ExerLearning

At-risk Students the Solution

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

There are as many reasons a student in elementary, middle or high school might be labeled as “at-risk” as there are at-risk students. No one program or reform initiative can meet the needs of even a majority. As we work to reduce the number of actual dropouts and those who mentally disengage themselves from the learning process while heading toward graduation we are often frustrated.
A personalization of school – helping kids feel engaged and part of a community – can be a big factor in keeping them engaged in school. An engaged student comes to school more often. They have fewer incidences of negative behavior and they lead in ways that can transfer to success in the workplace and in life.

Our TEAM e3 program will not directly increase test scores or improve reading levels – but the combination of valuable work roles at school, increased physical activity during the school day and leadership have led to academic success time and time again. We look forward to hearing your questions and comments after you explre our TEAM e3 online summary. The full program manual can be yours, contact us now.

What School Wants to be a Millionaire?

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:33:00 +0000

This economic climate, the enormous budgetary challenges K-12 schools are facing and the worrisome state of PE and youth fitness may actually be the perfect storm for some cool solutions. There are a series of articles on examiner.com that lead to this week's story on "What School Wants to be a Millionaire."

Our hope is that you send in questions, comments and stories that might align with our creation of this ExerLearning Lab. Our goal: to share momentum and maybe even funds with you and your favorite school.

More here:

Health and PE: Kids Can Lead
With Kids, All Work Won't Work

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:44:00 +0000

We were thrilled to read the newest summary of peer-reviewed research on the relationship between physical activity and academic performance among children and adolescents created by Active Education from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Their comprehensive summary yields the following insights:

Many school systems have downsized or eliminated PE under the assumption that more classroom time will improve academic performance and increase standardized test scores. The available evidence from several controlled experimental studies in the United States, Canada,and Australia contradicts this view.
All of these studies evaluated how additional instructional time for PE impacts academic performance, and clearly demonstrate that physical activity need not be sacrificed for academic excellence.
In 2007, 287 fourth- and fifth-grade students in British Columbia were evaluated to determine if introducing daily classroom physical activity sessions affected their academic performance. Students in the intervention group participated in daily 10-minute classroom activity sessions in addition to having 80 minutes of PE per week. Despite increasing in-school physical activity time by approximately 50 minutes per week, students receiving the extra physical activity time had similar standardized test scores for mathematics, reading and language arts as did students in the control group.
In 1999, researchers analyzed data from 759 fourth- and fifth-grade students in California and found that students’ scores on standardized achievement tests were not adversely affected by an intensive PE program that doubled or tripled PE time. On several test scores, students who spent more time in PE performed better than students in control groups.

We appreciate the dedication the RWJF consistently demonstrates in the quest to help our youth lead healthier, happier, more productive and satisfying lives. Our goal is to take this research and provide easy to implament solutions for parents (http://www.footgaming.com/Family/Parents/ ) and teachers (http://www.footgaming.com/School/ ).

Service learning as an Exerlearning Bonus

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:32:00 +0000

We work hard to motivate students who are disengaged for a wide-variety of reasons.

1. Students below grade level in reading or math

2. Students disengaged in the learning process (skipping school, sleeping in class, acting out, ignoring assignments)

3. Struggling students who try hard without adequate success; frustrated, stressed out or angry

4. Students consistently absent, often one day out of every five days, or more

5. Students lacking leadership or confident social skills

6. Wiggly kids, kinesthetic learners, ADD/ADHD challenges

7. Bright students under-performing or zoning out?

8. Technology savvy and digitally connected students wanting "more" during the school day

9. Students who love to make games, play games - all the time.

If you said YES to one or more the above, TEAM E3 is the ideal tool to prepare those targeted students for successful learning, allowing you to do what you do best. TEAM e3 members lead and manage a wide variety of ExerLearning, Faculty Wellness, FootGaming and other programs customized to technology, fitness, health and curriculum learning goals.

TEAM e3 (Entrepreneurship, Exercise, Empowerment) is a powerful program. Share this with your favorite teacher or principal now.

Online Learning Games for FootGaming

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:13:00 +0000

There is a wonderful array of great learning games available both for purchase or for free online play. We'll discuss a few of them here. The addition of Footgaming to these games is important. We'll touch on the reasons as we showcase each game site:

Wonder Islands: Bright colors, easy to learn games and a variety of activities for the age 4-8 group await families at Wonder Islands. When a youngster plays these games with a FootPOWR instead of the conventional mouse controller each step on the controller is logged automatically. Children love to see how many steps and miles they can accumulate. Also, many of the games take some time to load and there is quite a bit of "watch and wait" time. Children can "jog" on the center or two back corner squares on the FootPOWR during this time. It helps get the "wigglies" out, increases attention for time on the games and provides balance and cardio play conducive to good learning.

For the older kids - we love Whyville. There are endless science and learning games, the ability to chat and work as teams - and they all work seamlessly with the FootPOWR. Playnormous - is all about healthy food choices and awareness wrapped in very cool games.

