Part One of Old School Laps to Modern Apps assists physical education teachers in learning what to consider when choosing a specific App for their classrooms. The most complicated aspect of choosing an App is to answer the question “which one?” There are thousands of Apps available, but not all Apps are a good fit for all teachers. In Part Two, teachers will be provided with a variety of PE Apps with brief descriptions to possibly reflect upon using as a part of their curriculum.
Many teachers need to understand that Apps are not necessarily meant for use simply for the students’ benefit. There are a variety of Apps that teachers can use to make their jobs easier, more effective, and efficient. To start, Apps can be used for attendance, grading, behavior management, music, communication with parents, presentations, content video capturing, etc. Below is a list of a variety of appropriate Apps that can be used in physical education classes. Please remember that this is not a conclusive list, and there are many Apps not listed that may be a better fit for your classroom.
|
APP |
Category of Assistance |
Brief Description |
|
Tone (iPhone) Ringdroid |
Music |
Splice music to use in instant activities, stop and go signals, background music |
|
QR Codes |
Content |
Easy to generate and fun to implement – scavenger hunts, bulletin boards, fitness principles, reviewing a unit |
|
Class Dojo |
Attendance Communication Behavior |
Assists teachers in taking attendance, tracking positive and negative behaviors, provides feedback, and immediately provides communication to parents |
|
iMuscle 2 |
Fitness Content Weight Training |
Identify muscles in the body, learn muscle development, and experience new exercises |
|
Team Shake |
Partners/Groups |
Avoids favoritism, creates partners or groups immediately, and imports class lists |
|
FitBreak |
Fitness Content |
Interactive fitness sessions ranging from short warm-up activities, to full 45-minute sessions based on popular TV shows and board games from around the world |
|
Coach’s Eye |
Video Capturing |
Video playback, slow motion, draw to teach, compare videos side by side, share videos, audio commentary |
|
Go Noodle Brain Breaks |
Indoor/Classroom |
Quick activities that can be performed in limited space, assists with difficult content such as yoga, martial arts, dance, etc. |
|
Scoreboard Bracketmaker |
Score keeping Tournaments |
Simulates a real scoreboard Assists when making teams when designing tournaments |
|
QR Stopwatch |
Timer/Stopwatch |
Timing app that utilizes QR Codes to start & stop a timer. Automatically generates your name and a new individual stopwatch will be started |
|
Educreations Explain Everything |
Presentations/ Deliver content |
Create powerful, innovative presentations, upload pictures or videos, draw to teach, manipulate the screen |
While the above list is just a few of the many Apps available for use in a physical education classroom, there are others that will accomplish the same task at hand. This is merely a list to get you started and feel more comfortable finding Apps that best fit your program. Searching for Apps in the App Store is not difficult. Simply type in the key word you are looking for (“physical activity”, “fitness”, “physical education”, etc.) and read the description to see if the App may be useful for your curriculum. As suggested in Part One of this blog, make sure to read reviews and have a plan for using the App before purchasing.
