What’s up Teacher Fam!
In the post below I’m going to share some of my favorite technology tools that I use when teaching PE. I’ve split them up into 3 categories: Technology tools I use for planning and organization, tech I use for instruction and tech tools I use for assessment.
You’ll see there’s a video going over each section and then relevant links and notes below.
I hope it’s helpful and you can pick up a few new tools for your teaching toolbox as well!
Tools I use for Planning and Organization
Links from the video (and a few bonus ones as well) below
Social Media:
As I mentioned in the video, social media has become such an invaluable tool to search for ideas, connect with like minded educators and get feedback when planning lessons and units, if you haven’t jumped in yet – you’re missing out!
- Twitter (follow me here)
- Great tool for searching through hashtags and getting ideas, find a popular hashtag and search the “Top” “videos” and “photos” categories
- #HPEatHome – #physed – #SDinPE – Twitter Search Tool from @physed
- Great tool for searching through hashtags and getting ideas, find a popular hashtag and search the “Top” “videos” and “photos” categories
- Facebook
- Join some good groups like the PE central group or PE pages ( Like Ours 🙂 ) and learn to search through previous posts to find what folks have been sharing
- Instagram ( follow my page here )
- I really like instagram because it’s so visual and is all photo and video posts
- Make sure to check out people’s Highlights for grouped videos on specific subjects
- Tik Tok (didn’t mention this in the video, but it’s worth noting)
- I just recently jumped on Tik Tok personally, but don’t have a PE specific account yet. It is quickly rising as one of the contenders in social media apps and I have found it to be a lot of fun and even gotten a few good ideas from it, but mostly I use it just for laughs and entertainment right now.
- I can see it being a really valuable tool for teachers to connect on common issues, laugh together about struggles we deal with, share ideas, tips and advice and just generally support each other
Social media is also a great tool to advocate for your program and to share the things your doing with your Admin, Classroom Teachers and Parents.
Remember – you are your only PR Representative!
Google Keep For Managing Ideas and Bookmarking Resources
- I love using Google Keep to save and organize any ideas I find on the web, it’s great that it syncs to your google cloud account so you can use your desktop, mobile device and laptop and all the bookmarks will be saved in one spot
- How to save a post on a mobile device (from Kevin Tiller): https://youtu.be/AYR5pXdBd50
Lesson Planning – Be kind to your future self
- It’s so helpful to stay organized when planning lessons and makes each subsequent year and unit that you teach so much easier
- Personally, I like using Google Drive and organizing my folders by year and each doc by the week number and subject being taught
- FutureMe.org is an awesome free tool you can use to send yourself reminders in the future, I use it personally and professionally and it’s a ton of fun to get an email from past self and also very helpful since you’ve most likely forgotten what it was like to be you from a year (or more) ago
- Take a panoramic of your setup on your phone and drop it into your lesson plan to see what your setup looks like
- link up Social Media Posts or Google Photos Links that you take throughout the lesson or unit for easy reference next time your planning that same content
- To download a free lesson plan and see what one of my finished lesson plans looks like head over to any of the links below:
Canva – An awesome free design tool
- My favorite free online tool for creating Graphics and Posters, it has premade templates and sizes designs for whatever purpose you might need it for (you can see some of the posters I’ve designed with it here)
- https://www.canva.com/
Using Google Photos for Backup and Reflection
- I plan my year out on Paper and Pencil and then take photos of each years calendar after it’s over (using the Scanner Pro App) to keep for record of what I’ve taught in the past, this is really useful to go back and see each year and what it looked like and also to know when I was teaching different units so I can go look at photos and videos of a past units to remember how things were setup and even see games being played
- I use Google Photos for all my Photo Backups, it automatically backs up all your photos and videos from your phone or iPad. Since my Google Photos backs up all of my pictures I can go back to any date in time since I downloaded the Google Photos app and see videos and photos of what I was doing at that time
- Sometimes, I also create albums related to subjects I’m teaching or when I go to a PE Professional Development Conference and link them up in my lesson plans
External Hard Drive for Video and Photo Editing
Here’s a cool tool I’ve discovered that you can attach to your laptop for more storage
There are links on our Amazon Page if you’re interested
Email / Productivity
2 tools I forgot to mention in the video, but have been really helpful are Unroll.me and LastPass. props to Jarrod Robinson for recommending both of these to me
- Unroll.me – an awesome tool to clean up your email inbox, it allows you to unsubscribe from any annoying subscriptions with one click and also allows you to “roll up” any subscription emails you want to stay subscribed to into a daily summary email. In other words – it keeps your inbox nice and tidy.
