BLOG ASSISGNMENT #13

What Can We Learn About Integrating Technology into Health and Physical Education?

Instructions: Watch these videos and read the article. Think about what skills you can learn to become an effective health and physical education teacher. Think about the importance of technology and how it can be incorporated in health and physical education. Summarize what you learned from these videos and article.

1. Integration Technology into Health Education (3:29) Betül Sahin

2. Physical Education and Technology (1:52) Kellen Glover

3. Using Technology to Teach Health and Wellness Mary Beth Hertz

4. Technology In Physical Education (4:00) Heather Lanclos

Answer the question in a post that adheres to the standards found in the ACCRS and in Writing A Quality Blog Post.

"Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who don't use technology will be replaced by those who do." - Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach


Integration Technology into Health Education by Betül Sahin

In Mr. Betül Sahin video, he talks about how to integrate technology in a health education classroom. Health education doesn't have to be boring with textbooks and outdated statistics. There are numerous exciting websites that keep students engaged in the lesson and offer teachers ways to teach their students to use tools to help them learn about healthy lifestyles, track their health progress, and compare their results to other students. He gives different websites that students can visit. If the internet is not available, there are software apps that can be used. For example, Zombiesrungame.com is an encouraging app to get kids active and running faster and further than ever before. As a future health education teacher, I learned that my class does not have to consist of me standing in front of my room, reading from Powerpoint slides, and giving outdated statistics. I want my students to get the content but also leave my class with the knowledge to keep an active lifestyle as an adult. I do not want my students to gain the infamous Freshman 15 pounds their first year in college. The tools I will show them can be used outside the class and hopefully passed to their family members.

Physical Education and Technology by Kellen Glover

Kellen Glover's video explains the importance of integrating technology into physical education classes. Technology is prevalent in today's students' lives that teachers have to be fully prepared to equipped their students with forms of technology. With a rise in obesity in younger kids, teachers must find all available resources to help fight this epidemic. Although technology in physical education is a relative new concept, it is important to incorporate and advance it to ensure success of both the teacher and student. He states "the traditional physical education classroom, which is a gym or outside with a bunch of sporting equipment is no longer accepted." He gives examples like treadmills and heart rate monitors, which are being used in classrooms K-12. I think all physical education teachers should be required to use some form of technology in their lesson. I can remember my gym teacher rolling out the ball and saying "go play and don't kill each other". This was not very affected because most students, especially the girls, would not participate. Most of them would sit on the wall and talk. If I am given the opportunity to do both health and PE, I would make sure that each student exercises at least 30 minutes a day. If they did not want to participate, I would try to engage them in other ways like letting them do what interest them as long as they were moving and staying active.

Using Technology to Teach Health and Wellness Mary Beth Hertz

Mary Beth Hertz, a K-8 Technology Teacher in Philadelphia, PA, gives different applications that can be used in health education. She states "there are so many apps in other core subjects like english and math, what digital technologies can be used in health?"

WEBSITES
Sugar Stacks - shows images of everyday food with the grams of sugar it contains in stacks of cubes
BAM (Body and Mind) - ran by the CDC, covers nutrition to mental well being. Very kid-friendly
Running Map - students are able to plan a route to run. Great for track teams and PE classes

GAMES
FatWorld - teaches the politics of nutrition
AdDecoder - teaches students to be more savvy about marketing tricks in the media

APPS
Pedometer - tracks how many steps the students take throughout the day or a workout
Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker - keeps track of daily calories and physical activity.

I personally use myfitnesspal.com daily. I love this app. I can program how many calories I want to intake and it lets me know if I am on track to my target weight loss goal. Also, I plan to use the Sugar Stacks website for my personal use. In my classroom, I will definitely be using the BAM website. It covers all health topics and is kid-friendly. I want to share websites that my students will be allowed to use at home. The AdDecoder is a very good game to use for my middle and high school students. They are bombarded with so many different images of what society wants them to look like. I want them to know the difference between healthy and fit. Be skinny doesn't mean you are healthy or fit.

Technology In Physical Education by Heather Lanclos

There are different types of technologies that can be used in a PE class. Heather Lanclos describes different websites and games that can be incorporated into any grade class.

C-motion - is a music driven X-game style experience where the mind and body are constantly moving.

MP3 players and iPods can be used to get students moving and dancing. Also, a teacher can develop a game by using the iPod.

Choosemyplate.gov is a program that can track student's food intake and physical activity. It will also manage their weight loss or weight gain goals.

Physical Educator's clipboard is a great tool for teachers to input lesson plans, assign students lockers, keep up with video and equipment inventory, and manage their classes.

Heart rate monitors use a chest strap and digital watch to analyze a heart rate. The strap transmits data to the watch. Monitors allow students to keep track of their heart rate and show them if they are exercising in their target heart rate zone. Students can use the monitors throughout the day. Some models will record how many calories the students burned in a day.

Teachers can incorporate video hardware machines into their daily lesson. WiiFit allows students to work on balance, yoga poses, strength, and high -intensity exercises. Dance Dance Revolution is a type of game that students can look forward to everyday. It allows them to move and dance. The students replicate the moves of the kids on the game. At the end, students are judged by the amount of correct dance patterns presented to them. Another prize for winning is being able to choose the next song. This is a great way to keep them active and show their creative dance moves.

I want to be able to use all of the technologies from this video. I want to make my class enjoyable and educational. Using technology in a health and physical education class will allow my room to become a 21st century state-of-the-art classroom. The skills and knowledge my students learn will allow them to become very active adults with few health problems.