This month's section on technology will, in part, revisit the question of the benefits vs. hindrances of using technology in physical education programs. It will also highlight how a few local physical educators are using technology, and some of their thoughts on this issue. I will begin with introducing the "players" in this discussion, starting with myself.

...OF USING TECHNOLOGY IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS by KIM McCORQUODALE

My name is KIM McCORQUODALE, and I am not an expert in this field and definitely not on this subject. I am a graduate student working towards a MS degree in nutrition. I recently completed my dietetics internship and passed the registered dietitian exam to reach, what I thought at the time, was my final educational goal. My position as Dr. Jefferies assistant for pelinks4u is what helps fund my graduate school assistantship. So, that's why I have the "pleasure" of writing on this topic.

Even with only two months into this position, I have found that the PE world is a lot more interesting and complex than I used to think. I am beginning to truly appreciate the field my oldest son has chosen for his profession, and know we will have more to talk about because of this pelinks4u position.

The other "players" in this section do not fit the definition of a random sample. They would more likely be described as a "sample of convenience." I spoke with a few physical educators in the Ellensburg area, two Central Washington University (CWU) students, and a CWU professor. Throughout the process names of additional people with expertise in this area came up, but I was not able to interview them all.

The first physical educator I spoke with was BRIAN HAGBO. Mr. Hagbo currently teaches at Ellensburg High School (EHS), and has been teaching since before the advent of technological devices in PE programs (sounds like he's old, but the advent is a relative recent occurrence). In 2005, Hagbo's program started using lap tops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), PE manager software and Polar E600 heart rate monitors (HRMs) after Ellensburg school district received a Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant. When asked if he dove right in to using technology he said, "No, absolutely not!"

Hagbo revealed he was a very traditional teacher who "just wanted to keep doing what we were doing," but now considers himself an advocate for the use of technology. He uses his PDA to take attendance and record daily points based on preprogrammed rubrics for things such as staying in the individual student's heart rate zone. As he said, "I haven't used a clipboard or pencil for 2 years."

Hagbo started with using the HRMs daily, but discovered twice per week was adequate time for students to realize the effort needed for them to stay "in the zone" throughout the required amount of time. Hagbo set up his laptop with student's names, class period, and their individual heart rate goal, among others things. The E600 HRMs have downloadable software, so after Hagbo connects and downloads them to his laptop, he can compute daily points for each student. Hagbo thinks this method is much more objective than how he used to do it. Before he would have to evaluate a student's running effort based on outwardly perceived effort and/or whether they ran the entire time.

Another technological device in use at EHS is the TriFIT fitness assessment system. Students volunteer to be assessed by this device that Hagbo described as "looking like R2D2." Currently, only a portion of the TriFIT capabilities are being utilized at EHS. Some of those being used include measuring body fat percentage, upper body strength, and flexibility. All of these different components can be customized for different applications. After completing the individual measurements and imputing specific information, such as height, weight, and answers to a series of health related questions, recommendations for areas of improvement are presented. Hagbo said it has been difficult to get many students through the entire TriFIT system.

Hagbo and others use the TriFIT system during a community wide Family Activity Program for elementary aged children and their parents. The children are provided with 1 ½ hours of physical activities, while their parents are led through an exercise regime culminating with a personal evaluation by the TriFIT machine, if they so desire.

The next physical educator I spoke with was JIM TAYLOR. Taylor has taught his entire career at Morgan Middle School in Ellensburg (I admire that after raising 3 children through those years!).

Taylor has also been teaching since before the advent of technology in PE programs, and he provided many valuable thoughts on the changes he has observed in our youth that I will present towards the end of this section. Mr. Taylor was first introduced to HRMs, by Beth Kirkpatrick, approximately 15-18 years ago. He presented the idea to his administration 5 years ago, but was told there was not adequate funding. However, after the PEP grant funding, Taylor's program now uses HRMs, PDAs, PE Manager software and a computer.

This is not to say Taylor was 100% behind all the technological devices he now uses. He admits he was apprehensive at first, and asked himself, "I'm going to give up my grade book for this?" Taylor still describes using technology as a "love-hate relationship." I think we can all relate to that sentiment. Technology is fabulous when all goes well, but very aggravating when it does not.

