What is telecommunications? What experiences have you had with telecommunications? Describe some potential applications for telecommunications in physical education or coaching.

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Telecommuncations is communicating over distance by some electronic means. Originally this meant a telegraph line, then phone lines, and by now communication is going through cables, radio waves, satellites and more.
I am old enough to remember as a child having a party line which we shared with a few nearby farms - each house had its own ring so you'd only answer when your ring went off. Sometimes you pick up the phone and hear someone else talking and have to wait until you thought they were done. In the course of the four decades since then telecommunications has developed in amazing ways. At this point I do not leave the house without my cellphone, so basically I am always in phone contact with the world. But the one thing I was so excited about as a child, the one thing I was certain to get in the future - the video phone is still not a practical reality.
One application for physical education I can see is conferencing where coaches or teachers could get together and share ideas without needing to physically get together.
I can imagine some applications in coaching - such as in high school I was on the crew. The coach would endlessly yell at me over some mistake I was making some improper form, and he would yell these things for all to hear, which was probably pretty distracting for their stroke, needing to hear everything I was doing wrong. Now if he could have just called me and spoke to me over the phone to my headset we could have had a private discussion, making me less defensive and not forcing everyone else to hear what I was doing wrong.
I imagine that eventually phones will just be a little piece worn on the ear. When that is the case perhaps such communication between instructor or coach to student or athlete from a distance will be quick and easy.

Telecommunication is the "science and technology of communication at a distance by electronic transmission of impulses such as a telegraph, cable, telephone, radion or television." Telecommunications in my lifetime have come a long way. Sometimes I wonder how we ever survived without cell phones, and then there are times I get so sick of hearing my or my husband's cell phone ring! :-) I remember when "car phones" were the hot ticket. And I remember how I excited I was to have my own car phone. It was a bag phone that was really quite impractical to carry anywhere outside of the car because it was so big. And it was "cool" to have the car phone antenna attached to the back window. Nowadays, cell phones can be so small, we could lose them in our pockets or bags.

Telecommunications are actually an important part of our PE department. There are 4 PE teachers in my building, and we all carry hand-held two-way radios. Our administrators and office staff also have radios. It has been an important part of us having the ability to communicate with each other, or with the office if we need to send an injured or even an unruly child to the office (yes, this happens sometimes!). A potential application for telecommunications would be to possibly add cell phones to our staff, for more private communication. As of now, when we talk on the radios, EVERYONE can hear the conversation. If we needed a more private converstaion, perhaps the cell phone would come in handy. Or, if we had the opportunity to take classes on a long bike ride or rollerblading (we have paved trails close to our school), the cell phone would work a lot better in case of some emergency.

We use cell phones when we go outside with our classes for the same reasons you use hand-held-two-way radios. Not only have they been helpful for our classes but they have also allowed us to report students that are not where they are supposed to be. This is a bit hit with the administrators because they are able to discipline those students immediately.

We do the same thing too! I have my handheld radio but I always carry my cell phone with me in case I have to contact the office or call 911. Also during our outdoor units at times we have to ask a student to leave and report to SDS (Student Directed Study) so I need to call this area to make sure the student makes it there. So I feel it's vital for PE teachers to have a phone on handy.

After fighting to avoid haveing a cell phone for many years, i have also come to realize that it truly is a safety issue and when we are on the top field of the campus having a direct line to the nurses office and 911 is a must for all teachers. For many years my comute was my only time where i could find peace from the college coaching ranks and my teaching job. But after having my fourth child and realizing that safety and communicaton are very important i conceeded and so far it has been ok. Bobby Herodes

AMEN! Saftey and communication. Two keys to success. I never used to carry my cell phone outside with me but then my overactive imagination started working and I thought being able to call the nurse and 911 would be important. I totally agree with you! And just remember if you don't want to talk to who's calling you, don't answer it!

I really like your example of the good use of cell phones. At my school if you are seen using a cell phone you could be hauled into the office for a talk.

Not to mention all the other options cell phones give us like stopwatch, internet, and pictures. I don't wear a watch so it helps me to keep time.

I use my personal cell phone quite a bit and it comes in handy. Whenever I take my class outside, I always take my cell phone with me. The nurse, principal, and secretary have my number so they can get in touch with me for any reason. If a student becomes ill or injured, I always call before sending the student in. The school radio is rather bulky to carry and anyone, not just school employees, can pick up your conversation, which is a potential safety concern. I have stopped using the school radio altogether.

