While I was on my practicum I got ahold of a really great resource! One of the teachers in my school had the entire Just Dance game on a USB stick. Just Dance is a dancing video game where you are meant to mimic the dancing moves on the TV. I took my class along with the grade 1 and 2 classes to the gym and put the video up on the big screen so everyone could see it easily. I would turn off the lights and ask the kids to spread out to make sure they could dance with all the space they needed! It was a great PE activity to keep them all engaged and it ended up being a great work out for them! It was easy to tell when the students were getting anxious or losing interest, we usually lasted for about 5 or 6 songs maximum. I was a little uneasy using the game at first because of the clothing and dancing moves in the videos, but the other teachers informed me this is what these kids have grown up around and it is what they know.
Below is a link for one of the many songs I used:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkc62sOdmDk
ahh! I love it:)
ReplyDeleteSo many teachers opt out of including any dance within the classroom because they are afraid. They don't know how and that means it just gets skimmed over. This is a great example of how we can use technology to help us in areas we may feel uncomfortable in.
If I am in primary for my next practicum (which I think I am) I will definitely do this! Thank you for sharing, I love it!! So fun :)
ReplyDeleteI got to see this in my practicum too and the kids loved it! My teacher only used it as energizers in the classroom. I was also questioning the content, but I think these kids are exposed to far worse outside of the school which is really unfortunate. But as teachers we need to be creative with our students to keep them wanting to learn. I think it's a lot tougher to be a teacher nowadays because students expect more or they won't give more. It's like we need to be entertaining them while we teach now just so they will pay attention, which is fine for me because I'd rather be enjoying myself in class also, but it does create a bit more work for us and definitely takes a lot of energy to be constantly enthusiastic about what you are teaching.
ReplyDeleteBe careful about using materials that you are questioning, even at the advice of other teachers. Ideally, ask your principal for advice. Also, I wonder about copyright rules, a field that is changing rapidly and can be a landmine for unsuspecting teachers. I have seen a high school use this on the big screen for the whole school, though, and it was a great activity. I think students today do appreciate multimedia, because that's what they are used to. But they also need quiet time to think...and if they don't know how, we are the only ones who can help them with that. But having great resources at your finger tips is a good way to save your energy - teachers don't have to be the entertainers all the time.
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