Running Head: PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND DIGITAL TECH 1

Physical Education and Digital Technology: A Case Study

Kirsten E. Shier
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Dr. Jia Li











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Introduction
Fifty nine percent of adult Canadians are either overweight or obese. It is no
surprise that in 2007 29% of adolescents were either overweight or obese (Childhood
Obesity Foundations, 2013). These adolescents are unlikely to outgrow this issue and
will continue to gain unneeded weight. This will lead to an increased number of
overweight adults who are at increased risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and type 2
diabetes. The cycle will continue to perpetuate and more children will suffer obesity
(Childhood Obesity Foundations, 2013). Childhood obesity is a leading concern for
Canadas children resulting in an increased need for physical education in schools.
Unfortunately, physical education is often pushed aside to cover academic subjects
such as language arts and math. With a shift towards digital education for the 21
st

century learner, physical education may be pushed aside even further. Physical education
is a valuable subject and research supports its importance. Students perform better in
traditionally academic subject when they are physically active due to increased attention
(Chomits., Slining, M. M., McGowan, R. J., Mitchel, S. E., Dawson, G. F., & Hacker, K.
A., 2009).
With a shift towards digital education in the 21
st
century and an obesity epidemic
among Canadian children, physical education will also need to make the shift towards
digital education to keep up with 21
st
century education. If physical education
incorporated technology, it may be more appealing to students who would otherwise not
be active outside of mandatory physical education classes. Interactive communication
technology (ICT) incorporated into physical education may appeal to a larger group of
students resulting in a lifelong appreciation of activity for students.
ICT Intervention
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An intervention is needed to support childrens health and well being in Ontarios
education system. After school screen time is not going to disappear, so as educators, we
must adapt to this new era and begin using screen time for educational purposes (Favley,
2012). Incorporating ICT into physical education programs may result in youth
becoming engaged and more likely to continue being active in the future.
Educating children and parents about the importance of physical education is key
to success. Incorporating game consoles into physical education programs such as Xbox,
Wii, and PlayStation as well as communication with parents will increase student
likelihood of physical activity. Perlman, Forrest & Pearson (2012) write about the
success game consoles such as Nintendo Wii have in physical education courses.
Students are interested and movement-based sport games have positive outcomes for
students such as increased cognitive understanding of sport and games. Game consoles
have developed programs to encourage physical fitness. These include but are not
limited to Wii Fitness with Just Dance Kids, Xbox with Kinect, and PlayStation with
Dance Dance Revolution. Although these systems are unlikely to appear in most school
system, due to high costs, some activities are available through You Tube. Wii Fitness
has posted Just Dance Kids dances online. If projected from computer to large screen
this makes for a fun fitness activity. A large number of children are equipt with gaming
systems and spend up to 6 hours/day on these systems (Roberts & Foehr, 2008. Exposing
them to game console fitness games at school may increase their likelihood of being
active while playing video games at home.
Similarly, creating a home-school connection between ICT and physical
education may increase the likelihood of children being active. Teachers and caregivers
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spend the most time with children and having both parties on board will be most effective
in raising healthy children. On each classroom website or blog there should be a physical
education page. This page will be updated with free activities in the community and
healthy recipes for inexpensive healthy meals and snacks. Community pools often have
free swims that are poorly advertised, parents may need a reminder of local amenities to
take advantage of, or personal education on healthy living. A webpage is a great way to
communicate these messages due to its unobtrusive nature and accessibility.
Theoretical Connections
In order for the case study to succeed educators must choose the most
effective form of technology to incorporate into their physical education program.
In other words, they must use Zigurs & Bucklands (1998) Task-Technology Fit
Theory. When choosing technology to be used we must ask ourselves does the
technology have a positive impact on individual performance? Assessing the task
characteristics as well as the technology characteristics leads to task-technology fit.
The results include performance impacts and increased utilization. For example,
playing Wii Fit Just Dance Kids probably wont result in positive outcomes due to the
age and interest of students. Careful analysis of technology must occur for success.
Similarly, Marshall Mcluhans theory of Technological Determinism is
relevant to keep in mind. Mcluhan (1962) believes that technology shapes how
individuals in a society think, feel, and act. Twenty-first century students have
grown up in a digital era. The games and activities they choose to engage in are
reflective of their environment. It is no surprise students are attracted to sedentary
electronic entertainment. As educators it is imperative to expose children to
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electronic entertainment that allow movement, such as, activity games through
gaming consoles.

Pedagogical Significance

Effectively engaging students in physical activity is imperative, as children
will form habits that lead to healthy adulthood. The obesity epidemic needs to be
dealt with and targeting impressionable is the place to start for lifelong healthy
habits. Incorporating ICT into physical education programs will appeal to the 21
st

century learner who is attracted to digital education. Physical activity is linked to
increased concentration in school. This also results in increased results from
academic subjects such as math and language arts. Along with increased
concentration is increased energy (Health and Physical Education, 2010). Finally,
exposing students to enjoyable physical education as children will increase their
likelihood of becoming physically active adults, assisting with the obesity epidemic.



















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References

Childhood Obesity Foundation. (2012). Statistics. Retrieved from
http://www.childhoodobesityfoundation.ca/statistics
Chomits, V. R., Slining, M. M., McGowan, R. J., Mitchel, S. E., Dawson, G. F., &
Hacker, K. A. (2009). Is there a relationship between physical fitness and
academic achievement? Positive results from public school children in the
northeastern United States. Journal of School Health, 79(1), 30-37.
Falvey, C. (2012). Games and interactive media are powerful tools for health promotion
and childhood obesity prevention. Retrieved from
http://www.liebertpub.com/global/pressrelease/games-and-interactive-media-are-
powerful-tools-for-health-promotion-and-childhood-obesity-prevention/1002/
Government of Ontario. (2010). Health and Physical Education. Retrieved from
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/healthcurr18.pdf
Mcluhan, M. (1962). The Gutenberg Galaxy: The making of Typograhic Man. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press
Mitchell, M. S. (2001). Using technology in elementary physical education. Strategies: A
Journal for Physical and Sports Educators, 14(6)
Perlman, D., Forrest, G., & Pearson, P. (2012). Nintendo wii: Opportunities to put the
education back into physical education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education,
37(7), 11-22.
Roberts, D., & Foehr, U. (2008). Trends in media use. Future of Children. 18(1), 11-37.
Zigurs, I. & Buckland, B.K. (1998). A Theory of Task/Technology Fit and Group
Support Systems Effectiveness. MIS Quarterly, 22(3), 313-334.