This is interesting that most of us (those in the discussion) use personal cell phones for communication for various reasons. Why do the schools give us those bulky radios anyway? Does your schoolhave a cell phone ban? Students can have phines but they must be off during school hours. We have not had any problems yet (with my use of a phone).

One of the districts close to ours has had a problem with cell ohones in the locker room (picture phones). They have banned them from the locker rooms but I find it hard to believe that they can police this. To me I think that banning them has braught attention to the whole situatation and may cause more problems.

Our district does not have a ban on cell phones as administrators and our extended day programs have district issued cell phones. Although personal cell phones are a different matter. The district philosophy is if you have time to use your cell phone that is time you would have to reach out to a student. For use in an emergency, I do bring my personal cell phone when I am outside with my PE classes.

I think that you brought up a good point about safety of the communication between radios. Many people do have radios and have them tuned to the same frequency

I would have to agree with the radio frequency being a problem. Our department head requires us to carry a walkie talkie with us when we are outside for class. The nurse, main office and three other pe teachers have the same one. It is on throughout the day and there are many interferences. We have tried to switch channels but then we are not connected and there are issues with that. I feel the cell phone is the easiest to carry. Program the numbers in that you need and hit the button. You will get that person just as fast. I feel like i lower the volume and increase it all the time so we don;t hear other conversations.

Alan, I have also stopped using the school's radio altogether. It is bulky and may be out of the office being used by someone else over on the playground. I use my personal cell phone when I go out onto the field in case there is an injury. I also give my cell number to the secretaries in the office when I notify them that I'm going outside in case they need to contact me for any reason. Those bulky radios really need to be replaced with something for the 21st century!

Wow -what memories your message brings back! My cell phone is according to my children "ghetto" - an old fashioned large phone with (gasp) a carrying case. Luckily I upgraded to a new cell phone within the the last year.
Our Pe department is also large but connected through our phone system - each pe teacher has the same last three digits -just the first two digits identify the building. We use two way radios if we go outside the building thanks in part to security measures.

Yeah, I hear ya. Our schools did use radios, but just recently converted to the nextel two-ways which obviously can be put on private. It is a lot better, however, only our adminstrators and our custodians use these, the teachers do not get these items.

Early Septemeber and Spring time is usually the time when telecommunications via the use of two-way radios and or cell phones are needed in my PE program. I teach in a very small high school of 400 students and during the nice weather days in New England we try to enjoy the outdoors during our PE classes. This is when we take a short walk to a baseball park nearby where we teach our classes. There are two teachers and we usually are in seperate places so we like to coordinate times and if there are emergencies we use the radios and sometimes our cellphones to get help as soon as possible.

Does the school provide you with the radios and cell phones? I work in a school of 2400 students and we are outside a lot using our adventure ed course including a high ropes course. We have no means of communication with the building which is about 1/2 mile away unless we use our own cell phones. Every administrator of course has a Nextal with walkie talkie and we have begged to at least borrow one.
NO! we are told......just wait until the first lawsuit. Anybody have any suggestions!!

That is great that all of the PE teachers have one of the radios. Our PE department is pushing for one since it would be an easy way to report an injury or problems. However, administration is not thrilled with this idea. Currently, only the police officer, principal, assistant principal, nurse and front office have access to the radios. It makes it difficlt to get in communication with the office when activities are outside. Hopefully things will change at my school before someone gets hurt or there is a big problem.

I agree that it seems like life couldn't go on without cell phones, but they can also be a bit annoying at times. While your department uses 2-way radios, we are only required to take our cell phones. Several years ago, we used radios, but our administration thought it was easier just to use cell phones and be able to call each other, the nurse, and the main office.

Telecommunication as defined on dictionary.com is the science and technology of communication at a distance by electronic transmission of impulses, as by telegraph, cable, telephone, radio, or television. On the other hand, Bonnie Mohnsen defines telecommunication as any type of data transfer between two points. The uses I see in physical education for telecommunications are using the internet to collaborate with other teachers, or surf the net for lesson plan ideas, and using email to communicate with parents. These applications can only improve a physical education program.

Oh yah, I use telecommunication to do those things as well. I forgot, thanks for the reminder. I guess I use technology and in this case telecommunication more that I origionally though!

I believe telecommunications is communicating with another indiviudal or group of individuals through electronic means. I have communicatied electronically via email, land line phones, voice mail, FAX machine, instant messaging, and cell phones.

