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Helping Physical Education as an Academic Subject by Parker Johnson
Helping Physical Education as an Academic Subject by Parker Johnson
Humana Horsepower Challenge
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, but the school as well. It’s a good time to also look at other tools of measurement as it will only lend a helping hand to proving that YES, Physical Education is needed!
Recently Humana’s Active Games, an online game designed to encourage school-aged children to lead an active lifestyle came up with a simple goal – getting kids active. Humana Active Games use activity monitoring devices, to bridge the real and digital worlds for players, creating an entertaining motivator to increasing levels of physical activity. The internet based games help schools meet state-mandated physical activity requirements without impacting teachers’ busy schedules. In addition, all Humana Active Games use the same technology to track player activity and fuel the game, creating opportunities for school administrators to migrate player populations from one game to the next – maintaining player interest and enthusiasm for the intervention. That same technology allows the team the ability to track game interaction and outcomes, ultimately reporting success stories to administrators.
“It’s the perfect approach to supplementing the measurement tools Physical Education teachers already use. We don’t want to take away from everything they already do so this is a great opportunity for the teacher to provide incentives and rewards for student activity with very little else that they have to worry about,” says Parker Johnson, Project Manager at Motion Fitness.
The Horsepower Challenge is the most popular game – it’s an online game designed especially for kids that combines real-world activity with a virtual race around the planet. Each player receives a smart pedometer that wirelessly uploads steps to a router. The router is installed in a central location at a school, community center, or recreational facility. This data is uploaded to the game, where it can be viewed online. Participants earn points for each step taken in the real world, which can be used to purchase virtual accessories for their character and collectively powers the team’s school bus in this virtual race. The team with the highest average number of steps at the end of the challenge is the winner.
If you would like to know more about Humana and how the Horsepower Challenge can help with your evaluation of students activity please contact Parker Johnson at (847) 963-8969.
About Humana Inc.
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health and supplemental benefits companies, with approximately 10.4 million medical members. Humana is a full-service benefits-solutions company, offering a wide array of health and supplementary benefit plans for employer groups, government programs and individuals.
Over its 48-year history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer portfolio. www.humanagames.com
About Motion Fitness
Motion Fitness is an Innovative Development Company – Creating industry leading products, solutions and partnerships for a healthy and active lifestyle. Motion Fitness was started in 1998 with a simple goal: “give people the ability and power to move”. www.motionfitness.com
LINKS
http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/about/announcements/pe_core.cfm
Exergaming scores extra points in fitness studies
Exergaming scores extra points in fitness studies
The Lightspace Play Wall Exergaming Product
It’s a vicious, ugly battle.
Punches rain down upon the battered boxer. His head snaps back and around like a dog’s toy being shaken. Finally, a final straight right sends him to the canvas.
Beaten — by an 8-year-old girl.
“Woo-hoo,” yells Lorelei Mansfield, throwing her arms in the air. Her breath is audible and the smell of sweat is in the air — par for the course for a boxer dealing some rough justice.
Then she puts down the controller and heads to the kitchen for some fruit snacks.
For nearly three decades, the only physical sign of someone having played video games was a thumb cramp. Now, the virtual reality of many games requires players to punch, throw and swing. And that, according to some studies, is helping keep video game players in better physical shape than in decades past.
The American Academy of Pediatrics in March said the magic words that gamers have dreamed about for decades: Playing video games can be considered exercise, especially Wii Sports and Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution, in which users go through the motions making their virtual counterparts perform. Boxing, martial arts, basketball, archery, bowling, table tennis and more can be simulated in one’s own living room. The key is standing up and participating in what’s being called “Exergaming.”
“Exergaming is beneficial because it keeps [kids] in a culture of movement as opposed to a culture of [inactivity],” Dr. Michael Rich, the director of the Center for Media and Children’s Health at Children’s Hospital in Boston, tells the American Academy of Pediatrics news magazine.”
A study published in the journal Pediatrics showed participation in intense games such as Wii Boxing or Dance Dance Revolution was comparable to moderate-intensity walking. But another article in the same issue said that while Exergaming uses significantly more energy than sitting around pushing buttons, those games don’t provide as much benefit as participating in actual sports.
“Unless you do resistance-type exercise, you won’t gain a lot of strength,” says Dr. Robert Dimeff, sports medicine director at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “To get cardiovascular benefits, you’d need to get your heart rate and blood pressure up.”
[Video]: Kids Exergaming on the iDANCE Multiplayer Dance and Step System available at Exergame Fitness.
“Video games can work as exercise,” says Dr. Susan Bartell, author of Dr. Susan’s Fit & Fun Family Action Plan. “However, one of the things I’ve noticed … is that kids learn how to get over on the game and, therefore, on their parents. They’ll play tennis while sitting down.”
Original Post:
Star Telegram
Exergame Fitness “Committing to a Healthy Cause”
Exergame Fitness “Committing to a Healthy Cause”
Healthy Weight Commitment
(Rolling Meadows – IL) 8/2/10
Exergame Fitness is excited to announce they have become a partner with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. Through this partnership Exergame Fitness will extend their reach to more schools, marketplaces, workplaces; and help them gain knowledge on the benefits of combining exercise and gaming.
The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a CEO-led organization, is a national, multi-year effort designed to help reduce obesity–especially childhood obesity–by 2015. It’s a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together more than 95 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods and insurance companies, trade associations and non-governmental organizations. The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation promotes ways to help people achieve a healthy weight through energy balance–calories in and calories out. It focuses on three critical areas–the marketplace, the workplace and schools.
“As we have taken the approach of being as involved as we can within the community we saw everything the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation was doing and felt it fell directly in line with our vision of fighting obesity. Through the partnerships they have already created we feel that we can be another piece of the puzzle in improving overall health and wellness throughout the country.” Says Ed Kasanders, President of Exergame Fitness.
Exergame Fitness is the global leader in Exergaming products and medically driven programming. With over 10+ years experience in the fitness industry and first to market with fully customized room designs keeping active gaming a positive way of battling childhood obesity and inactivity.
“Exergame Fitness shows you the exciting possibilities of how technology, combined with games & physical activity can enhance and enrich the lives of generations. We provide you with information, tools, advice that help you decide what to buy and how to get the most out of your Exergame experience,” says Tommy Seilheimer Vice President of Exergame Fitness.
The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation has taken the first steps in bringing large corporations together in an effort to help people of all generations achieve a healthy weight. Through the partnership Exergame Fitness will look to continue to spread the positive message of a healthy body and staying active.
www.EXERGAME.com
View Exergame Fitness on the HWCF Partner page