- LastPass – an awesome tool to create and remember all your passwords so you can have unique passwords for every account and also never forget a password again
Teacher Technology Tools for Instruction
Links from the video (and a few bonus ones as well) below
A Screen in your Teaching Space (TV or Projector)
- Hands down this is the biggest technology game changer in my PE program was finally getting a screen. It opens up so many possibilities to enhance instruction and make it more effective for students, I opted for a big screen TV over a projector, but they are both great tools and have pros and cons.
Overview of my TV Setup in the video below:
- Details on my TV setup and links for other setups as well: https://www.thepespecialist.com/tv/
- Just Dance follow along example mentioned in the video: https://www.instagram.com/p/BrfrBChB3uy/
- Using Powerpoints or Google Slideshows and Animated GIFS is probably my favorite use of the screen (see below for more details)
Using Google Slides to guide a lesson
- Just like a classroom teacher does, in PE projecting a slideshow to guide a lesson is very helpful in providing visuals and giving the lesson a good flow – you can also create Animated GIFS showing examples of different skills that are a lifesaver when teaching
- Here’s a great site for templates for Google Slideshows: https://slidesgo.com/
Here’s an example of a gymnastics balancing lesson primarily guided with a slideshow (This or That)
Using Animated GIFs with Looping Demonstrations
- Using Google Slides + Animated GIFS on iPads as Station Activities
- Here’s an example of how I used Animated GIFS on iPads for my Gymnastics Station Activities Lesson
- Here’s a post explaining how I create GIFS and Follow the Leader Videos: https://www.thepespecialist.com/pevideo/
Use a Wireless Mic
Using a wireless mic not only enhances communication, but saves your vocal chords and also allows you to communicate with your students while they are spread out across the gym without having to yell at them.
I love that I can speak softly and keep my voice calm when giving instructions and all of my students can still hear me.
- More info on My Wireless Mic and a few thoughts https://www.thepespecialist.com/wirelessmic/
Document your Lessons to Advocate for your Program:
- Nobody will know the awesome things going on in your class unless you share them, we have to do our own PR to advocate for our students and our programs.
- I make video highlights to share with my Teachers, Admin and Parents all the time.
- There are a ton of examples on my school PE Page: https://www.lexrich5.org/domain/863
- I recommend using iMovie for a Youtube Video, but if your creating something for social media (Twitter, Instagram or Facebook) and want a square video, I would recommend The Clips App
- iMovie Tutorial: https://www.thepespecialist.com/imovie/
- Clips Tutorial: https://www.thepespecialist.com/clips/
Use a Timer or Stopwatch
- Using something super simple like a timer or stopwatch can be motivating for students and helps them to track their progress and learn to regulate their effort as well.
- Example of how I use a timer in The Fastest Class Challenge:
Check out the video below for an example of how I use a Stopwatch in the Endurance Club Jumprope Challenge:
Screencastify (recording your screen)
- This tool has been very helpful during this Corona Virus Quarantine, when we are doing virtual learning to provide instruction on how to navigate a website or use a program on a computer and send the youtube tutorial out to students or to share ideas with other teachers (like the videos in this post)
- This is the program I use to record my screen for pre-recorded webinars as well, like the “Virtual Learning / PE at Home Webinar”
Google Meet / Zoom
- Assuming schools do start back up in the Fall, there will most likely be students who opt for virtual learning due to at risk family members or compromised immune system… For any students who choose to continue distance learning it would be super simple for us to put our classes live on a Google Meet or Zoom link and send an invite to the student or parents – you could also record it and allow them to view it later via google drive or youtube video
- Here’s a tutorial on How to Use Google Meet
Creating Instructional Videos
- When you find yourself explaining the same directions over and over, create a quality instructional video explaining the game, activity or task that you have planned.