Taylor believes that HRMs are a valuable objective assessment tool that helps students "self-pace and self-evaluate." Even though Taylor thinks at least 95% of his students strive to meet their goals, if necessary, he can now confidently tell a student, "You choose to fail today based on the information from your HRM." His program has Activity Days and Cardio Days, and each generates a different file.

During Activity Days the student's heart rate will vary depending on the activity. Taylor uses these days to teach different skills, and the students also learn which activities are more effective for cardiovascular health. During Cardio Days the students complete a workout, such as jogging or circuit training, and need to be in their HR zone for 90% of the time. Taylor downloads the data twice/week using a mixture of Cardio and Activity days. He generates a report that can be shared with parents to help explain, if necessary, why their child lost points.

One of the initiating forces behind Ellensburg School district's successful bid for a PEP grant was DR. KIRK MATHIAS. Dr. Mathias is a professor of Health, Human Performance and Nutrition at CWU, and also a Polar Trainer who travels to teach other professionals how to use certain technology. I thought it would be interesting to interview him about CWU's role in preparing new teachers to use technology in their future programs.

Currently, he is the only professor teaching technology in the classroom. This is not due to lack of desire, but is more due to lack of staff and adequate funding. Mathias uses 10 HRMs and 15 PDAs that were provided by Polar. Some of the faculty meets weekly to learn how to use PDAs and PE Manager software as assessment tools. Mathias's goal is to have some aspect of technology in all the methods classes for PE majors.

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During class he teaches students as if they were high school students. Mathias has them perform tasks and skills wearing HRMs so they can realize typical cardio activities are not necessary to keep heart rates elevated. He thinks technology training will increase the marketability of the graduating physical educators. These new teachers could move into school districts that have technological equipment gathering dust and show them effective ways to use it. Mathias would like to rewrite the curriculum so that technology can be introduced in CWU classes when it is talked about, and not just reserved for use in a specific class.

Mathias has written a grant seeking funds to start a northwest Polar training center. Polar has partially funded the center by supplying a portion of the necessary equipment.

An interesting, and different, use of technology than those mentioned above is the Student Teacher Evaluation Program (STEPS) at CWU. Student teachers are videotaped during a mock class period. This tool is used to evaluate how much time is spent performing effective teaching behaviors, and how much time is not. Examples of effective teaching behaviors include presenting material and providing feedback, while time spent managing inappropriate behavior is ineffective.

A teacher can also predetermine what percentage of class time they want their students to be active, and then evaluate if they are meeting that goal. Thus, this is a great technological tool to help teachers evaluate if they are meeting current goals, and if not, why not.

Lastly, (but certainly not least), I interviewed two students soon to graduate with a Health Fitness endorsement from CWU. The first was ANDY McCORQUODALE (as I said, "a convenient sample"). When asked how much technology training he had received at CWU Andy replied, "Not much, but adequate." He mentioned learning about HRMs and PDAs in Dr. Matthias' class, and using pedometers on a hike in a different class. His pre-autumn experience with Mr. Hagbo provided additional experience with HRMs and PDAs, and also the TriFITT assessment system.

Andy observed students "actively trying to be in their heart rate zone to get the grade," even just jogging in place if necessary. Andy thinks HRMs are a good objective assessment tool, and may help students want to maintain fitness levels on a long term basis. He thinks HRMs help students meet individual goals, and as a result they might realize they enjoy the feeling of being active and fit.

Some of these students might not have previously attempted to meet predetermined generic goals because they thought them unattainable. Andy said he will actively seek to add HRMs and PDAs to his program if they don't already have them. He felt confident CWU professors would provide him with needed help on the process of seeking grant funding.

The other student I spoke with was BRIAN KIRBY. Kirby felt the introduction to technology was "adequate" at CWU, and that it motivated him to learn more on his own. Besides the information received in class, Kirby mentioned the exposure students had during conferences and field trips. He repeated similar sentiments about the use of technology, such as teachers being able to quantify student effort in a measureable manner producing an accurate means of awarding grades.