The potential applications I see are ones that I am already using. Whenever I send home information with students, I always list my email address and mention that is the easiest way for me to communicate. For families that do not have access to email, they often leave me voice mail messages since I am usually in class during the day. When I take a group of students on a trip (ski trip of fitenss challenge), I make an email address book of students attending
for communication. Also, when I host my annual Physical Education Workshop, I do the same for all the attendees and have them submit lessons electronically or via FAX. As a track coach, I submit my invitational rosters via FAX.

Good thoughts! I too use these methods for organization and contact info. The latest in telecommunications has made it easier to reply (like this exercise) to many people at the same time.

Alan : It sounds like telecommunicatons has made your life a lot easier. The possibilities to communicate with others in our profession are endless. Any conference I go to now the speakers usually have all materials via email or posted on a website somewhere. It sounds like you are doing great things!
Just think this class may not have been available to us if it weren't for telecommunications and the use of a computer.

My definition of telecommunications is to have technology aid you in the process of trading information from one source to another or to many others. Telecomunications is as simple as a cell phone or watching a satellite TV show to as complicated as websites with message boards or even more, unregulated blogs. There is a vast amount of information that can be obtained through this medium.

My experiences with telecommunications is posting entries for track meets on line and recieving results in the same manner. Using my cellphone to check the radar for bad weather. Sending mass emails out regarding announcements for new and improved methods of grading and so on. The methods of telecommunications is almost endless.

Telecommunications can be defined as making contact or communicating with another person by the means of emailing, faxing, text messaging, radios (walkie talkies), voicemail, and mobile phones.
I have a vast amount of experience with telecommunications and depend on emailing and texting in getting information out to my department and other coaches. When making the tournament draw sheets I depend on emailing or my cell phone to update the brackets. It's also a great way to get scores out to coaches at the completion of the tournament.
In physical education we depend on our hand held radios in case of an emergency especially if we are outside!

I have use e-mail in the same way for coaching. I set up gymnastics rotations and send it out for each coach for our league meets. It is also a great way to get communication set up between coach's in your area.

Sandee,
I coach girls basketball and we enter a lot of tournaments. I can check my phone for bracket updates. It is nice when the tournament director is quick at updating the site. I have chased down many directors to ask about our next game only to find out they went to another building. I can also check on other teams and watch their progress just in case we end up playing them. I remember when the tournament director had to call every team entered in the tournament. Sometimes there were over 50 teams playing at once! Technology saves us a lot of time!

Telecommunications is the way you send information over distances. Telecommunications is such a broad category. I have experienced anything from cell phones to email to certain specific networks. Telecommunications can be used in the field of PE as a resource for teachers. I use the internet periodically to get ideas and data concerning specific lessons that I teach in class. Telecommunications is here to stay. Therefore, it is my responsibility as an educator to learn how to use any the many different facets of telecommunications.

Telecomunications in my school is useful as far as the administrators with each other. They all use Nextels. I had a personal Nextel until the last year and had access to all administrators when I needed them. I was also used as a watch dog for kids who were outside of the school who did not belong when we were all the fields during class. The cell phones are useful when we are outside of the school for communicating an injury when we need the Health Office or even 911. Yes we need to call them at least 4 times in the last 2 years. Nothing fatel thank goodness. We also have walkie talkies with the health office. They are pretty quick with the wheel chair when we need them. Their are also phones in everyroom that do have access to inside extentions and outside lines. As far as coaching, the athletic trainers have cell phones, they can not be on all the fields all the time and it is very helpful to communicate with the trainer when they are needed.

i had a student with an pretty severe asthma attack last year on the track. I was able to call the office and get the nurse out immediatley with my cell phone. It was a necessity at that time. Now with the droid phones, i check email throughout the day, summers and dont even use my laptop as much as i used to.

Telecommunications: Communicating with other people electronically. Within our school and the entire school system we are constantly communicating all kinds of information and notices using e-mail and listserv. Results of department chair meetings and information from the central office Physical Education Director is conveyed by listserv to the physical educators in my department.

Additionally, the cell phone has become an essential device for all professionals to maintain. With our Physical Education classes held in different locations cell phones are used for communicating instructions and, if necessary, the need for an administrator or medical assistance.

The listserv could be used for e-mailing motivational messages and information to my players. I don't know for sure, but I suspect they all have an e-mail address (duh!). Additionally, e-mailing statistics and pictures from a game being scouted of your next opponent would be advantageous. Use the cell phone to take pictures of players during a game to get an idea of size (along with stats from opponents program).

Telecommications:
Our school uses e-mail to communicate with all faculty. We are not allowed to use cellphones in school, so our only means of communication is the office phone or e-mails.
In our athletic program, we use walkie-talkies, because cellphones are not allowed. It would make more sense to use cellphones, because when someone gets hurt, we have to take them to the trainers office and there we use a school phone for a parent call and/or ambulance.

