In your own words define the term "educational technology" and describe its many facets. What is your own experience with the use of technology in physical education and/or coaching? What do you hope to accomplish in this course?

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Educational technology is an area that can be used by teachers as a teaching tool. It can also be used by students to enhance learning. My experiences with technology have developed tremendously in the past 3 years since moving to a new school district. I am teaching at a "technology magnet" middle school and the opportunities are endless. I have learned how to incorporate many sources into my Health and Physical Education classrooms, including PowerPoint, Paint, internet, downloading videos from the internet, laptops in the classroom, and use of a Smart Board. It has been exciting for me to enhance my classes with these opportunities. We are currently looking to add the use of the Fitnessgram software heart rate monitors and pedometers to our PE curriculum. I am excited for these opportunities and look forward to using this course as a reference to building these programs in our department.

I am very impressed with all the technology Angela has gotten familiar with in just three years. I wish I was at one of these technology magnet schools. My school does not really push that hard for technology, and where it does I have a lot of questions about the direction we take.
I would be interested to know how it goes with the heart rate monitors, pedometers and the fitnessgram software at her school, these are all things that I am interested in pursuing for my own school.
Mike

I like what Mike says. As a P.E. teacher I wish schools would give the P.E. program more support in every way. We can make a huge difference at our schools for many reasons, but one of the biggest is because unlike the classroom teachers we see and interact with every student in the school.

I would agree with Mike Stroud here. Though I thought our school was up with majority of advancements in technology....I think we would be growing quickly in this category, however I still don't think we completely there yet. In the next couple years I know we will have many more advancements in technology, this including our schools going one on one with computers for students. I'm sure it may be a small gain for some, but I'm really looking forward to what we as educators can do with this advancement.

I think Angela is very fortunate to be working in this magnet school as with proper funding it will be the future of many of our instructional strategies.
We also use a variety of heart rate monitors and do some body composition analysis in our strength and fitness classes along with having quite a few cardio machines with the basic feedback such as HR and estimated calories burned.

Our next foray into the technology field is to propose incorporating the Nintendo Wii (did I get it right?) into a recreational games elective. It will hopefully become a big selling point for the program ie being intouch with today's tech savvy kids and it will also serve to tie in the physical activity component with technology.
While we dont have a budget to fully fund the idea we are hoping to get some grant assistance to help us.
Did anyone else try this idea ?

Being at a technology magnet provides endless opportunities in your health and physical education classes. Once completed your program sounds like it will be one of the tops in the state. I have not reviewed the Fitnessgram software, I will look into it.

We have smart boards in our school but they are in some but not all of the classrooms. I still haven't found an opportunity to utilize this technology

Has everyone (teachers, I mean) at your school bought into the use of technology? Of course, they should if it's a technology magnet school,but I've been at schools, including the one I'm at now, that introduce new technologies and not everyone embraces them. I've found that the lack of universal acceptance of new ideas/technologies, although a natural occurrence, dilutes the effect of the innovation, unfortunately. What do you think?

I would completely agree with you and I would say that I also have developed my experiences with technology over the last two or three years. I've added different ways to enhance my student's learning through technology and it has helped my teaching tremendously. We are also looking into getting pedometers and heart rate monitors for our PE students. I feel that the students will greatly benefit from this.

Educational technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes in the field of education.
When I was a kid we were awed with the film projectors and slide projectors. There was always one kid who could run the film projector - how I envied that kid. Now everything has changed with video/dvd players, digital audio, and mainly computer technology. Computer technology has expanded so quickly most of us are grasping to catch up and learn what is possible, what can be done.
I have used the internet for teaching P.E. for many years. I have used my word processor for writing up things and making class lists. Beyond that I haven't really done too much with technology in physical education.
In this course I would like to learn about handhelds and how to use them for grading and having my lesson plan handy. I would like to learn about how to teach with heart rate monitors and about any other sorts of fitness tools. I would love to find a way to become more efficient in my job, which I always think technology is going to do, but to be honest have not had a lot of success towards.

