Slashdot Mirror
Sports Videogame Student Enticements Banned
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?
In High School, when I discovered the DDR machine at an arcade, I always imagined how cool it would be to show up to school one day, and have a machine or two waiting in the gym.
Combined with a weightlifting or co-ed aerobics class, this is a luring way to weight loss. I don't see why some school somewhere hasn't picked up on this "aerobic entertainment" yet. I think it would be a good way to get all those kids who beg their Dr. for a note to stay out of PE back in the active world.
Many schools, the last time I looked, weren't actually using a letter based grade anymore, they were simply using 'Pass' or 'Fail'. Theoretically, though I'm sure there are PE instructors out there who prove otherwise, it's worth stating...
You are not being graded at all based upon if you can do something or not. You're PE grade has nothing to do with if you did a certain number of situps by a certain ammount of time. Your grade has everything to do with if you bothered to try at all -- If you participated and made the effort.
There's plenty of students who wish to use whatever condition they have, real or imagined as an excuse to not even attempt. There are, of course, certain situations where this is entirely valid... However, I think it's an alarming trend in society, especially to be embraced by students where the problem isn't an obstacle so much as it is a crutch to wave in people's faces.
A good PE instructor isn't out to make anyone feel left out or inferior. It's to make everyone try and work together and improve what they can and find out what strengths they may have. And this is coming from a mediocre PE student at best. I couldn't run, I couldn't do a billion situps, I was generally weak and couldn't shoot a basket to save my life... but I sure kicked my class's ass at dodgeball.
On another note -- While I find DDR's idea of electronic music to be kinda fruity and I think a lot of it is silly, I do see merit in people using it as a good excuse for exercise. I've known several people who shed a lot of weight over one summer when they took up DDR and cut down on the soda. I almost envy them.
I think perhaps Konami could find a market in producing an 'Educational' version of DDR for use in American schools. I'd actually support such an idea if executed properly.
could attracting students with videogames actually be a valid approach?
Sure, if they're teaching Dance Dance Revolution.
*pictures my 300-pound high school gym coach playing DDR, in slow motion
On second thought, I don't think it'll work.
While thinking is an important activity, should the schools be in the business of providing instruction in algebra? Even if so, should it be a requirement and should it be graded? A student with mental retardation will always fail through no fault of his own.
In the end, algebra provides no preparation for life which other classes at least provide a semblence of. There is nothing that algebra provides that cannot be acquired via after-school activities. There is no "how fast can you factor this quadratic equation" test for any job that one would reasonably encounter in the private sector.
Algebra has outlived its purpose and should be done away with. If the result is a generation of stupid kids, then so be it.
It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
A good start to help control obesity among teens would be to stop putting candy and soda machines in their schools. Having them sit on their ass for an hour every day playing Mario Kart would *not* help.
At my high school, they let anyone bring a PS1/2, a copy of DDR, and one of the dance mats- and they'll let you hook it up to one of the TVs used for the exercise vids.
:).
With the bringing of so much expensive equipment (namely the Playstation) there were some concerns about theft, but it's a small school, and there haven't been any problems yet, except people try to bribe others into using their Playstations
It seems to work well and encourage those who don't like "conventional" work-outs. But the sports video games... eh, I don't think playing Madden will encourage anyone to acutally play football.