Adidas Snapshot

Adidas has produced a unique app that lets users record, track and analyze their football shots. The app, called the adidas Snapshot, uses an algorithm that examines the images captured by the phone to calculate the speed, angle and flight time of every shot.

A set of results from the data collected will then be produced, allowing the user to use the information to improve their kicking technique. Users can then choose to share their fantastic football skills with their friends on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, or challenge their friends for the highest scores and achievements.

This app will have great uses in PE classes, as well as maths and integrated curriculum classes. And best of all the app is free. 

Twitter and Teaching

For a long time I couldn't see what all the fuss was about with Twitter, as far as I could see it was just another social tool for teenagers. However, a teaching colleague of mine convinced me to give it a go. I decided to follow the Jarrod Robinson's 14 day twitter challenge to get me started (http://thepegeek.com/2013/04/09/the-20-day-twitter-challenge/). I was instantly hooked as I could see the professional development opportunities that had simply presented themselves in no time. I decided to follow people involved in the teaching community, and was amazed at the wealth of information that was available. What I enjoyed most was that I was finding interesting ideas and information about teaching that I otherwise would not have searched for.
At this point I decided to find out ways that Twitter could be used in the classroom, and there are endless ideas, some of which can be found here: http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom. To get the most out of Twitter, it is crucial to know about the 'Hashtag'. When used correctly, Hashtags are an extremely valuable tool to create discussions, organise information and to communicate with the world. This great article on will tell you everything you need to know about the Hashtag: http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Hashtags-With-Twitter.
So if you haven't already, give Twitter a go for your own professional development, and then discover the endless ways that it can be used in the classroom. A huge advantage here is that most students will already know the ins and out of Twitter much better than us, and should be able to use it effectively as a learning tool.
Follow me on Twitter @samgibson1983

TDownloader

Not everyone has access to the  Internet all of the time, or it could be too slow, or you just don't want to use up unnecessary bandwidth. However it is often hard to download and store clips off the Internet. One solution for this is an App called TDownloader. This is a web browser that allows the user to download video clips onto their mobile devices for future use. It also has handy functions such as being able to put videos into folders. In my previous post I mentioned about the Just Dance Videos on You Tube. I have been using TDownloader so I can have a bank of dance videos that I can easily play on a projector either using Airserver or Apple TV.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/total-downloader-for-videos/id522661666?mt=8

Dance in PE

Recently we completed a dance unit using an older Jump Jam set where the students mirror the instructor that is on the big screen. However, recently I have discovered much more modern clips on You Tube that are perfect for the students to follow. In the future I will definitely be using these.

Click here to view the different dances

Using Sportalyser

The app 'Sportalyser' is a great way to show a skill throughout different frames for analysis. This can work either for athletes to analyse their own performance or for coaches/teachers to show a comprehensive breakdown of a skill. Click on the picture below to view the example I made of a front foot drive that I intend on showing my cricket players.

Using Airserver

 Recently I downloaded Airserver onto my laptop (http://www.airserverapp.com/). This meant that my laptop could mirror anything that was shown on my IPad. As shown in the pictures below, I attached my laptop to a projector in the gym, whilst I set up my IPad on the tripod so that my students could watch their own shooting technique. I used BAM video delay (mentioned in an earlier post) and set up a replay screen with a 10 second delay, this way the students could watch each of their shots. Using Airserver will be very valuable when used in this way. In the future I will also use it to use with programs such as Coaches Eye, where I can show the whole group on a larger screen rather than everyone trying to gather around the IPad.

Swimming Analysis using Coaches Eye

In my last post I showed you how I attached an underwater camera to a pole simply using some tape. The results of the videos were pleasing, and I was able to analyse them using Coaches Eye once the videos were imported from the camera (using a camera connection kit for my IPad). Here is an example of a simple analysis of a swimmer demonstrating the freestyle technique.