ARE YOU A TECHNOLOGY SKILLED PHYSICAL EDUCATOR? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

by Anne Gibbone, Dept of Health Studies, Physical Education and Exercise Science, & Sports Management, Adelphi University, N.Y.

Are you confronted with the expectation that you should include technology in your physical education classes or program? Have you recognized that the students whom you teach are of the digital age? Technology is a central part of daily living, and most students are motivated when technology is incorporated into learning activities.

It's widely accepted that the effective use of technology broadens educational opportunities. In 2009, NASPE published a position statement regarding "Appropriate Use of Technology in Physical Education" which further highlights design and implementation of instructional technology. It can be accessed here. If steps toward implementing technology have been either nonexistent or unsuccessful for you up to this point, then this article is intended to be your guide.

For many teachers technology related professional development, specific to physical education content, is limited or insufficient. Professional training can expose and introduce skills so that teachers can pursue the use of technology, however, typical formats generally do not allow for easy adoption. Knowing how to integrate these skills or ideas into your lessons is important. Understanding the steps to take, after participating in a workshop or reading an editorial for instance, may help you actually carry out your intentions all the way through to new and exciting physical education classes. Specific strategies necessary for teachers and their colleagues to consider for transforming ideas into action will be discussed throughout this article.

First, recognize that the usefulness of technology for students outweighs the investment of time in updating lesson or curricular planning to achieve desired goals. Becoming a technologically skilled physical educator is not going to happen immediately for everyone. Items and ideas can be scaled up or down in complexity to match the skill level of both the teacher and student. Acquiring the ability to integrate and modify instruction will make routine use more comfortable for educators (Ertmer, 1999).

A powerful reason to infuse technology into physical education is the way in which learning is enhanced for students within classroom experiences. One could argue that the possibility of students reaching higher stages of personal reflection and motivation is greater for teachers who design activities where students are using technology. Many devices are used to motivate students, especially those who demonstrate disengagement tendencies (Fiorentino, 2002). Teachers may make a decision to use technology based on its capacity to provide opportunities for individualized feedback and interactions, leading to personal growth beyond what was being accomplished. Students, therefore, must be engaged while using the equipment to fully connect with content that is both meaningful and relevant.

Image a gymnasium full of eighth grade students moving vigorously, smiling, conversing with peers, and recording personal fitness information. These students are participating in an active gaming lesson in dance prepared by their teacher. The word around the school is that students look forward to attending physical education class, and this new unit has attracted school wide interest. As each class enters the gym, students pick up their fitness worksheet and proceed to the center circle near the main projector screen for instruction. The physical educator reviews the concepts and strategies for the session, and then students go to their stations and begin.

At their station, each group sets the order of a primary participant (student actively using/connected to the gaming equipment) and secondary participants (student(s) who are actively participating without being connected to the equipment). Using the video controller, primary players select a personal performance level and start dancing with enthusiasm and intensity, while secondary participants mimic those movements alongside them. Students waiting to rotate into a video game station join the group dancing in front of the projector for practice. Once the active dance session is complete for primary participants, they quickly switch roles, record their fitness information from the screen, and become secondary participants. After working up a sweat, the class rejoins the center circle for debriefing and a cool down. Each student places the fitness information in their folder as they leave the gym.

At this point you may be thinking that you already have students complete fitness stations and record their results. What makes this so different? The differences that the video game makes include, but are not limited to the following;
Students can…

• Maintain attention to the task through direct visual stimulation with little distraction
• Regulate the intensity of their exercise throughout the session as selected by the user
• Choose a personal level of skill complexity independent of others
• Attain personal fitness information immediately (duration, calories, performance rating, etc.)
• Relate physical education experiences to social and recreational activities outside of class
• Select song preferences for individual motivation and dance forms

Introducing video or virtual active gaming may help students, who spend a lot of time in front of television or computer screens, choose to spend that time being active instead of sedentary, or to find a sport that they enjoy pursuing in teams, leagues, parks or yards. Teachers can find a balance between virtual and traditional classroom activities to broaden experiences, and to provide alternative settings. You can find information about active gaming at PE Central Active Gaming for Teachers or The Exergaming Network.