We think that Interactive Inc could enhance its already top-quality simulations and solutions with the addition of FootPOWR peripheral use. The same might be true for LudoCraft. We'd welcome conversations with either of these top-quality design teams.

For those of you with the skills to develop your own games (and please, consider adding the FootPOWR to them) - explore the software at Thinking Worlds.

Please add your comments and more about online learning game links.

High-tech Kids Lead Healthy Learning- with free tech tools

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:17:00 +0000

Healthy eating meets the gaming world. The British Columbia Dairy Foundation (BCDF) along with Registered Dietitians have launched a new video game to teach students in grades six to eight about Canada’s Food Guide and how to make healthy meal choices.

Titanium Chef is an interactive, web-based role playing game (http://www.titaniumchef.ca/) that teaches students how to classify foods into the four foods groups and determine appropriate serving sizes. What's cool is that it works seamlessly with the FootPOWR - a computer peripheral that adds activity to "mouse" input.
“The idea for Titanium Chef came from research and our own observations that show students today respond positively to interactive learning,” said Kenton Delisle, a lead nutrition educator with BCDF, in a release.

Another free online site that provides a whole quiver of fun and educational "healthy food choices" games is Playnormous. (http://www.footgaming.com/.docs/pg/10777 ) The entire family will enjoy the great game play - and everyone is sure to discover something new. Send your students home with these links to extend the healthy learning into leisure time.

Our digital kids can help create health and fitness resources on their own - and add valuable resources to your curriculum. You don't need to understand how to use the technology first. Let your students lead and mentor you. And yes - all these tools are online and FREE!
• Scratch - (http://scratch.mit.edu/) an easy to learn programming language for ages 8 and up. Programming is simply one of the best learning experiences for students. It builds logic, higher order thinking skills, and really, it's just plain fun! When the games have a health or fitness theme everyone wins.
• Prezi - (http://prezi.com/) tired of boring old one-slide-at-a-time slideshows? Try zooming instead. If some of your students have "done PowerPoint" - let them try Prezi. It might make you dizzy, but the kids should pick it up pretty quickly
• Zamar - (http://www.zamzar.com/) easy online file conversion. Not only does Zamzar convert document and graphic file formats, but also movie formats. It even can save YouTube and other online movies to files for use at a later date.

Let us see what your students create. Send us the link or share your story in the comments section

Exerlearning Hits College

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:20:00 +0000

We've been working hard to share the research behind the use of video games and Exerlearning for years. Our target has been the grade 3-12 student. Looks like ExerLearning has leaped into college at NYU.
We'd love to meet Professor Gary Marcus and sit in on his class "Guitar Heroes (and Heroines): Music, Video Games and the Nature of Human Cognition."
In a recent article in "Video games are an understudied area," said Marcus, a psychology professor. "People dismiss them unfairly, but 'Guitar Hero' is a good tool for teaching and I'm interested in the nature of learning."
The course will tackle the finer points of video games and human cognition and it already has a waiting list. Why not? Understanding games, their connection to activity and their impact on cognition, mood, reducing stress, focus and productivity are probably some of the most important experiences a university students can gain.
Now here's a course I'd like to take via distance learning - "Can Exercise Change Your Brain?"
Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki is also debuting an undergrad science course that can save students the cost of a gym membership.
In her new class, "Can Exercise Change Your Brain?" Suzuki leads students in an hourlong high-impact aerobics class every session. The sweaty students then sit through a lecture on how exercise enhances cognitive performance.
"I got the idea at Equinox Gym," Suzuki said. "I took this kickboxing and dance class that made me feel great. I thought if I could make my students feel like that after my class, I'd be the best teacher in the world!"
Suzuki already has a doctoral degree, but she got certified at her gym as a group fitness instructor to prep for her new course.
This is one of the most exciting articles I've read in a long time. If anyone reading this has a connection to either Wendy Suzuki or Gary Marcus please forward this blog or have them contact me. I'd love to learn more about their work and invite them to be a guest for an ExerLearning interview.

