Featured Articles
GPS
A Global Positioning System (GPS) shows
 your position on the Earth. The GPS has three parts: the space segment, the user segment, and the control segment. The space segment consists of 24 satellites, each in its own orbit 11,000 nautical miles above the Earth. The user segment consists of ground stations (five of them, located around the world) that make sure the satellites are working properly. The GPS satellites each take 12 hours to orbit the Earth. Each satellite is equipped with an accurate clock that allows it to broadcast signals coupled with a precise time message. The ground unit receives the satellite signal, which travels at the speed of light. Even at this speed, the signal takes a measurable amount of time to reach the receiver. The difference between the time the signal is sent and the time it is received, multiplied by the speed of light, enables the receiver to calculate the distance to the satellite. To measure precise latitude, longitude, and altitude, the receiver measures the time it takes for the signals from four separate satellites to get to the receiver. The GPS system tells you your location anywhere on or above the Earth to within about 10 feet. Even greater accuracy, usually within less than three feet, can be obtained with corrections calculated by a GPS receiver at a known fixed location.
There are basically two types of GPS—a self-contained unit and a device that attaches to a laptop or handheld computer. However, even several of the self-contained units are capable of downloading and uploading data to a personal computer. A GPS is an excellent device for orienteering, camping, and hiking units. Possible future applications include calculating running speeds, object trajectories, and energy expenditure. These data are then used for analysis of movement or physical activity.
EyeToy
Last month we provided any overview of the EyeToy technology. Now a new EyeToy product that focuses on fitness!
* Title: EyeToy: Kinetic™
* Publisher: SCEA
* Genre/Category: Fitness
* System: PlayStation 2
* Number of Players: 1-4
* Release Date: 11/2005
EyeToy: Kinetic™ is an innovative fitness product that provides players with an authentic personalized exercise program all in the comfort of their own home Utilizing the revolutionary EyeToy® USB Camera technology and developed in association with Nike Motionworks (experts in fitness, motion and body movement) players will experience a more effective workout inspired by activities such as Tai Chi, Kick Boxing, Aerobics, Yoga, Modern Dance and more.
Two unique personal trainers provide direction, real-time performance evaluations and encouragement as players of all fitness levels engage in a comprehensive 12-week training routine or select individual routines to shape and tone specific areas. Wrapped in modern styling and supplemented with an energetic soundtrack, EyeToy: Kinetic is a fun and immersive fitness product like no other.
All the movement and mechanics for the game were developed around the consulting efforts of Nike Motion Work, a division of the famed shoe company that's solely devoted to studying and monitoring the movement of Nike athletes. They record the movement data with motion capture technology to help get a better understanding of why athletes use different techniques throughout their careers. There expertise in this regard helped fashion the exercises in EyeToy: Kinetic so you can rest assure that everything seen here is legitimate workout exercises that can conceivably build a better you. With a robust customization system that allow you to tweak almost every aspect of your workout experience, including different environments to train in, the EyeToy is pushing the definition of interactive gaming. Stay tuned for further updates on this innovative title.
Other Interfaces
Watch Mad Catz - they are expanding their horizons with licensing from professional sports teams. They will be releasing 92 distinct controllers over the next few months with the emblems and team colors of all your favorite teams. The NFL controlls have already been shipped to retailers, so expect to see them soon. Tne NBA controllers will be shipping between June and July, while the professional baseball league controllers willl ship in August or September.
Mad Catz is also releasingnew dance dance revolution products. includ a MC Groovz County dance Craze that allows players, using a two row pad, to country dance.
Office Tips
PowerPoint: Using Diagrams
Click the Drawing toolbar's Diagram Gallery button to produce a dialog box with options for six types of diagrams to add to your PowerPoint presentation. Diagrams include: organization chart, cycle diagram, radial diagram, pyramid diagram, venn diagram, and target diagram. Double click the type of diagram you want to add, and PowerPoint drops a basic version of it onto the active slide. The Diagram toolbar appears on-screen with controls for working with your new diagram. Click the Layout button and choose Scale Diagram to change its size. To add text to any box on your diagram, just click it and start typing.
Web Pages for November
Orienteering
http://www.learn-orienteering.org/
Dole 5 A Day
http://www.dole5aday.com
Circus Skills
http://www.juggling.org
Food Safety
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/
Line Dance Fun
http://www.linedancefun.com
Macintosh OSX Widget
Free physical activity calorie counter widget for Mac OSX. Go to http://www.jonbrown.org/widgets.html.