Mike

I too remember the days when we were excited to see a film strip in class, or those big reel movies where you hoped the sound matched the picture! I also remember in high school the computers we worked on were the Apple IIe with the green screens! And in my Computer I class, we had to write flow charts for assignments.......to this day I never understood that!

As I continue to learn more and more about technology in my classroom, I always chuckle to myself when a 12 year old can troubleshoot my technology blunders in the middle of class. Or, when the DVD players isn't working right, a kid pushes the right button and off we go.

Kids these days don't realize how technology is such a huge part of their lives. I have a cousin who is a sophomore in HS and text messaging is an important part of her social world. I was AMAZED at how fast she typed on her phone, and the " text language" that is used. The texting is a language in itself! You are right we are in a fast-paced technological world and it is hard to keep up. Sometimes it can be frustrating, but I feel that once I get it figured out, technology can save me so much time! :-)

I can definately relate to your story about the DVD player. I learned to make instructional podcasts, for my students to download on their ipods, by watching a 8th grader use garage band on the MAC's. After bugging the student for 30 minutes, he finally gave me a tutorial. Then, with some new found confidence, I used trial and error to develop my first instructional podcast.

Mike,
I have done a great amount of up-to-date research relating to PDAs and supporting Physical Education software. Dr. Synder and I both have copies of my research. I am currently using a Palm Z22 ($99)getting use to its operation before "stepping up." I would recommend getting a simple PDA as I did to get comfortable with using one. If you would like the info, I would be willing to share it. I am sold on the PDA use for Physical Educators especially for those who also coach at the high school level.
Fred

I view technology in education as a tool that can assist teachers to teach materials in fresh, interesting and exciting new ways. I believe using technology engages students in ways that teaches them real world topics at real world speeds. Students today are in demand of information as fast and current as possible. Using educational technologies aids this process.
I have the opportunity to use Smart Boards, ceiling mounted projectors, internet sites and computers in my classes. I also use video cameras, computers and different programs as a football coach.
I hope to learn new ways of implementing technology in my PE classes. I would like to learn how to use pedometers, heart rate monitors and computers as tools to teach students about fitness

Educational technology is technology that is used to enhance the learning process. It can be a Pilates video used for an aerobics class, an email to a parent regarding a student’s progress, a power point outlining the rules of a game, videotaping students in action, using a PDA to skills test, using the word processor to create handouts, and using a grade program to record students progress. I have used educational technology as a fastpitch coach. I videotaped my team hitting and then sat down with each girl and analyzed their swing with them. This allowed the girls to gain insight on their swing and make the necessary corrections. I have many expectations for this course. I use technology a lot in teaching health but have used it limited in teaching physical education. I am looking forward to learning ways of incorporating technology into my lessons. I am excited about leaning about PDAs and the many ways it can enhance my teaching.

I am going to be coaching girls softball this year and videotaping their swings, then showing them sounds great. They never listen when you tell them so if they can SEE it, then maybe it will sink in.

I also use the video camera as a teaching tool in coaching my sport of gymnastics and cheerleading. It is so helpful for the athletes to actually see what they are doing wrong.
I have used technology in PE in many different ways so far. Assignments for different sports using the internet, heart rate monitors, powerpoint presentations for teaching weight training, as well as DVD's like you mentioned. I think the hardest part is having technology available in the gym areas for use. It is a hassle for us to reserve a computer lab and also to make sure each student understands where they are meeting that day.

Renee,
I forgot all about the video camera and your e-mail reminds me what a great tool it is. I agree that the acquisition and use in the gym area can have its problems. Maybe I could use a techno smart 5th grader to help me.

Educational technology is a tool that enhances or supplements the learning process. Over the years, I have done a good deal of brainstorming on how to use and implement educational technology in the area of physical education.
To this point, I have used powerpoint presentations, audio, video, pedometers, heart rate monitors, spreadsheets, word processing, electronic grade book, web based grade book, VHS, CD, DVD, and the internet. There are several other technologies that I am interested in exploring, such as the Dance Dance Revolution game and the Cateye video game exercise bike.