Footgaming Fun with Bookworm Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Not only is Bookworm Adventures fun, but many have found it helps improve language skills. I started playing Bookworm Adventures roughly a year ago now and was mesmerized by the challenging gameplay and engaging personalities of the cast. The title’s core mechanic tasks the players with building words to defeat a string of fiendish monsters.This foundation is wrapped in lite RPG elements and a narrative, which push you forward and diversify the progression where needed. Together, these simple, distilled elements make for an enthralling title which is not only immensely enjoyable, but significantly aids in language development. We have used it in ExerLearning and FootGaming classrooms in grades 4-8 with great success. Teachers and students alike love Bookworm.BWA is rather educational or at least a requires a significant degree of brain power. When asked, “Is Bookworm first an enjoyment game or an educational game?” Tysen Henderson, of PopCap replied [in an interview with Daniel Johnson of GameSetWatch] “We always design our games with fun as the overriding goal. We never set out to make an educational game, nor have we ever modified a game in development in order to make it more educational.Turns out if you make a really solid, fun word game it will be educational simply by virtue of the fact that constructing words or dissecting words requires you to consider the structure of words, and ultimately push the boundaries of your word-building abilities in order to play the game as successfully as possible.”We’ve found that PopCap games are helping students with improved spelling and vocabulary. The physical activity of FootGaming enhances the benefits of playing Bookworm, Bookworm Adventures, Bonnie’s Bookstore or Word Harmony.Why are “educational/edutainment games” so often, simply just NOT fun? The reason is very simple: when you set out to make an educational game, or attempt to add educational elements to an existing game, you immediately veer from the fun path. You change the focus of the game, and the audience to which it will appeal. PopCap is all about making their games as fun as they can be for as wide an audience as possible. The fact that 7-year olds and 97-year olds enjoy the Bookworm series equally is a reflection of this.Families that play together can learn together. BWA appeals to almost everyone over the age of say, 8. Adding FootPOWR to the game allows more brain and fitness benefits to be wrapped in very cool game play. Try it now!

FootGame to a Healthy Brain and Body

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:05:00 +0000

It just takes a quick visit to the FootGaming website to discover dozens of reasons that FootGaming helps with cognition, balance, energy and a healthy brain. At school, in the workplace and at home you can easily add calorie-using activity to your favorite computer game fun. We have measured calorie use by FootGamers aged 9-87 in the range of 150-350 calories an hour as they played their way through Peggle, Zuma, Chuzzle and Bejeweled Twist. Little did we know what a game-changing opportunity this could be for gamers in need of a healthier body weight.

Carol McCall — a research actuary at Humana — culled through national health care data and the data from Humana’s members, and here is what she found.
On average, the annual per-pound cost of being overweight — that is, the added cost per added pound of the overweight and the obese — is $19.39. The cost increases with age.
For 25-year-olds, it averages $10.25 for every overweight pound. By age 64, it increases to $26.32. (On average, overweight people are 29 pounds overweight; the obese are 82 pounds overweight.)
For someone age 25, the added annual health care cost is $209 for the overweight and $960 for the obese. By age 64, this grows to $610 extra for the overweight and $2,300 for the obese.
Specifically Humana estimates these costs at the following for 2009:
· $19.39 in added health care costs for every overweight pound;
· $1,037.64 for every overweight individual;
· $127 billion added to the national health care bill.
Why this impacts the national healthcare crisis
There are more than 122 million overweight and obese Americans between the ages of 20 and 65. On average, their additional health care costs are $534 per year for an overweight person and $1,614 for an obese person. Those costs add up to a $127 billion crisis. The increase in obesity prevalence – going from 23 percent to 33 percent between 1994 and 2004 – added $34 billion to the annual health care bill.
A person who is 25 and obese today, and remains obese until they’re 65, will average $179,000 more in health care costs (in 2009 dollars, assuming health care inflation of 4 percent a year) over those 40 years.
There is a way to get out of this national problem
The good news is that Humana’s data also indicates that just a small change – a reduction of 276 calories a day for the overweight – makes a big difference. Cutting that little from each day’s intake would start moving millions of Americans from the category of overweight to healthy. By adding a 10-15 minute Footgaming break throughout the day it's easy to use 276 calories having fun and re-energizing. It's also tough to snack or drink a soda while Footgaming. For most people this means that mindless calorie intake is easily reduced as well. Start FootGaming today!

Cool Game Contest - Connected to ExerLearning

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Recently a team of 6th graders from Bend, Oregon entered a state-wide game design contest for grades 6-12. They came in second.While their game was really cool - they got a LOT of points for their creativer user-interface. They played the game using a FootPOWR peripheral. Horray for the team! And their creative coach Sarah C.Here is a chance for you to do a similar thing. Once you have a FootPOWR you can re-invent the game play of any game that uses a mouse or select keyboard input. Learn more here.Please share your stories after you enter this contest at the Learning Games Network.(This is from Henry Jenkins' blog) From the Learning Games Network (LGN) comes an interesting inspiration for user-generated content. A recently established 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, established by former MIT CMS Director of Special Projects Alex Chisholm, the MIT Education Arcade's Eric Klopfer and Scot Osterweil, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Kurt Squire, LGN was formed to spark innovation in the design and use of video games for learning. In addition to bringing together an integrated network of educators, designers, media producers, and academic researchers who all have a hand in creating and distributing games for learning, they're also bringing forth opportunities for youth to contribute to conversations, research, and development. It's a no brainer for today's students to share their perspectives in a more participatory role as the future of education is shaped.The first of two efforts is a video contest, notable in its invitation to students to help inform educators and designers with their own thoughts on video games as tools for learning. Requiring entrants to create their own two-to-three minute YouTube videos, the contest offers two themes from which students can choose.(1) The first challenge asks them to describe an "aha moment" they've personally encountered: "If you've experienced that spark of realization, that moment of epiphany between an idea from a game and something you learned -- at school, at home, or anywhere else -- tell us about it in your video."(2) The second puts students in the role of teacher or coach, asking them to describe anidea for a learning game they would employ to help others learn: "What kind of game would it be? What would it help players learn? Why would your video game be a better way to learn something? In your video, tell us what challenges players would face and how they would learn from them."Contest rules can be found at http://http://www.aha-moment.org/. Students must be 13 years old and above to enter; there are separate categories for middle school, high school, and post-secondary students. Thanks to sponsorship by AMD, the first place prize for each category is a 16-inch HP Pavilion dv6 series notebook, powered by an AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor. Deadline for submissions is midnight on July 31, 2009.

