Use of Technology to Observe and AssessPhysical Play

by Leah Holland Fiorentino

Technoio0y has no place in aseeseingplay activities.

Most physical educators are confident that chil-dren in their physical education classes are suc-

cessfully engaged in moderate to vigorous physicalactivity (MVPA) during the scheduled class meetingtime. Physical education teachers plan for high motorengagement time (MET) and encourage continuousactivity within their classes. Physical education is oftenthought to be the only physical activity time childrenexperience during the school day. Little thought isgiven to the amount of physical activity time that couldbe accrued during scheduled recesses or perhaps, evenduring after-school, unstructured play. How is recess atyour school organized? Is active play encouraged? Afterschool, are there opportunities for unstructured playwithin the local community?

If there are indeed opportunities for children to bephysically active in and out of school, can physical edu-cators influence children's activity levels during thoseunstructured play times? Physical education teachersneed to be aware of play opportunities that exist fortheir students and encourage them to participate atmore intense levels to help them improve their overallhealth, resulting in the chance for a better quality oflife as adults.

Et tu, Technology?

A mutual interest in play behaviors and physical activ-ity seems to suggest that physical educators and playeducators might work well together. Collaborationbetween these two groups of committed professionalshas the potential to increase the benefits of structured,unstructured, and instructional play experiences. Fur-ther, there is technology that can be used to bridge agap between these related but too often separate dis-ciplines. Such technology encourages both disciplinesto look at the activity levels and behaviors of a sharedpopulation of children and begin to think construc-tively about plans for facilities, supervision, curricula,and innovative approaches designed to steer all chil-dren toward positive, healthy lifestyles and behaviors.Recent advances in technology provide more objective

and affordable means of assessing behaviors and activ-ity levels, thus presenting a more complete picture ofchildren's daily adventures.

Beyond Computer Games

In discussing the myth that technology has no benefitto the world of play, there seems to be little doubt thattechnology has made the task of assessing children'sactivity levels and identifying types of behaviors a sim-pler and more reliable process. There are three majorapproaches currently used to measure the amount ofphysical activity during unstructured play opportuni-ties: direct observation by professionals, wearing heartrate monitors, and wearing motion monitors (suchas pedometers). These three approaches to physicalactivity data collection have proven far more reliablethan self-report methodologies (surveys, journals, andlog entries) with school-aged children. However, eachapproach has relative benefits and technological con-cerns and are best used in concert.

So, Why Not/usf do it!?

Children need one to two hours of physical activityper day. This should be envisioned as active play time,as that is the primary way children learn. For healthpurposes, this activity time must cause the heart tobeat faster, but children should not get so windedthey cannot talk while doing the activity. Unfortu-nately, next to sleeping, watching television is the mostcommon leisure activity for children. They accumu-late over 18,000 hours in front of a screen versus only12,000 in front of a blackboard.

The latest research from the American Academy ofPediatrics shows that children who consistently spend10 hours or more per week engaged in television orcomputer usage are more likely to be overweight,aggressive, and slower to learn in school. Further, inresponse to perceived dangers in the local commu-nity, parents these days are more inclined to instructtheir children to remain inside the home, providing

Teaching Elementary Physical Education I March 2005

tacit encouragement for activities that tend to be moresedentary. Nowadays, parents view opportunities forphysical activity as organized events supervised by pro-fessionals or other adults and, often times, accompaniedby expensive fees (Pennsylvania WIC Program, 2003).

The quandary for physical educators is to know howmuch activity students engage in outside of PE. And,how can they be taught to more efficiently and effec-tively use their play time to improve overall health andtheir chances of becoming healthy adults? These twotasks have been made markedly easier in recent years.Once the types of activities students typically engagein are identified, inexpensive and readily availabletechnology can then be used to measure the amountof physical activity.

Direct Observation

Using Direct Observation to measure children'sactivity levels and behavior patterns is a costlyendeavor with respect to the amount of time requiredof the observer/investigator. However, it best conveysinformation about environmental factors (Pate, 1993).The use of Direct Observation is required for theidentification of types of behaviors that children dem-onstrate during their play times. Recent technology(hardware and software) has streamlined the process ofcollecting and analyzing data. Specific software pack-ages (e.g., Grade Quick 8.0 from Sunburst Corporation,PE Manager from Polar USA, Record Book fromBonnie's Fitware) allow observers to simultaneouslycode predetermined behaviors on a Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA) then download the data to a desktopcomputer for analysis. This has become a popularway for physical educators to conduct instructionalassessments. For many teachers, this procedure haseliminated the need for a clipboard and pencil in thegymnasium.

To successfully use a PDA and data collection soft-ware, experts suggest using a previously tested instru-ment (such as SOFIT, CPAF, CARS; McKenzie, 1991).The software programs mentioned above allow theuser to pre-set categories of play behaviors or physi-cal activities according to areas of interest. Category

titles can be entered into the software program onthe desktop computer then transferred to the PDAfor the actual data collection. Once data entered intothe PDA has been downloaded back into the desktopcomputer, reports can be generated for individuals orgroups. From these reports of estimated physical activ-ity, the teacher can identify the types of play behaviorsexhibited by the children. That leads to a process ofredesigning instructional content to better address theneeds of students in the program.