Karen,

We also use walkie talkies to communicate to the office when we are outside for class or recess duty. I know that they were very expensive to purchase but they are used throughout the district. I would prefer to use my cell phone also mainly because of the convenience of carrying it. The walkie talkies are large and heavy. They aren't comfortable to wear in a pouch so I just carry it outside with me and hold it.

My experience with telecommunications includes the use of landline telephone,cell phone, controlling switchboards at jobs in the past (1960's!),use of computer systems with internet capabilities and emials. I think that in physical education the main thrust for me would be in talking to fellow teachers and administrators. Being able to be in contact with my department and sharing ideas, comments and problems makes me feel connected. As the only PE teacher in an elementary school,my time is mainly spent with everyone under 11 years old.
The use of walkie talkies also keeps me in communication with the office.I would also like to purchase a palm device to keep me files in order adn communicate my ideas efficiently.

Telecommunications involves the transfer of signals, messages, or general information from one person/place to another. A few examples are the telephone, walkie-talkie, radio, and/or intercom system.

The telephone can be used to locate students throughout the school or to contact parents when having discipline problems in PE class. The walkie-talkie is a great safety tool. When a PE class is out in the field, it is important to be able to reach the nurse or principal in case of an emergency. It can also be used during a track meet to rotate participants to the next event. The radio is also a bonus in PE class. Students get motivate to workout or participate when they listen to their favorite music. Lastly, an intercom system is another way to locate students in the school building. It can also be used to announce the champion of a tournament or student of the month in PE class.

ELK:
Do you have walkie-talkies supplied to you for use by your district? Did you have to purchase them from your Phy Ed budget or was it purchased by the district as part of their safety plan?
Also, what level are you teaching at? I teach high school and we are currently lobbying for walkie talkies for each of the three teachers in our department. I currently use my cell phone for outside purposes only, since it does not get reception inside the cell block building. If I have to call from the outside I get the automated telephone line which in some instances has not connected me to a person in the building--a huge safety issue. In the school, we do not have phones in the gym, but do have them in the offices connected to the gyms.

I believe that telecommunications is the transfer of information through the use of any electrical device such as telephone, telegraph, computer, for the benefit of man kind. My experiences to date are mostly of using the telephone. For 15 years as a college coach i used the telephone to communicate and build relationships with my recruits and their parents. I never trusted the computer and as a result i never sent one recruit an e-mail or any correspondence through the internet. I always believed that i could get a true connection and understand that person completely while on the phone. The tone of their voice, excitement, dissapointment could all be detected while on the phone. I really believe it was one of the main reasons why i made it to the NCAA tournament three times in the past 6 seasons. After transfering from the elementary school to the high school i have been forced to start to use the computer for my administration. i am starting to get become more comfortable with e-mail, but i have a long way to go. As for phys. ed. this type of forum is great. This has been the best part of the class so far. It is fun seeing what other teachers and coaches are doing all over the country. Bobby Herodes

I agree!! I like hearing a person and believe feel more connected to them. I also do not have the time to learn the new "lingo" when e-mailing. I am lucky that I know that "lol" means "laugh on-line". I think that is all I know.

I would not diagree with you that a face-to-face is the way to read and impress recruits. But look at it as a student and they do not commmunicate this way TODAY. How excited would the student feel if you sent a text to congratulate him/her on a game or accomplishment? The purpose is to "get the kid's" attention, so use new technolngy as a supplement to the phone and personal visits. It just adds more contacts you can have with the student. I would not fix which is not broken (3 NCAA CHAMP).

I think telecommunications is any way we communicate thoughts, ideas, feelings, and information through a means that uses technology. This could include but is not limited to; the telephone, computers and all of it's associations; cameras, televisions, radios, satellite technology, and all the other ways my feeble mind does not yet know about.
I currently use telecommunications for taking courses, communicating with others on a daily basis at work and at home in and out of state, listening in on teleconferences, sending mail, retrieving information, paying bills, and I can't forget, checking in on the pandas at the National Zoo in Wahington, DC.
I would like to see every student have a physical education file on the school network that is used for a fitness portfolio. I would like to see the student, PE teachers and parents have access to it. I would like it to be accessible from both home and school so that information can be input and retrieved for hte convenience of all involved. It would cut down on the paperwork of fitness journals. I would not have to load 50-75 journals into a box to carry home every two weeks to grade.

