Blog Activity/Reflection #3

Commerce ISD

Field Trip Permission Form

Your child’s class will be attending a field trip to:

Globe Life Park Tour/Rangers Game

Date	4/15/2016	Time	Depart - 10:00 am /Return - 11:30 pm
Location	1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington, TX 76011
Cost	45$ this fee covers tour, ticket price, and food ONLY (Child must bring any extra desired spending money)
Transportation	School bus
Notes	Tour will begin at 1:00 pm and game will start at 7:00 pm. Sack lunches will be provided and dinner will be coved at the ballpark.

Please return this permission slip by:

4/5/2016 NO EXCEPTIONS

I give permission for my child

in room

302

to attend the field trip to

Globe Life Park Tour/Game

on

4/15/2016

from

10:00 am

to

11:30 pm

Enclosed is $

45

to cover the cost of the trip. (Exact cash or check made payable to school.)

In case of an emergency, I give permission for my child to receive medical treatment. In case of such an emergency, please contact:

Name

Phone

Parent/Guardian Signature

Date

          I decided to use the permission slip template for this assignment. I favored this template because I felt that it was very general and could be saved and used for several different occasions. It seems to be very simple and easy for parents to read and comprehend. I also wanted to use this assignment to educate the class that PE field trips are a wonderful idea. As a kinesiology major it is often overlooked to allow students to have a physical educational based field trip. Some would argue that a trip to a ballpark isn't educational but I would disagree. I went with my school to a tour/game when I was in the third grade and I became an instant fan of baseball. I had never played the sport before attending that game and I learned a lot in that day from how the Texas Rangers were established as a team, how they got their name, history of the team, how the stadium was built in 1994, and most importantly the rules and how to play baseball. Obesity is becoming a huge struggle for children in America and they need trips like this to get them interested in sports and getting outdoors and why it is important. I never stepped foot on a baseball field until that field trip and I ended up playing every year after that until I graduated high school. Sorry for my little personal rant but this is truly what interested me in picking this template.

         

          This template can indeed be used for more than just a permission slip for a field trip. There are many instances where students may have been recognized for an outstanding achievement and need parental permission to use their name or personal information in the local paper or journal. This template could also be used if a student is going to be part of optional testing for experimental research. Parents have the choice to allow their children to be as involved or uninvolved with example such as these. You never know what a particular child's living situation is and it could be dangerous to a child to list their name or personal information in the paper. Parents could also just be uncomfortable with publicly displaying their child. They most diffidently have the right to say no.

          Other forms or slips could be needed in addition to this permission template. For example liability becomes a huge issue when taking children on field trips. Let's hypothetically say that a student attends a trip to the zoo and a lion escapes and mauls the child. The parents signed the permission slip but were not required to fill out a waiver of liability. The school would be responsible for injuries to that child if this were the case. Parents should be informed that with the waiver of liability that school is not liable even if the teacher or supervisor of the trip was negligent. Informed consent slips are similar to the waiver of liability slips but under these forms if the teacher was negligent than the school can be held accountable for any injuries that occurred. Okay now let's say the parent filled out the permission slip and the waiver of liability/informed consent form and the lion still mauls the child. Issues could occur if these slips did not include any medical questions and permission for emergency treatment. These questions usually include the name of their primary doctor and any medications they are currently taking. This way emergency responders can effectively care for the child if the parent is unreachable. It is very important to personally email these slips to the parents of the students as well as contacting them via phone call to explain the details of the trip and what they are signing.

Locate/Research Teacher Resources, Blog Activity #2

The first resource that I found is a game website called coolmath.com/coolmath4kids.com. This site is a wonderful tool that students can use to learn various levels of math from entry level all the way to algebra and calculus. They can learn new lessons, practice with math exercises, or play fun math and science related games. There are some games on the site that I wouldn't consider to be educational in the form of math or science so it is important for the teacher to monitor the games and let the students know which games they are allowed to play. The non math and science games aren't bad in my opinion, they do promote problem solving and critical thinking skills and could potentially be allowed in certain situations as rewards. That being noted I would say that the subject specific games are more effective for the learning process. These games do a great job at allowing students to practice and learn math or science while using technology and games to do so. Video games are becoming more and more popular and utilizing this interest to promote education in a fabulous idea. There are many other wonderful games out there but this is just one of many.

Another resource that I used while in school and loved is the use of clickers. I personally am the type of student who gets very nervous or embarrassed when I answer a question and get it wrong. I will sometimes elect not to speak up when I would thought that I knew an answer just to allow another student to answer. When I first used clickers I thought it was awesome because I was completely anonymous alongside the rest of the class. I felt very comfortable while using them and I could still participate and answer every question. For teachers they are a very nice tool to use as well. You allow whole class participation and can assess the results to determine if the class is retaining information. If the class answers most questions correctly than you can note that they are comfortable with the information. If the answers are split or most get the question wrong you can note that they are struggling with that area and may need to go over it again. It's a win-win situation. These are a great tool to use for review situations to assess if the students are ready for a test or ready to move on.