Tag: physical education

Apps, Augmented Reality, Education, K-12, Motivation, Physical Education, Teaching Tools, Videos, Web 2.0, Websites

Let’s Move It, Move It!

Terri Eichholz

It may seem a bit paradoxical to be staring at a screen while you are trying to get fit, but there are more and more tools available out there to allow you to do just that.  As you begin planning for the new school year, you might want to check out some of these tech resources for encouraging kids (and adults) to take brain breaks.  Multiple studies have shown that these are valuable for both the mind and body.

  • I’ve mentioned GoNoodle on this blog before.  I highly recommend this free online tool for an awesome way to motivate your students as well as track how many minutes they are spending on “moving it.” Erin Klein just did a great post on GoNoodle on her blog, and is offering a t-shirt giveaway, so head on over there if you want more details!
  • This summer, I found out about an extension for the Chrome browser called, appropriately, “Move-It.”  You can set it to remind you at certain intervals to take a little exercise break.  To use the extension, you need to be in the Chrome browser.  Click on this link, the “free” button, and “add.”  A small icon will appear in the top right of your browser.  You can click on that icon to set the time periods for intervals.  At the set time, your browser will open a new tab, and give you instructions for a short exercise.  It’s a nice little reminder – though some teachers may find it annoying to have the pop-ups. (You can easily disable it by getting rid of the checkmark in the window or right-clicking on the icon to manage your extensions.)  I did notice a couple of grammar errors in the pop-ups that might make for a fun editing lesson while you are “moving it.”

Move It

  • Finally, Collin Brooks has come up with a fun way for students to get moving at home by creating augmented reality fitness task cards using the free Daqri app.  I love this idea, and hope you will take a look at the short video on this post where he explains how it works.
Education, Games, Gamification, K-5, Motivation, Music, Teaching Tools, Videos, Websites

GoNoodle

Terri Eichholz
Go Noodle
GoNoodle

It’s time for state-wide testing in my neck of the woods.  Even though we are not allowed to have computers on during the test, you might want to consider using GoNoodle after the test, particularly for students who have been sitting for awhile. They also recently added a feature called, “Flow,” which helps with stress.

I mentioned GoNoodle a while back in a post I did on “Physical Ways to Survive the Week Before Winter Break.”  Shortly afterward, I started meeting with my new Kinder GT students twice a week.  On Fridays, they miss Kinder Cafe (when the students go to the gym once a week to dance to different songs) to come to my class.  Last year, the students didn’t seem to mind.  But, this year I nearly had a mutiny on my hands. Even though, they only meet with me for an hour on Fridays, and we barely sit down the entire time, it was clear they needed a “Brain Break.” So, I thought I would give GoNoodle a try.

GoNoodle is free.  You can register your class (no individual student names necessary) and then get started.  It’s a fun way to gamify being physical for your entire class.  I usually choose a student randomly with Class Dojo to pick that day’s GoNoodle activity. (“Let it Go” and “Everything is Awesome” are huge favorites.) There are lots of videos to choose from – some including more physical activity than others.  Go Noodle keeps track of the time spent on the video, and gives the class points toward the next level.

The students enjoy the goofy looking characters and the silly pieces of trivia they offer.  But, of course, they enjoy the music and dancing the best.  Admittedly, not a lot of dancing goes on with “Let it Go.”  It’s actually more of a sing-along with dramatic magical gestures 🙂

If you are wondering about the appeal to older students, you might want to check out this post from @TechNinjaTodd about the way he uses GoNoodle with 5th graders.

Note: If you are in a district that blocks YouTube, you may have some trouble accessing some of the videos. Our district allows us to log-in, but the first time I tried to go directly “Be Happy” through GoNoodle without logging in, I had a group of very disappointed Kinders!

a selection of the GoNoodle Brain Breaks
a selection of the GoNoodle Brain Breaks
Behavior, Education, K-12, Physical Education, Teaching Tools, Videos, Websites

Brain Breaks and Deskercises

Terri Eichholz
image from: http://www.emc.cmich.edu/brainbreaks/default.htm

More and more research seems to be showing that performance in school can be enhanced by physical activity.  These two sites, Brain Breaks and Deskercises, will give you some great resources for short exercises that can easily be done during the school day.  Some of these are purely physical, and some require some mental exertions.  The key is to give your students an alternative to spending hours in their seats receiving information.  For more information on the benefits of adding more movement to our students’ school day, you can also check out this 2009 story from NPR.

Thanks to my colleague, P.E. Coach Jason Sellers, for bringing these to my attention!

Behavior, Critical Thinking, Education, K-12, Motivation, Multiple Intelligences, Physical Education, Videos

Exercise and Learning

Terri Eichholz

My colleague, P.E. coach Sean Stepan, brought this to my attention the other day.  Coincidentally, this has been on my mind lately – particularly as I am currently in the middle of testing very squirmy Kindergarten students for Gifted and Talented.  I had been talking to several people lately about the need to rethink the design of the classroom, and this ABC News report fits in nicely with that idea.

If the embedded video does not work, here is the YouTube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFmq8pNXx9s&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL