Edtech is starting to influence every area of the school, including the gym class and the athletics department. Higher education started to incorporate virtual reality into their athletics programs, but what can the average gym class really gain from new edtech programs? The potential benefits of edtech in the gym class are almost too many to count.

Students can start to look forward to their physical fitness once more with a few modern updates from the standard game of kickball. If you’ve been skeptical about how edtech can influence the way your classroom functions, it’s time to start leveraging some of the available technology to get kids more active than ever before.

Gaming is more engaging than standard gym-class instruction.

 It seems like nothing captures the attention of students more than video games. Gym teachers can capitalize on this trend with video game systems uniquely designed to encourage physical fitness. Game systems like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox Kinect come with a variety of games that monitor your physical activity and encourage you to keep moving.

You can dance, play a game of virtual bowling, and more with these creative programs. Using the video games, it can be a quick way for the recommended hour of daily physical activity to pass. This can even be a motivating factor for children to exercise in their off-time at home. They can continue to refine their skills in order to show off to classmates the following day.

Wearable tech gives kids a better idea of their fitness level.

Adults love to use their Fitbits and Apple Watches to help monitor their overall fitness level, including how many steps they take each day and their overall heart rate. Some gym teachers are finding that allowing students to use their wearable technology for gym class gives them a serious advantage.

Students become more apt to participate in the programs in order to see their heart rate and step count increase, but they also gain a real appreciation for what those numbers mean. It can be a great way to incorporate other classes into physical education for a more well-rounded academic experience.

Teachers can make learning more fun.

One of the biggest aspects of a gym class is learning how to exercise and play the games correctly. Teaching technique with a textbook or a short demonstration can often be a dry and unengaging experience for students. Unfortunately, they desperately need this instruction in order to participate in the games correctly with less chance of injury. Teachers can make this experience more fun and engage students using some of the innumerable resources available. Videos, interactive programs, and more can all help students learn the essential skills they need to tackle these tasks.

Technology doesn’t have to be for academic classes only. In fact, a gym class can certainly benefit from some of the many advantages that edtech can offer. Students might start to look forward to gym class more than ever before when they can see the real benefit of the more engaging curriculum. This can lead to a much healthier student population in the long run.