written by Martha
Beagle, Berea College, Berea, Kentucky
Cell
phones are typically not allowed in any classroom or gymnasium
during class time. They can be a serious distraction, as well
as a safety hazard. But there is a gradual trend in some classrooms
to allow students to use their cell phones and other mobile
devices as learning tools.
Some teachers who have discovered
ways to use cell phones, and other mobile devices, find that
their students are more engaged and more interested in their
lessons. There is evidence that performance levels show marked
increases. Many of our students are already carrying cell
phones everywhere. Why not show them how to use them to learn
in our classrooms and gymnasiums?
Overview
Over the past ten years, mobile phones have changed tremendously
in both purpose and design, from simple call and text gadgets,
to Smartphone - a highly developed mini-personal hand-held
computer. Mobile phones are more widespread than computers
or other devices with Internet access - Smartphone being the
fastest growing portion of the mobile variety. Smartphones
permit users to personally set up, organize, and manage specifically
chosen applications, and to be downloaded.
It was estimated that by the end of
2010, there were over 17,000
Smartphone health applications accessible for downloading
from leading application stores. It is anticipated that 500
million people globally, out of a total of 1.4 billion
Smartphone users, will be using health related Smartphone
applications by 2015 (Luxton et al., 2011). With an estimation
of approximately eighty minutes per day using a Smartphone
application, the possibility of this device to improve learning
and health behaviors is tremendous (Lubans et al., 2010).
Why Smartphone?
The connectivity of Smartphone provides
instant access to content and learning activities, as well
as continuous learning. The confines of the traditional classroom
and its four walls disappears. Hundreds and hundreds of applications
provide tools for the diverse learning styles we have in our
classrooms. Research has shown that using mobile devices enhances
mathematics, language engagement, vocabulary improvement,
and increased task oriented behaviors (Hani, 2010). The use
of mobile technology may encourage student learning by promoting
out-of-classroom learning, develop a potential for cooperative
work outside the classroom, encourage different styles of
learning, and reach those students who may become "invisible"
in our daily classrooms - the quiet and under-served. Learning
can be supported everywhere our students go with their Smartphone.
Smartphone in Physical Education and Health
There are numerous health and fitness applications that can
enhance the promotion of a healthy and active lifestyle inside
and outside our classrooms and gymnasiums. The challenge for
the teacher, and using these applications, is to ensure that
their use links to learning outcomes, curricular content,
instructional strategies, and incorporating learning activities
that are appropriate for the application being used. This
does present you, the teacher, with an initial challenge and
takes time, but the rewards can outweigh the time.
Successful connections to course objectives and content may
find you using an application that tracks calories and meal
planning in a nutritional lesson. For movement education,
a yoga or dance application may allow your students to create
their own routine. These same students may have the capability
to record and play audio and video files of this movement
routine. There are applications that allow students to participate
in game-based scenarios that may not happen in an actual game.
Many schools now have wellness initiatives to improve the
overall school health. If obesity prevention is one goal of
this initiative, text messaging may be one way to reduce weight
gain and increase physical activity - communication and instant
support.
Application Examples for Physical Education and
Health
Calorie
Counter & Diet Tracker
This application will allow your students to monitor what
they consume. It can display calorie content of over one million
foods in its large database. It is a free application that
is available offline if a Smartphone does not have a strong
Wi-Fi connection.
Fast
Food Calories
This is another free application that will allow your students
to make healthy fast food choices before they step up to the
counter and order. Nutritional information can be found at
our largest fast food chains and those that are most frequented
by our students. (link)
Livestrong
MyQuit Coach
This application, sponsored by the Lance Armstrong Livestrong
Foundation, has developed a plan to help teens quit smoking.
It provides tools to monitor daily consumption, as well as
budgetary alerts. The quitting program can be personalized,
quitting gradually or right away. Personalized motivations
can be uploaded. Plenty of visuals are available to track
their progress. (link)
Map
My Run/Map My Walk/Map My Bike/Map My Hike/Map My Tri
This application has it all. It will allow your students to
map a workout through the GPS on their Smartphone. They can
view it online and share it with other students through a
social media link. It even allows runner/walker to track their
food. Other links are walking;
biking;
hiking;
and triathlon.
iTreadmill
This application is great for students who cannot get outside
for a cardio workout. It keeps track of steps, calories burned,
distance covered, speed (average and current), and time spent.
JEFIT
This application would be great for an upper level student
during a strength training unit. It offers thousands of strength
training routines and detailed anatomical muscle groups, so
students understand what exercise works which muscle groups.
Itrain
This application allows students to download workouts to their
Smartphone, workouts to do when they are not in the gymnasium
with you. There are sixteen different programs – yoga,
pilates, cardio, climbing, rowing, running, jogging, etc.
There is also a couple of iTeentrain programs specially designed
for teens.
Concluding Remarks
Updating our teaching methodologies is something physical
and health educators embrace. Our field is constantly evolving,
and plays such a crucial role in the daily lives of our students.
We want students to enjoy our subject. We cannot rely on a
game of dodge ball to improve the lives of our students. There
are thousands of applications that can be used and provide
tools for our students to monitor the physically active lifestyles.
It is our job to promote and improve our students' health
and physical activity in our classrooms and gymnasiums, as
well as outside the school setting. A Smartphone is now a
new and fun way, that could have a tremendous effect. While
some might view Smartphone as another distraction, they provide
a more personalized learning experience for our students.
They are a part of our students' lives, so we might as well
use them for meaningful learning experiences.
References
Luxton DD, McCann RA, Bush NE, et al. mHealth for mental health:
integrating smartphone technology in behavioral healthcare.
Prof Psychology, Research, and Practice. 2011;42(6):505-512.
Lubans DR, Morgan PJ, Dewar D, et al. The nutrition and enjoyable
activity for teen girls (NEAT) girls randomized controlled
trial for adolescent girls from disadvantaged secondary schools:
rational, study protocol, and baseline results. BMC Public
Health. 2010;10:652-666.
Cell
phones are typically not allowed in any classroom or gymnasium
during class time. They can be a serious distraction, as well
as a safety hazard. But there is a gradual trend in some classrooms
to allow students to use their cell phones and other mobile
devices as learning tools. 
