I’m excited to share with you the details to the 2013 ConnectedPE National Tour. The workshop will focus on technologies and emerging pedagogies which are driving innovation with the contemporary PE and Sports Science classroom. The workshops are a collaboration between ConnectedPE and 21st Century Learning International.
The information regarding locations, dates, duration and workshop content can be found on the following printable flyer.
For registration and further information regarding the workshops, simply click on the city below. If you have any questions regarding the workshops, please feel free to leave a comment below or contact jarrod@thepegeek.com
Without a doubt the number one device present within all forms of my teaching and daily life is my Mobile Phone. While I still utilise a Laptop & Tablet devices when the appropriate situations arise, I simply cannot go past the true portability of todays mobile phones. Currently my device of choice is an iPhone 5, however regardless of the device in which you choose we truly are carrying around devices of immense power and importance. In all seriousness I would rather lose my wallet than my phone.
So with this in mind I thought It would be interesting to track a 24 hour period and see if I could handle a full day using nothing more than my mobile phone. Could I handle it? Was it possible?
0600 – Wake Up
Given my phone is used as my alarm clock, the first thing I do everyday is interact with my mobile device. At present I have been using the app “Freaky Alarm” which gamifies the wake up experience providing you with a set of puzzles and brain riddles. Solve them to turn the alarm off. You can even take it one step further by adding a photo trigger for your alarm (like your letterbox). This means you have to actually take that same photo again in order to shut your alarm off.
0615 – Emails & Social Media
Within the first 15 minutes of being woken up I have checked my emails, which include my tasks for the day. I have also checked any social media usually Twitter and Facebook. The mailbox app makes it possible for me to easily task manage emails by snoozing them and having them return at more timely periods throughout the day or week.
Once I arrived at school I checked Google Drive and read & contributed to the daily bulletin. At 8am the Sunrise app sent me push notifications to alert me of the day’s events on the school calendar. While getting ready for the first classes for the day, I enjoyed some exciting content from Zite and browsed a couple of online resources through the Google Chrome app. Finally I printed a test protocol & recording sheet for the PC Recovery test using AirPrint from my device.
0900 – First Class
During Year 12 Information Technology, I showed a couple of videos about database design on YouTube and used Airplay and the Apple TV unit to share them with the entire class. I also utilised Easy Attendance to record attendance details.
1026 – Second Class
My Year 12 Physical Education class were commencing the Beep Test and as such we utilised the Bleep Test Pro app for conducting and recording the results. We also used Fitness Tests with students able to easily identify the procedures, norms and setup for the Vertical Jump and Illinois agility run test.
1130 – Third Class
Used the app Skitch to capture an annotate a diagram a student had created. This was then shared direct to the Apple TV via Airplay for all to see. Finally I captured some learning evidence within the Easy Portfolio app for storage and use within the report writing process.
1300 – Lunch
During lunch my iPhone stayed in my pocket as I ate and relaxed before my next classes. I did however scan and email a copy of an order using the CamScanner+ App. I also chose to look at my Wunderlist App to see what tasks needed to be completed after lunch.
1400 – Planning Time
During this time I utilised Google Drive to plan and prepare a few activities for the following days classes. I was also busy replacing broken student LCD screens in our 1:1 laptop program. The repair details were logged in a spreadsheet inside of Google drive.
1530 – Staff Meeting
In tonights staff meeting I utilised the Evernote app to record any important notes into the necessary notebooks. These notebooks are then shareable and searchable from all devices. I also used Siri to set a reminder for 8am the next day when I arrived at school.
1630 – The Trip Home
On the way home I finished off an episode of the Edtechcrew podcast and listened to my offline playlists on Spotify.
1800 – Exercise Time
On this particular day I used the Endomondo app and my heart rate monitor to go for a 3km run before tea. Although this doesn’t happen as often a I would like it certainly helps wind down after a full on day of activity.
1900 – Relaxing
By this stage I had caught up with a few friends via Facebook and moved over to the Flipboard app for a nice streamlined read of my Social Media Feeds. Instant Heart Rate also alerted me to check my pulse, as it does every couple of days. I logged my results in between a game of Rayman Run.
So with 24 hours quickly elapsing what is certainly clear is the incredible capacity of todays mobile devices. Not only did I get everything done I needed to throughout the day with a high level of mobility, but at no point did I feel as though I was suffering for my choice of device.
So with this in mind I encourage you to take up the 24hour challenge and see if you can successfully operate using nothing more than a mobile device. I would love to hear how you go in the comments below. Good luck.
The paid version of the popular free video analysis app “CoachMyVideo”. New features included in the paid version include the ability to analyse video direct from online streaming sources, such as YouTube. This is a super powerful addition inside of any video analysis app, especially when you utilise the app the side by side comparison feature on the iPad. Checkout the video below, showcasing how the YouTube analysis feature works.
At the present my VCE PE students are engaged in a unit of study surrounding physical activity and how it can be measured and subsequently used to motivate. This has led them to learn about a variety of both subjective and objective measuring devices, including accelerometers, pedometers and surveys. This app however has featured extensively within the course of the unit, with students downloading and using it to record their daily activity levels.
Simply download the free app, place it within your pocket and check back occasionally as the app tracks your activity, via both the GPS and internal accelerometer. At the end of everyday you will be presented with a beautiful storyline of your days activity, with metrics on aspects such as your total steps and distance accumulated in a variety of types of locomotion (see picture right).
This exceptional data can then be used to formulate discussion surrounding physical activity and national activity guidelines. A super simple and unobtrusive means of gathering activity data. The only real downside is the extra pressure background running will place on your battery. However if your a light to medium iPhone user, you shouldn’t notice too much of a difference.
A video delay app with the ability to set a delay time of up to 4 minutes. This will provide plenty of time for review and subsequent analysis of physical skills. The Pro version of the app brings a new, yet widely requested feature to delay apps allowing users to save the delayed video to the camera roll.
An app that has been getting a heap of use within my personal life. An exceptional mediation app, that takes you through a daily 10 minute routine. The best part about this app is the fact that it actually takes the time to teach the user how to meditate in a very open and friendly manner.
In the PE classroom, this app finds its place within sports psychology units or as a means of finishing off practical sessions and reducing over aroused students to a more calmer and focus state before their next class. Something their next teacher will thank you for.
Lets face it, Google is absolutely killing it at the moment in every manner of their digital products. From apps to devices and online products everything is of incredible quality. This is certainly the case with the Google Drive app. Although its not technically a PE app, its wide variety of uses make it incredibly powerful in all contexts. Essentially the app allows you to view, edit and add to your online files and documents located at www.google.com/drive. Checkout how Nathan Horne of iPhys-Ed is using Google Drive to create student portfolios. If your unsure of what Google Drive is, checkout this video here
