Utilizing Technology in Physical Education

I was substitute teaching at the intermediate school in my district last week, and I was talking to the P.E. teacher about being back in school and mentioned that I was taking a class based around Technology in Education. At that point one of the other PE teachers looked at me and said "Technology in PE, huh. Well, if you learn anything please let us know." This got me wondering more than usual, how will I incorporate technology in a Physical Education class? 

Fact is, I substitute solely Physical Education class for seven different schools in two different districts, and the closest I have seen technology used was at one elementary school, where the PE teachers were playing a variety of different types of music during class to see which style, if any, raised the participation rates of the students in class. Other than playing music during class, I have not seen it done before or since. 

After hearing that statement I spent a good portion of the rest of the week researching to see how I could implement technology into my PE classes, and found some great ideas. Truth is, there is a variety of technological applications available solely based around the idea of Physical Education. Heart Rate Monitors and pedometers are great technological utensils available to ensure a student is actively participating in class. If a student were to take an average of 1000 steps per class, that is the equivalent of roughly 1/2 a mile in the one class alone. Multiply that by 180, which is the average amount of days in a school year in America, and that comes out to 90 miles walked per year in PE alone. By using pedometers and enforcing a minimum 1000 steps per class, this is an easy, effective way to incorporate technology. Another idea, found on sparkpe.org, include dance videos to popular music at the time; having the students spend time watching the videos and recreating the dance moves in live action. Also, the use of Wii is a great and effective way to keep kids entertained while continuing to be active. Google Maps competitions are a fun way to keep kids active outside the classroom. In said competitions students use google maps to track their distance moved in physical competitions outside of the classroom, with winners earning "rewards" like free homework passes and no dress coupons (if at an age to dress out for class). 

It is my goal to break the mold of the average Physical Educator when it comes to use of technology in the classroom. I want my students to not just enjoy PE, but realize how much fun they can have in life by incorporating physical fitness in their everyday lives. With the rapid growth of technology use in every day society, it is going to be more vital than ever to utilize technology in PE to reach the interest of the students and keep them active.  


Comments

  1. Caitlin SantiniOctober 18, 2017 at 4:26 PM

    Really great read Todd, I had never thought about how you could implement technology into a physical education class and those sound like some really fun ways!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. cmu141October 18, 2017 at 4:30 PM

      This is so true! I covered the same thing in my post. I think too many PE teachers have a "old style" of thinking and teaching and may not be as open to it. There are so many things that we can do with technology in PE to help make it less stale!

      Delete
  2. Danielle McConnellOctober 18, 2017 at 4:33 PM

    Todd, as a fellow future physical educator I really loved your blog post! I love the idea of using heart rate monitors and pedometers in class, they are both great tools that can encourage students to stay active during class, and also give teachers the opportunities to track their students. I like how you mentioned how prevalent technology is in young people's lives now a days and that if we want to encourage kids to stay active we have to go with the way of the world and that is incorporating technology to keep them interested like you said. Great thoughts!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownOctober 18, 2017 at 4:34 PM

    This is awesome. I love taking the initiative to break the usual mould.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kim DarcheOctober 23, 2017 at 5:44 PM

    I am thrilled by your goal! You can do it - connect with people on Twitter, talk to as many educators as you can. Think about what you want your students to accomplish and ask how tech can help you get there.

    ReplyDelete

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