Heart Rate Monitors

The use of heart rate monitors (HRMs) to collect mea-surement data is subject to some pros and cons. HRMscan be quite costly at start-up. However, schools canpurchase basic units that allow students to simplyview their heart rates at various times. Then again,more expensive and sophisticated HRMs interface witha computer to download full reports of the wearer'sactivity level for longer periods of time. But, childrenwearing HRMs also need to be aware of other childrenwho are wearing them because technical problemsoften emerge when wearers are in close proximity toeach other.

Researchers have used HRMs to help measure physi-cal activity levels of children under controlled situa-tions (Welsman & Armstrong, 1992). These studies haveproven HRMs valid in measuring activity across broadphysical activity categories, assessing patterns of activ-ity as well as total energy expenditure (TEE). However,it is still recommended that HRMs be used for assess-ing the activity levels of groups rather than estimatingindividual physical activity levels (Sirard & Pate, 2001).

Many schools have already integrated heart ratemonitors into the physical education curriculum. Theintegration of play and physical education suggests thatschools might now begin to assess the activity levelsof children after school or during recess. Armed withinformation about students' activity levels outsideinstructional physical education, teachers could beginto modify physical education content to better addressthe needs and interests of children as they engage inphysical activity in the community.

Bonnie's Fitware

Sunburst Corporation

Polar Heart RateMonitors

Tabie 1—Resources

http://www.pesoftware.com/For information about Pedometers, Heart Rate Monitors, PDAs, and Assessment Software

http://www.sunburst.com/For information about PDAs, Assessment Software

http: / / www. po I a ru sa. com/For information about Heart Rate Monitors, Computer Interface, and Software, PDAs

NEW-LiFESTYLES, inc. http://www.new-lifestyles.com/For information about Pedometers

Teaching Elementary Physical Education I March 2005

The least costly technology described in this articleare motion monitors. They are now available froma variety of sources and can be worn with littleinterference. The most widely used motion monitoris the pedometer. It measures the number of steps(distance covered) a child takes during a prescribedperiod of time. The pedometer is attached at thechild's waist directly over the thigh. It collects dataas soon as the child begins to move. Reports of steps(distance covered) can be collected at any point intime. Pedometers have been used by researchers forthe past few years to collect data about children'sactivity levels around the world (Louis & Chan, 2003;Loucaides, Chedzoy, & Bennett, 2003; Vincent &Pangrazi, 2002).

Using pedometers to assess activity levels hasbeen proven valid, but they are not able to capturethe results of all physical activities (Sirard & Pate,2001). While pedometers objectively detect total stepcounts, they do not collect data about the intensity of aphysical activity or the pattern of activities performedthroughout the assessment period.

Pedometers are widely used in school settingsat this time. They are effective in both elementaryand secondary settings. They provide immediateinformation to students about the amount of physicalactivity (not the level of physical activity). Oncechildren have received instruction from the physicaleducation teacher during class time, they can usepedometers after school or during nonstructuredplay times to record the amount of physical activityaccumulated during prescribed periods. As the teachercollects that data, new curricular ideas may emerge.The result is new content for the physical educationcurriculum that better addresses the needs andinterests of the children.

Conclusion

Technology is making pleasant changes in the physicaleducation profession. It is time to capitalize onchildren's appetite for any activity that is technology-based. Children are eager to participate in activitiesthat involve technology. They are enthusiastic aboutusing pedometers and heart rate monitors. Theybecome more focused on their behaviors and activitylevels when something new is introduced to their playenvironment. Physical educators and play educatorsneed to become proactive about the use of hardware/software, such as those described in this article,and encourage the community to support effortsat improving the quality of all play experiences forchildren.

ReferencesLoucaides, C.A., Chedzoy, S.M., & Bennett, N- |2003). Pedometer-

assessed physical (ambulatory] activity in Cypriot children.European Physical Education Review, 9, 43-55.

Louis, L., & Chan, L. (2003). The use of pedometry to evaluate thephysical activity levels among preschool children in Hong Kong.Early Child Development a?id Care lECDCI, 173, 97-107,

McKenzie, T, |1991) Observational measures of children's physicalactivity. Journai of School Health, 61, 220-223.

Pate, R.R. (1993). Physical activity assessment in children andadolescents. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 33,321-326.

Pennsylvania WIC Program. (2003), Get them moving! Philadelphia:Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Sirard, J.R., & Pate, R.R. (2001]. Physical activity assessment inchildren and adolescents. Sports Medicine, 31, 439-454.

Vincent, S.D., & Pangrazi, P. (2002). An examination of the activitypattern of elementary school children. Pediatric Exercise Science,14, 432-441.

Welsman, J-R., & Armstrong, N. (1992). Daily physical activity andblood lactate indices of aerobic fitness in children. British Journalof Sports Medicine. 26, 228-232. @

A Mile of SmilesAt the start of a school year, most teachers piace emphasis on information that shows how the child's body growsand develops. Piayfui teachers also place importance on the smile by having the children measure the length oftheir smile. Children practice for the big event by sharing smiles with others. Create and distribute paper 6-inchrulers with which to measure each child's smile. This is recorded by the teacher. Sumthe combined length of all the children's smiles and announce it to the class. Repeatthis activity at the end of the school year to reflect how the children's bodies grew overthe course of the year.

Quotes and information to share with the students include:

• "A smile adds a great deal to one's face value."

• "A smile is a smile in any language."

• "We all smile In the same language."

• "It takes 17 muscles to form a smile."

• Riddle: What is the longest word in the English language?

Answer: "Smiles." There is a mile between each "S".

Teaching Elementary Physical Education i March 2005