Professional Website

Well three websites later, I am finally in the beginning stages of building a professional website. http://sites.google.com/site/jamiekingfor3/home
Once again, my concern is with having so much personal informatiion out there. I did have trouble uploading pictures. Everytime I tried to upload a picture of myself my computer froze. I think the sites will be great for my youth basketball program. I can update schedules and inform parents of changes and upcoming events. It will also be a great place for interested parents a nd players to learn about our club.

Linkedln & Plaxo

These two websites are very similar in terms of their capabilities. I agree with "Champions Are Won in January" that Linkedln seemed to have more of an professional feel to it while Plaxo seemed far more informal. I think that my concern is with putting so much of my personal information out there I feel a little vulnerable. I realize that may be a naive or paranoid but it just the sense I feel. If I could get past that feeling, I could see Linkedlnin could be extremely beneficial in terms of networking, especially for coaches who are looking to relocate.

The Library Thing

I found this site extremely interesting with endless possibilities. The most appealing feature was the "recommendations" segment. I am a huge fan of reading books about leadership. Since the concept of leadership can be applied to almost any scenario, it was exciting to find books that I may not otherwise be aware of.

As an educator, I liked to possibility of have online conversations about books that could extend off of our campus. Our students could have a running conversation about the books they are reading and gain a whole different perspective.

Finally, the review system was intriguing because books that I thought were great received moderate ratings compared to other books on the list. It was also nice to see other books that could be added to our curriculum.

Image Generators

The Image Generators were amazing!!! It gave me so many ideas for my Leadership class. We are going to make Teacher Appreciation pictures for our staff each month. We all are going to design identification badges so that the students can be out of class and be identified as leadership student. On a personal note, the picture that I included is a picture of the 2009-2010 Lady Raiders. This week we became the most successful girls basketball program in the school's history. It looks like we are going to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. It has been an amazing season.

Technorati

I did not find this site that helpful besides the fact that I was able to distinguish information in terms of blogs and post. However, I did like the number of blogs I was able to find through the search engine.

YouTube In My Classroom

I think YouTube is a tremendous tool for educators. Unfortunately, our school blocks YouTube thank goodness I have the override. I have used it to show inspirational vides to my AVID and leadership class. We are in the process of advertising our school events on YouTube to generate interest in our programs. The only downfall to Youtube is what I am experiencing tonight. The inability to get the video to play at times.

Del.icio.us

I found this site very helpful. The best thing was the search engine. It seemed like everytime I started to type in a topic another related topic would come up and distract my attention. It seems that with some search engines you must be very specific with the topic or subject. I found sites that dealt with sports pyschology, coaching basketball, and kinesiology.

By far the most appealing thing about the site was the ability to bookmark in one location. I have two different classrooms at school plus my office computer. I cannot tell you how much time this site will save me.

YouTube Video

Actually this is just an audio recording a Bo Schembechler speech. I recently played this for my team when a few players forgot what they were playing for. I have also played this for my leadership students. This speech applies to any organization.

Podcast

Unfortunately, I was not able to get any of the podcast to play, but there were several that peaked my interest. On podcast.com, I found several that ESPNU conducts interviews with division I coaches on a regular basis. I even was able to locate a few vodcast that covered various basketball topics. The most intriguing podcast were the ones conducted by Coacgodwin. They focused on topics such as mental preparation before a game, being a great 6th man, and how to earn a division I scholarship. Hopefully, I can figure out the problem and check out some of these features in the very near future.

Google Docs

Of all the things I learned about this week, Google Docs has the most potential as an educator and a coach. As a coach, I see this as an opportunity to communicate with parents and other coaches more effectively. I could post parent packets, directions to the various venues where we play, and practice and game calendars. More importantly, it could relieve some of the budgetary constraints by reducing copy cost. Inn terms of education, Google docs provides students with countless numbers of examples and templates to help them produce high quality assignments.

My only concern is that with all of these resources literally at their fingertips, will students lack the skills or creativity to develop these techniques themselves?

Web 2.0

This week's assignment was the first I had ever heard of Web 2.0 let alone the Web 2.0 Awards. There were several sites that caught my interest. As an AVID teacher, I was intrigued by the Whiteboard site. Personal Statements have become a major part of the application process. This site would allow students to share their papers with their peers or faculty members for revisions. As a Leadership teacher, I could only think of the countless possibilities of the Upcoming website. We could announce dances, sports, events, and reunion to the members of our community. It would be just one more way to bring our community and school closer together. Finally, the iStats site created a great resource for the year round athlete. In the days of CrossFit, we could put our "Workout of the Day" on the site and athletes can compare their results with one another.

RSS Exercise

Once again technology is making my life way too convenient. I can remember the days when I had to stumble over things in my bedroom in the dark trying find shoes to go get the morning paper in the driveway. Then, it just became a matter of going upstairs and jumping on my computer and methodically going from website to website to become current on the day's events. Now I have them all in one location. I can check the latest posting of my classmates. I can see how my students respond to events that occured at school the night before. Most importantly, I can check the seeding for the upcoming playoffs all at one site. I guess the only thing that is let to happen is to have someone move the mouse for me.

My Home Team

This is my wonderful family. The bald guy is me. The stunning blonde in the silver dress is my wife Heather. The tall girl is my 14 year old daughter Katie and the lady killer at the end is my incredible son Jalen

New Technology

This week's topic of technology in education and social networking is absolutely fascinating to me. The ability for educators to communicate with colleagues and students from any location and at anytime leads to endless possibilities.

In the Social Networking article by Weaver and Morrison, it stated, "People have always been social creatures; our ability to work together in groups, creating value that is greater than the sum of its parts, is one of our greatest assets." From the days of writing to our pen pals students have always been curious of how others live. With our current technology, we no longer have to wait weeks or months for a response, the response can now be immediate through blogs. Authors can communicate with their readers via podcast. Students who are absent from school can still be part of class through vodcasts. All of this technology allows the diversity of our groups in and out of our classrooms to expand exponentially.

As educators, we must realize that when it comes to technology we, as an older generation, must be current on the benefits and uses of technology if we wish to be most effective in the classroom. According to the "Examining Social Software in teacher Education" editorial, "It is crucial that the educational technology and teacher education community understand how these tools can be, and our being used." For example, I can put my lectures on Podcasts for absent students versus telling them to get notes from a friend. Physically disabled students will no longer be dependant on aids taking their notes. Parents can be better informed of what is currently happening in their child's class by posting questions on blogs or visiting teacher websites. Even the most basic internet based websites for grades allow parents and students to monitor their progress on a day to day basis.

The greatest gift we can give the students in our classrooms or the children in our homes is the example of a life long learner. Our current technology allows us to complete degrees online without leaving our desk our the comfort of our own home. In the "Emerging Technologies Changing Public Library Service Delivery Models", we realize that we live in a society that no longer worries about time zones or political boundaries when it comes to educational opportunities. "New technologies allow them to provide a better service to users by offering simple access to what they want,, when they want it and how they want it."

Ultimately as a teacher my job is to ensure that I am meeting the needs of my students. Today's generation has been raised with a much higher standard of technology from that of my generation. They communicate differently, they learn differently. I cannot provide the best opportunities for my students to learn if I am not teaching to their strengths and learning styles.

Introduction

Hello All! My name is Jamie King and I excited about the opportunity to share my ideas and the things that I have learned with all of you. More importantly, I look forward to learning from all of you. In my 13 years as an educator and 20 years as a coach, I have learned so much more from my students and players than they have ever learned from me. I hope we can build lasting professional and personal relationships.