Blog Articles

Case Study on Exergaming for Kids with Behavioral Issues – Preliminary Report

by Dan Lawler, Ph.D. on May 6, 2013 at 3:43pm

In schools today students who engage in antisocial behaviors are a real challenge for teachers and administrators.  Too often these behaviors diminish a student’s ability to learn and often interrupt the education of others.  Many times teachers and schools apply restrictions to privileges, more seat time, anger management strategies, and suspensions as a remedy for these behaviors.  A few months ago I assisted a middle school with initiating an alternative to...

AAHPERD Driving Toward a Healthier Generation Through Technology and Exergames

by Jeffrey Dammann on Apr 16, 2013 at 10:28am

The 2013 AAHPERD National Convention and Exposition being held in Charlotte, North Carolina, is coming up fast!  The convention takes place April 23-27th and over 5,000 health, physical education, recreation, dance, and sport professionals are expected to attend the show. AAHPERD, which stands for the American Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance has over 20,000 members and is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical...

PEP Grants, What Are They And How Do We Get One for Our School or Facility?

by Parker Johnson, Relationship Manager on Mar 12, 2013 at 5:02pm

ON PEP GRANTS (Carol White Physical Education Program) The Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) provides grants to local educational agencies and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, or enhance physical education programs for students in kindergarten through 12th grade to help students meet their state standards for physical education.  Money from PEP Grants may be used to purchase physical education equipment, provide support for students, provide...

Exergame Fitness Educates the World at the Exergame Education Workshop 2013

by Ashley Staley on Feb 26, 2013 at 1:02pm

On average, children spend three to seven hours a day parked in front of a television.  Whether it’s watching after school cartoons, the Disney Channel, or playing video games, the rate of child obesity has had a drastic increase throughout the course of the past 20 years.  Let’s Move!  a campaign launched by First Lady Michelle Obama, has an ambitious but important goal: to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation.  This nationwide...

Case Study on Exergaming for Kids with Behavioral Issues

by Dr. Dan Lawler on Feb 21, 2013 at 5:07pm

In schools today students who engage in antisocial behaviors are a real challenge for teachers and administrators.  Too often these behaviors diminish a student’s ability to learn and often interrupt the education of others.  Many times teachers and schools apply restrictions to privileges, more seat time, anger management strategies, and suspensions as a remedy for these behaviors.  A few months ago I assisted a middle school with initiating an alternative to...

The ExerGaming Lab As an Effective Tool to Help Students With Behavior Issues

by Dan Lawler, Ph.D. on Jan 17, 2013 at 11:27am

The ExerGaming Lab As an Effective Tool to Help Students With Behavior IssuesSocietal and clinical concern of antisocial behavior in school-aged children is significant. Students engaging in antisocial behavior represent a major challenge in the school system (Cihak, Kirk and Boon, 2009) and account for a large proportion of placements in special education classes (Knitzer, Steinberg, and Fleisch, 1990). Despite significant support and interventions, issues involving anti-social behavior...

First Care For Then Educate

by By Dan Lawler, Ph.D. and Bev Bachman, M.Ed. on Nov 26, 2012 at 3:50pm

Peter Senge, in his 1990 book entitled The Fifth Discipline, talked specifically about well-intentioned goals and aspirations often leading to unpredicted outcomes that even the best leaders and thinkers could not have anticipated.  Certainly a 1981 government document release called “The Nation at Risk” intended to bring attention to the need for education to improve for all kids.  What evolved over the years was a tightening of curriculum, the development...

Suffolk Zone 2012 NYS AHPERD Professional Development Conference

by Jeff Dammann on Oct 30, 2012 at 9:48am

The state of New York is facing some serious weather right now, but next week if the state survives the New York AHPERD will be hosting their annual Suffolk Zone conference where over 800 physical education teachers, school administrators, and fitness industry personal will get together and showcase the latest methods at bringing children into healthy active lifestyles.    This year you will find the Suffolk Zone event at Sachem School District which has made some huge...

