Most of you have heard that the AAHPERD conference in Boston this year didn't turn out so well because of the power outage on Tuesday evening. Although many sessions were cancelled as well as the exhibit hall, active gaming sessions were still popular and in demand. There was a pre conference workshop on Tuesday that showcased a number of active gaming products and allowed teachers to be hands on with playing the games as well as developing lesson plan ideas. The workshop was a success thanks to Dr. Helena Baert, Stephen Yang, and undergraduate physical education majors from Suny Cortland. Konami was also able to showcase their new multiplayer Dance Dance Revolution product and discussed the benefits of the PE Classroom Edition with the audience.
What I found to be positive was the fact that there were more sessions scheduled this year to present on active gaming as well as the turnout of the attendees during the sessions. Quality physical education teachers are desiring to learn more about active gaming, how it can benefit the students, and how to implement these innovative activities in their classrooms.
Next year at the AAHPERD conference in Charlotte we can only hope to continue to see progress with an even better turnout of active gaming sessions and attendance.
1 comment:
I am so glad to hear about the increased popularity of Active Gaming. I know there have been some recent studies saying that kids do not really get enough excercise through these games but it does not mean active gaming should be dismissed. I think what people need to realize is Active gaming should really be a tool incorporated in lessons to help enhance the learning experience and not to replace traditional experiences. Since incorporating the XBox Kinect into my lessons I have seen an increase in student motivation to participate in class as well as positive attitudes toward Physical Education. I look forward to being able to share new experiences with my students who, by the way are all either blind or visually impairted and seem to enjoy active gaming!
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