|
About Meghan & Jaime:
Meghan is a physical educator and athletic director at Antelope Crossing Middle School. She’s been teaching for 10 years total, and her school has been using Polar technology in their lessons for the past five years! Jaime is the PE Department Chair at Antelope Crossing. She has been teaching for 5 years and is part of a committee in the district which has supported the use of heart rate monitors and TriFIT assessments as evidence towards meeting state standards. Both are members of CAHPERD. Meghan was recently named the Antelope Crossing Middle School Teacher of the Year.
About Antelope Crossing Middle School:
Antelope Crossing Middle School is part of the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District in Antelope, California. In this suburban area, the typical P.E. class size is 35-40 students. Students are in grade levels 6-8 and have been using Polar E600 and E200 heart rate monitors (HRMs) every week. Additionally, students and teachers at Antelope Crossing use the TriFIT 600 system. Meghan uses both TriFIT software and ESeries software to record and assess student data. Antelope Crossing Middle School is a Title 1 school.
Core Activities:
Meghan and her co-worker, Jaime Hanan use movement skills, (dribbling, passing, shooting, scoring, throwing, catching, volleying, striking, etc.) and individual and team sports to teach physical education at Antelope Crossing.
Using Polar:
Antelope Crossing Middle School was awarded a PEP grant which was used to fund Polar technology at school. Upon receipt of the grant, all technological resources from Polar were implemented including HRMs, TriFIT, PE Manager, and Companion Pocket PCs. Additionally, PE department funds are used on a yearly basis to add additional HRMs and to pay for the maintenance of the technology. The PE department received three days of training from a Polar trainer and Meghan traveled to New Mexico to attend the JumpStart workshop.
According to Meghan, the most important reason to use Polar in P.E. is “to provide students with accurate and instant information on their individual performance. The graphs of student heartrates during activity help teach various cognitive concepts that otherwise would be very difficult to teach and/or for students to comprehend and find meaningful.”
The Buzz:
Meghan likes that "Polar provides accurate and invaluable feedback to students on their physical performance. When using HRMs, students tend to participate at a higher level because they are getting instant feedback. Students who are less likely to participate in class are now more encouraged to."
Students "value the printouts and instant feedback that they receive through the use of the TriFIT system and the heart rate monitors."
Administration likes "the fact that we have taken PE to the next level. We have used the technology to enhance our program, but not take over the program. Our PE department has been able to increase parent awareness of students’ fitness levels, participation levels, achievement levels, etc., through the technology."
Personal Highlight:
"Because of Polar Technology, we have seen increased participation levels during activities, improved cardiovascular fitness and personal connection to authentic learning opportunities."
|
