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12 In-Class Tech Tools

PHE Canada
a teacher wearing a blue shirt holding an iPad while students are doing an activity

Looking for ways to integrate smartphones and tablets into classroom learning? Here's a collection of road-tested apps, designed for in-class fun, efficiency and engagement. 

  1. Coach’s Eye: Record a video of students performing a skill. Then, play it back in slow-motion, backward, or frame by frame. Teachers can also draw and record a playback, adding verbal commentary to the mix.
  2. Team Shake: Take the fuss and wasted paper out of choosing teams. Instead of a hat and scraps of paper, teachers enters student names in the app, then shake the device. The screen will then display a random set of colour-coded teams. 
  3. Giant Scoreboard: Who couldn't use a giant scoreboard in class? With a timer/countdown clock, editable team names and giant digits, the app is flexible enough to fit any sport and simple enough to use all the time
  4. Pocket Body: For health class, make the most of this fully searchable interactive atlas of the human body. 
  5. Pocket Heart: Zero in on heart health with this app detailing the innerworkings of the human body's most important muscle. (All in 3D!)
  6. Timer Tools: Timers on this app are simple to use and include a countdown clock, a stop watch, a turn timer, Seconds Up, interval timer and more. 
  7. Class Cards: Keep play order random and fair. Enter the names of students in this app and get a randomly generated list showing the first student in the queue plus the next three to call on.
  8. Bracketmaker: Planning a tournament? This easy-to-use program will create bracket playoff lists and can be customized with up to 32 team names. 
  9. MusicWorkout: A unique interval timer uses your music to inform students when it’s time to rest and time to work. Set the work and rest duration, along with the number of sets, then start the workout! 
  10. Educareations: This handy app turns a tablet into a recordable whiteboard. Draw a diagram of plays, add voice recording or photos, and share with email, Facebook or Twitter. 
  11. Snap Guide: Share and view step-by-step how to guides. Students can show skill progression or demonstrate knowledge of the rules of a game by creating their own guides and share through email, Facebook or Twitter. 
  12. Cardiograph: Measure students' heart rates, then save the results for future reference and to track cardiovascular fitness changes over time. 

Authors

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PHE Canada
Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada) champions healthy, active kids by promoting and advancing quality health and physical education...

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Recent Posts

a young man, diving on the floor during a goalball game. Wearing a team Canada red and black jersey, a white headband, and black coloured blind fold. The ball is blue. / Un jeune homme plongeant au sol lors d'un match de goalball. Il porte un maillot rouge et noir de l'équipe du Canada, un bandeau blanc et un bandeau noir sur les yeux. Le ballon est bleu.
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[ Feature Article ] At fourteen, Harry Nickerson became the youngest-ever member of the Canadian Men's Goalball Team—not because the system found him, but because a chain of referrals happened to hold together. This article uses his journey to explore goalball's transformative potential for young people with vision loss and the role physical and health educators (PHE) can play in making sport access a reliable pathway rather than a fortunate accident.
Authored by: Harry Nickerson
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[ Feature Article ] How can a simple walk be one of the most powerful choices we make? In this piece, eleven-year-old Ishaani Basu draws on research to explore how walking outside can improve physical and mental health, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and even free up government resources for people experiencing homelessness.
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Children practicing various yoga poses in a gym class, demonstrating focus and balance. / Des enfants pratiquent des poses de yoga dans une salle de gym, concentrés et en harmonie avec leur environnement.
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Authored by: Jeffrey Gaudet, Dr. Sasha Gollish, Vanessa Coulbeck, Dr. Catherine Sabiston, Dr. Mathieu Bélanger
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A group of people holding signs at a rally. One sign says "SAVE THE PLANET" with a blue drawing of the Earth. Another sign says "COOL KIDS SAVING HOT PLANET".
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[ Research ] Climate change represents a profound threat to the health and wellbeing of today's children and adolescents, yet its impacts on these populations are not fully understood. Evidence indicates that climate-related extreme events, and the stress associated with climate change, may significantly affect young people's mental health, educational attainment, and physical activity levels. Schools can play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges. One approach to addressing these challenges is using a Comprehensive School Health (CSH) model, which encompasses four pillars: teaching and learning, social and physical environment, healthy school policy, and partnerships and services. This paper presents illustrative ideas for programs, policies, or practices that could align with different pillars of the CSH model in relation to climate change. These examples are intended to prompt discussion and reflection, rather than to assert effectiveness, and may offer ways schools could consider supporting students in responding to climate-related concerns, including climate anxiety, and developing skills to navigate environmental challenges.
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Authored by: Dr. John Byl