Effective use of ICT in HPE - Part 3

Current attitude towards technology in Physical Education
The questions physical educators often ask is whether the use of ICT directly relates to the teaching and learning objective in Physical Education (Colins, 2011). Does the use of ICT decrease ‘active time’ of students during a lesson (Kretschmann, 2012)? According to Goktas (2012), successful integration of technologies into educational settings depends on teachers’ and student’ attitudes toward ICT. 

A study by Gibbone, Rukavina, & Silverman (2010) found that approximately 95% of secondary Physical Education teachers indicated that technology can enhance the quality of Physical Education practices, while 82% indicated that they would consider technology when redesigning their curriculum. They also found a positive correlation between teachers’ perceptions of the relevance of technology and their inclination to use technology, which according to the authors, was in line with previous studies. Participants from the research identified challenges that inhibit use of technology in PE include budget, class size, and the lack of training. One respondent of Thomas & Stratton’s (2006) study wrote, “Please tell me where I can access good training”. It was identified in a British national audit that 66% of PE departments owned a camcorder, but 36% stated that they were rarely used, due to the lack of training and understanding of its use. Another factor that impede the use of technology is the perception that rather than contributing to the effective operation of their classes, technology would rob them of precious activity time (Woods, Karp, Miao, and Perlman, 2008).

Russell (2007) undertook a study on Physical Educators’ perceptions toward interactive video game technology and, although he found that teachers had very little knowledge and comfort with the technology, educators understood the benefits of the technology to facilitate teaching and enhance the curriculum and there were far more positive attitudes towards integration within their teaching. Hastie, Casey, & Tarter (2010) raised the issue of educational administrators remaining resistant to the most radical benefits of technological innovations. This hinders much of what teachers in general want to explore in terms of new and emerging technologies, specifically in the field of social media.

Physical Educators, in general, welcome the integration of ICT into PE. They are willing to learn and apply technology, if given the opportunity to prepare themselves, and if supplied with appropriate resources (Gibbone, Rukavina, & Silverman, 2010).


Nerdy Phys-Eder