Following a google search for the definition of telecommunications, acponline.org defines it as, " The use of wires, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic channels to transmit or receive signals for voice, data, and video communications."
My experiences with telecommunications has been through the use of telephones and cell phones, text messaging, emails, internet, and two -way hand radios within my physical education department.
The two-way radios in our department are used daily. We use them to communicate between teachers during classes and to the nurse/main office when needed. They have also been used in emergency situations at our school, during code blues and reds. During a code red (lock down), we email our attendance to the main office where security is checking to make sure all are accounted for and safe.
In physical education we also use the school website to communicate
up coming events, students grades, and homework assignments.
I have used links to professional organizations to find information on lessons, upcoming workshops, and to chat with other Phys. Ed. teachers. If you have a question it can be answered in some way by the use of telecommunications.
I would not be typing you this response right now if it weren't for telecommunications.

Our PE department is very interested in using 2-way radios for the same purposes that your dept. uses them. Are your 2-way radios separate from the school’s radios? Do you ever have any interference with your radio and the school’s radio?

Telecommunication is communicating with others over a distance. For example via, email, conference by phone, webcam, telephone, and a radio. I have some experience with telecommunications. I email staff, parents, and students. I call home on students if I feel their grade is slipping. Our department would like to use 2-way radios to keep in contact with each other if one of us is out far from any main buildings (ex. the fields). We would like to use two-way radios, but our administration says that we can not because of reasons between the school police. Do any PE teachers use two-way radios to keep in contact with each other on their site??? Have you ever been told that you can not do this because your radio could interfere with the district police radios???

Hi Janelle! We use 2 way radios in PE and they are such a pain because the channel that we are supposed to be on is also used by the administration and security so the thing squaks all day long.
And the static drives me crazy. Trust me, you don't want one of these. They are fun to fool around on, for example you can talk to somone who is standing right next to you on it, or send someone to the office when they don't have to go for fun but other than that I have been looking for a reason to get rid of mine, so I will try the police interference idea. Thanks!

I have worked in two school districts as a PE teacher. In my first position, we were given two-way radios to use when out on the fields. We usually did not encounter interference with other radios. At one time, we did have to change the channels on the radios because some students began bringing two-way radios to school and interfered on our radios.

At my current teacher position, we do not have two-way radios. I believe this is due to funding. We are told to take our cell phones with us when teaching outside.

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Replying to:

Telecommunication is communicating with others over a distance. For example via, email, conference by phone, webcam, telephone, and a radio. I have some experience with telecommunications. I email staff, parents, and students. I call home on students if I feel their grade is slipping. Our department would like to use 2-way radios to keep in contact with each other if one of us is out far from any main buildings (ex. the fields). We would like to use two-way radios, but our administration says that we can not because of reasons between the school police. Do any PE teachers use two-way radios to keep in contact with each other on their site??? Have you ever been told that you can not do this because your radio could interfere with the district police radios???

Telecommunication is communication over a distance using some signal or medium. Examples include TV, telephone, Internet, Radio... I, as most people use telecommuncation everyday, and am dependent upon this technology. In the class room, we use telecommunications probably about everyday. From students being on the Interent, to showing video from the United Streaming web-site, telecommunications is a critical part of education, and esstential for me as a teacher and coach.

Telecommunication involves communication over a distance by methods such as cables,satellite,radio, etc.
Our most common method of communication is through email. In our busy society, it seems to be the fastest way to get through to other teachers, administrators, and parents.
In PE, if we go outdoors I always bring my cell phone with me in case we have an emergency so I can call "911" without delay.

Telecommunications is a tool used to transfer words, thoughts, ideas, and agendas quickly from a distance. Email is used often at work between parents and faculty. It is an easy way to talk without actually dialing or beating around the bush with small talk. In PE we are supposed to use 2 way radios all the time in case of an emergency. Anytime I ever really needed to use it, there was no one who picked up. I once had a girl pass out in the weightroom. There is no phone in the weightroom and it is located in separate building from the actual school. Every door in our school is locked except for the front door which is a 1/4 mile away from the weightroom. If we are going to be required to have these on us, someone needs to answer in the nurses office when there is an emergency. It seems like every kid in our school has a cell phone. They text each other all day long. I once polled my last period class to see how many text messages they sent that day, one kid sent 98. It is a huge problem and can become a very confrontational issue,especially if they are on the phone with their parents. I think they should be banned from school totally. Students cheat, start rumors, take pictures, record conversations, but our administration thinks that as long as a student does not have it "on" then it is ok to have it in school. What ever happend to, "Can I call my mom from the main office?"