Title: Harmony of Physical Education and Technology
Author Name: Yonggi Son
1. Introduction
The development of rich media contributes significantly to the development of the education field (Foss, Oftedal, & Lokken, 2013). In this way, rich media is also being applied in physical education, which requires physical activity and healthy physical growth (Weir & Conner, 2009). However, unlike in other fields, the approach and application of rich media have not yet been smoothly carried out in physical education, which focuses on the teacher’s direct demonstration of physical activity (Dyson, 2014; O’Loughlin, Chróinín, & O’Grady, 2013).
Physical education aims to realize students’ smooth physical activities based on physical activity movements. These movements can enjoy certain sports or give students a healthy life to discover their wellness. However, the problem is that the method of conveying the positive learning effect of physical education is limited to direct meetings between teachers and students. For this reason, there are many difficulties in new approaches based on learning technology.
If physical education achieves the proper harmony with rich media, the area where physical education can develop will be developed. Because it is an opportunity to deal with the scope that physical education has not had so far, and a new aspect of physical education can be provided. Therefore, this article tries to reveal and solve the chronic problems of physical education that can be solved through combination with rich media based on video learning.
2. Overview of the Case
Preparation and review are complex parts of proceeding in the physical education field. Because physical education is not an aspect of education that focuses on learning theory and problem-solving based on theory (Rink, 2010). In other words, physical education is mainly education in which physical activity is applied through basic motor skills. However, it cannot guarantee that written theories of motor skills can positively affect physical activity. For this reason, physical education does not have many recorded content media, so it is not possible to smoothly pre-primary learning and review learning.
On the contrary, what is needed to enable the pre-primary learning and review of physical education? This is to apply a medium containing physical activities conducted in physical education to education. Rich media can get out of these limitations of physical education, and the grafting of video learning among rich media can improve the quality of physical education. The cognitive load effect can be supported using motor skill animation based on cognitive load theory. The human movement effect indicates that animation is more effective than statics in reducing cognitive load Sweller, van Merriënboer, & Paas, 2019). Humans can evolve the ability to learn by observing and tracing effortlessly (Paas & Sweller, 2012). In addition, highly realistic animation and procedural motor skills knowledge can make class content more effective for learners (Höffler & Leutner, 2007). Based on the human ability, which can be evolved with observing and tracing, realistic animation and procedural motor skills can be involved in cognitive offloading. In other words, we can say that using realistic animation of motor skills in physical education is effective. And the next question can be, “Which way is the most effective strategy for using realistic animation in physical education with rich media?”
3. Solutions Implemented
Based on human movement effects discussed as the effect of cognitive load theory, the solution for physical education to be developed through rich media is as follows. It is the stage setting of video production. In physical education, educational items for sports movements are conducted as “motor skills.” Previous physical education has presented subdivided classification movements only with photographs in educating motor skills. Therefore, students could learn skills only with the movements in the stopped pictures, and they had a lot of difficulties copying the movements without the teacher’s guidance. However, the introduction of video learning can solve this problem. The specific information about using video learning is as follows.
Full speed demonstration with complete motor skills. As a first step, we provide a complete video based on the basic “Full speed demonstration” in the demonstration of physical education. This provision provides an opportunity to see the complete action of the specific motor skills that students have learned or will learn. According to the theory of physical education, “full speed demonstration” is an item that must be preceded before learning a motor skill (Mostafavi, Ziaee, Akbari, & Haji-Hosseini, 2013). In the existing physical education, a “full speed demonstration” was conducted through a direct demonstration by the teacher. However, if recorded data from video learning exists, students will be able to effectively pre-learn and review videos that deal with “full speed demonstration” before learning motor skills.
Series of clips of motor skills. In the existing physical education, motor skills as separate movements have been provided to students. Providing motor skills with such classification movements is an efficient learning system for students to learn classification movements (Ericsson, 2011). And it is also a method of reducing the amount of cognitive load. However, the application of technology in physical education is an alternative to maximizing the effectiveness of education. Therefore, the classification movement should be made into a short video rather than a still picture and provided to students through video learning. This method can help students understand detailed movements after they encounter a full-speed demonstration.
