Before I became a college student I would have laughed at the idea of online physical education. I still remember the first time I ever heard of the idea, I thought it was some kind of joke. I think the first question that anyone would ask is how can one be physically active using the internet? Well after becoming more familiar with the idea and its purpose I do see how online physical education could work. There are some possible benefits, but do they really out weigh the probable complications with the idea?
Being able to complete physical education from the comfort of your own home could possibly really reach out to those who are boese and struggling to stay physically active. Most of these people find it to be very uncomfortable to workout or be active with the presence of others. They believe that they are being judged. Allowing these students the possibility of working out in privacy could help build their confidence and who knows, maybe then they will be able to feel comfortable with the presence of others while being physically active. Another benefit to online physical education is the possibility of exer-gaming playing a huge role in the course. In my opinion this too would be very popular amongst the youth of society. My only questions are how is grading going to be conducted in online physical education? Will teachers be able to trust students to make sure they are really participating in the course and not just being physically active through extracurricular hobbies or teams? I can see the possibility of online physical education being a big break through, but until some of these major flaws can be fixed or answered I just don't know. Online physical education in my opinion is a work in progress, and is something that we are still several years away from.
-Dustin Yoder
I feel like you did a good job of defending the case for OLPE but part of me still sees this as an easier alternative to the more traditional gym setting. I agree that this new exer-gaming phenomenon is making the likelihood of OLPE becoming something enjoyable that kids would actually want to do, but at the end of the day I still feel like too many kids would take advantage of the private environment, which in turn would only lead to nonproductive leisure time.
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