In my 16 years of teaching elementary physical education, I have implemented a good deal of technology into my program. This implementation, has been somewhat slow. Some of my current ideas have been on the back burner for several years. I am hoping this course give me the confidence, knowledge, and motivation to persue and implement my additional educational technology interests in a timely fashion.

Educational technology, can be defined as a field that provides support in learning and teaching. Educational technology provides students with tools that make learning efficient, stimulating, and meets individual needs.
I consider myself and avid user of current technological resources. My experiences begin with powerpoint presentations, slideshows for my tennis teams, Excel spreadsheets, email, text messaging, and making DVD movies. Currently, I enjoy my Mac Powerbook! I swear by MacIntosh computers and find it to be user friendly and more practical in executing slideshows. In addition to being a computer and technology freak, I have introduced heart rate monitors and PE portfolios in my department. I have to admit, we have a well executed Physical Education program and we are now in the midst of introducing technology in our curriculum! At this time we are looking into purchasing software so that students can enter the data on their watches onto a program.
Sandee

To me, "Educational Technology" means the use of technology in any setting to aid, and be used as, an additional tool to further educate students through technology. This could be through research, skill based learning activities, and planning.

I remember rarely using any technology in PE and only things like a film projector, or VCR when I was in middle and high school. Now technology can easily be used in a PE setting as well as in a classroom environment.

My own experience using technology in PE is only for research projects that the kids do. We have a computer lab (but only get access to it for PE purposes once every 9 weeks or so). We research different fitness programs and report on those. I would like to have a computer in my gym so I could do things like chart calories burned, and other fitness statistics they do each day.

Hopefully with th is class I can see some different ideas that will allow me to improve and utilize technology better in my PE class.

Educational technology is the use of an electrical device for the purpose of teaching. Educational technology can be devices like pedometers, heart rate monitors, PDA's, and computers. We are lucky enough with the help of a grant to have such devices. We just received the equipment and haven't had a chance to use it yet. I plan to use the pedometers as a resource for children to better understand the need to be physically educated. This class will help me learn and apply technological devices into my PE program.

I think that you will find your students enjoying every minute when you use your pedometers. After the intial exploration, you will need to dream up ways to use them -such as bowling for steps or moving volleyball. Traditionally these sports are not as active but pedometers will really liven up your class!

I know this is an old post, but I do have to say that the pedometers are a huge hit! When I have used them in both elementary and middle school the students have been very interested in charting their progress and improving each time they used the pedometers. Plus if you can also utilize an online program that has the students walking across Virginia or the US then it is even more of an incentive.

Keith,

Using pedometers is a great technology tool to use in your P.E. classes. I use them in my 6th and 7th grade classes every day. When the students enter the gym they are expected to take a pedometer, input their stride length (each student figured theirs out in the beginning of the year), and put the pedometer on their shorts/pants band in line with their knee cap. Then they are ready to go for the activity or game for the day. At the end of class the students get their pedometer log and record the date, the unit they are currently in, the activity/drills they participated in, the number of steps they took, and the distance in miles they moved. At the end of the week they total up their steps and miles. In the beginning of the year I tell my students that in a full day they should take around 10,000 steps to be considered healthy. In my class the goal is to take around 2,500-3,000 steps. I find that the pedometers really motivate the students to be more active in my class. The students like to compare their steps and mileage with other students as well.

Educational Technology to me is all the up to date modern ways of teaching with the technology we are given to allow our students to grow in knowledge and understanding. The more modern technology we offer to our students in teaching, the more they become interested. At times we can go back and reflect on what and how it was once done, but with technology, it makes everything more interesting. The use of the pedometers in the classroom gives proof to the students that the number of steps taken in one day shows the amount of calories expended which can lead to weight loss and an average day of fitness with out having to run and work out all the time. The new fitness equipment in the weightrooms at the schools offer the options for cardio vs. just lifting weights. The girls gravitate to the cardio machines.
With coaching, I use something new every year! In the last 2 years I have brought the use of ladders, stabilizer balls, balancing balls, and parachutes in my training. The kids love the challenge and it makes for a fun practice!
I hope to accomplish some more understanding of different types of technology and how others have used it to benefit them in their teaching and coaching.

