iPad's in Phys. Edu. Class

Image via CrunchBase

The latest advances in technology are inevitably making their way into schools and gymnasiums across the country. A number of nation and international organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Education and NCATE, have developed standards that promote the use of technology in educational settings to improve student learning and teacher efficiency. One of the latest high profile additions to the technological world is the iPad. The iPad can be used in the physical education setting in a number of ways. An example could be when teaching a sports unit that requires team and duty roles. If you would like to use the iPad in your physical education setting it is important to make sure the school has wi-fi in order to reap all the device. A heavy –duty case would also be a good idea since many students would be handling it. A warm-up leader can use the Youtube app to locate warm-up videos. The coach can assist teammates with skills and tactics by showing videos for techniques and tactics. The student responsible for keeping individual and team records can input and edit data on the iPad and even create simple graphs outlying performance. There is an app available on the iPad called IReferee, which can be used by a team’s manager to leatn the different rules of the games and the officiating hand signals that go with them.  They can then peer-teach their team on these different signals. The use of an iPad should not be the focus point of instruction, but rather to aid in learning. The use of an iPad can increase student’s enjoyment and affective domain, while also creating a sense of professionalism and importance in students.