Tuesday 3 March 2015
Love has no label
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnDgZuGIhHs
A Beautiful video that shows how love can break many barriers that society has put in place.
Friday 23 January 2015
Thursday 22 January 2015
Voki an Educational asset?
Voki is a webpage that allows people to create avatars that
speak a text that has been written.
Children may be engaged and find it fun to customize the character to fit the way they look, through this the practitioner can assign them work.
Children may be engaged and find it fun to customize the character to fit the way they look, through this the practitioner can assign them work.
Due to voki being an online application it allows children
to take their account home and watch again and again this will help process and
remember the information given and allow the children to relate back to when
completing homework tasks.
Children themselves can post the avatars and their speech, this can allow the practitioner to assess the pupils development and allows the pupils to educate each other through new knowledge they have discovered which may become very helpful with research projects.
You can do the voice of your avatar through many forms
allowing it to be more accessible to the pupils from home the simple layout
allows the children to select one of the following options
-record by phone
-Type text to speech
- Record from Microphone
and upload an audio file
As you can see the application is very engaging, and can be
seen as very use full within the classroom as it not only engages the pupils it
gives them a way to express knowledge they have or even ask other peers for
help, yet there can also be some downsides of using this in education as not
all pupils may have the accessibility at home allowing the more wealthier pupil
to have an advantage to those who may not have the option, also when signing up
for the application it asks to confirm your age is above 13, some 13 year old
may find this childish rather than engaging.
(I asked my sisters aged
14 and 12 to have a go and the eldest found the application to be “okay
but could have more options like be able to put a profile pic” where as the
youngest spent almost a half an hour making the avatar before selecting texts)
By following this link you will be able to watch my voki and
see how the application works,
Voki is free to sign up for so why not make your own?
Why is Physical education important?
P.E is a compulsory sport in school for all ages, although it is compulsory not everyone takes part. Children will only take part in activities they want to and do not like to be forced in to doing things they don't like or don't want to do.
P.E is obviously a very important factor when growing up, as it helps keep kids active and fit. It also helps children develop friendships and confidence through sport. If children don't par take in the activities that are put on for them by the school then there is a risk that they will refuse to partake in any activity outside of school such as football or rugby.
P.E gives children the foundation to go out and enjoy sport at home with friends, teams and clubs that will keep them fit, happy and healthy.
As stated above children will develop friendship from P.E classes and that will make them want to partake in P.E more often as they see their friends taking part, they may even challenge each other to be better than the rest of the class, This however can also cause a problem in the P.E classes as some children don't like challenges and certainly won't enjoy the class if they are unable to compete at the same level as other pupils in the class so they may stop taking part altogether, this then leads to children skipping class and becoming less active and may lead to obesity in later life if not during the school period.
Schools are trying to get all children to enjoy P.E from a young age so they continue taking part through their school life. P.E is important especially to young children in school as it helps gain friendships, confidence, keeps children fit and allows them to have an idea on how their body works and how to keep it healthy, PE can also lead them to success in later life, may it be through a sport itself or through the confidence, independence and state of mental balance it can give a child.
By clicking on the photo below you will be able to access a video on the benefits of P.E in schools and why children should be having more Physical education lessons.
Blog review - Why I wrote about it?
Many may be wondering about my previous blog post about child depression.
I had some news this week that my sister was on her way to the emergency room at our local hospital, after having a fit during her English GCSE exam.
My sister is young, athletic and in all other accounts a healthy child, after speaking to doctors and counselors throughout this week they have told us that they believe the fit was brought on due to stress. I then decided to look further into what stress she may be undergoing, that is when I came across the statistics of childhood depression, the further I looked into these statistics the more agitated I became about the pressures being put on my sisters and other children.
In my previous blog I mentioned how siblings may have an effect on each others mental health, my sister is the youngest of three, Myself being the oldest and my younger sister Courtney who is in the same year of education as the youngest.
My mother become a single parent when I was 14, my father was never around much due to working long hours, it was my mother who sat us down and helped us with our homework despite upholding a stressful job herself, after the divorce my mother put in longer hours at work so that we could afford to get nice clothing, be able to go on school trips, to take part in the many sporting teams that we were involved in as well as extra activity's. I could see the strain it was putting on her and it was then that I made it my target to make her proud I pushed myself to all I could in order to get the GCSEs and diploma to allow me to get into University and once I was accepted the thrilled look and attitude she had made it all worth it.
Unknowingly I had set a bar for my younger siblings to reach, they are now thriving to get the same reaction from my mother.