Technology is what it is. Its use in any educational setting will enhance student learning and better facilitate and equipment the instructor to be more effective and efficient with his/her responsibilities. Having become more "tech savvy" the last 4-5 years, I feel as though my students have benefited greatly. Within my own teaching and coaching situation, I have become more sophisticated in the use of powerpoint, the Fitnessgram software, Microsoft Office Suite, video productions, and skill analysis of my basketball players. Additionally, I have taken advantage of a number of students who are far more advanced technologically than I am. Students who have grown up in this "age of technology" can offer much insight, assistance, and creativity - physical educators should take advantage of such students. This course is allowing me to go beyond the "basic technology" available and become more creative with what we have at school. My biggest technological feat recently has been learning to fully use the Palm. For a long time physical educator who grew up professionally using the Daytimer, this has been quite a feat!

We just started using PDA's in our high school physical education classes. I have been given a PalmOne-Lifedrive. I love it. Some instructors are having a hard time adjusting to it. One problem we are having at the moment is taking of class attendance. The entire roster will not fit the screen. We also are still having problems picking up a signal outside the building. But all in all, I think it is a great tool and I am also sold on it's use.

Hi, as i was reviewing your note for the tech. class with Glen Snyder, the one thing that you mentioned was already churning in my mind about taking time to sit down with one or two of my students at the high school to get some help as i go through the class. The students at our high school are very educated in the tech. realm and as you were talking about how they had helped you the wheels were turning. I am glad to see that you have accomplished your goal of working with the the palm, which i am asuming means the hand held computer. Bobby Herodes

Educational Technology is technology we can use to make a physical education program more exciting to today's students. With the invention of pedometers and heart rate monitors, our walk/jog unit has become more interesting to ALOT of our students.
We just got treadmills and stationary bikes donated to our physical education department. The students are really taking a liking to these. If you walk into any physical education class in our school, at least half of the students are over weight and some are obese by today's standards. The new and interesting technology we introduce to them is getting them interested in weight management.
This class will help me with using new technology and creating lesson plans for use in my classes.

Hi Karen,
I read your response to the discussion and you said that you use pedometers in your classroom. How do you incorporate them into your class? How often do you use them? Do you have your student record their information? Does each student have a pedometer? We will be getting treadmills next year. What are some activities you do in your jog/walk unit?

Thanks for your time,
Janelle

How did you go about getting treadmills and the like donated to your school? I would love to have access to these types of equipment, but budget does not allow it.

In my world, educational technology refers to any item that can support the curriculum in a field of study. In PE. the most prevelant technology supports learning about the body whether it is in pedometers, heart rate monitors or instapulse monitors. My experience in elementary pe has been positive with these items as long as I use it to supplement the student's learning about thier body. I took this course to have more ammunition to find diffeent ways to implement technology in my setting.

Educational technology is very handy in both teaching and coaching. Everyday we use the internet for web sites and communication such as e-mails. Our school has moved to a computerized attendance program in which all of our computer work is done online. For coachingw e use video camcorders, web sites, and the internet for directions, information and maps. Communicating would not be as efficient as it is today without it. Some of the technology machines that we use are heart rate monitors, pedometers, treadmills, elliptical machines, and airdyne bikes. This better way of communicating is what educational technology means to be.

Those were some thoughtful insights. I forget some of those pieces of equipment qualify for technology, because I have used them for so long. Thank goodness for Mapquest and gps systems, or I don't think I would be able to find my way to different schools and events.

