UNIT 1 Forms of Technology in PE
Objectives
At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:
- Learners will be aware of different technologies that can be integrated into a PE course varying from relatively inexpensive equipment to equipment that will be a larger investment.
- Learners will know where to find the resources we discuss in the unit, and how to contact the companies to find out more.
Introduction
As we begin this unit, you should look at your current program and find the units that you feel struggle the most with student involvement. You should also be thinking of how you might be able to use some of the resources found on this page, and integrate them into your program without them becoming more of a hassle than an aide.
With the computer age upon us, our students are becoming more and more reliant on technology in their everyday lives. They are comfortable using it, and feel that not using technology feels almost primitive. We are going to look at only a few examples of technology with ranging budgets that can be added into a classroom.
Forms of Technology
With so many options to choose from we will start with the most basic form of technology that will not only peak the interest of students, but will allow the physical educator to monitor the students' vital signs showing exertion and effort.
Wireless Heart Rate Monitors
Heart rate monitors have come along way from being sporadically accurate with minimal features. A teacher can now have an entire class set of wireless monitors that have a multitude of features to include:
- Continuous heart rate monitoring
- You can train inside a heart rate zone by manually setting your upper and lower heart rate limits.
- You hear audible alerts when your heart rate goes outside of your heart rate zone.
- Stop watch to start and stop your exercise session
- Calories count down timer
- Post exercise summary: Duration, maximum heart rate, average heart rate, calories burnt and time above/in/below target zone of the exercise session
- Basic time keeping: Time and date but no wake up alarm
- Wireless heart rate monitor (ECG accurate) with an analogue chest strap transmitter and a wrist watch receiver
With this information, the teacher will have the necessary information to assess how hard students worked as well as if they were active for the period. This also informs the students of how hard they are working, and when they need to speed up or slow down. This is a great way to individualize the assessment model to fit individual needs. No longer will the athletic students be able to slide by with minimal effort, while a struggling student works hard but is perceived to be slacking. This information completely changes how the teacher views the students activity levels.
Students can then keep a log after each class to track and monitor progress. This will be especially helpful with the new APPR stipulations that teachers are facing. Students will also be able to see that their health and fitness is actually improving or declining.
Video Software
When testing skills in a Physical Education class the subjectivity of a teacher can be put into question. One way to eliminate this and provide extremely accurate feedback is to use motion software. The student's movement skill would be recorded via any video recording device (higher quality preferred) and instantly downloaded to the software for analysis. One program that I have found very beneficial is Dartfish. Some of the program's features and applications include:
Communicate
- Improve communication with students thanks to objective visual support. Give students the ability to see themselves perform by providing them with automatic, instant or delayed visual feedback.
- Start a dialogue with the support of the video images and make it easier for your students to understand your evaluation and comments.
Analyze
- Make objective analyses and enhance students’ assessment and ICT skills.
- Make objective analyses and enhance students’ assessment and ICT skills.
- Break down activities, compare video clips and highlight technique development.
- Give students the ability to enhance their standardized assessment or ICT skills by capturing skills, then viewing, analyzing video clips and comparing key positions.
Share
- Easily share knowledge between students and teachers
- Publish your video analyses of exercises or movements into clear and easy-to-use interactive documents.
- Make all your video content available to everyone in your school on CD, DVD, via internet or by email.
This software gives educators the ability to breakdown video segments into frame by frame clips that can give precise and accurate feedback about what the student is doing correctly and what part of their form needs more assistance. The students and teachers can create full projects including angles of attack, distance and time measurements, as well as body posture and angle analysis. The price is very reasonable and the program can be loaded onto any Mac or PC. The initial learning curve can be intimidating, but the results are amazingly accurate and the students enjoy seeing how their body moves and reacts in movement.
Exergaming
This form of technology is more of a group of technologies rather than a single piece. It is no secret that students today (for the most part) play a lot of video games. So instead of fighting against it, why not make it physical? This is exactly what Exergames technology has done. They have taken video games, but created them in a way that the user is physically engaged the entire time and works up more of a sweat than most PE classes will all year. These games are designed to be fun yet physically challenging. Exergames range from movement machines that require the player to stay moving to power the game all the way to full wall touch screens that have players moving jumping and climbing.
This is obviously the most costly of the choices that we have discussed, but it would net the largest return of student interest. While exergaming isn't for everyone, it is certainly a major draw to students of all ages and abilities. The games can be modified to fit students with special needs, and adapted to fit your lesson as either a stand alone station or an addition to a unit activity.
Resources
All of the products are available online through various retailers, but each one is specifically designed for use in a Physical Education program. Through these links, you will be able to find exact specifications, pricing,as well as how you can integrate them into your program. Most of the companies will create discounted packages or deals when being used in the educational setting.
Heart Rate Monitors Class Packs
Here is a great blog that highlights itself as a great resource for Physical Education and staying current in technology and social media in education. It is also interactive and has a very active following that will answer or respond to any questions you might have regarding PE and technology: http://www.rockstarpe.org/
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Integrating technology into a Physical Education Curriculum
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