Mario Carrillo is a high-energy educator as it is, but put technology in his hands, and watch out. As Department Chair of Physical Education at Miami Valley School in Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Carrillo is always seeking new ways to energize his students and engage them on different levels.
Recently, through collaboration with VARtek’s Steve Garton, Director – Education and Innovation, Mr. Carrillo has been applying the concepts put forth by the Common Core State Standards, introducing 21st century learning tools into the physical education curriculum.
In an initial move toward this goal, students in Carrillo’s physical education classes are being video-recorded during various activities, including running, jumping, pull-ups, jumping jacks, and other sports. Time during each class is dedicated to reviewing the videos, which allows students to critique their performance and self-correct where needed. Similar to a sports team watching films of their own games, students are participating in a collaborative, immediate review process in which they can learn from themselves and their peers. Mr. Carrillo explains, “We have always looked for ways to view physical education as a discipline, and technology is helping us do that.”
“But this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Carrillo asserts. Beyond these initial experiments, he is looking at the possibility of developing student portfolios that will track nutrition, fitness, and health over the course of their educational career. “Each student’s physical education progress would be documented, allowing students, parents, and teachers to look back at historical milestones and developments.”
Student engagement has grown significantly as a result of this initiative. “By recording themselves, capturing data, and tracking their performance, students are taking ownership of their own education and progress. They are forced to teach themselves and each other.” He continues, “We’re infusing physical education into the academic realm. The fact that technology is involved makes it that much more fun.”
Speaking generally about the educational process in the United States, Carrillo claims, “Kids are thrust into an antiquated school system. We as educators must change the way we think.” As the integration of technology is becoming more of a constant, Mr. Carrillo wants to create an educational process that better reflects how students interact with technology every day.
When asked about the key factors for success, Mr. Carrillo candidly admits,”When you try new things that challenge old ways of thinking, you’re going to have a learning curve. As we’re exploring these new frontiers with technology, we’ve been given the room to experiment with new ideas.” He also praises school administrators for allowing teachers to “fail-up,” a term that he uses to describe the process of learning from mistakes and improving each time.