Thanks again

Educational technology is a teaching tool other than paper and pencil. It can be as simple as having students find a fitness article on the Internet or as complex as teaching target heart zones using heart rate monitors. The following is a list of technology that we use in our PE program:

1. HRMs
2. pedometers
3. Palm Pilot (just starting)
4. AEDs (training)
5. stopwatches
6. counter clock (circuit training)
7. scoreboard
8. camcorder
9. Dance, Dance Revolution (X-Box)
10. DVD Player & VHS Player
11. CD & Cassette Player
12. MP3 Player
13. Computer (using PowerPoint, Appleworks, Internet)

In this course, we hope to get a better understand of technology and its purpose. The information obtained will not only increase our knowledge of the importance of technology but also help convince co-workers who are technologically scared.

Hi, from what little i know about technology i believe that educational technology is any form of advanced technology that is used in the educational setting or realm for the benefits of the students. The ability to do research, comminicate and any other necessary tasks that we ask our modern students to accomplish. Educational technology has already passed many of the current educators in the field. Many of my co-workers of simalar teaching experience are in the same situation. We have little or no knowledge of the current technological advances as they relate to the educational setting. Most all of the new teachers that have been hired in the past 5-10 years come to the teaching profession with a huge advantage over the staff members who have been teaching for more than 20 years. My own experience with technology has been limited to the use of heart rate monitors, pedometers, body composition devices and items of that nature. I was a NCAA div. 1 mens soccer coach for the past 16 years, and still never used the computer for recruiting, and doing the many other tasks that the modern day coach must have knowledge of. I often stated that i had hoped to be dead before i was forced into using the computer and internet.....well i am still very alive and fortunately have about 12 more years to work with kids in the gym. So my hopes are that at the end of the class i wont break out into a cold sweat when i am asked to get on the computer and do some work or communicate with my co-workers. As i am finishing writing this note i am starting to panic, is there a spell-check on this site? Thanks Bobby Herodes

Bobby- You are not alone! There are many vetern teachers out there afraid of technology. It is a bit intimidating. My advice to you is you are heading in the right direction by taking this class. I took it for some of the same reasons. Talk to the new staffers that are technology savy. I have learned so much from them! It is amazing to me that I was using a ditto machine when I first sarted teaching. I now am thankful for my computer!!

I believe that educational technology is using any type of technology in your classroom to benefit the students. The way in which technology can be used is numerous - and it can range from very simple to much more complex types of technology. In my classes, all the handouts and worksheets are done using a word processor - and usually the information to use to complete these assignments can be found using certain site on the Internet. I have used several powerpoints to help my students grasp ideas and even activities that we participate in. I look forward to finding out how to incorporate other technologies into my class and to understand how they can benefit my classes. In a previous post, someone mentioned being able to take attendance while standing in the middle of the gym - I would love to be able to do that! I know the possibilities are endless, but I'm excited to be able to find out what is actually available to me and how I might be able to use it.

I define educational technology as any use of technology to enhance learning for both the student, educator, and parents. Educational technology can be used to enhance visuals, provide information, create graphs or graphic organizers and even be used to inform parents of your program/student achievements.
My experience with technology has been somewhat limited. I have used instructional videos, power point presentations, digital photos and the internet. The students seem to enjoy the technology advanced lessons.
In taking this course I would like to expand my technology resources and learn more about what is out there for physical education.
Most recently my department has been asked to pilot the new fitnessgram 8.2 software. We just recieved the software and are trying to piece together how we will implement it into our program. If anyone has used this software it would be great to have your input.
I would like to find out more about pedometers and heart rate monitors (we just purchased handhelds) and incorporate them into my fitness lessons.

I would define educational technology as a mode of technology that advances students and teachers learnings. This mode of learning can include but is not limited to computers, PDA's, pedometers,videos,video cameras,and digital cameras. My personal experiences in using technology in physical education has included basic data input using excel, fitnessgram,actiivitygram,video tapes along with presenting information using power-point.
A few things that I hope to accomplish by the completion of this course include;(1) develop a better understanding of ways to incorporate technology into my physical education lessons, (2) identify various software that is suited for my student population, (3) identify resources and support systems that will help me with implementing the new technology .

