Get fit with e-Exercising

In schools, obesity levels are rapidly rising and teachers face pupils hostile to traditional competitive sports.

The solution? Dance Revolution!

According to the BBC, this computer dance programme has got teenage girls in Luton into the gym and working out.

I can't see how the actual idea is all that different from me following my yoga dvd at home, rather than in a guru-directed class, except that the pupils dance on individual mats, that score their performance.

Students can compete against each other, or simply work towards a personal best.

Now, wouldn't it be interesting if we could create a great big touch-sensitive gym floor, that enabled us to load a variety of exercise programmes into its system, rather than using a series of dance mats?

Or if we could create an interactive multi-angled camera system that films and interprets your 3D performance, rather than just your foot position?

Although, I'm not sure I really need the computer saying 'Michelle, you need to stretch 22% more into the Plough Pose to achieve maximum flexibility'.

We don't need no education...

I've always been frustrated by the slow uptake of new learning technologies and methods in schools. The process of technology adaption in schools and learning institutions also frustrates me. It often involves a body taking an idea from a website such as myspace or youtube, spending years and much public money to create a 'safe' teacher's version, which fails on functionality, is old hat by the time it's delivered and doesn't allow the free interconnectedness of the Internet, which kids want. Then there's the negative views of parents...who either view the PC and Internet as a cheap nanny, or think their kids are gonna grow up to be serial killers because they have friends like 'darkangel666' who they've never met in the flesh.

so I'm really interested in a recent report by Demos (who describe themselves as being 'a think tank for everyday democracy (?)'). It documents how the digital generation use online space to build relationships and create original content. Schools and colleges are advised to adopt these new ways of sharing information, creating relationships and connecting. So instead of dismissing the likes of myspace, youtube and wikipedia, schools and colleges should use them as a means to getting their messages across more quickly and more effectively. Download and read a free PDF of the report here.

Donald Clarke has written a great blog about this report - check it out.