- Have students watch that before the task while you set up for the activity to save on time (example of my curlups demo video below)
-
- My kids watching curl ups demo https://www.instagram.com/p/BiC1uYfn9L9/
- All my fitnessgram explainer videos: https://www.thepespecialist.com/fitnessgram/
Tech Tools for Assessment
I’ll be honest – Planning and Instruction are my jam, I LOVE planning awesome lessons and teaching awesome lessons. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts… assessment is kind of the red headed step child of my job and I know it’s important, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it 🙂
I’m a big fan of self assessment, teacher observation and peer assessment because I think those are the most useful and also the least obstructive actual instruction and learning (at least at the elementary level).
- Here’s an overview of my thoughts and process for grading
- Here’s an overview of my daily self assessment
Flip Grid
- Some of the classroom teachers (including my daughters class) at my school use Flip Grid for daily instruction and it’s cool because it allows students to provide video responses back to the teacher
- It’s a great way to go if you’re trying to get some video feedback and have some face to face responses, but not deal with the struggles that might come with Live Video (especially for younger students)
- You can create a public page or create a private page and give students a code to access it – post weekly lessons or daily lessons and students can respond with video feedback
- You can also set student responses to be posted automatically or you can approve them first before they are allowed to be posted
- More info and sign up Here: https://info.flipgrid.com/
Google Form Surveys
- I normally rent out our school’s iPad lab from the media center and give them a survey at the end of the year to get some feedback from them to help guide my planning for the following year. You could use Google Forms to do assessments or any type of quick response type quiz or survey throughout the year.
- How I do end of year surveys: https://www.thepespecialist.com/googleformsurveys/
- Actual Survey Results and thoughts: On my Instagram Highlights (you’ll need to be logged into instagram to view them)
Plickers
- Plickers can be a great tool for getting quick feedback from your class on their knowledge and understanding of a topic or you can use it as a simple multi choice assessment.
- Also use my screen to display questions for quizzes or review even when we aren’t going to be using plickers (Like the times when I’m doing a face to face verbal quiz, like the example below)
The BAM Video Delay App
- One of my favorite apps to provide students with instant visual feedback for self assessment
- You can easily set the delay, create a 4 grid setup and they even have a slow motion option in the most recent app update
- No TV Needed – I’ve also set it up simply on a tripod without hooking it up to my TV and have the kids run around and look at it to see the replay
That’s It!
Thanks for checking out the post, I hope you learned a couple new things and maybe added a new tool to your technology toolbox.
If you are interested in seeing the technology gear I carry with me daily in my backpack, check out the video below for a lengthy overview:
You can find links and more info for everything mentioned in the video at this post:
There are a ton of awesome tech tools, tricks and tips out there, so if you have a favorite that I didn’t hit in this post, leave it in the comments, I’d love to check it out.
Chris Conklin says
Amazing post with some awesome tools to use and try. I have transitioned to using Google Slides as my class guide as I can use the mounted projector on the stage area. This allows for a huge screen so all students can see helpful instructional video’s and written cues easily when across the gym. Using Google Slides allows for quick modifications to be made to the lesson if needed when transitioning from one class to another.
Marcus says
Thanks for sharing Chris!
Google Slides are an awesome technology tool for teachers and students!
Alison says
Hi Ben!
Thanks for the helpful tools and tricks for the PhysEd world. I’ve been following you on socials for a while and never thought to use Google as a place to save the ideas I find and use. The Twitter search page has been a weekly tool for new ideas and activities. TikTok has also been one of my growing socials for new ideas. Technology has come a long way in such a short amount of time.
Marcus says
Hey Alison!
Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Glad you’re enjoying the resources! Technology has come a really long way!
Amber says
Thank you for all these great tips for teaching. I think for now on I will be using Google Drive a lot more so I can keep my lesson plans and know exactly where they are. It helps when you don’t have to focus too much on lesson plans and can focus more on other things.
Marcus Nellems says
Organizing is key especially the longer you teach. Being able to access lessons quickly can help save time. Glad you were able to find the content useful.