Educational technology is the use of a technical instrument used to present or gain information. Its many facets are:

Computer--internet, email, computer programs
Pedometers
Heart rate monitors
digital camera/video recorder
media
music systems (ipods, turntables, radios)
body fat monitors
stop watch

I use technology in my classes in different ways. I have a grading program I use to keep a record of my students' progress in class. I use email to communicate with my students and parents. I use videos to deliver information. I have used video cameras in order to capture different movement skills that my students need to execute. I use cd players when doing fitness testing.

I hope to accomplish more awareness of the use of technology in PE, and how to incorporate in my classroom. I now have a class set of pedometers and would like to use them in a small unit, so if anyone has any creative ideas I would love to hear of them.

Educational teachnology is using tools available to increase our influence on students and their learnings.
The biggest influnce out of the many facets of technology in education for me has been the use of video technology as a tool to coach football. Having the latest in video technology has allowed our coaching staff to greatly increase the influce of our coaching, and has allowed us to facilitate between theory and practice, making our players better.

For me, educational technology is the use of other than traditional equipment, whether electronic or manual in a classroom environment. I do not limit the term to electronic equipment only because some pedometers are not controlled by any sort of electricity. (kinetic pedometers, etc) There is all sorts of equipment that is meant to enhance the educational experience, even for PE.

I currently use a palm pilot to take attendance and track grades, use video games (Xavix and PS2) in the class room, use powerpoint for presentations of new ideas and for the final exam review, use lcd projector to broadcast important info, an Ipod to play music while students are doing activities, HR monitors to teach about activity levels, Fitnessgram software to provide valuable feedback, and a lot of other forms of technological enhancement.

From this class, I hope to get ideas about other ways to use technology. Ways to motivate students using technology. Ways to bring PE into the "digital age".

Dan- I am impressed with the technology that you use in your classes, especially the palm pilot! I would love that! My district is "trying" to keep up with the times, but money is always a factor! Keep up the great innovative ways you motivate your students!

Educational Technology is the use of any form of technology in an educational system. In the area of Health and Phy. Ed. the use of technology has exploded over the past several years in my school. We have approximately 75 students in a class and we manage to use pedometers on a regular basis. We also do the Fitnessgram and each child receives a computerized printout of the results (fall and spring testing) at the end of the school year.
In our health classes, we utilize a computer lab to do research on communicable and non-communicable diseases. The students share their information with the class either with a homemade video or PowerPoint presentation. The use of technology really holds their interest!

wow, it sounds like your class sizes are huge! You certainly do get a lot done, I am pushing to have my classes use the computer aspect of the fitnessgram, do you have the students input their test results, or do you do it and then hand them out?

We have some of the classes do their own printouts and some we do ourselves. I know that sounds quirky but it basically gets down to the amount of time we have at the end of the year. Because of the end of the year activities we end up having some classes more than others. These are obviously the kids we get to do their fitnessgrams on their own.

Eduational technology is a resource tool used to enhance the learning environment. This includes but is not limited to instruments that are used to design, implement, manage, record, evaluate, and research all aspects of of learning. As a coach and teacher I use technology often. I have used baseball statistics sofware and websites to input game information. I have to email game reports after each game to the newspaper. As a teacher, we have used heart rate monitors, Power Point presentations, LCD projectors to enhance visual demonstration, the internet to take practice tests as well as research health issues. All of our attendance, progress reports, and grading are done on the computer. I hope to gain insight on how to better my lessons to keep up with the times in the world of fast paced technological advancement.

Educational technology is that of which is used to enhance the classroom learning environment to its fullest potential, while grasping the target audience with tools of interest. I have used Learner Profile, a gradekeeper software in which I use in my PDA; I have used heart rate monitors, as well as pedometers. In coaching, I used my PDA and a software called Digital Scout, which is a stat keeper. I like to use technology where applicable, as it has made my life easier. I hope this course can show me different tools of technology and how to incorporate them into my classroom.