Journal Article: Utilizing Technology in Physical Education: Addressing the Obstacles of Integration

In the article Utilizing Technology in Physical Education: Addressing the Obstacles of Integration, Pyle and Esslinger pinpoint two barriers to technology integration, and how to overcome them. The two barriers the authors point to are administrator views and self-imposed barriers. Administrators often tend to disconnect physical education and technology, and therefore when developing a technology integration plan, administrators leave out PE from the discussion. Physical education teachers may view technology as important, but again, may fail to see how to incorporate technology into their curriculum. One of the ways to overcome these obstacles that Pyle and Esslinger give is teacher preparation. Teachers need to be trained on technology, its importance, and its uses. The authors then continue on to list ideas for how technology may be used by physical education teachers. Some of their ideas include class preparation, classroom management, communication, instruction and feedback, and assessment. Teachers can use technology to prepare for class by finding ideas, lessons, and units online and via collaborating with other teachers. Using technology to set workouts to music is a way to keep your class motivated. Keeping parents, students, colleagues, and administrators in the loop is much easier with technology. Heart rate monitors, ipads, video recorders can all be used to give students instruction or feedback. Online assessments can be used to allow more time for activities while in PE class. Even though PE and technology may seem disconnected, they really do not have to be!

Although this article does not directly relate to me, as I am not a physical education teacher, I found the content to be very useful. I think teacher and administrator attitudes towards technology can be a barrier for any subject. Technology integration begins with a want to use a tool. The solution that this article offers is training. Teachers need to have ideas on how to use various forms of technology in their classrooms. Teachers and administrators also need to know the requirements of their state, and what technology standards they are expected to cover in their classrooms. A quote from the article that really rang true for me is that “technology should be used to enhance student learning, to save time, and to motivate the student and the teacher" (Pyle & Esslinger, 2013, p. 36). This is true for all subjects. We should not be incorporating technology into our curriculum because we need to meet state standards, because it's cool, or because we want to bypass teaching a skill. I really do agree with this quote in that we should use technology to enhance student learning.

Pyle, B., & Esslinger, K. (2013). Utilizing Technology in Physical Education: Addressing the Obstacles of Integration. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 80(2), 35-39.