Wii Me: Using Technology in the Physical Education Classroom
Course Catalog Description:
This course helps students understand the variousdimensions of exercise using current fads such as gaming console systems.Major topics covered in this course:
- The importance of regular physical activity throughout life
- Techniques for assessment of personal physical wellness
- Cardiovascular and resistance training principles
- Designing safe and effective exercise programs
This course relied on several technology-based tools that were created commercially and purchased for use in this course.
The gaming console (Nintendo Wii) and hardware (Wii Balance Board) as well as the games (Wii Sports and Wii Fit) played in the course were created by Nintendo.
The online technological tools were:
* www.mypyramid.gov - provided by the USDA
* www.fitday.com - provided by Internet Brands, Inc
* www.thedailyplate.com - The Daily Plate, L.L.C.
* OwlSpace - provided by Rice University Educational
Technologies (based on Sakai technology)
The design of this course was then the result of the instructor collecting these tools and creating learning objectives based on the goals of the department in which the course was taught (Lifetime Physical Activity Program) and the requirements of the university.
Previous courses similar to this one were also used as examples of conducting physical education courses at Rice University. This included course assignments, lecture organization, and feedback mechanisms.
The inception for this course came from the innovation Nintendo demonstrated by creating a game that required dynamic user interaction for game play incorporating total body movements in order to accomplish game objectives. Using large muscle groups and a physical presence in a video game was the driving force for the creation of a class based on technology and exercise.
Further development of this course came about through utilization of the framework for teaching physical skills as outlined by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). This course was also shaped by an evaluation of the technological tools available for teaching skills to individuals and groups such as games, television and video, OwlSpace, and web-based tools. In addition to these resources, course development was further refined through discussion with students about the features of similar courses that were most effective for their learning.
As the class is specifically a learning experience that promotes the physical, social, and emotional benefits of physical activity the learning is structured primarily around physical activity supplemented with lecture, readings, student self evaluation, and periodic testing of physical ability and learned concepts. This made for a unique learning environment that challenged the traditional methods for communicating information about a topic.
Students learn from each other in the class by observing classmates perform the same actions, reviewing scores and feedback obtained by other participants from the game and feedback from the instructor.
This course was offered as part of the Lifetime Physical Activity Program at Rice University which provides physical education courses on a variety of subjects. This particular course sought to educate students about the process for developing personal fitness programs using tools that were largely technological. This included video games, Web-based nutrition and activity tracking tools, and Sakai-based tools (OwlSpace) for the submission of course work and group discussion.
The course utilized the Wii and the Wii Fit game for several learning goals:
* Develop physical skills for exercise execution.
* Learn the far-reaching benefits of exercise.
* Motivate and positively reinforce successful
completion of tasks.
* Use corrective feedback to improve incorrect task
execution.
The course utilized the online tools for several learning goals:
* Develop an understanding for their own habits
before learning the skills to improve them.
* Develop ability to find information about their
nutrition and physical activity when the
information wasn't already available.
* Synthesize information about their nutrition and
activity in order to make decisions to improve
their health.
The course utilized OwlSpace for several learning goals:
* Value the adherence to a schedule and timely
assignment submission.
* Facilitate discussion of relevant course topics to
deepen student's understanding.
* Encourage openness of student interaction with the
instructor without the need for a public classroom
environment.
* Expose students to a wide variety of media
available for the learning of correct exercise
technique and fitness programming.
The course utilizes several technological mediums that were required for the effective participation of each student:
Sakai-based Tools (Assignments, Discussion, WebContent, Resources) - Students were required to review materials provided for the course in order to effectively complete each assignment and to enhance their participation during class time.
Email - Students had to respond to instructor-provided comments for each submitted assignment via OwlSpace or via email.
Video Analysis - Students were shown video of themselves and others performing the exercises taught in the course and had to provide feedback on the execution of the exercise. This was done in groups and individually and allowed the students to critically evaluate their learning thus far and to apply that knowledge.
Nintendo Wii and games (Wii Fit, Wii Sports) - During class time, students worked in groups of 2-3 in the class which required them to collaborate in exercise selection. Individual goals were discussed such that a set of exercises could be executed that allowed each student to accomplish their individual goals while meeting the objectives of the class and the group.
Students were provided with access to OwlSpace, and could obtain the course syllabus electronically, in print and through frequent verbal reminders from the instructor of upcoming deadlines and requirements. Online resources provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, The Daily Plate L.L.C., instructor lecture, written references, and the Nintendo Wii were provided to enable students to learn the dimensions of exercise and health promotion as relevant to the course objectives.
Through the use of lecture, in class demonstrations from the instructor and in class demonstrations from the digital trainer (a component of the Wii Fit game) students received course information through several modes to enable most students the opportunity to learn in ways relevant to their learning styles.
The course also utilized written, verbal, and physical demonstration requirements for the students to display their knowledge in different ways that would allow their strengths an opportunity to shine.
Course goals and expected outcomes were provided in the course syllabus and via lecture from the instructor during the first month of the course and repeated throughout the remainder of the semester with reference to resources on OwlSpace.