Fall 2005 Online Courses
October 1, 2005 - December 15, 2005
Sign up:
Each course is $100 plus an additional $50 for college credit if needed. Click on each course for more information. You may register through November 1, 2005.
Software Lesson
Muscle Flash: New Edition/New Lesson
Muscle Flash is a flash card program designed to teach students the names, functions, and locations of muscles along with appropriate exercises. The software displays a graphic of a single muscle and asks the student to identify it. Students receive feedback on the accuracy of their response. The software includes a reference/self-check section plus three different quizzes: name quiz, location quiz, and function quiz.
One method for using the software has the teacher, using a projection system, show the entire class a picture of a new muscle once a week. The teacher pronounces the name of the muscle, shows the picture of the muscle, points out the muscle on a student's body, spells the name of the muscle, has the students spell the name of the muscle, and describes the function of the muscle. The teacher then reviews muscles introduced during previous weeks.
Students use the Muscle Flash program to review the names of muscles introduced by the teacher. Using the "mark function" in the software, the teacher identifies those muscles he/she wishes for the students to review. The students can actually self-check themselves on their learning of the names, locations, and/or functions.
Each student takes the name (function or location) quiz in the Muscle Flash software. Each student's score is recorded so that the teacher has evidence of his/her achievement.
Software Application in College
SimAthlete Teaching Ideas
Dr. Joanne Leight
Slippery Rock University
Receiving the grant for Sim Athlete permitted me to utilize this software in three different courses, exposing approximately ninety students to its many uses.
First, students in the course, Philosophy and Psychology of Coaching were able to simulate actually coaching an athlete. Since this is a required course for students enrolled in the Coaching Minor, it was a valuable tool to get students to think and act as a coach. It permitted the students to develop their own practice plan for an athlete of their choice. If the students planned an effective practice, then their athlete performed well. They were given a score after each simulation. Students were then able to compare their scores to themselves with various attempts, and also with classmates who may have chosen the same athlete and sport. The software also provided a reference section on the various motor learning principles which served as a great review from the Motor Development and Learning course that is required for all physical education majors. This software was a great supplement to the coaching course.
The other courses I used Sim Athlete was in the Technology for Physical Educator Teacher Education for undergraduate students and Technology for Physical Educators for graduate students. The goal of the assignment was to introduce the students to instructional software, specifically a form of simulation software. I gave little instruction to permit students to explore the software through their own trial and error process. Within minutes they were also choosing an athlete and planning a practice plan. At the end of the assignment each student submitted a reflective summary regarding their experience with the software. Overall they enjoyed working with Sim Athlete and felt they learned more about coaching (and simulation software) after interacting with the software. After lecturing about the many software options available in health and physical education, I was glad they were able to have hands on experience with instructional software. It was a great learning experience and it will definitely be used in future classes.
In The News
DartFish Video Analysis
Dartfish is proud to announce the opening of the largest Dartfish dedicated digital teaching facility in the country, established by Dr. Ben Johnson at Georgia State University in Atlanta, beginning spring term of 2006. The Dartfish Classroom, equipped with twenty-five networked computer workstations, will each use the top-of-the line Dartfish TeamPro. Dartfish software is a primary component in his classroom lectures and is used by his students in completing biomechanics lab and project assignments. "This has significantly improved my students' learning of complex biomechanical concepts," states Johnson. According to Dr. Johnson, "Dartfish makes the biomechanics of human motion come to life in the classroom. With Dartfish, all of my common demo files are stored on my classroom computer. The storyboard feature of Dartfish allows me to align the video files in the order in which I will use them in my lecture, which greatly enhances the flow and efficiency of my presentation. With the Dartfish Analyzer, and patented StroMotion and SimulCam features, I can truly make the biomechanics concepts come to life for my students in such a way that I was never able to do in the past. They can actually see the parabolic path of a ball in flight, when I use StroMotion! In the past they had to take my word for it or rely on my ability to draw a parabola on the board."
Note: K-12 versions also available.