Courtney has always been a bright child and has always been educationally gifted, knowledge seems to be absorbed easily to her, and she hit top of her class on many occasions.
The youngest Ellie has always been a sport enthusiast and played netball for the district county as well as the country until an injury to her foot made it painful for her to play professionally any longer, shes bubbly and tends to get along with everyone she meets, yet educationally she's a lot like me, she has to work hard to get what she needs to get into university as she would like to become a teacher, this alongside the pressure of having Courtney sitting her exams at the same time as well as all the other pressures of society seemed to be to much.
My sister had a fit due to the stress she was being put under yet other children all around the world are feeling that there is no escape from these pressures.
I could not help but think of how a simple word of assurance would take some of the stress away so I then decided to write the blog to inform others about the stress children and teenagers are going through in hope that they take this knowledge and reassure the child that it is OK, because it is OK.
I had some news this week that my sister was on her way to the emergency room at our local hospital, after having a fit during her English GCSE exam.
My sister is young, athletic and in all other accounts a healthy child, after speaking to doctors and counselors throughout this week they have told us that they believe the fit was brought on due to stress. I then decided to look further into what stress she may be undergoing, that is when I came across the statistics of childhood depression, the further I looked into these statistics the more agitated I became about the pressures being put on my sisters and other children.
In my previous blog I mentioned how siblings may have an effect on each others mental health, my sister is the youngest of three, Myself being the oldest and my younger sister Courtney who is in the same year of education as the youngest.
My mother become a single parent when I was 14, my father was never around much due to working long hours, it was my mother who sat us down and helped us with our homework despite upholding a stressful job herself, after the divorce my mother put in longer hours at work so that we could afford to get nice clothing, be able to go on school trips, to take part in the many sporting teams that we were involved in as well as extra activity's. I could see the strain it was putting on her and it was then that I made it my target to make her proud I pushed myself to all I could in order to get the GCSEs and diploma to allow me to get into University and once I was accepted the thrilled look and attitude she had made it all worth it.
Unknowingly I had set a bar for my younger siblings to reach, they are now thriving to get the same reaction from my mother.
Courtney has always been a bright child and has always been educationally gifted, knowledge seems to be absorbed easily to her, and she hit top of her class on many occasions.
The youngest Ellie has always been a sport enthusiast and played netball for the district county as well as the country until an injury to her foot made it painful for her to play professionally any longer, shes bubbly and tends to get along with everyone she meets, yet educationally she's a lot like me, she has to work hard to get what she needs to get into university as she would like to become a teacher, this alongside the pressure of having Courtney sitting her exams at the same time as well as all the other pressures of society seemed to be to much.
My sister had a fit due to the stress she was being put under yet other children all around the world are feeling that there is no escape from these pressures.
I could not help but think of how a simple word of assurance would take some of the stress away so I then decided to write the blog to inform others about the stress children and teenagers are going through in hope that they take this knowledge and reassure the child that it is OK, because it is OK.
Follow the link below if you would like to read the blog post that I have reviewed
Child Depression
"As many as 1 in every 33 children may have depression; in teens, that number may be as high as 1 in 8" KidsHealth.org
Just think of that statistic.....
A high school class has on average 25 to 30 children
Primary schools holding 1,000 pupils or more
According to suicide.org every 100 minutes a teenager will take their own life through depression!
Children, what could they be depressed about? all they do is play, run around and have fun correct?
Wrong with the society we are living in there is a lot of pressure being put on teenagers and young children.
Image
Do I look like everyone else?
Nobody likes to stand out especially when your a child. think back to when you was younger, that child that nobody wanted to sit by, well its become worse children feel that they must meet a certain criteria to be accepted into society and is it anywhere when you look at a magazine or switch on TV what are you greeted with ?
Nobody likes to stand out especially when your a child. think back to when you was younger, that child that nobody wanted to sit by, well its become worse children feel that they must meet a certain criteria to be accepted into society and is it anywhere when you look at a magazine or switch on TV what are you greeted with ?
Children believe that it is these images to look up to. On the over of a well known children's magazine you will find many pop artists such as this one with Arianna Grande and Katy Perry who also appeared at this years teen choice awards
Children look up to these women then they see the way they act and are dressed in their music videos
And suddenly children all over want to have the figure, the clothes, the hair, the attitude and if they don't they risk becoming isolated targets,
School
You must do well in school, how else are you going to get a good job ?
That one piece of homework will change your life,
That one piece of homework will change your life,
You must remember all this information for this exam even if you never use it again.
Failed your English GCSE 5 years ago? I'm sorry but no jobs available.......