Steps for Success
Ample technology is available to support various types of instruction in a physical education setting, yet teachers are challenged by their own limitations in knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide programs that meet student objectives and expectations when teachers don't have the right type of support. Effective procedures for including technology in the curriculum through strategic planning, accessing resources, and acquiring equipment are fundamental if teachers are to accommodate best practices.

Once at ease with procedures, strategies, and the examples of others, teachers can begin using technology with students in the gymnasium regularly. Let's briefly discuss events that may occur to make visions a reality if you are inclined to make active gaming or other technology a part of your program.

#1- Decide the Type of Technology
Keeping things simple at first is the best solution for those that are hesitant to use technology, or who have had little success in their attempts. It may help to think about how technology can enhance something that you already do in your class. However, One must know different types of technology in order to make various attempts. The latter portion of this article reviews some technology choices for particular situations in the gymnasium. When deciding the methods to which technology will be used for learning, one has to consider goals that students will achieve or how student performance will be enriched.

In the scenario mentioned earlier the teachers said that including an active dance game component in a dance unit would strengthen their curriculum as being continuous lifetime activity. They decided that active gaming lessons in dance can be used to excite students when initiating the unit, or teaching specific concepts that can transfer to other dance styles. These teachers selected a piece of equipment to enrich their program, and to fulfill the need for heightened participation by their students.

During the selection process, there are some important questions to ask. How will the chosen technology be used to attain developmentally appropriate objectives? What type of activities will students be participating in while using the technology? What length of time is needed to introduce, practice, and assess learning experiences? Are there unique situations within the school, or specific implementation issues, that can contribute to either success or failure? Every teacher has their own content and variables, so answers may be distinctive. The process, however, of satisfying those answers can be quite similar.

#2- Work with Colleagues
To be most effective and sustainable, the physical educator who initially conceives an idea(s) shares these ideas with other colleagues in order to address these fundamental thoughts. It can be challenging to implement technology alone, so it is to your benefit to avoid flying solo, and in many circumstances it is unrealistic. Technology in and of itself is vastly communal whether it is in the form of information exchange, equipment sharing, or social networking.

Collaborative efforts will serve many purposes such as overcoming anticipated barriers and timesaving support (Ertmer, 1999). Collegial interactions help formulate strategic planning and shared decisions. At times, equipment is circulated or located within certain rooms or facilities which may help connect faculty in different subject areas. The communication that is necessary for scheduling and management between peers can launch ideas for interdisciplinary assignments, or talk about practices, pitfalls, or supplemental resources. Recognizing the strong points in other teachers can lead to partnerships in the quest to seek, gain, and apply technology.

Chances are good that younger faculty may have more technical experience and knowledge of current technological devices. A valuable relationship can be formed between junior and more experienced teachers as ideas are exchanged, because both participants have an expertise to contribute. In an example case, a newly hired teacher brought her personal experience of active dancing into the gymnasium by helping to select appropriate equipment, and demonstrating the features of the game to her colleague. They both created the lesson ideas and materials together after exploring the possibilities, and began the unit by team teaching.

Attending professional conferences can be advantageous for the purpose of observing how other practitioners prepare, use, and manage technologies. Alternative to traditional workshops, training can be sought by individuals using Internet resources, and locating examples of materials or ideas being done elsewhere. Discussion forums, Blogs, social networks and web conferencing are approaches for communication that may greatly enhance collaborative exchanges by reaching larger groups of participants (Mohnsen, 2006).