Canada Connects Physical Activity to Academic Success

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

We understand the busy nature of life at school and at home. These days everyone seems overscheduled - and "screen time" rates a high priority for learning, leisure, fun and games. Meanwhile the team at Exerlearning is working hard to let everyone know that the FootPOWR peripheral is a plug and play strategy that lets everyone win! Here's more evidence that supports our ground-breaking work.

According to the 2009 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on PhysicalActivity for Children and Youth, children who are physically active perform better in school than those who are not. Interestingly, academic performance improves even when academic learning time is reduced to allow time for physical activity. "Schools and parents who replace children's physical activity time with academic study to improve their academic performance should think again," says Dr. Mark Tremblay, Chief Scientific Officer, Active Healthy Kids Canada, and director at CHEO-HALO. "Time spent getting active can improve learning in the classroom." The Report Card notes that by improving memory, concentration and attention span, physical activity positively impacts children's achievement in math, reading, grades, perceptual skill and overall academic readiness.Physical activity has also been shown to increase a child's self-confidence,self-esteem, self-image and connection to school.

We are thrilled to hear this new report from Canada. We welcome your inquiries about how Exerlearning can help. For a video, take a look at what some teachers have to say.

Physical activity builds strong, smart kids. Strong, smart kids are thefoundation of a strong, smart society that we need in tough times - and will lead us to better times.

Exerlearning and Footgaming-Overview

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Check out this ExerLearning and FootGaming SlideShare Presentation:

Brainy Stuff: ExerLearning and FootGaming Background

View more presentations from Exer Learning.

Exerlearning - Not Just for Kids!

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:19:00 +0000

New research shows that in addition to causing the release of chemicals called endorphins — well-documented as the source of the "runner's high" — exercise may contribute to the formation of new connections among nerve cells in the brain and even to the growth of new cells. Other research has underscored the strong correlation between exercise and higher mental function.
At Princeton University, research showed the number of new brain cells produced per day more than doubled (to 7,000) in adult monkeys who regularly participated in exercises that used motor and decision-making skills. The results indicate the possibility that the structure of the adult mammalian brain can be profoundly altered by a stimulating environment.
A study by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois found that previously sedentary people over age 60 who walk rapidly for 45 minutes three days a week can significantly improve mental-processing abilities that otherwise decline with age. Neurons flashing signals through the brain undergo a dramatic change as the mind learns behavioral habits, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found.
The surprise is that the rate at which new cells are being born in the brain are regulated by, among other things, your interaction with your environment," neurobiologist Fred H. Gage says. And exercise seems to be a key to that interaction.
"One of the things that happens with exercise is an increase in the micro blood vessels in the brain," he says. Those blood vessels are associated with the birth of new cells. "So there is a physiological link between exercise and neurogenesis," he says.
When you exercise, muscles begin to use oxygen at a higher rate, and the heart pumps more oxygenated blood through the carotid artery to the brain. In fact, the brain uses about 25 percent of the oxygen that you take in. Because exercise creates endorphins, people who exercise regularly have more energy, feel alert and have an increased sense of well-being and better memory retention. For more see this article in DISCOVERY HEALTH by T.A. Sloane

Trade in Study Hall for Heart Rate Monitor

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:52:00 +0000

We began Generation FIT with the initial goal to impact youth fitness and help with childhood obesity by adding 10-30+ minutes of technology delivered physical activity in a grade 3-12 classroom. Blostering activity in schools where PE had been reduced or eliminated had to be delivered in an easy and time-effective manner that didn't disrupt the learning or burden busy teachers. To our (woohoo) surprise, academic and behavioral progress soon followed. Others were doing similar things, capturing the attention of neuroscientists, who in the past few years have explained the link between exercise and cognitive function.

Daily, strenuous physical-education classes maximize brain power, according to a Harvard researcher who says cardiovascular fitness improves academic achievement and reduces school discipline problems.
Choosing between P.E. or academics sets up "a false debate, because our moving brain is our thinking brain. The same ... cells that we move with ... are the ones we use to think. When we move, we activate them," said Dr. John J. Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the author of "Spark: The Revolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain."