Sierra Vista Jr. High Physical Education Demonstration

by George Velarde on Oct 29, 2012 at 2:23pm

As the Physical Education Department Chair at Sierra Vista Jr. High School, our PE program hosts PE Demonstrations for educators, principals, superintendents, and community leaders from all around the country to come and see the “New PE”curriculum in action. The demonstrations are designed to get them excited about the possibilities on how a comprehensive curriculum is implemented on a daily basis and the variety of equipment that is used to increase...

Integrating ExerGaming with Instruction: One Model

by By Dan Lawler, Ph.D. on Oct 9, 2012 at 12:12pm

By Dan Lawler, Ph.D. This school year a Title I teacher in Colorado will be integrating into her teaching both effective practices in literacy instruction and current research on how exercise prepares the brain for learning.   She is a strong literacy teacher, long grounded in strategies that have been supported by research in reading instruction.   This year she is excited to add this new dimension to her literacy lessons by having her classes participate in 5...

Model Physical Education Program Demonstration Days

on Sep 18, 2012 at 1:31pm

 One of the long standing professional strengths of educators is their willingness to share ideas and programs that are working with other teachers and principals.  This professional courtesy has helped thousands of other schools and children to benefit from the original school's hard work and success.  For example, if a school is getting great results in reading the school and teachers invite people in to hear how they constructed their success or present at state...

Motivation Through Exergaming

by By Dan Lawler Ph.D. on Aug 14, 2012 at 10:07am

By Dan Lawler Ph.D. Every teacher in every classroom eventually faces the dilemma of how to motivate the uninspired student.   Often teachers look to utilizing positive rewards as a means to increase desired behaviors.  Some traditional strategies, especially at the elementary level, include longer recess, special seats, positive phone call home, lunch with the teacher, and positive verbal feedback.  Extrinsic motivators, in the form of rewards, can encourage...

BrainBike: Exercise for the Brain and the Body by Dan Lawler, Ph.D.

by by Dan Lawler, Ph.D. on Jul 24, 2012 at 1:28pm

Most often wellness programs focus on improving employee fitness levels along with emphasizing good nutrition.  Seldom is any specific attention given to retaining and improving the functions of the brain. “A life-long commitment to stimulating brain activity contributes to quality of life, especially in the later years. Exercises that promote brain health vary widely and include physical activities such as walking and intellectually stimulating activities....

Exergaming Vitamins

on Jul 13, 2012 at 7:17pm

In the July issue of Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, researchers provide further evidence that exercise is good for your brain.   As we age, blood flow to the brain decreases and oxidative stress increases. Both of these normally occur in the brain and lead to reduced cognitive function. This can also lead to more serious brain problems such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.   Exercising regularly increases the blood flow to the brain, keeps the blood vessels...

What Makes Early Morning Physical Activity Helpful for Students

by Dan Lawler, Ph.D. Education Consultant on Jun 7, 2012 at 1:57pm

Several schools across the country have adopted early morning physical education classes in order to assist students with learning.  In Naperville, Illinois, District 203 has been conducting a Learning Readiness Physical Education program for years.  Their approach has received national attention because of the positive impact it has had on literacy scores.   More and more evidence points to the reasons why this intervention is so successful.  Primarily, when...

Doctor Ernie Medina Jr. Exergaming Study

on Apr 15, 2012 at 8:20pm

Research on Xavix Last year, we were involved in a research project examining Xavix's Jackie Chan Run to two traditional tools for assessing fitness in middle school kids ( 1 mile run and PACER shuttle run). Here's the abstract for this study: Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether a correlation existed between the scores of the Jackie Chan Action Run active video game, the one-mile run/walk and Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) aerobic...

DuPage County Institute Implements Technology into Physical Education

on Feb 28, 2012 at 11:35am

Physical Education at the Naperville School District has always been about providing every student with a variety of challenges that will contribute to the development and maintenance of their physical, cognitive, and affective well being.    At Naperville they believe physical education is a lifelong process, which is the primary responsibility of the student, shared by home, district and community.  Students at Naperville are provided with the foundation for...

"Plugging" into Physical Activity by Dr. Ernie Medina of MedPlay Technologies

on Jul 23, 2010 at 1:41pm

Exergame Fitness advisory board member Ernie Medina on "Plugging" into physical activity through the means of Exergames... These days, it seems that every where you turn, someone is talking or writing about pediatric obesity. While there are many factors for this epidemic, physical inactivity is one that is often stated, and technology is often blamed for this. Well unless an alien race comes and blasts us with EMF (electromagnetic field) weapons, knocking out everything...

