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About Casi:
Casi is the Health and Wellness Magnet Coordinator at Driftwood Middle School. She's been teaching for 38 years total, and her school has been using Polar technology in their lessons for the past fourteen years! She's a member of FAHPERD, AAHPERD, and BCAHPE. In 1990, she was named State of Florida Middle School Physical Educator of the Year.
About Driftwood Middle School:
Driftwood Middle School is part of the Broward County School District in Hollywood, Florida. In this urban area, the typical P.E. class size is 30 students. Students are in grade levels 6-8 and have been using Polar E600, E200 and E30 heart rate monitors (HRMs) every week for the past ten years. Additionally, students and teachers at Driftwood use five networked computers and the Companion with PE Manager with the TriFIT software installed. Driftwood Middle School was awarded the 1997 FAHPERD EZ-Tech Award, which demonstrates outstanding use of technology in their Physical Education Program. Driftwood has also been awarded the 2000-01 Tri County Model Co-Middle School Physical Education Program, the 2001-02 State of Florida Model Middle School Physical Education Program, and the National Magnet School of Distinction five times.
Core Activities:
Casi and her co-workers use a variety of sports, strength training, cardiovascular and fitness related activities to teach Physical Education at Driftwood.
Using Polar:
Driftwood Middle School was awarded two federal grants which were used to fund Polar technology at the school. As part of the grant, Driftwood was required to implement a school-wide magnet for Health and Wellness. The grant was written to bring technology into the newly created program. Polar was one of the few technologies available at that time for use in a Physical Education setting. Teachers quickly found that the use of HRMs quickly caught the attention of students. Polar technology provided teachers at Driftwood with a means of demonstrating in real-time the relationship between heart rate and activity.
According to Casi, the most important reason to use Polar in P.E. is because "Physical Education must move into the future in order to help our children become and stay healthy. Nationwide our students are becoming less and less active. Technology grabs the attention of students, which is why they spend so much time with their electronic games instead of being active. Polar technology is an important aid, to us as physical educators, in getting the point across to our students of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for now and in their future."
The Buzz:
Casi likes that "the technology really catches the students' attention."
Students "enjoy class so much more using the technology."
Administration likes "the enthusiasm students show towards Physical Education."
Personal Highlight:
Because of Polar Technology, "Our students are much more likely to dress out and participate in their Physical Education and Wellness classes." -Casi Favre
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