Kirby observed students using pedometers in a motivational way during his pre-autumn experience. The students knew how many steps were required, and made sure they met that goal. Some even competed with each other to see who could get the highest number of steps. Kirby mentioned he knows there needs to be a balance in teaching skills and teaching fitness, but felt they could be combined at times. An example he provided was using HRMs while learning hiking skills. The HRM could be used to teach the importance of pacing during a hike.

Kirby thought the PDAs would be a great tool in that they are "a grade book in your pocket." He thought it would be easier to record criteria for learning a skill, such as juggling, as the student met that criterion, and not having to try remembering later. Kirby also observed the PDAs being used as a method of behavior management. This particular teacher would just pull his PDA out of his pocket and the whole class would stop. Kirby thought it was an "amazing" example of excellent classroom control.

He also mentioned the STEPS program used at CWU as a valuable use of technology. Kirby said, "I found it helpful for me, as I can set a goal for an activity time and eliminate non-effective teaching time." Kirby felt one of the keys to using technology well was to predetermine practice protocols, and do those repeatedly until they become routine. He thought this would increase activity time and decrease preparation time, such as time spent putting on HRMs. When Kirby is a teacher he wants HRMs, PDAs and pedometers in his program. He even said he will purchase his own PDA if necessary.

In April 2007, Dr. Jefferies wrote a column that appeared on the home page entitled, "Technology in Physical Education: Help or Handicap?" In that column Dr. Jefferies made several points, some of which I presented to the "players" in this discussion. I think we can all agree that with the increased use of technological devices in society, we are moving less. Jefferies pondered whether this "addiction to technology" can be successfully transferred from passive activities to the physical education arena. He posed the question, "Do the extrinsic rewards derived from technological devices change our motivation to participate?"

Mathias felt this could happen if technology is used incorrectly. He felt it is important to use it as a tool to help teach, and not as the reward itself. Taylor stated he was not using technology enough to affect this; that he has primarily been using it as an assessment tool. Andy thought the benefits of using technology will outweigh any negatives.

On a personal note, I can answer that it depends on the particular activity. If asked to jog 3 miles, I would want a distraction while doing it and a reward after doing it. I would not want either, if asked to ski down Paradise Cliff at White Pass during a gentle snow fall. The experience is reward enough in itself. But, I find it difficult to complete even 30 daily minutes on the treadmill without very loud music to distract me. I think that using whatever it takes to get the job done is ok.

Other questions raised by Jefferies were about whether we are changing our schools into health clubs, and will children think that type of environment is the only place to exercise. I don't believe this is true after listening to Hagbo and Taylor describe their programs. Both use technology as only a part of a complete physical education program. Taylor incorporates traditional "social activities" such as croquet, bocce ball, horseshoes, and Frisbee into his program. Andy noted that technology will continue to become less expensive and thus more available, so "if it helps why not use it?"

As usual, most important questions involve a complicated answer. There is no doubt that the children of today are different than children were years ago. Taylor made some important observations about the decreasing leadership displayed by today's youth, and the related quality of their decreased ability to self-organize. He wondered if this is a result of the different society we now live in where children spend the majority of their active time in adult organized activities. Taylor believes this trend is translating into a decreasing internal motivation to be active.

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I remember as a child playing outside, unmonitored, for hours at a time. Our neighborhood children gathered for hide and seek games and impromptu roller skating races. We were not involved in organized sports until at least middle school age (or what we called Jr. High). Today's children have little chance of making the high school varsity basketball team if they are not on an AAU team by at least 3rd grade. Sure, this is physical activity, but the children are not learning how to self-motivate themselves to play a pick-up BB game at the neighborhood park. Or, they just don't have the time for it.

Jefferies raised some legitimate concerns about the PEP grant process. He wondered if this process forced school districts to make premature choices, and if successful in receiving a grant, led to increased business pressures and maintenance issues.

Hagbo was very involved in the process of seeking a PEP grant for the Ellensburg school district. He described a very time consuming ordeal that involved people from all the district's schools meeting multiple times (and still meeting). However, as a result, he said they now have achieved consistency in their district's physical education curriculum.

The protocols for using HRMs are introduced at the middle school and continue at the high school. Hagbo felt the collaboration was "an amazing, fun ride," and that the results were well worth the effort needed.

