Wantirna College Newsletter

PE Curriculum

The use of technology in Physical Education

As we continue to move into the 21st century, the use of technology in education is ever increasing.  As educators of Physical Education at Wantirna, we are continuing to look for new ways to engage students and improve student learning. We acknowledge that technology is an integral part of life and will become increasingly so in the future (Meldrum & Peters 2012). As physical educators, we need to think creatively, more deeply and broadly to help shape the future direction of this important school subject (Kirk, 2010). Our aim is to develop a practical curriculum that is contemporary, relevant, challenging, enjoyable and gets children physically active. The implementation of a broad and balanced program is designed to develop students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to physical activity. Through the promotion of active lifelong learning in physical activity, participation and enhanced performance, students develop proficiency in the acquisition of movement skills, 21st century skills, as well as concepts and strategies to enable students to confidently, competently and creatively participate in a range of physical activities.  Furthermore, we need to develop "appropriate ways to implement technology influenced lessons" (Journal of Physical Education and Dance, 2011) in a physical education setting that is in accordance with the curriculum and our teaching repertoire as educators. In addition, it is becoming increasingly more important for physical education teachers to know how computers and technological devices can contribute to data collection, skill analysis, assessment of learning (Journal of Physical Education and Dance 2011).

  • Did you know that it is suggested that "the most pervasive change in sport over the past century, is the use of technology"? - Journal of Teaching Pedagogy and Education (2013)
  • Did you know that from a research perspective, studies have shown that when teachers incorporate certain forms of ICT (wikis, webs, I-pads) into their health and physical education curriculum, there have been increases in student motivation and knowledge acquisition? (Journal of Teaching Pedagogy and Education 2013)
  • Did you know that studies have shown that when students are learning new skills, their execution of this skill was best improved through teacher feedback informed by the student's video performance?  (Journal of Teaching Pedagogy and Education, 2013).

A common question asked by many may be 'Why do PE teachers need technology in the classroom?'.  Here are some of the ways the team at Wantirna are looking to utilise it:

  • video recording / video analysis of performance allows for immediate feedback about student performance and allows us to gain a clear picture of how students have progressed / are progressing with their learning, so a more accurate assessment of student learning can be made. This feedback also gives children positive reinforcement as they are more engaged in the task and improves motivation. (Metzler 2011).
  • through video and other apps students can actively review their sporting performance to determine what elements of a technique need improving. This can then be coupled with a peer or teacher evaluation as a valuable assessment piece.
  • video will be used to model or demonstrate what we are teaching. Therefore, it acts as a valuable teaching tool for learning new skills and enabling students to reach the "mastery phase" of skill development.  (Meldrum, K., & Peters, J. 2012)
  • Technology will be used to gather, store and analyse information. Many Physical Education teachers are now using tablets, smart phones and laptops to enter assessments and store assessment data (Metzler 2011).
  • Students find watching their own performance fun and engaging and enjoy getting feedback on how to improve. This leads to improved students performance and motivation. Reviewing with video doesn’t just acknowledge the areas for development it also reviews good sporting performance (Mark Bulmer. 2012, http://blog.coachseye.com/video-analysis-in-physical-education/)

The Physical Education team, and the College, are very aware of the sensitivities of taking photographs of children.  Our community must have the utmost confidence that images are used only for their intended purpose, and that the child and parent are fully aware of any filming, and how the images will be stored and destroyed.  We have implemented a policy that outlines the use of technology in the PE classroom to ensure our community can have confidence in how technology will be used. Clear protocols for the use of ICT must be followed by all teachers. These include:

  • The educational rationale on the use of digital devices, including the collection and storage of data will be discussed with students prior to each unit / lesson.
  • Students may use their own digital devices for education purposes only, with teacher permission.
  • Data and material collected through digital devices (photos and filming) will be deleted after each semester unless the student requests that this data is kept for future learning purposes and / or data to be used to model future learning (with student's permission).
  • Teacher and/or college devices can be used, but all protocols above must be adhered to.

If you have any questions regarding the use of technology in Physical Education, please don't hesitate to contact the College.

 

David Black

Leader of Physical Education, Health and Sport.