Active Gaming Consultant Dr. Ernie Medina Jr.

on May 16, 2011 at 2:56pm

As a precursor to the upcoming Games for Health event in Boston we sat down with Dr. Ernie Medina Jr. to discuss the potential benefits of exergaming and why he see’s it to be such a valuable tool. 1.      What made you choose to work with Exergaming? My day job as a preventive care specialist (think combo exercise physiologist/nutritionist/behavior counselor) in a medical group, I'm always looking for ways to motivate our patients to be more physically active. I came across...

BrainBike® as Part of an ExerGaming® Lab

on Apr 6, 2011 at 9:50am

By Dan Lawler, Ph.D. Education Consultant Exercise4Learning™ As an elementary principal one of the most exciting interventions I have ever experienced was the implementation of our Exergaming® lab.  Our school, not unlike many across America, had a minimal amount of minutes that students were receiving physical education.  As a community, because of financial reasons, we saw little opportunity to increase fitness time in our school by adding more physical...

BrainBike™ - An Innovative Brain and Fitness Option

on Jul 26, 2011 at 11:46am

By Dan Lawler, Ph.D. Education Consultant Exercise 4 Learning     The NeuroActive BrainBike™ is an exercise bike that trains the body and brain for fitness. The BrainBike™ was engineered by Dr. Stephane Bergeron, MD, president of Brain Center America (BCA), and a team of international brain specialists. It is designed to improve user’s memory, concentration, multitasking, and a complete range of mental abilities while providing a cardio...

Childhood Obesity: The Educational Cost

on Sep 15, 2008 at 12:18pm

A Message from Phil Lawler - PE4LifeMany people argue that childhood obesity is not a school issue and it is not the responsibility of the school to be concerned about children’s health. Schools are designed to teach reading, math, science, English, now foreign language, and history. No Child Left Behind as made sure core academics remains the focus of American Schools.These same people argue children’s health is totally the parent’s responsibility. I agree the...

Congrats to Phil Lawler - Lifetime Achievement Award

on Feb 4, 2009 at 10:57am

Madison Junior High School commemorated its 30th anniversary Monday with a celebration that often focused on the lifetime achievements of Phil Lawler.Lawler is a member of the original Madison faculty, a retired District 203 physical education coordinator and the director of education and training for PE4life, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of quality, daily physical education programs for all children.Madison Junior High celebrated its 30th anniversary Monday...

Exergame Fitness at Sierra Vista Jr. High - Canyon Country California

on May 12, 2010 at 3:58pm

Physical Education Department George Velarde has transformed the school’s traditional physical education program, introducing students to the “New P.E.” Rather than focusing on traditional team sports, his program stresses individual student fitness. He has received numerous accolades for his achievement. George Velarde was recently awarded a Gold Medal by the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness in a Sports Spotlight Awards ceremony in Sacramento. This...

Exergames: Interactive Video Games to Boost Fitness

on Jun 13, 2011 at 11:23am

BY Lynn Langway • POSTED June 10 2011 AT 12:00 pm A new generation of digital gadgets may soon be as essential for fitness as sneakers. That was the word from Ernie Medina, Jr., DrPH, a preventive care specialist from Redlands, CA who uses interactive video games—“exergames”—and digital devices to monitor and motivate his sedentary patients. Medina, who calls himself “The Exergaming Evangelist,” gave a rundown on cool new digital tools at the recent Health and...

Exergaming and the "Turned On" Brain By Dan Lawler, Ph.D.

on Aug 2, 2010 at 11:32am

When I observed the positive effects our Exergaming lab had on our elementary school, I was convinced that every student should have access to this type of lab.  Nothing I had observed before motivated students to exercise with the enthusiasm and spirit that this lab created.  The lab had a remarkable impact on our student body's commitment to exercise and physical activity.  Students couldn't wait for their scheduled time in our Exercise 4 Learning lab. How and Why We Started an...

