One piece of technology that I think would be useful in the P.E. setting that I could afford with $2000 would be the iPad: http://www.apple.com/ipad/
The iPad runs from $499 to $829 depending on the hard drive size and if you want to buy a data plan with it. The school I work out will have wireless internet connections so I will not need to buy the higher end iPad. By only spending around $600, (which would include some of the accessories that go with the iPad such as a carrying case and all necessary cables to hook up to my computer) it would give me additional money to purchase applications such as “Lose It”, an application that teaches about caloric intake and energy expenditure which would relate to a nutrition or fitness lesson. Other applications such as “iFitness” or “GymGoalABC” gives exercises for all muscle groups of the body. If the school had a projector that I could rent to use for a lesson I could hook up my iPad and project videos, lessons, applications, demonstrations, etc. on a white screen. I could also use the iPad as a PDA to track things such as attendance and use it during assessment of the students. The possibilities with the iPad are endless and if I had an extra two grand to spend as a teacher, I would buy an iPad.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI like the idea for purchasing an iPad. I feel like it is becoming a very useful and ever-advancing technology and it's still new. I like how you suggested using some of the money to purchase some apps. Those definitely sound like they could be useful in the P.E. setting and I'm sure a projector would be easy to use that with. I also liked the potential use of it for easy things like attendance or for assessments. It'd be so much easier to have a travel size computer with you capable of all those things. Good post.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI agree that an ipad would be a good and interesting purchase for a P.E. class. Some of the applications for it sound great for physical education classes and I think would really catch the students interest. I have never considered the possibilities of uses for an ipad besides for personal enjoyment, but with all the new apps the possibilities are endless. I think students would find these very fun to play around with and could possibly encourage them to become more active and pay attention to what they eat. The only problem I see with this idea is students using them for off task behavior or possibly breaking them.
I agree with Mike, Clinton, and Nicole. With the up and coming technology such as iPhones and iPads, these technologies can prove to be extremely useful in a technology setting. I searched for several applications that can be related to Physical Education and found that it can be a great teaching tool. Although several of the applications can be pricy, it is a great investment with the $2,000. The use of the iPad can really interest the students and make them WANT to be active. I believe this will be seen in P.E. courses in the near future. Great creativity.
ReplyDelete