Integrating Technology into a Physical Education Classroom - Need Help!

I teach educational technology or instructional media at a small university. Our curriculum was recently revised so that there is one technology class for all secondary education majors. Throughout the course I try to cover all types of topics (mobile devices, classroom management systems, web 2.0, software, interactive whiteboards, etc.) and tools that can be implemented into a classroom. ( The main goal of the course is for students to be able to find value in a device or form of technology and figure out how to integrate it into a lesson plan to enhance instruction )Right now I am struggling to get through to my PE students. They feel that this topic (technology) does not apply to their discipline. It is my belief that all teachers should have a basic understanding of technology to be inline with best practices. One could use it for professional development, creating instructional materials, etc. I would like to have real examples of implementation but I have not found any local educators that are using the tools that they have available to them in the Physical Education classroom. 

 

I am currently looking for quality examples of how physical education teachers are implementing technology into their classes. I have never taught physical education so any help would be appreciated. I would greatly appreciate it if you would share your thoughts if you have any experience or have read anything on this topic recently.

 

Thank you!

Tags: education, implementation, pedometer, physical

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Hi, Michelle.

 

I've seen some pretty awesome P.E. teachers who do a lot of technology integration. Here are just a few ideas:

 

1.) Use active video games -- like Dance Dance Revolution, Wii games or XBox Kinect games -- and project them onto a large wall. Have 2-4 students actually use the controllers, while the rest of the class stands behind the students, and plays without controllers (you have an entire class of kids doing the same DDR moves). Middle school students LOVE doing this with DDR (I worked with kids in low-income all-black areas, and this was one of their favorite activities). The teacher watches the entire class and the students in the back who are doing the best job get chosen to use the controllers next. You can split the class up into 2-4 groups and have them compete against each other in this way. Younger students playing Wii games often think that their entire group is controlling the avatar, even though only one student has the controller, so they really get into it.

 

2.) Have students create peer-to-peer videos demonstrating best practices, i.e., what's the best form for shooting a free-throw? What are the rules of lacrosse? Etc. When students create videos teaching other students, they gain ownership over the topic.

 

3.) For other ideas, try searching "physical education" in the forums section of Classroom 2.0 -- I found this thread, which has quite a few suggestions and links, including some ideas for using interactive whiteboards to teach health concepts.

 

Good luck!

 

Katy Scott

Stretch Your Digital Dollar

I love your idea to project Wii or DDR games onto a wall so that an entire class could utilize the program. I hadn’t thought about integrating technology into PE, but the article sparked my curiosity! When it comes to the acquiring new tech equipment for school the cost can be a major hindrance. You comment made me realize that it is possible for many students to enjoy and benefit from the same product, though they aren’t all interacting with it directly. I know this article is about PE, but have you found ways to use this same practice with other types of technology? I am still in college and when reading people’s postings, find myself wondering if my school will have the types of technology mentioned (iPads, iPods, FlipCams, etc.) or if there will be enough for multiple students to use. I know some teachers I have spoken to only have one computer (if that) in their classroom, placing significant limitations on technology use. 

Use pedometers and use graphing software to keep track.  Use Google Earth
choose walking distances or Nike+ with iPods.
Use online tools to great a fitness journal or blog.

 

Hi Michelle,

I came across a very innovative P.E. Teacher in Australia who uses a lot technology in his classes it seems... check out:

http://thepegeek.com/about/ - You will find many resources here and maybe a 'virtual guest speaker' for your class!

I did a workshop about ICT in Phys-Ed for P.E. teachers in Sri Lanka - Where I introduced how to use PowerPoint to create a "Human Video Game" - I believe I got the idea from @mrrobbo (see PE Geek link above)...in the description of the video on YouTube I'm still searching for the proper owner of the video!

Here is the video which inspired that part of the workshop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTUu39liKzo  Human Video Game in PhysEd Class

Here is a video showing a 'low tech version' so that you get an idea of how PPT can be used to create this type of thing:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdQWyPy8bxA

You can download a prototype PPT file here: http://www.box.net/shared/g3x47z047z

In the workshop in Sri Lanka we also looked at using the BURST feature on a digital camera to analyse students' movements in their sports activities.

I also showed the Sri Lankan P.E. teachers how they could connect with other P.E. teachers online and how they could develop their own PLN.

Lastly, we looked at using digital photos to assess posture (part of the SL curriculum).

Hopefully this helps!

@slister

Feel free to check out my blog and shoot me any questions at

 

www.thepegeek.com

 

You can also grab a copy of my eBook "100+ ways to use technology in Phys Ed' 

http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/100%2b-ways-to-use-technology-in-...

I teach a class, "Technology for Physical Education Teacher Education" for undergraduate Physical Education majors. I teach every thing from creating digital video projects, web page design, electronic portfolios, podcasting, wikis, blogging, desktop publishing, interactive powerpoint, and more. Feel free to email me if you want to see my syllabus and the things I am doing with our majors at Slippery Rock University: joanne.leight@sru.edu

 

I'm thrilled that you are trying to engage your physical education students with technology. It disturbs me that they don't see the relevance in their discipline. Our students also use heart rate monitors, accelermeters, biomechanical analysis software (Dartfish), underwater video cameras, fitness software, pedometers, exergaming and more in their other major classes. Technology is definitely used in physical education.

 

Good luck!

 

Hi,

I am a PE teacher and an ESL teacher in Australia and here are two ways I intergreated technology in PE last term.

1) At the end of a practical lesson, I used a video camera to record students shooting a basketball shot. In our next class we watched the technique of some NBA playres in slow motion via YouTube and discussed the mechanics of a good free throw shot. I allowed them to practice and again we recorded their technique to see if it had improved. The students loved comparing their shooting technique to Kobe Bryant.

2) With my Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation class I took photos and short video clips of students playing table tennis. I then wrote a simple dialogue explaining how to play table tennis. I got the students to read these sentences into the computer microphone and used Audacity to record their voice. I edited the video and photo into a short 1 minute presentation using Adobe Premiere Elements, explaining how to play table tennis.

I then asked students to pick a sport and create their own videos. We spent 2 periods in the computer labs getting them started and then students completed the videos at home. The hardest part was that many students were shy to take videos and photos of each other. But they really got into the video editing and did a much better job than me. Some even added music, intros and their own special effects. So they were practicing literacy and ICT skills as well as learning more about sports.

Jeremy

edjudo.com

I teach middle school physical education and am interested in need of a software program that Links everything.
I really like the iHealth program; it syncs everything. The problem - it is not compatible with our school system tech setup.
Is there anything else out there that can do what iHealth does?

NASPE (National Association for Sports and Physical Education) is our National (not State) organization. They have gone to great lengths to research and provide guidelines about technology and best practices including  strategies for technology in physical education.

"google-in" NASPE technology in physical education or appropriate use of technology in physical education.

Jan Le Vine

In the event of raining or other unfavorable conditions outside, I know students to spend their recess break inside playing Just Dance from YouTube. The students enjoy following the moves of a dancer. Go Noodle is also a great web page that has dance videos. It’s a fun way to get students moving and active.

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