The course began with students learning the components of fitness, physical activity requirements for health or weight loss, basic nutrition information and guidelines, and basic exercise instruction. Then students were required to write weekly journals that asked each to assess the impact the learned skills and information as well as class activities had on them. This included review of the activities in which they participated during and outside of class, assessment of their energy levels and mood, changes in hunger or satiety, and flexibility, balance or coordination. The journals allowed students to pose questions regarding their personal fitness, about new exercises and correct execution of them, or about program design.
Through regular intervals of journal submission the students developed their own goals for the course. These goals were evaluated for feasibility by the instructor. Feedback was provided for the students if the goals were too simple or lacked depth, or were too complex and difficult to obtain in the time available for the course.
Students were able to work with the instructor before, during and after class on topics related to course material and external information or topics that were relevant to the course. This interaction was provided in person, via email, or via the phone.
In the class, as students were grouped together, each group had to collaborate for determination of the activities of the day. This ranged from meeting personal goals as well as how to best accomplish the goals for the class for that specific lesson.
The main assessment tool for the class involved the development of a personal fitness plan that would enable each student to reach goals based on the 5 components of fitness (body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular endurance, muscular strength and flexibility). This project required utilization of the principles of fitness plan development (frequency, intensity, time and type) and exercise selection to meet specific goals and then successfully demonstrate live an exercise from their plan to the instructor. This project required synthesis of all the information provided throughout the course in written, verbal and physical ways. Students were able to be successful in many ways regardless of abilities.
Students were encouraged to participate in online discussion about topics relevant to the course material and current events pertinent to physical fitness and technology. This allowed students in their own time to provide their own analysis.
As this course used the university provided implementation of Sakai, the main course website accessibility was limited to that which was provided by Educational Technologies. This included buttons and descriptive display text navigable mainly by mouse. However, at the beginning of the course and throughout the semester, the students were encouraged to contact the instructor via phone, email or in person regarding any issues they had in the course as related to access and comprehension.
All web pages used by the course were not consistent however as each were maintained and managed by their respective organizations (such as www.mypyramid.gov, www.thedailyplate.com, OwlSpace, etc) and the instructor had no control over interface differences or look and feel.
Students were accommodated for any difficulties in accessibility for any aspect of the course, albeit reactively, by providing multiple modes of communication. The main limitation for this course was for any visually impaired students. A large portion of the course was provided via a visual display with limited audio description of the movements to be performed. Unique to a course with individualized lesson delivery (that could be replayed or paused), assistance to students with disabilities was also available from students in the same group.
Physical activity is the primary focus of the course and thus relies heavily on visual and verbal cues for correct exercise execution. Written description of exercise and movement patterns in layman's terms is difficult to do effectively and anatomical reference descriptions of movements are not accessible to the average college student.
This course was presented in a highly adaptable manner in order to address the different needs of each student as well as to account for the varied tools available online and for use in the classroom. Technology changes at a rapid pace and the course was updated during the semester to accommodate changes in availability and features of online tools as well as for the capabilities of the students to adapt the material taught.
Students were provided with reference information that became relevant during the course or as students requested. This included items such as food portion reference material, cardiovascular training programs outside the scope of the class yet relevant to the overarching theme. Students were also made aware of the university's resources for needs not addressed by the class or available from the instructor.
Physical Education has long been relegated to the realm of gyms and playing fields with little technological influences outside of records keeping. This course embraces technology as the mode in which to learn about movement and ones physical capabilities. The use of Sakai through OwlSpace allows students to reflect on their learning and application of their learning as their bodies change through more than just class time.
Several aspects of the Sakai implementation at Rice University made teaching more efficient and productive. The ease with which students can access resources for the class out of the classroom is an obvious benefit to a physical education course. Textbooks and lecture cannot provide the same benefit as visual demonstrations and practice and the course page allowed students to access videos online, and created for the class, to reinforce their learning of concepts taught in the class.
Additionally the Wii Fit provided a teaching tool that a single instructor would never be able to reproduce with consistent and repeatable demonstration of exercises and movements. The scoring used by each game was a useful measure of success or improvement that was tracked and maintained by the console and easily accessible to each student.
This class was able to take students who had never exercised outside of sports from complete novices to experienced fitness enthusiasts. They became capable of reproducing the movements necessary for successful completion of a fitness program as well as knowledge of the muscles trained for each exercise and how to recognize incorrect movement patterns in others.
The amount of repetition required for the acquisition of those skills would not have been possible or as accessible solely through instructor lead learning. In small groups, students controlled the pace or selection of the learning modules which best suited their learning styles. This feature of the course allowed for a highly adaptable learning environment tailored to each student within the constraints of the small groups.
Digital classroom instruction, instructor reinforcement, in-class and out of class assignments, and online resources, all a mixture of technology-based and traditional tools of instruction ,culminated in a rich learning environment for the students who participated in this course.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| LPAP196-Intro.ppt | 157 KB |
| WiiFitActivitiesList.xls | 34.5 KB |
| JournalRequirements.doc | 27.5 KB |
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