Funding Sources
School Health Index Mini-grants for Physical Activity and Nutrition Improvements. The CDC Foundation and CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health are pleased to announce an exciting grant opportunity for elementary schools in selected states to improve the health of school children by increasing physical activity and nutrition programs for children. Made possible by a $300,000 grant from Cargill and in partnership with the American School Health Association, CDC is offering mini-grants to support physical activity or nutrition-related activities that are part of action plans developed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) School Health Index: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide (SHI). The majority of these mini-grants will range from $1,000 to $5,000, and no award will exceed $10,000. Any public or private elementary school in the 39 states where Cargill has operations is eligible to apply. Deadline for schools to submit a letter of intent via e-mail to mbenjami@ashaweb.org is November 14, 2005. Full application due January 17, 2006. Further information and application information available via the American School Health Association.
InfoSource Grant for Online Tools/Training
http://www.howtomaster.com
Deadline: December 31, 2005
Youth Nutrition and Fitness Grant Program. Maximum award: $10,000. Eligibility: community-based groups. Deadline: February 1, 2006.
Nickelodeon's "Let's Just Play" Giveaway Program - one million from September 2005 to June 2006. http://www.kellogg.com.
NIKE Bowerman Track Renovation Program
http://www.nike.com/nikebiz/ nikebiz.jhtml?page =26&item= bowerman
Deadline: ongoing through May 31, 2009
2004-2005 Fundraising Through Recycling Campaign
http://www.cartridges4kids.ca/contest/
contest.htm Deadline: ongoing
Hasbro Programs for Children Grants
http://www.hasbro.org
Deadline: ongoing
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| New Products |
We are NOW your one-stop service for:
Providing high-quality, standards-based instructional materials at affordable prices. Remember our task cards run approximately one dollar per card - and you have permission to reproduce as often as you like at your school. Purchase on CD and get both the color and line drawing versions. Or, purchase the hard copy version and get the line drawing version printed on card stock.
New Jersey Educators: We are licensed to sell to schools in your state.
Kentucky Educators: We are on the vendor list for KEDC Board - our bid proposal was accepted!
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New Products
Laser Baseball
 The laser radar baseball is ideal for pitching and throwing training. The laser ball also is excellent for biomechanic experimentation.
Laser baseball has a built-in hand-sensing technology circuitry that instantly displays the speed of the pitch or throw in MPH upon impact with the catcher's glove.
The laser baseball has official size, shape, weight and feel of a regulator baseball. It measures pitching speed up to 120 MPH.
VR Boxing Game
 The New VR Boxing Game requires you to just plug it into the television and go! This equipment simulates every aspect of the real boxing sports, gives player same feeling as if they are practicing real boxing sports with people. At the same time, it can help the player to check his level, to improve his skills and to enjoy fighting with big world champion. Requires 4 AA batteries (for game unit) and 4 AAA batteries2 each for boxing gloves) - Not Included. AC adapter included (for game unit)
Electronic Portfolio: New Version  Our previous version of Physical Education Portfolio was very popular. And, we now have three new Electronic Portfolios:
Elementary Middle School
High School
Muscle Flash: Five New Versions
 We have updated each of our Muscle Flash software programs. Specific muscles and language have been adapted based on input from the field. All pictures (muscles, bones, exercises) are now in color. In addition, functions are portrayed using video clips.heck out:
Long Jump Rope CD  Long Jump Rope CD provides a compre- hensive (exercise, motor learning, biomechanics, psychology, motor development, aesthetics, sociology, and historical information) perspective to the teaching of jumping long ropes. Teachers and students can access and interact with the information to increase understanding of jumping long ropes on their desktop or notebooks computers. In addition, they can access video clips from this program on their Palm OS/Pocket. Finally, assignments are provided for students which can be added to their electronic portfolios.
Short Jump Rope CD  Short Jump Rope CD provides a compre- hensive (exercise, motor learning, biomechanics, psychology, motor development, aesthetics, sociology, and historical information) perspective to the teaching of jumping short ropes. Teachers and students can access and interact with the information to increase understanding of jumping short ropes on their desktop or notebooks computers. In addition, they can access video clips from this program on their Palm OS/Pocket. Finally, assignments are provided for students which can be added to their electronic portfolios.
Tinikling CD  Tinikling CD provides a compre- hensive (exercise, motor learning, biomechanics, psychology, motor development, aesthetics, sociology, and historical information) perspective to the teaching of tinikling. Teachers and students can access and interact with the information to increase understanding of tinikling on their desktop or notebooks computers. In addition, they can access animation clips from this program on their Palm OS/Pocket. Finally, assignments are provided for students which can be added to their electronic portfolios.