Doing something physically challenging that also requires complex thinking is best, Ratey said. We were inspired to develop the FootPOWR peripheral for exactly that reason. What's that? Take a look at the FootGaming blog and website to see how a unique computer peripheral can seamlessly combine complex thinking tasks (computer games and software) with physical activity that gets the heart pumping.

Benefits of FootGaming in the Classroom and Computer Lab (and at home)

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:25:00 +0000

Our bodies are very much a part of all our learning and learning is not an isolated "brain" function. Every nerve and cell is a network contributing to our intelligence and our learning capability. Exercise triggers the release of BDNF a brain-derived neurotropic factor that enables one neuron to communicate with another. Students who sit for longer than twenty minutes experience a decrease in the flow of BDNF. FootGaming is one way students can trigger sharper learning skills. ExerLearning can save you time and FootGaming delivers ExerLearning without adding additional lesson plans or time burdens.
Crossing the midline integrates brain hemispheres to enable the brain to organize itself. When students perform cross lateral activities via use of FootPOWR peripherals, blood flow is increased in all parts of the brain making it more alert and energized for stronger, more cohesive learning. Fun- always a motivator, we can easily add student-incentive and fun to your learning environment.
Examples of how FootGaming via a FootPOWR peripheral connected to a classroom PC can increase both physical activity, fitness and academic success are as follows:
Bilateral movement; Opposition; Spatial Awareness; Movement in different levels; Proprioception; Jumping and Landing; Dynamic balance; Patterning; Spatial concepts These concepts aid the brain in placing words on a page, reading words from left to right, and writing patterns in sequence.
Coordination of the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses; Eye tracking for visual-motor control; Development of core muscles to strengthen neural pathways; Sequencing of complex motor skills; Patterning; Problem solving; Directionality. These concepts aid the brain in following the flow of words, sequencing patterns in math and reading, solving problems, and sorting information.
Vestibular Development: Development of inner ear to coordinate of the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses; Spatial Awareness; Body control; Dynamic balance; Locomotor skill development; These concepts aid the brain in putting numbers or letters in sequence, discriminating different sounds, placing letters and words in a page, and writing letters in proper proportion.
Tracking of a moving object; Eye-hand and eye-foot coordination; Development of visual fields; Cross lateralization; Patterning; Targets; Joint compression; Dynamic balance; Sequencing of patterns; These concepts aid the brain in processing thought, organizing thoughts in sequence, discriminating likenesses and differences, discriminating sounds, and advancing to higher level thinking.
Higher level of dynamic balance; Complex motor control; Practice and reinforcement of academic content while balancing and moving actively-whole body. Theses concepts aid the brain in anchoring information and improved memory retrieval, preparing the brain to take a test, and combining many skills for higher level thinking.

PE Mandates and FIT Students: Easy with Exerlearning

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:08:00 +0000

We are all familiar with NCLB and the ever-growing need to "teach to the test." Most schools have dedicated additional class time to ensure their students gain higher scores and they avoid being labeled "failing schools." As a result, time devoted to electives such as art, music and P.E. plummeted.
"The thing in education is: What gets measured is what gets done," says Ginny Ehrlich, the executive director of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a non-profit organization working to battle child obesity. (read more at full article) We at ExerLearning and FootGaming have decades of experience with that dilemma. There is only so much time in a day. Our solution is to use technology to simultaneously deliver the physical activity our students (and teachers) need and want along with the learning outcomes currently being measured. ExerLearning can do exactly that.
In 44 states, a PE Mandate has been made. It requires 150-225 physical activity minutes every WEEK. That would be considerable progress, except that virtually nobody can meet the mandate demand because the states are provided no additional funding. So, it's a mandate in name only.
What are the repercussions if a school or District does not meet the PE Mandate? "None," says Dr. Toni Yancey, a professor in the UCLA School of Public Health and an expert in the area of physical activity among kids. "… If a school doesn't improve, if it's below average in its reading tests scores or its math test scores, then there are consequences for that school. They may be put on probation. They may have the state come in and take over -- lots of things they don't want to happen. If they don't adhere to the number of minutes for P.E., there are no consequences."
Conceivably, that could change soon. Last week, several members of Congress called for passage of the FIT Kids Act, a bill that would amend NCLB to add P.E. as a core subject and require schools to report on the state of their programs. Although there still would be no tangible repercussions for not making progress, advocates of the bill say accountability should put pressure on schools to improve.
Still, nobody is identifying where the money would come from to do things like increase time, decrease ballooning class sizes and ensure that elementary school teachers are credentialed to teach P.E. We offer the ExerLearning opportunity. Please check our teacher resources at Footgaming.com to see how something as easy as plugging a new type of peripheral in to a computer can be one solution for adding 10-30 activity minutes per student per day – at exactly the same time and at the same place that computer-delivered learning occurs already.