Exergaming in a Physical Education Curriculum

on Jan 3, 2011 at 2:07pm

By George Velarde, Physical Education Teacher The thought of implementing video games in my PE program at Sierra Vista Junior High was exactly that:  “a thought”.   But, when we changed our PE philosophy in 2003 to the “New PE” concept, I took a hard and difficult look at how our PE program was going to change for the better.  At the time video games in a PE curriculum was a very new and quite extreme idea for many -including...

Exergaming Interview with Stephen Yang

on May 16, 2011 at 2:25pm

As a precursor to the upcoming Games for Health event in Boston we sat down with Professor Stephen Yang of SUNY Cortland, NY to discuss the potential benefits of active gaming and why he see's it to be such a valuable tool. 1.      What made you choose to work with Exergaming? Exergaming came to me after teaching many years at the school and college levels.  Seeing youngsters engaging in moderate and sometimes vigorous physical activity was a...

ExerGaming® is a Key to Motivating Our Youth Toward Fitness

on Feb 8, 2011 at 10:34am

By Dan Lawler, Ph.D. Education Consultant Exercise4Learning, LLP As an elementary principal for over 30 years, I have witnessed many strategies and techniques that influence student motivation to get fit.  Motivation, as we know, can be induced artificially - i.e. fear, candy, rewards, etc. - but the effects are temporary.  There is no substitute for the real thing - intrinsic motivation to participate and engage.  The fact remains that physicians, educators, and heath experts...

Game is Not a 'Four-letter' Word: Good-Gaming Gives Opportunities to Impact Health

on Oct 28, 2010 at 10:48am

SPONSORED BY THE CENTER FOR LAW, ETHICS, AND APPLIED RESEARCH IN HEALTH INFORMATION Presented by: Stephen Yang, PhD-ABD Assistant Professor, SUNY Cortland Stephen P. Yang is an assistant professor at the State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland) and he researches the effectiveness of using exergames/active games for healthy benefits. The state of exergaming is a relatively new area of interest for researchers; however, Yang has been active in the field since...

Hearing on “Using School Wellness Plans to Help Fight Childhood Obesity”

on Dec 17, 2009 at 11:29pm

Hearing on “Using School Wellness Plans to Help Fight Childhood Obesity” “Testimony of Phil Lawler Director, Exergame Fitness Advisory Board Member and PE4life Instruction and Outreach” Phil Lawler For 35 years, I served as a physical education teacher in Naperville, IL. I’m proud to say that our physical education program evolved into one of the most respected PE programs in the country over the last 15 years. In fact, our program was chosen by PE4life to be the country’s...

Helping Physical Education as an Academic Subject by Parker Johnson

on Aug 20, 2010 at 10:17am

In accordance with the recent release of the NASPE “Why Physical Education Is An Academic Subject” we would like to applaud the organization on putting together an outline for schools, boards of education, and even states on statistics and arguments as to why every school should have Physical Education. One of the sections specifically talks about how student assessment should be part of every curriculum and provides a sense of accountability not only to the PE teacher,...

How Neighborhood Watch Sparks Neighborhood Play

on Dec 4, 2010 at 11:23am

by PCFSN If you lived in a neighborhood where gunshots rang out every day and drug dealers loitered on your street every night, would you let your kids outside to play? Well, you’re not alone. One of the reasons our children are not getting the minimum amount of physical activity they need is that physical education has been carved out of our schools, and many youth live in high-crime neighborhoods where their parents are afraid to let them go outside. So it’s no...

Implementing an Exergaming Lab in your school....

on Jun 18, 2010 at 2:32pm

Exergame Fitness Advisory Board Member "Dan Lawler" speaks about implementing Exergaming in Schools.... A year ago, I was able to implement an Exergaming lab in my school. It was one of the most exciting interventions I had ever experienced in over 30 years as a principal. Unfortunately, I retired before I could see the expected benefits that the lab would create for the all the students in the school. After a year of students and teachers being actively engaged in the lab, I wanted...