Neither of the teachers I spoke with expressed much pressure at spending the money. Taylor did say he felt more time pressure as a result of using technology. He told me he had no idea of the amount of personal time required to daily download the HRMs. He said it takes approximately 45 minutes to download 30 HRM watches. Then the data needs to be correlated. He may also need to determine why a student's file is missing.

Taylor said, "Using technology has not made my job easier, not by any means, but maybe better, more challenging, and increased my accountability to parents. I'm not sure I'd go back now. I think it is important, and my students are worth it."

Maintenance issues are definitely a concern shared by users of technology. The PEP grants are temporary, so the obvious questions concern funding regular maintenance and replacement costs. There are other grants that can be sought, but a lot of districts may not "count the costs" before seeking new technology. Technology maintenance can be included on school levies, but this is far from a desirable answer. Mathias stated school districts need to think the process through. They need to ask, "Will they have the money and support to successfully implement and maintain the new technology?"

Mathias stated that many teachers have to organize fund raisers to obtain necessary funds, and wonder, "Is it the teacher's job to raise the money to support their program?" Taylor said they will have to take care of routine maintenance themselves now that the PEP grant money has ended. Hagbo agreed that this is a difficult issue, but felt the benefits outweighed any additional problems.

The night we spoke he was attending a meeting to start the process of applying for another grant. Grant money can be used for maintenance and training costs. On the plus side, there is money available for adding technology to our school's curriculum. As a nation we place great value on technology. Would the money be better spent on adding teachers and PE time to our school's curriculums? Maybe so. However, it is highly unlikely that this will happen any time soon.

Here's another important question that most likely involves a complicated, multifaceted answer. Will the use of technology in physical education programs help to at least slow our nation's obesity trend? Taylor thought it was helping increase the fitness levels of most of his students, but admitted this conclusion was only supported by indirect feedback. He did mention that some of his students included HRMs on their Christmas lists; that would seem to imply they were making changes in class that carried over to their choices at home.

As a dietitian I tend to emphasize the intake part of the equation. The diet of today's children is vastly different than that of my childhood, and I'm sure this greatly affects the obesity trend. I think we can all conclude that the issue is complicated, and that we may not know if what we are trying to do today will have a favorable effect on tomorrow. I also think we have to try our best with what we have available to us. For now, that most likely implies incorporating technology into our physical education programs as a means of trying to instill positive changes in our youth.

SCHOOL: ELLENSBURG HIGH SCHOOL
TEACHER: RANDY AFFHOLTER

About Randy: Randy is a P.E. teacher at Ellensburg High School. He's been teaching for 14 years total, and has been using Polar technology in his lessons for the past year and a half. He's a member of both AAHPERD and the Washington State Coaches Association. In 2002, he was voted Teacher of the Year by Ellensburg's graduating class.

About Ellensburg High School Physical Education: Ellensburg High School is part of the Ellensburg School District in Ellensburg, Washington. In this rural area, the typical P.E. class size is about 30-33 students. Students are in grade levels 9-12 and have been using Polar E600 heart rate monitors (HRMs) with the TriFIT system and PE Manager software.

Core Activities: Randy uses strength and conditioning, lifetime activities, team, and individual activities to teach P.E. at Ellensburg.

Using Polar: Ellensburg High School used funds from a PEP Grant to get Polar technology. Students at Ellensburg use HRMs 3 to 5 days per week. According to Randy, the most important reason to use Polar in P.E. is because "it forces each student to strive to his or her full potential."

The Buzz: Randy likes that Polar "individualizes reports for students. The technology makes grading more objective than subjective."
Students "HRMs force students to monitor their own fitness - they love it!" Administration likes that "technology is being used in the classroom."

Personal Highlight: "There's a major difference in students' activity levels when we use the HRMs. I have seen effort levels increase greatly on days we use monitors. Students are becoming more aware of their fitness because of the feedback they receive while using HRMs."

Nutrition and Activity Tracker - The Nutrition & Activity Tracker is an easy-to-use tool - a diary where you can keep track of what you eat and how much you exercise. Use it every day to learn about and improve your eating habits, and to help you make exercise a part of your daily life. Here's one in a 'paper copy' version. Don't forget the SmallStep Tracker mentioned earlier by Kim.