You have a great outlook on using technology use in the classroom. If the students know how to use the technology and have practiced with it, your class will run a lot smoother. Heart rate monitors always take a week or two for all students to understand and do it on thier own. When they get it everything falls in place. I have lost time in class teaching technology but the students will get it and you will teach them a valuable lesson. Keep up the good work.

I see both the postive and negative of using technology. I believe in some cases it takes away from "movmement" and "activity" time. Kids today need to get up and move more often. I think the technology we use in PE has to be easy, convenient and helps to maximize time. For example the new Polar heart rate monitors that can be read by a pocket pc and information is downloaded in seconds. Using ipods/playlists to motivate students is another great way to use technology.

I think some of the other postings hit the nail on the head so to speak. The two points that stand out for me is the fact that a balance has to be achieved between surfing etc and actually "doing" where the students are physically active and expressing themselves.
The second point is using the technology out ther e to make a connection with the students so that they can see the interconnection with technology and physical activity and how the two can blend together and possibly motivate them become active.
Balance is key!

I really think that some technology can help but you can't focus your entire class on teaching the how to.
I don't see my classes often enough to take time to explain to them or to use the technology and take away from my attention to the class.

Technology is a great motivational tool for students these days, but with class sizes as they are it is difficult to organize, issue and collect with the 30 min. I have with them.

I believe the use of technology in physical education can only enhance the learning of our students and increase their interest in the content area. The world we live in is so technology savvy and I feel we must embrace this and use it to our advantage. Students love using computers, gadgets and other forms of technology. By utilizing these things in the classroom it allows you to reach your students with something they already have an interest in. Pedometers, heart rate monitors and the world wide web are just the beginning. I cannot wait until we have the capability to use virtual reality and other forms of game simulation to help us teach skills and assist in classroom instruction. These things will really blow kids minds and get them really excited about P.E. class.

I totally agree with technology and it's benefits in PE. The other day, I was showing my students a video in health class called Super SIze Me and it featured a physical education program somewhere out west where the students were using stationary bikes/Spinning while they played a bicycling videogame as if they were actually involved in this virtual race. My students thought that was awsome and even said "why can't we have that? I would totally participate if we had that type of equipment!" So if they get excited about this type of technology it just goes to show you that it does bring some benefit to exercise and physical activity.

You raise some good questions. I think that since you are sensitive to the issue you will probably make the right choices as you go. It is difficult to know just how things will progress but those of us who love movement will not allow our classes to give up on this part. Instead we will find ways to make technology help us do what we do better.

We are implementing 1:1 or 1 computer for every student. I was wondering if anyone else has done this in their school?

I am getting on the technology train this coming school year and am excited to begin using pedometers and hopefully some type of heart rate monitor. You make some great points that I may have not thought about.
My classes will be a great change this year with the use of technology.
My plan is to gradually work the plan and see how things go. Recording steps and keeping track of target heart rates and entering them on the website will be a start. I will try this the first quarter and adjust accordingly.
Time will tell on this one, but as of now I am excited to try something new.

COST ALOT OF MONEY ALMOST ALL OF MY BUDGET
AND WE DONT USE THEM ENOUGH

THE BIGGEST PITFALL IS MONEY
TO DO ALOT OF THINGS THAT YOU SEE ON TV AND THE INTERNET IT TAKES ALOT OF MONEY

Mike,

I feel that technology has really had an effect on kids imagination. Since, the advancement of technology I don't see as many children playing and making up games. The computer games today have such amazing graphics that children don't have to use their imagination. I feel the more technology advances the less that our children will go outside an play in the fresh air.

Eric

You make a great point. When I grew up we were outside every day, playing sports, or even just climbing trees, or building forts. I remember baseball games with every kid in the neighborhood, and football games too. I also had a hoop in my driveway and we played all the time. I do not ever remember being inside with friends. There just was not anything to do. That is because we did not have a television in our rooms, and we did not have video games.
Now students do not play sports together. Their parent’s pay for them to play on teams and a coach tells them what to do when to do it. They never have to cooperate and figure out on their own who is on whose team, or figure out what rules they want to play by. Students, or athletes do not have to think for themselves.
Students also are more stationary then ever before. They are playing video games, or they are playing on the computer, or they are watching television. Yes there are a lot of sport video games, and it does teach students how to play, and it teaches them the rules, but it does not help in the coordination or the skills that are needed to play the sport.
So I guess I think technology, when it comes to entertainment for students, is not something that I am a fan of. My husband and I are trying hard to not fall into the trap. We have four children, and we do not have televisions in their rooms, they do not play video games. They each have 1 hand held game that they can play on the weekend, when their homework is done. As for going outside, they are out every day, and they play games on their own. Technology for teachers and for organization and efficiency is something I am a fan of. It allows us to give more time to the students, and a lot of technology is for the purpose of keeping our students as healthy as we can, and in a safe manner.

I always think of the Rocky movie when the Russian is training withall the high tech stuff, and Rocky just runs through the snow. Both were finely tuned athletes.

I am sure there are those teachers that use technology to a fault. I agree that there is a fine line that seperates a Physical Education class from a technology use class or a Physical Science class. However, I think we need to use some technological resources to show students how their heart works and how they can measure certain things. Things like heart rate, body mass, exersion during exercise etc...

I think this is an excellent question. Being a "gadget" guy, I am usually on board with trying to purchase and incorporate technology into PE. However, I beleive you must stick with the things that you are comfortable teaching and build from there. It is way to exspensive to try multiple ideas during a school year. The resources will never be used and the money you spent will be wasted. Also, make sure kids know how to calculate their own heart rate manually by looking at the clock and finding their pulse. Heart monitors do this for them and they may miss the whole idea of target heart rates. We have built our weight room with game bikes and DDR's and the school has purchased an IPOD for our department. This is a good place to start if you are thhinking of purchasing a few things.