Palm Z22
 Palm Z22 is small and light. Turn it on. There's a bright color screen. Check it out. You can store appointments, phone numbers, to-do lists, and photos. The Palm Z22 organizer holds life's details and lets you find it all fast. Take it wherever life takes you, then get home and save everything to your computer with one tap.
Palm TX handheld
 Palm TX handheld has built-in wi-fi and bluetooth. Browse the web and check email from your office, campus, or a home Wi-Fi network and places like airports, cafes, and hotels. Carry your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files2 and get more done anywhere. Web pages, presentations, spreadsheets, photos, and videos come to life on a large color screen that rotates from landscape to portrait mode. Have time to unwind? The Palm TX handheld even lets you listen to MP3s and read eBooks. It's anything but business as usual.
PALM Protection Plan Plus - Do you want an additional warranty on your Palm Handheld computer -this protection plan extends your original warranty and limited complimentary technical phone support period to two years. Covers your Palm handheld against manufacturer's defects in workmanship and material. Call toll-free and get your problems solved quickly! Plus one time screen replacement.
Handheld Programs for Palm OS 5.4
FileMaker Mobile 7.1
This update fixes issues related to incompatibilities with palmOne devices that use the 5.4 OS: the Tungsten T5, Treo Smartphone 650, the Tungsten E2, and the LifeDrive.
DDR Pads and Games - now available for XBOX
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Professional Development
Mark you calendars now to see Bonnie in the following states during the 2005-2006 school year:
Dates:
- October 31 - Anaheim, CA
- November 1 - San Diego, CA
- November 2 - Ontario, CA
- November 3 - Long Beach, CA
- November 4 - Honolulu, Hawaii
- November 14 - Milwaukee, WI
- November 15 - Minneapolis, MN
- December 5 - Albany, NY
- December 6 - Syracuse, NY
- December 7 - Boston, Mass
- December 8 Providence, RI
- December 9 - Long Island, NY
- January 23 - San Jose, CA
- January 24 - Fresno, CA
- January 25 - Sacramento, CA
- January 26 - Seattle, WA
- January 27 - Portland, OR
- February 6 - Birmingham, Alabama
- February 7 - Jackson, Mississippi
- February 9 - Tallahassee, FL
- February 27 - Milwaukee, WI
- February 28 - Appleton, WI
- March 1 - Cincinnati, OH
- March 2 - St Louis, MO
- March 3 - Kansas City, MO
- March 9-12 - Garden Grove, CA
- April 3 - Charleston, West Virginia
- April 5 - Baltimore, MD
- April 6 - Wilmington, Delaware
- April 7 - Long Island, NY
- April 25-April 29 - Salt Lake City, UT
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| Resources Corner |
Terrie Hanke, is preparing for the teaching adventure of a life time. Terrie, a high school physical education teacher and golf coach from North High, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the 2006 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail. Terrie will be posting teaching and learning activities on the Iditarod web site (www.iditarod.com) at her section of the site prior to the race. (http://www.iditarod.com/tott/index.php) Her activities and lessons are standards based lessons for a thematic approach to teaching and learning.
Prior to the race, Terrie will be speaking at the Iditarod Conference for Teachers and Fans that will be held in Anchorage, AK, Feb. 28 - March 3, 2006. Other speakers at the conference are author and musher, Gary Paulsen, Dr. Stuart Nelson, Iditarod's Chief Veterinarian, and Iditarod Champion,
Mitch Seavey. Once the race begins, Terrie will be flying from checkpoint to checkpoint along the trail, with the Iditarod Air Force bush pilots, observing the race first hand and volunteering. Terrie will be posting a
journal sharing her observations of the race and providing ideas for educators to use in the classroom. Follow Terrie's teaching adventure!
Diane Johnson
Iditarod Education Director
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Bonnie's Fitware Inc Grant Program
The next series of grant applications are due:
December 15, 2005 - email app to bmohnsen@pesoftware.com
Software Choices:
- Health Related Fitness
- Volleyball Complete
- Sim Athlete
- Biomechanics Made Easy
- Muscle Flash
- Elementary Physical Ed Dictionary
The application is simple (no more than two pages): Name of person submitting the proposal and email address; Name of school, address, phone number; Name of software (one title per proposal) and platform (Windows or Macintosh); Description of how (specifically) you will use the software; Description of how (specifically) you will determine if the software makes a difference in student learning. Awardees will be expected to write a one page summary describing their use of the software. The write up is due July 30, 2006.
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