California Educator

February 09

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‘Exergaming’ excites students in Woodside Students race against each other on video game bikes, leaving their opponents in the virtual dust. Their eyes are locked on a video screen while their legs pedal furiously. Other students play Dance Dance Revolution, hopping and gliding on the floor pad following cues from an over- head screen, while the 1979 hit song “Video Killed the Radio Star” blares in the back- ground. Some believe that video killed physical activity in the younger generation and helped turn them into couch potatoes. At Woodside High School, however, technology is getting students back on their feet and moving. Some students are even climbing the walls Rich Motylewski Sequoia District Teachers Association — literally — on a rotating rock-climbing machine. Welcome to modern gym class — also known as “exergaming.” “You’re, like, having fun while playing a game and exer- cising,” ninth-grader Karina Zapata enthuses. Indeed, everyone seems to be having fun. And unlike most PE classes, the students don’t want to stop — even if they’ve worked up a sweat. PE teacher Laura Perdiko- matis garnered enough funds through grants and donations to buy state-of-the-art equip- ment last year for the school’s new fitness center. The Sequoia District Teachers Association member estimates that the total cost was approximately $200,000, but says the expense was well worth it. “We needed something dif- ferent to keep kids interested,” says Perdikomatis, who chairs the PE department. “If they just ran cardio every day, they would get bored. The video game generation likes visual stimulation while working out. It’s a lot of fun.” In addition to regular PE classes, SDTA members and oth- Left: PE teacher and SDTA member Laura Perdikomatis shows off the new climbing wall garnered through grants and donations. Top: Jackie Gonzalez “exergames” on a Dance Dance Revolution machine. 14 California Educator | february 2009 er school employees also schedule staff-on- ly workouts when school ends. “A lot of staff members are interested in staying in shape,” says PE teacher Kevin Tsui. “For many of them, the old free weights are a turnoff. And staff saw how much the kids loved it.” Special education students love the equipment, too, says Jim Bell, who teaches adaptive PE. He says that autistic students love the icons and the fact that machines tell them when it’s time to rotate to another workout station. The school has Fitlinxx installed on sev- eral strength-building machines. Students punch in their IDs to monitor their repeti- tions, heart rate and individual progress. Athletic teams don’t use the workout room because their presence can be intimi- dating for other students. Those who are training for sports teams work out in the school’s regular weight room. “It’s fantastic; kids love it,” says PE teach- er Rich Motylewski. “I love it because kids who are nonathletes can enjoy physical fit- ness for life and learn to become healthy. “If we can hook them into exercising, it’s a wonderful thing. Look at them. They are all smiling. And how often does that hap- pen in a room with 45 teenagers?”

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