For example, students will learn “full speed demonstration” before learning a particular movement. Later, students will encounter detailed movements based on motor skills. Students can learn motor skills more effectively by individually facing segmented movements rather than acquiring skills from the stationary diagram in the textbook. In addition, as an applied method, it exists in a stationary state until students click on the video. Still, as soon as students click on the video, the classification movements are activated, allowing them to learn vividly.
Video with the unique technique with APPs. App-based special technology applications focus on students’ understanding of motor skills and achieving feedback on themselves (Juniu, 2011). For example, Hudl Technique is an application optimized for motor skills. This application has the advantage of providing feedback and status on the motion of a person in a video or picture through figures and figures by cutting a video or capturing a still screen. Combining these applications and video learning can bring a lot of development for students in physical education learning through video learning.
Specifically, using APPs may have the following effects. First, when presenting video class materials to students, details of the direction or posture of the movement can be expressed to students through the effects shown in the application. For example, the use of arrows, presentation of elbow or knee angles, redirection, and display of height help students understand the correct demonstration posture shown in the video. Second, we can give individual feedback to students. Video learning has the advantage of providing education to students and giving them personal feedback by filming them. Based on feedback through the application, students can easily understand which part to improve when they proceed with the movement and review their feedback.
4. Outcomes
This study attempted to present a new educational direction to improve the quality of physical education by focusing on video learning among rich media. In addition, the harmony between physical education and video learning suggested the advantage of conducting pre-primary learning and review that was not achieved in physical education. In this regard, the teaching method focusing on video learning was presented as follows; (a) full speed demonstration with complete motor skills, (b) series of clips of motor skills, and (c) video with special techniques with APPs.
To verify the validity of the new educational method and attempts to apply it to the field of physical education presented above, an in-depth interview was conducted with Shin Min-Cheol, a physical education teacher at Sejong Elementary School in South Korea. Mr. Shin agreed to the items shown in this study. In addition, he was convinced that the convergence of rich media and physical education could lead to the quality development of physical education. However, in the interview, Mr. Shin was worried about the realistic environment of the unemployed school. First, he said that teachers need equipment to make class materials to introduce video learning. Second, to incorporate video learning into physical education, it is necessary to open an educational program for teachers “How to make a lesson plan and teach physical education based on video learning.” Third, it suggested that there may be conflicts of opinion with teachers emphasizing a traditional perspective of physical education.
The information from the interview is unexpected and is meaningful results that can be encountered in the actual physical education field. Since this is a result obtained based on the experience and know-how of physical education teachers, it is also a problem that should be considered from a different perspective when discussing the convergence of rich media and physical education.
5. Implications
The meaningful results obtained through this project were not focused on the methodology of learning technology but on the feasibility of the actual school field where education was applied. It is exciting to use a new educational method in the field of physical education and to think about its utility value. Of course, it is until an in-depth interview with a physical education teacher. For me, who had an interest in learning technology and took an in-depth approach to it, the interview content delivered to me by a physical education teacher informed me of unexpected failures. In other words, it tells me a real problem that I didn’t think of. This problem can be improved, so it can be said to be constructive feedback for me.
In other words, it was found that the focus of research based on learning technology should be to present new or improved educational methods and, at the same time, to judge the possibility that can be applied to the phenomenon. No matter how effective and innovative the education method is, if it cannot be used in the real education field, or if there is no voluntary participation of teachers, it is not of utility value. And most importantly, the educational method and direction presented should be ‘student friendly’ and ‘teacher friendly’ should be premised. The reason is that ‘education’ presupposes that teachers and students are not viewed as individuals but as mutual instructors.
6. References
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Ericsson, I. (2011). Effects of increased physical activity on motor skills and marks in physical education: an intervention study in school years 1 through 9 in Sweden. Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 16(3), 313-329.
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Höffler, T. N., & Leutner, D. (2007). Instructional animation versus static pictures: A meta-analysis. Learning and instruction, 17(6), 722-738.
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Mostafavi, R., Ziaee, V., Akbari, H., & Haji-Hosseini, S. (2013). The effects of spark physical education program on fundamental motor skills in 4-6 year-old children. Iranian journal of pediatrics, 23(2), 216.
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