Addams P.E. teachers use Chromebooks to motivate, connect with students

Addams Junior High P.E. teachers Lauren DeWolf and Samantha Bugger have been using a new tool to motivate and connect with their students this year: Chromebooks.

District 54 implemented a digital learning platform this year, which included issuing a Chromebook laptop computer to all junior high students.

For several recent P.E. units, DeWolf and Bugger have instructed students to turn in their final projects using Recap, a video response and reflection app. For example, at the end of the yoga unit, students recorded themselves performing a sun salutation. To conclude the dance unit, students worked in groups to choreograph a short dance and then recorded their performance. They could complete each assignment during class time or at home using their Chromebook, depending on where they felt most comfortable, and they could record the skill as many times as they wanted before turning in the final video with the click of a button.

"Instead of going through one by one, we could do it as many times as we wanted if we wanted to check on something," said Aaliyah, an Addams student.

"If you didn't like something, you could delete the recording and do it again," added her classmate Daniela.

This led to great self-assessment and continued improvement, DeWolf and Bugger said.

"The students were sharing these amazing performances because they wanted to keep recording until they got it perfect," DeWolf said. "That was amazing for us to see."

Students were asked when turning in each assignment to indicate with a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down their comfort level with the skill that was assessed. This feedback will help the teachers further refine their lessons, DeWolf said.

The Recap app has also been beneficial from a communications standpoint, because it enables Bugger and DeWolf to directly share with families what their student has been learning, Bugger said.

Bugger and DeWolf have also been motivating their students on fitness days by playing Fit Radio and setting timers on the computers during warmups. They are considering making virtual flash cards for next year featuring the fitness-related vocabulary words that students study in P.E., such as cardiovascular and agility.