Technology in PE: Pedometers

This article, Current Technology Trends and Issues Among Health and Physical Education Professionals, researched technology tools a health and physical education (HPE) teacher could use in class.  The purpose of this study was to identify the current trends and issues surrounding technology among HPE professionals, as discussed in a professional online forum. The most commonly discussed technology included: activity monitors, mobile devices, and social media. The data analysis revealed five major themes: networking and sharing resources, implementing technology for teaching, data collection and management, logistics and settings, and technology selection.

One tool that I took away from this article was the use of pedometers. According the Krause, Franks and Lynch (2017), “a female elementary PE teacher with 15 years of experience from Oregon sought suggestions for which pedometers to select.” The thread did it’s work and the teacher received many ideas not only on which pedometers to select, but also ideas on how to implement and manage them. “In our grade books each student is assigned a pedometer number and they use THAT pedometer all year long” (p. 175). These ideas are helpful in how to use the pedometers, but also go beyond that. They help students understand their activity level and how they can get more steps. “At the end of each unit the students can begin to compare the step counts as to their activity level and see which activities give them more movement (p. 175-176). Not only do the pedometers help the students self-assess they also help the teachers assess their program. “The pedometers we use also have TIME in ACTIVITY which becomes very important when assessing the students and gives us feedback as to how long the class as a whole is active each PE period” (p. 176). This is a tool that offers students the ability to be held accountable in physical education classes. It keeps them motivated to be constantly moving and helps them understand how to get more movement. We need our legs to carry us through life. Why not use them more?

Krause, J. M., Franks, H., & Lynch, B. (2017). Current Technology Trends and Issues Among Health and Physical Education Professionals. The Physical Educator, 74(1), 164-180. doi:10.18666/tpe-2017-v74-i1-6648

Click to read article here