National Wii Games Tournament!

on Jul 1, 2010 at 10:03am

National Wii Games Tournament! 7-1-10: Only 15 days till the first-ever national Wii Games Tournament kicks off! Too bad there wasn't a location nearer to us, tho the Finals will be held in Los Angeles, which I'll have to go check out. See the website to see if there's a location near you Now if we can just get a more inclusive World Exergame Tournament going on, like the National Spelling Bee, that would be awesome! Kids could be training all over the place--at home, in rec centers,...

New PE Reaches Every Student

on Apr 8, 2011 at 11:26am

Sierra Vista Jr. High School Shares Nationally Recognized Physical Education Program Rolling Meadows, IL, April 08, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Sierra Vista has become a model school for a new approach to physical education that engages every student. The school’s leadership and staff have long-recognized the multiple benefits of a strong fitness-based physical education program. The most apparent outcome is the link between fitness and overall academic achievement. Research also shows ...

No Child Left On Their Behinds...

on Jun 22, 2010 at 7:13pm

For most of us, the “Old PE” met the needs of a select few. Everyone else was often left with a lifetime of bad memories and demeaning experiences. Today, the “New PE” is about developing a healthy lifestyle and teaching the whole child. The “New PE” core values have helped our Fitness Scores rise to tops in the State, but more importantly made PE fun for our students! At Sierra Vista, we believe our PE program should be directed to all students,...

Obesity and Exergaming: Changing the School Environment

on Jun 21, 2011 at 10:35am

By Dan Lawler, Ph.D. Education Consultant   Obesity is a health crisis in the United States, as well as in many other countries around the world.   On average, an obese person in the U.S. will cost society over $6,000 a year in loss of productivity and medical treatment.  There are many experts and organizations in this country dedicated to changing this national trend, but, unfortunately, many of these efforts have been unsuccessful.  Even Michelle Obama has made lowering...

Schools Beware: Tough Decisions May Result in Negative Unintended Consequences

on Sep 23, 2010 at 10:15am

Ever since the Commission on Excellence in Education published the Nation at Risk in 1983, school systems across America have been racing to improve academic performance. Over the years this issue has become a major political priority. Simply put, both parties had their ideas about how to reform public education. Both sides of the political spectrum have raised credible arguments and both found common ground in national standards and high stakes testing to improve education. But that...

Sierra Vista PE Showcase Day 2011-iDANCE Keeps Them Moving!

on Apr 21, 2011 at 9:56am

On April 11th, 2011 Sierra Vista Junior High in Canyon Country, California put on one of the largest showcases of innovative ways to keep their students healthy.  Throughout the day students were exposed to different types of Exergaming and Fitness equipment to stimulate the mind and body. George Velarde, Head Physical Education Instructor and Advisory Board member of Exergame Fitness has been hosting this event as a fundraiser for the last 8 years as a way to put money back into the...

The Adults Must Know What They Are Doing, Don’t They?

on Dec 10, 2010 at 11:27am

If we’re listening to the experts, all the evidence points to the importance of increasing physical education/physical activity (PE/PA) in our schools.   A compelling body of research shows that, as fitness increases, achievement increases, behavior issues decrease, and wellness increases.  Utilizing this research is one of the most compelling reasons for school administrators to use budget funds to increase PE /PA or to add new technology (ExerGaming®) to energize their...

The Ultimate Guide for Schools Looking to Raise Money for Exergaming Equipment

on Jul 17, 2010 at 8:59pm

On a Shoe String PE Budget with One Shoe With budgets cuts happening all around the country, PE programs are feeling the heat. This sounds too familiar to PE teachers all around the country.  Especially when PE programs are trying their best to order daily equipment, provide training for their colleagues, maintain their existing program and to expand on their program.  I constantly get asked how do you do it at Sierra Vista? From the onset in 2003, when we changed our philosophy...

Welcome to Physical Education Heaven

on Jun 24, 2011 at 1:05pm

It’s my annual Year in Review of Sierra Vista Jr. High’s Physical Education program.  It has been a year to remember.  So many exciting new partnerships and programs that we have added to continue in making our Physical Education program “PE Heaven”! August-December We fully implemented the Cardio GX System by Polar in our Fitness Center and in our Gym when we do our HOPSports exercise program. The Cardio GX system is a live Heart Rate system that allows us, the teacher...