Paige's Weekly Blog

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Cheersport Nationals in Atlanta

WISH ME LUCK EVERYONE!!!!
I AM A CHEERLEADING COACH AT WEST FORSYTH HIGH SCHOOL IN WINSTON-SALEM AND WE LEAVE FOR CHEERSPORT NATIONALS IN ATLANTA IN THE MORNING. WE COMPETE ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. APPARENTLY THIS YEAR THERE ARE OVER 900 TEAMS ATTENDING. WE COMPETE AGAINST A TEAM FROM CANADA THIS YEAR...CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW CHEERLEADING DIFFERS THERE!!!! HOPEFULLY I WILL LEARN SOMETHING NEW!!!!

Richard Simulation

I think that the simulation process with Richard was fascinating. First of all, I am so impressed by the animation. I watched the video several times and each time was impressed by all the detail. I really enjoyed this process, def. the best assignment so far in this class. I felt like watching the video and listening to both Richard and Crystal communciate was an awesome learning tool. I think that now I have a better understanding of how COPM works!!!!!!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Ai squared announces their new portable magnifiers

Wow. These new devices seem really neat. I like the idea of it having a 3 hour battery life...how convenenient. These devices are reasonably priced and seem to really allow the user to have free rein of things they used to not be able to do. I love the example of the lady who can now read to her grandaaughter, read bank statements, etc... it seems as if these devices can give people their loves back in a way...
the devices are the Nemo and the Max and range in price from $349 to $795.

Check out this article to learn more about Nemo and Max. Some great PORTABLE DEVICES that may really help people out with vision disabilities such as Richards!!!

Thursday, January 31, 2008

learning with video games- a review of the article

I was so excited to view and read this article. It is not often that you hear of video games being a meaningful component of student learning. I had never even thought of the usefulness of video games until a parent of one of my autistic students got him the Wii to help him maintain coordination and movement during the winter, when its cold outside and his outdoor activities are limited. In reading this article I learned that there are many games out there with the different gaming systems that do have benefits for student learning. This article reviews lots of video games and the components that make them great for learning of all ages, such as the newest systems such as Guitar Hero and the Wii.
I was drawn to this article because I must say Guitar Hero and the Wii are some of my new favorite things. Just last weekend we had a gathering at a friends house and all us "30 somethings" sat around laughing, playing and watching one another attempt to become rock superstars:) We used to go out and socialize in our 20's and now here we are playing video games in our 30's. We love it, learning how to play the Wii and Guitar Hero have been a blast for us all.
Tanenhaus (author of this article) stats that video games are appropriate for people of all ages incorporating social, recreational and educational applications. These gaming systems help in teaching students cooperative play, social, recreational and whole body interactivity, as well as helping in, language, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, timing, cordination and general academic improvement. There are games that are meant to increase memory and help build language skills, such as working on crossword puzzles and answering trivia questions (examples: left brain right brain and word jong).