Brett Christie

Interactive video games in physical education.

JOPERD • Volume 78 No. 5 • May/June 2007 P hysical Education has become a popular venue for innovative technologies in recent years. In addition to the use of personal digital assistants (PDAs), pedometers, heart rate monitors, laptops, and performance analysis software, physical educators are gradually introducing students to interactive video games. These games, in contrast to those discussed by Hayes and Silberman (2007), require the player(s) to be physically active, thereby negating the long-standing belief that all video games contribute to a sedentary lifestyle. Technology is by no means a prerequisite for educational games. Similarly, technology should not replace effective teaching, but should be viewed as a supplement to appropriate pedagogical practices. In an overweight nation where obesity is the second leading cause of death due, in part, to physical inactivity (Mokdad, Marks, Stroup, & Gerberding, 2004), any strategy for increasing or promoting physical activity is worth exploring. Physical inactivity is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic spreading across the country (Kujala, Kaprio, Sarna, & Markku, 1998). The percentage of overweight children and teens (ages 6-19) in the United States tripled from about 5 percent in 1980 to roughly 16 percent in 2002 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). These alarming fi gures should spur us to get youths more active. In recent years, interactive video games have crept into physical education settings, making physical activity fun and challenging for both highand low-skilled students. Interactive video games offer more than just animated exercise. Many of these games have built-in assessments, such as scoring systems based on skill performance, as well as heart rate monitors and caloric expenditure estimates. Some are even specifi cally designed to enhance motor abilities such as balance, hand-eye coordination, agility, and core strength. These engaging, interactive video games have the potential to increase physical activity levels among children and teenagers. They can also serve as a tool to educate students about the physiological functions of their body, such as how their heart responds to various intensities of activity. The topic of interactive arcade games in physical education is a new phenomenon, so empirical evidence is not yet available to support the wealth of positive Interactive Video Games in Physical Education

Topic Teamwork: A Collaborative Integrative Model for Increasing Student-Centered Learning in Grades K-12

ccording to the National Assessment of Educational ProA gress (1993), students are learning the basic information of core subject areas, yet are not learning how to apply their knowledge effectively in situations requiring thinking and reasoning. Though not a new idea, interdisciplinary teaching is one of many current strategies for increasing such applied learning, and for enhancing student motivation and teacher collaboration. When students participate in integrative experiences, they often realize the educational and personal value of what they are learning and become more actively engaged. Effective integrative activities can also enhance learning in, and uncover relationships between, diverse subject areas. Physical education is viewed by many as an effective means for teaching the basic concepts of other subjects such as language arts, visual arts, social studies, science, mathematics, and music (Bachelis, 1994; Clyde & Mills, 1993; Fauth, 1990; Kirchner & Fishburne, 1998; Kroll, 1985; Lambdin & Lambdin, 1995; Lund, 1994; Nutter, 1995; Rauschenbach, 1996; Rintala, 1991; Tishman & Perkins, 1995; Werner, 1994; Werner & Burton, 1979). The interdisciplinary model BRETT CHRISTIE