Blog Articles

North Crawford School District Gets Their Group Dance Class On

by Jeffrey Dammann on Apr 1, 2013 at 2:02pm

North Crawford School District in Wisconsin gets students moving in physical education classes with Exergaming.  Exergaming, or interactive gaming as some would call it, is technology, gamification, and fitness combined.   It is a better way to educate the importance of fitness because it makes the fitness experience fun, and keeps children engaged.  They have been playing videogames all their life, so shifting sedentary screen time into active game play, and reinforcing...

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...

HEALTHY Armstrong, Incorporating Technology into Physical Education

by Jeff Dammann on Nov 19, 2012 at 1:12pm

In 2004 the state of Pennsylvania mandated all school districts to measure and track students Body Mass Indexes(BMI) and develop a Wellness Policy for students. Armstrong School District, located an hour north of Pittsburgh, has taken this initiative and created a coalition to address the problem of childhood obesity in Armstrong county. The coalition, called HEALTHY Armstrong, which is an acronym for Healthy Eating Active Lifestyles Together Helping Youth, has maintained excellent health in...

Suffolk Zone 2012 NYS AHPERD Conference showcasing Exergaming

by Jeff Dammann on Nov 9, 2012 at 12:31pm

New York suffered a huge blow due to Hurricane Sandy and while people were waiting in lines with gas cans at every gas station, the 2012 Suffolk Zone Professional Development Conference remained on schedule, drawing hundreds of physical education professionals from across the state of New York.   The NYS AHPERD, which stands for New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, has been hosting the Suffolk Zone event for the past couple years...

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...

Exergaming in the Modern School

by Jeff Dammann on Oct 16, 2012 at 11:44am

Those of us who were lucky enough to get one of the first video game systems and play the game Pong all remember playing long hours with family and friends in the living room. Video games have come a long way since then, but still require a lot of living room time, most likely on the couch.  This has led to very sedentary lifestyles for children, yet a new form of gaming is beginning to emerge, that being Exergaming. Exergaming combines physical activity with video games,...

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...

Target Fitness Games make an Impact in the Exergame Market

on Sep 27, 2012 at 10:42am

New products like the Nexersys keep the Exergaming market fresh by combining technology, games, and fitness.   Exercise and getting a great workout does not need to be work, it does not need to be boring, it can be fun and engaging.  All good Exergaming products will do this. Commercial grade Exergame products have been used for many years in health clubs and non-profit facilities around the world.  They started out targeted towards kids to keep them active while...

Play Games to Get Healthy

on Sep 5, 2012 at 10:02am

Play games? Yes, playing games can improve your fitness and overall health.  The American Medical Association strongly supports prevention and wellness efforts to promote a healthy America, including the promotion of physical fitness, and activity-based games (Exergames) offer a fun and engaging way for kids, adults, and seniors to increase their physical activity. Physical activity has been shown to help reduce many health risks, including diabetes, heart disease, and...