As online social networking becomes more commonplace for an individual, it is likely that they will use it for professional ventures in addition to personal use. Examples include NASPE Facebook group, NASPE Forum , NASPETalk, and NASPE's twitter page, which can all be accessed HERE. Other sites are PE Universe, PE Central Live Question and Answer's, or PE Central Blog/Podcasting Sites. These online forums allow physical educators to participate in an array of areas for professional growth.

If you are resistant to engage in these opportunities for whatever reason, encourage yourself to try as it is certainly doable for even the least skilled. The websites provided in this article are very user-friendly, and it is generally a matter of creating an account and clicking on some of the features to see how it works if you're a new user. Befriending the school or district technology coordinator or technical staff will be an asset to you, as their assistance can be extremely useful. Communicate your needs, and structure ways for continued communication throughout the process of implementation. This can come in handy, especially during class time as troubleshooting may be challenging for you as a novice with new equipment.

#3- Acquiring Equipment
Once you have figured out what technology you would like to include in student learning experiences, and how it will be used, it is now all about how you will acquire equipment that the school is unable to provide. Thinking about the flexibility and economical functionality of the equipment you select for your program may help long term. Will this equipment be used for a variety of purposes or across multiple curricular units? How many items or what different arrangements will be necessary to consider for maximum participation? Do I have the facilities to accommodate the technology use and if not, what additional materials or facilities are required? The amount of equipment will factor into determining how and to what extent technology will be used (Drucker, 2006).

Sharing equipment may be one of the best ways to tackle tight budgets. Physical educators may also use alternative spaces within the school, or enhance gymnasium space through the use of media projection on walls or station arrangements. Alternative options to annual budget requests could include Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) contributions, fund raising, or grant writing; grants like those from Digital Wish, or others listed in NASPE's Grant Opportunities database. The televisions and game consoles used in the active dance example were refurbished items purchased for less than half of the current retail prices. The game disks and dance pads were bought at a package deal rate, and the LCD projector is owned by the district and was borrowed.

#4- Preparing to Teach
Once you possess the equipment, arrange time for yourself for hands-on-practice. Find a quiet place where you can focus on tinkering with the functions and features. Getting yourself comfortable with using the equipment will put less tension on you during instructional time. The more at ease you are with its use, the more you will build student use in lessons and expand upon the ways in which you design tasks. Planning for student use is no different from ordinary quality lesson preparation, except some equipment may involve checking for technical aspects like batteries, Internet connectivity, etc.

You may want to provide a list to your technology coordinator/director, of days you plan to use the technology, so that they can be available to you, and/or for coordination, so that there are no conflicts of interest. If you are using items that require a certain amount of electricity or a server, for example, you will want to touch base with technical staff to avoid any unanticipated problems. Performing a test of equipment prior to using is always recommended.

The active dance game scenario had equipment organized so that students had both individual and group practice opportunities through the use of multiple small stations and one larger central station. The equipment was set up prior to the start of classes, and remained as it was placed for the day. If equipment had to be moved, the stations could be packed up quickly and were on wheels. Students can be instantly active, and continue to be active throughout the period, because the layout allowed for maximum participation of everyone. Students were required to record fitness results each day as part of their daily points earned. Summative assessment of knowledge can be achieved by a personal reflection assignment once the teachers have had a series of class discussions about the fitness and lifetime application related to class activities.

Summary
Technology is consistently evolving, and educators will need to adapt to these changes to bring relevant and motivational learning tools to the gymnasium. At present, there are many software designs, online programs, and wireless devices that can be used to promote movement and physical fitness (Castelli & Fiorentino, 2008). The quality and diversity of active video, digital exercise equipment, and other technologies are growing rapidly and can be suited to every instructor. This article offers steps toward empowering yourself and your lessons with technology that can make your classes new and exciting environments.


REFERENCES

biography: Anne Gibbone is an Assistant Professor in the Dept of Health Studies, Physical Education and Exercise Science, & Sports Management at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. Her primary research focus is in the area of technology integration in physical education, including attitude development, personal and social implications, and its impact on teaching and learning.

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