have thought about what I or other aspiring teachers like me could do to change this. I have noticed already in EDM310 that there are many teachers out there right now that are trying to improve this by one introducing blogging into the classroom. My field (Physical Education) is definitely not the most technological field, but I still want my students to get the most I have to offer them. So, I could see myself including blogging in my lesson plan. Each time I introduce a new exercise or sport I would have them blog about their experience and how it helped them become more aware of the importance of physical activity. I really think that would allow them to always have something to look back on and remember what they enjoyed and learned without it just being “another” day at P.E.


The Importance of Creativity

I really enjoyed this video. Sir Ken Robinson made some really great points. I feel like I personally can relate to what he said about how we as teachers have made it so bad for students to be wrong. I know for me, that I do not like to be wrong. So, sometimes I am afraid to put myself out there because I don’t want to be told I am wrong or feel embarrassed.

Sir Robinson also brought up how we make the arts seem less important. I think for me I could see how that would be easy to do. What do you do with a child that is not good at what you are teaching, but is really good at something we as teachers are not allowed to spend a lot of time on? Again my field is not quite the same as others, but if I have a child that is always picked last I want to be able to find something that they excel in so they do not have to always feel that they do not belong. I really am glad that I had the opportunity to see this video, I have a feeling it will be on my mind for quite some time.


Cecelia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson

Once again I really enjoyed hearing what Sir Ken Robinson had to say. He makes so much sense when he speaks, you would think that he could convince everyone to make changes in education right away. He makes me want to look at how I am approaching education differently and I don’t know all that much about him. He is just really hitting home with me.

The fact that he thinks we can teach creativity makes me really think. I want to know what his ideas are and how he would teach someone to be more creative. I know the way I have been taught is you either are or you are not. I would love to have someone teach me to be more creative, and in that I want to be able to teach my students to be more creative as well.


Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts

As this does not really pertain to my field I really admire what this teacher is providing for her students. They will know more about technology after that class than I know right now at this moment which is going to be very important for their futures. I would have loved to have someone put that kind of time and effort into preparing me for my future.

I want to be able to have my students balance their life and choices. I know that technology is very important, but so is their physical health. I want to provide them with the knowledge they need to be successful in both aspects. Today we already have games where you actually physically move around to control them. Seems like a good idea to include in the classroom someday.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Blog Assignment 1

This is an image using all of the words from my blog, it has many different colors and the words are sparatic



My full name is Ashley Nicole Cousins. I was born in Metarie, La on October 9, 1987. I only lived there until I turned two years old, then I moved to Mobile, Al with my mom. My mom and I moved around a couple of times until she met my future step-dad whom I call "dad". They got married on May 1, 1992. We then moved to a house in Semmes, Al where my parents still live to this day. About a year and a half later my mom had my sister and that was the completion to our family of four.

I decided to come to the University of South Alabama because it was close to home and my dad is an employee at the university. I was a cheerleader my first three years that I attended, but it became very hard to manage school, working, and cheerleading. I then became the assistant cheerleading coach. I absolutely loved that experience, but unfortunately it didn't pay the bills. I am currently working at company called Strachan Services where I am the outside sales person. It is allowing me to get get some valuable experience and also make some important contacts.

My reason for taking EDM310 is because someday I would love to be a teacher. I am studying to teach Physical Education. I love kids and think that being active is very important for our youth's health not only now, but also in the future. They need to create good habits while they are young to help insure a healthy adulthood. I know I am going to love teaching, but my true passion is coaching. I started coaching at Planet Gymnastics when I was fourteen. I coached our team gymnasts, it was truly amazing. I did that all the way up to the time I started coaching cheerleading here at the university. I feel as far as skills go I am ready to take on anything, but I still have much to learn about the facts.
A double full basket which means 4 guys throw me in the air and I spin twice while flipping at the same time