Kids Play for Greater Academic Focus

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:28:00 +0000

A few years ago we sent the materials for a Generation FIT program to Marjorie “Peg” Heinzer, PhD, PNP-BC, CRNP. Heinzer's research centers on children who are at risk for obesity in adulthood. Students in the research project are between the ages of 8 and 11 and found to be in the 95th percentile or higher for their weight and age. According to Heinzer, "That places them at risk as adults for a number of health problems ranging from cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes." The study at Mayfair builds on work begun in a 2006 pilot in the Cleveland School District. Heinzer found that participating students improved their physical coordination and focused better in the classroom. Students also had lower suspension rates than non-dancing students.
In many cases, studies and the use of exergames in the school setting begin as weight loss interventions and end up delivering amazing improvement in learning. Dr. Heinzer experienced this as well, "We are seeing attention changes, behavior improvement, and the social skills development! In addition, the motor skills (eye and foot coordination) increases are phenomenal. " How important.

For more, please take a look at ExerLearning in action (2 minute video)

Fit Kids Act - FootGaming and ExerLearning Cheer It On

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Legislation pending in Congress, called the "Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act" (FIT Kids Act), would update current physical fitness standards in K-12 schools and hold educators accountable for a portion of their students' health. For full details on this act click here.

If passed, the bill would redefine gym class from what it has come to mean for many students and teachers, and the bill also would implement new data tracking and reporting requirements that could necessitate a change in student information system (SIS) software. This is great news for FootGaming and Exerlearning - we have the "plug and play" solution busy teachers and over-burdened schools need.
Introduced by Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis., Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., and Jay Inslee, D-Wash., in July 2007, the FIT Kids Act now has 70 co-sponsors, and support for the bill is growing. The measure recently got another boost when several professional athletes publicly endorsed it.
If enacted, the bill would amend the No Child Left Behind Act to require that all schools, districts, and states include the quantity and quality of physical education (PE) in the "report cards" they send to parents and to Washington, D.C.
By next year, it's estimated that 20 percent of children in the U.S. will be obese, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As students' weight increases, so will their chances of developing diseases typically associated with adults such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, reports the American Heart Association (AHA).
"What better place than our schools to teach kids how to best nourish their body as well as their mind," said Rep. Kind, a member of the Congressional Fitness Caucus. "Ensuring that our schools are providing comprehensive physical education will give every child an opportunity--regardless of [his or her] background--to learn healthy habits and get moving. We will see the benefits in their math and reading scores, to get to the root of the obesity epidemic, and get kids on a healthy path early in life."
The FIT Kids Act, or H.R 3257, adds measures that would require changes to the state accountability system.
These measures include demonstrating progress toward meeting the national goal for required physical education of 150 minutes per week for students in elementary schools and 225 minutes per week for students in middle and high school. FootGaming and ExerLearning provide easy to implement solutions for this mandate.

In addition, FIT Kids would amend the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling program, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program, and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to foster healthy habits and increased physical activity. It also would expand the uses of the Healthy High-Performing Schools program to support the provision of adequate space and facilities for supervised PE activities during and after school.
The bill would require implementing pilot programs that would measure knowledge gain in PE classes and cognitive development in relation to physical activity skills.
"Not all children have role modeling at home, but this bill can make sure they have it at school. Giving kids the physical and mental benefits of exercise will help them excel in the classroom and throughout life," said Rep. Inslee.
Data-tracking requirements of the bill are easy for those using the FoorPOWR peripheral in the classroom. The FootPOWR plugs in to the USB port of a computer and tracks every step students make as they actively communicate with the computer. Learn more about the logging capability here.

Physical Activity May Strengthen Children's Ability To Pay Attention

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:29:00 +0000

Charles Hillman, a professor of kinesiology and community health and the director of the Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory at Illinois, and Darla Castelli, professors of kinesiology and community health, have found that physical activity may increase students' cognitive control -- or ability to pay attention -- and also result in better performance on academic achievement tests.
“The goal of the study was to see if a single acute bout of moderate exercise was beneficial for cognitive function in a period of time afterward,” Hillman said. [i]
For each of three testing criteria, researchers noted a positive outcome linking physical activity, attention and academic achievement. Study participants were 9-year-olds (eight girls, 12 boys) who performed a series of stimulus-discrimination tests known as flanker tasks, to assess their inhibitory control.
“What we found is that following the acute bout of walking, children performed better on the flanker task,” Hillman said. “They had a higher rate of accuracy, especially when the task was more difficult. Along with that behavioral effect, we also found that there were changes in their event-related brain potentials (ERPs) – in these neuroelectric signals that are a covert measure of attentional resource allocation.”
In an effort to see how performance on such tests relates to actual classroom learning, researchers next administered an academic achievement test. The test measured performance in three areas: reading, spelling and math. The researchers noted better test results following exercise. The following should bring smiles to the ace of hard-working teachers concerned about reading achievement and scores.
“When we assessed it, the effect was largest in reading comprehension,” Hillman said. In fact, he said, “If you go by the guidelines set forth by the Wide Range Achievement Test, the increase in reading comprehension following exercise equated to approximately a full grade level.
Given the preliminary study’s positive outcomes on the flanker task, ERP data and academic testing, study co-author Darla Castelli believes these early findings could be used to inform useful curricular changes. We suggest ExerLearning, particularly the easy-to-implement FootPOWR computer peripheral for school personnel interested in integrating physical activity into the curriculum.
[i] Hillman, C., Castelli, D., Physical Activity May Strengthen Children's Ability To Pay Attention. ScienceDaily (Apr. 1, 2009) accessed http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331183800.htm April 2009.

