Part 1: Podcast
Hayley Hunsberger created the first podcast that I listened to. She is a senior at K-State majoring in Family and Consumer Sciences. In her podcast she talked about how exercise increases learning. She defined exercise as any physical or mental exertion to increase skill or strength. Hayley also mentioned how being physically fit increases problem solving skills by 10%. She mentioned a school that sends students that struggle with math and reading to PE before those subjects. This particular school also has balls and stationary bikes in their classrooms for students to use. According to Hayley and the research that she did, fitness based exercise, like strength and flexibility, makes our brains more ready to learn. It has a direct correlation with academic test scores. Those who are deemed fit score twice as well on academic tests as those who are deemed unfit.
All of this information makes sense to me, just from my own experience. If I sit at my desk and do homework for several hours without taking a break I start to make mistakes. I always feel like I can get more done after I take a walk or exercise. I think more schools should have exercise balls in their classrooms for students to use. The students could even sit on these balls instead of hard chairs. I think this would definitely increase productivity and motivate kids!
Natalie Archuleta created the second podcast that I listened to. In her podcast she discussed three ESL websites that can be very helpful for teachers of all levels. This podcast was especially helpful for me because my concentration is ESL. The first website that she talked about was Dave’s ESL Café. On this websites there are pages for teachers, students, and everyone! On the teacher page there is everything from icebreakers and games to a place for teachers to post their résumé and teacher forums. The second website that Natalie talked about is called ESL Party Land. This website claims it is a fun place to learn English as a second language. There are separate pages for students to learn English, and for teachers to teach English. On the teacher page there are links to lesson plans on a variety of topics including teaching conversation, teaching with the Internet, and teaching grammar. The final website that Natalie mentioned is called ESLAmerica.US. On this website anything that students do has sound. They can complete activities under all kinds of topics including conversation, life skills, vocabulary, and reading. Students can click on a topic that will take them to a page with many more resources on it.
Part 2: Website & Blog
After listening to Hayley and Natalie’s original podcast, I browsed around their websites and blogs. Both of their websites were attractive and inviting. The colors that they chose were neutral but invited viewers to explore the sites further. Both websites were easy to navigate with a navigation bar on the left side of the home page. Their other pages were clearly marked with appropriate names for what was on the page. Hayley and Natalie had a list of links on the right side of their homepages that were appropriate and easy to read. They both also had pictures that helped me get to know them a little bit. They also included their DED 318 projects on a separate page in a logical order. Natalie had a separate page for each of her Block A classes while Hayley had one page for all of her Block 1 classes. Personally, I prefer the one page for all of the classes, but it is a personal preference.
Next I looked at the girls’ blogs. I love Hayley’s blog background! It is purple paisley and almost reminds me of Vera Bradley patterns. I also like that her blog entries show up on a plain white box. This makes them easy to read. The only thing that I would change about Hayley’s blog is the font that she chose. It is all caps, and a little bit hard to read. I also liked Natalie’s blog background. It is a purple-checkered print. Natalie’s blog entries also show up in a framed light pink box that makes them easy to read. Her writing is black and easy to read. The only thing that I would change about Natalie’s blog is the navigation bar. The writing on it is not on top of a separate, solid box. It is kind of hard to read.
After looking at these girls’ websites and blogs, I found that I have much of the same features on mine. I am glad that I decided to use iWeb to create my website, however. I am able to move everything around however I want, and not have to stick to a specific format. After seeing the more neutral colors in Natalie and Hayley’s website, I might tweak the colors on my website. It could feel too bright to a new viewer. But I also have to remember that I am going to be an Elementary teacher and want a website that is fun and inviting.
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