My Technology Use in PE

      I am currently doing my student teaching in PE in an elementary school. In my 530class, our professor has really talked about incorporating technology into our classrooms.

     At my school site, my cooperating teacher uses a wireless headset with speaker compared to the traditional megaphone, so when I teach I use it as well. I think this is great because we are outdoors and the students are not in one area. They are out on the field and there is usually other noise outside. Also, since we are outside I have to talk louder than if we were indoors. The speaker allows students to hear the instruction even if they are far way from me. Also, it helps me not strain my voice as much. On the speaker system we also play music for the students while they are involved in an activity. My cooperating teacher sometimes pre-programs music so that it plays and pauses on its own. When it plays, students are usually involved in an activity. When it stops the students know that there is usually a transition that occurs. The students really enjoy the music. Sometimes they dance a long and ask for it to be played if it is not on.

     While I believe this is a great way to integrate technology in a PE class, I believe this is still scratching the surface. I saw a video http://thetechcurve.blogspot.com/2012/03/assessment-in-physical-education.html where students videotape themselves performing a skill. They would then take the video, analyze it, and assess themselves on what they performed correctly and incorrectly. They would then turn in the video and their written work online to the teacher. The teacher would review the video and provide them with feedback.

      One of my PE professors also mentioned that when he taught middle school he had students create their own video demonstrating their understanding of different philosophies and content. The students could be creative as long as they followed the main guidelines.

      I thought these examples were great; however they both occurred at the secondary level. I am still having a hard time thinking how to embed more technology into elementary school PE. The main content that we focus on during elementary PE is basic psychomotor and manipulative skills as well as social skills and fitness. For a lot of the skills that we demonstrate, we ask the students follow a lot of critical elements. When we observe their performance, these are the elements that we look for to make sure they are performing the skill correctly. Because we only have 30 minutes with the students, a lot of the time we are unable to provide feedback to every student.

      So I think when I have my own class I will videotape my students’ performance. This way I can show them what they are doing correctly and incorrectly. Also, it is proof of what students are learning. I might even go as far as creating an electronic portfolio for every student for them to have and for me to share with their parents. Students like to see themselves on video, so using it to my advantage and asses them at the same time, I think would be a great way to use technology.

     I will keep researching ways and talking to people in the field on how to keep incorporating PE in elementary PE.