An Active, Healthy Body-Learning Success!

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:23:00 +0000

I am forever grateful to the relevant news article sleuthing of Phil Lawler - he continues to enlighten me with great news feeds. The most recent article he sent is from a great article by Cynthia Bowers, "Teach A Healthy Body, Get A Healthy Mind."

The article describes the use of a fitnessgram in schools as part of a Texas experiment that mandates daily physical education and annual fitness tests for the state's 2.4 million kids ages 8 to 18. We wish every District could enjoy the standards now in place in Texas.

“Now that they have those standards, it’s like a wake-up call for them,” said George Nunez, a P.E. teacher. “That gives them an incentive to push.”

Like many such activity mandates and initiatives, the inspiration was soaring youth obesity rates. In fact - that was one inspiration for our program, Generation FIT that inspired Exerlearning.

Like we found, the Texas study set out to prove physically fit kids make for better students - and the results are in. "After just one year officials say Texas school kids are performing better on standardized tests. And as fitness rates rose, absentee rates dropped, and so did reports of discipline problems. And there is a direct correlation between more cardiovascular activity and better grades. At the top performing schools - where at least 90 percent of the kids pass the state assessments tests - 80 percent of the students are fit. And at the poorest performing schools? Only 40 percent make the fitness grade."

Texas educators now believe the harder they can push the kids to become more physically fit, the harder the kids will push themselves in the classroom. Try it - like the team at Naperville High using Learning readiness PE - the results change lives in many ways.

Funds (Finally) for Title I Programs

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Delivering programs that guarantee success for struggling students is not a simple matter.

“It’s a really complex problem, and no single thing ... is guaranteed success,” said Caitlin Scott, who has studied states’ school improvement efforts for the Center on Education Policy, a Washington-based research and advocacy group that is tracking implementation of the NCLB law. “There’s not just one thing you can purchase.”
For schools, purchasing anything is a tough road in these budgetary times. We've worked hard and have developed quantitative research that proves ExerLearning works (ask us for the full research summary). We're pleased that the school improvement section of the NCLB law will receive a sudden infusion of money that many in the education field could not have expected before the nation’s economy fell into crisis, prompting the stimulus package.
The new measure appropriates $6.5 billion in fiscal 2009 and again in fiscal 2010 for the NCLB law’s Title I program, which serves schools with high numbers or percentages of disadvantaged students. In each fiscal year, $1.5 billion is reserved for the so-called school improvement program under Title I.
Take some time to explore exactly how ExerLearning via a "plug and play" computer peripheral, the FootPOWR pad can change the paradigm of what learning looks like in math and reading classes.

Stemming the tide of dropouts will require turning around our low-performing schools,” President Obama said in a March 10 speech at a meeting of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. We can provide an effective and extremely economical solution to delivering at-risk students in grades 5-12 who are "ready to learn." When these students adopt FootGaming (the easiest Exerlearning solution) in 10 minute sessions each 2-3 hours we find that:

Attendance and engagement increase

Leadership and confidence increase

Stress, anger and depression decrease

Teachers can do what they do best for at-risk students when they are ready to learn, the FootGaming way

[Steps toward success could include] using school interventions that have proved successful elsewhere, said Alex Medler, the vice president of research and analysis for the Colorado Children’s Campaign, a Denver-based advocacy group that helps run school improvement programs. Our five years of field studies using Generation FIT and its ExerLearning processes lead to the FootPOWR peripheral. It's a tech tool worth exploring as you create your 2009-2010 technology, reading, math and PE mandate strategies.

Funding For Exerlearning

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:16:00 +0000

Finally - the time is right for teachers to grab some of the stimulus funds and re-invent what learning looks like in a 21st Century ACTIVE classroom. Too often we look for funding for physical activity in the very limited (even non-existent) PE budget. The FootPOWR peripheral changes the paradigm completely. (Resources for Teachers)

“If you think this is the time to get ahead of the curve and to show education technology can be creative, then there are opportunities” in the stimulus package, said Keith R. Krueger, the chief executive officer of the Washington-based Consortium for School Networking. “If we don’t do this, then shame on us, and we’re going to get rolled over.” ExerLearning via the FootPOWR peripheral is one way to be highly creative - and tremendously effective.

