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Sports Videogame Student Enticements Banned

Posted by simoniker on from the what-does-superintendent-chalmers-think? dept.

Thanks to the Miami Herald for their article discussing the banning a Florida school's plans to use sports-based videogames as a motivator for students taking physical education. According to the piece: "Fort Walton Beach High School wanted to use a PlayStation as part of a team sports course in the next school year as a way of motivating more students to take physical education", but "Superintendent Don Gaetz halted registration for the course Tuesday, calling it 'an idea whose time will never come.'" In a situation which sees "obesity rising among teens and that more than half of the state's high school students not participating in any physical activity at school last year", could attracting students with videogames actually be a valid approach?

3 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Hey! I've been there by stuph · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Good to see good ole Okaloosa County doin' something grand...

    In that county school system (my old one, I was at Niceville High), Fort Walton Beach high school would get the "less desirable" kids.. I guess they were just tryin' to help some of 'em get through school, w/out failing in PE, as they have enough problems already

    And yes, in Okaloosa County, we had to take 2 years of PE classes, and they were in fact graded, A-F.. one semister was a dual health education/PE class, but the others generally used "improvement" methods.. so however well you did at the beginning of the semister in running a mile, push-ups, sit ups, long jumps.. You damn well do better by the end of the semister, or you would in fact get a crappy grade, or worse.. and I knew people who failed PE, which then in fact seriously affected their lives (one of whom dropped out)

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    --Less Thinkin', More Drinkin'...
  2. Re:Perhaps by CuriHP · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I took physics in high school. A very good course in basic newtonian physics, from a very good instuctor who was a retired NASA astrophysist.

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    If it's not on fire, it's a software problem.
  3. Re:Enlighten me? by Night+Goat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I think the reason people find sports games so fun is because they're the same as other fantasy games, except you know the rules coming in. It's more familiar. If you think about it, the goal is the same, get a lot of points, while preventing your opponent from doing well. Plus, I think a lot of jocks like video games but won't admit to themselves that a nerdy pasttime like playing video games actually is fun. But that's just my observations based on having a roommate who only plays sports games, and won't even play anything else. :)