Failed your English GCSE 5 years ago? I'm sorry but no jobs available.......
How many times have we been told over and over again how important our school lessons are to uphold a good career?
How many times in your career have you used the important school lessons?
Click photo above to have a greater understanding on how children are becoming so depressed due to school.
Siblings
Children will look to their older brother or sister as an example of how they can or should live their lives. They'll also use the way they act to better themselves. Often siblings will use each other as targets to become better than or to out-do each other so teachers, family or friends will notice them for being better than the others, This will put pressure onto children as they thrive to become ' The Best Child' and be used as an example by parents when they speak of their children.
Sport involvement
Children who play sports will at some point endure stress whilst playing, whether it be from themselves, coaches or parents, children will always thrive to be the best at the sport they choose to take part in. A major part of sport is winning and when a child has been brought up on this then that's what they'll always aim for and losing is unacceptable. This alone can cause a lot of stress to children as they will put everything into their effort to win and if they come away with nothing or a loss then they feel they have failed and that it wasn't good enough and will blame themselves for the loss. Parents can sometimes be a distraction at sporting events as when a child knows their parent is watching they feel they have to do well to make their parents proud and that taking part isn't enough, they feel they can't let them down and want to be the best they can, this causes stress upon the child and will undoubtedly cause them to make mistakes which will hinder their self believe and confidence for future sporting events.
With many more factors affecting a child's life this added stress can cause children to reach all levels of depression, children are no longer the children we believe them to be and we all must support children, let them know that its OK for them to fail, its OK for them to be unique and most importantly Its OK for them to be children!
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!
If you are a child/Young adult that is suffering from depression or know of someone who is, do not suffer alone below are some help sites and numbers to call, they offer advise or somebody to talk to, they will listen and they will understand.
- SupportLine Telephone Helpline: 01708 765200 (Helpline)
email info@supportline.org.uk
Confidential emotional support to Children Young People and Adults. Also keeps details of agencies, support groups and counsellors throughout UK - Breathing Space: 0800 83 85 87 (Area served SCOTLAND)www.breathingspacescotland.co.uk Breathing Space is a free, confidential phone line for people in Scotland who are experiencing low mood or depression. Breathing Space is available to the public every day of the year, 24 hours at weekends (6pm Friday–6am Monday) and 6pm-2am (Monday-Thursday).
- CALL Community Advice and Listening Line (Wales): 0800 132737www.callhelpline.org.uk Mental health helpline for Wales providing confidential listening support service.
- Childline: 0800 1111
www.childline.org.uk - Get Connected: 0808 808 4994www.getconnected.org.uk Free telephone and email helpline finding young people the best help whatever the problem. Can connect a child or young person to any UK helpline where appropriate.
Racism
I came across a poem that a father wrote about his son please take a moment to read.
‘I don't
mind my boy getting a few knocks on the pitch
Because
it's his choice to play,
I don't
mind cuts and bruises
Because
they just fade away,
I do mind
him getting racially abused
Because
it's something that he'll keep.
It hurts
more than a cut or bruise because it runs so deep
His
background and his colour are not choices that he has made
But he
accepts and is proud of who he is
And has
no need to be afraid,
He'll
stand tall in the taunts of racism and will dismiss the weak
By being
better and stronger and turning the other cheek,
He has
the backing of his team mates so it doesn't get too much
They will
stand united and kick racism into touch’ (RFL)
Now before you continue to read this post close your eyes and imagine that you were this father, that your son had to deal with this issue each time they go to do something they enjoy,
Now close them again and imagine you were his son would you still enjoy the game?
Football have their own initiatives when dealing with racism both on and off the pitch. with football being such a published sport they enforced the "Show Racism the RED card UK" and "Kick it out" witch is sponsored by The premier league as well as many more organisations.
They educate throughout the leagues and also through schools educating children why racism is wrong and why the race of a person dose not define the person it pushes the fact that racism hurts the individual.
Many famous sports role models back these campaigns and appear in posters and adverts in an attempt to help cancel out racism.
But is it enough ?
With incidents of racism still appearing in sports what more can be done?
Or do we just wait and hope that through teaching in schools that the generations to come will do the right thing ?
I am not suggesting that it is pointless teaching the wrong doing that racism can have I just have an understanding that our generation was taught the same valuable lesson yet I can still see my fellow peers making racist remarks .
Will we ever live in a world where race is just a competition on who finishes first? not a reason to comment on the skin colour of a person.
Where our ethnicity is not guessed because we are White, Black, Pink, Brown, yellow or what ever other colours people believe resembles the skin colour of each individual?
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