The $650 million in the Enhancing Education Through Technology fund will be added to the program’s current $267 million budget for fiscal 2008 and will be spread over two years. A minimum of 25 percent of that money must be spent on professional development; the rest may be spent on the program’s goals of improving K-12 student achievement through technology.

In a time when we work so hard to use conventional tools to impact student success why not take some time to step back and connect some new dots. Brain research clearly demonstrates how academic success, more productivity, increased engagement and addressing the needs of our most challenged students requires more physical activity daily and regularly throughout the learning day.

We can help you with a customized solution. Simply CONTACT US now.

ExerLearning and FootGaming Overview

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

ExerLearning and FootGaming Overview

View more presentations from J Shasek. (tags: footgaming ratey)

Obama - "Closing the Achievement Gap"

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:05:00 +0000

If we had the time we would study all 244,000 returns from a Google search of "Obama, education, achievement." The challenge is as vast as it is complicated. One thing rings clear in almost every article: From birth and throughout life we are all learners and we need families, teachers and a community of support to deliver the best learning outcomes for all.
That said, let's take a look at one part of the education stimulus promise, the Technology Investment Fund. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will build on existing federal education technology programs and create a $500 million matching fund to ensure technology is fully integrated throughout schools. This fund will, among other strategies:
• Integrate technology throughout the classroom so innovative learning technologies such as simulations, interactive games, and intelligent tutors can assist in improving the quality of learning and instruction.
Ask almost any teacher, "What is the most difficult challnge in reaching under-achieving students?" In many cases you will hear something like:

Students do not come to school prepared to learn (hungry, tired, stressed, without supplies, without family encouragement to complete assignments and so on)
Students have difficulty focusing on tasks and producing quality work (they wiggle, misbehave, daydream, are disengaged)
Students are consistently absent

There is no silver bullet that will fix the "achievement gap," rather we need to use time, money and experience most effectively. Solving more than one issue simultaneously makes good sense - in both time and economy. ExerLearning is one strategy that should be included in our schools.

When 80% of students are to some degree kinesthetic learners (see citation below) doesn't it make good sense to add movement to the learning environment as often and as regularly as possible? Sure it is great to add more movement in PE class or during recess (YES!!!), but why not have something like FootPOWR peripherals that connect all computer learning time with some solid movement opportunities? Let students sit on balls, learn while walking a treadmill or balance while studying. A great example of this is the Naperville program inspired by Phil lawler and Paul Zientarski: Learning Readiness PE. Move toward closing the achievement gap by letting our 80% kinesthetic learners move! Please request our various exerlearning research and program descriptions, our Footgaming strategies and send your questions. We hope to inspire an ExerLearning movement! It could be our most cost-effective innovation.

(Citation) A kinesthetic learner is one who learns best through movement and touching. They are otherwise known as the “hands-on learners” or the “doers”. They are your students that cannot sit still. They wiggle, tap their feet, or move their legs when they sit. These children in many cases are label “hyperactive” as children (Kinesthetic learners). Kinesthetic learners learn best through movement. Teachers should provide opportunities for moving around, changing groups and just standing. (Kinesthetic learning, 2007). 80% of students are visual and kinesthetic learners.

Higher Test Scores Are (ACTIVE) Child's Play

noreply@blogger.com (ExerLearning - FootGaming) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:01:00 +0000

It's March and a tense month for all my teacher friends in Florida. Every year a lot of time, money, blood, sweat and tears are expended to prepare students for the FCATs (and in other states, all their standardized testing, as well). More and more I am getting requests from teachers and administrators for copies of the ExerLearning summary research paper (yours for the asking). This recent article really hits home - well worth the read!
Jacob Sattelmair and John J. Ratey of Harvard University have a cure for what ails FCAT scores, childhood obesity -- and maybe even ADHD.It's called physically strenuous play.Sattelmair and Ratey of Harvard University reviewed numerous studies about physical activity and humans, and found growing evidence on the benefits of strenuous exercise for brain development AND academic achievement. We have mentione Dr. Ratey and his eye-opening book, SPARK, numerous times in all of the FootGaming blogs. It was great to read the article in the Orlando Sentinel (and thanks to Phil Lawler for sending the link.)The distinction they draw is between physical ACTIVITY vs. physical EDUCATION. Aerobic activitiy that gets the heart and lungs working is the key. Old-school PE classes that don't require much time or intensity won't do the trick, say the researchers. And PE courses that emphasize competitive sports instead of physical activity marginalizes non-athletic kids.School boards across the country should consider THAT the next time they debate budget restrictions or increasing class time to improve standardized test scores! It’s at odds with science!The researchers' results appear in the Winter 2009 issue of the American Journal of Play, the interdisciplinary, scholarly journal of Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. To read more, see the article here.