The use of tablets, Ipads and Smartphones in PE

Introduction

The tremendous possibility that these type of device bring to the classroom cannot be overstated, with PE teachers from all over the world investing in and trialling their uses within the classroom.

In recent years, the level of take-up and interest has reached new heights with an over 3000% increase in the number of Google searches related to mobile applications in PE. This search echoes the desire for new users to identify a series of apps that could be revolutionise the way that PE is taught.

Apps of the week

PE Shake

The PE Shake is made up of 100 PE warm-up games that are easy to set up with minimal equipment. Each time you shake the application a new random easy-to-set-up game appears. All games are suited to both primary and secondary school students. This app is great for students to use; as they can choose which game they want to warm up to in their PE class. It is also a fun tool for teachers who are stuck for warm-up activities.

SuperStretch

Super Stretch is a fun, interactive yoga app created for kids, used by the whole family and school classes!

Move, play and breathe as Super Stretch introduces you to his friends and their yoga poses. Super Stretch is your guide who takes you on your journey. Using storytelling, animation and video examples, kids enjoy making NAMASTE a part of their day.

Active Gaming Apps

Zombies, Run

Every now and then, an app comes along that totally breaks new ground. Introducing Zombies, Run, an awesome running adventure that takes place in a zombie-infested world. How does it work? Users simply place their headphones in and commence running. The app will take you on a wild ride as “Runner 5”, who seeks to escape the clutches of zombies. The app uses internal GPS to simulate zombies chasing you at different moments throughout the mission. As you speed up, you escape them, slow down and you’re gone. Ultimately, what we have is a new-age twist on interval training with a really exciting story-telling component added in.

Bit Breaker

In Bit Breaker, your physical movements are translated into movements of the on-screen paddle, as you play a form of physical space-invaders. Simply place down your device with the screen facing you, take a few steps back and play the game with your body in this arcade-inspired brick breaker. Step left or right to steer the paddle and jump for a power shot!

Recurse

A truly exceptional augmented reality game. Place your iPad on a stable location and point the front facing camera towards you. Your goal is simple. Move as much as you can inside of the green areas while avoiding the red areas. Heaps of fun in larger groups and especially great for junior students learning simple body manipulation skills.

Feugos River Adventure

A really fun, active gaming iPad app that uses your physical movements to control the character in the game. The objective is to move and collect coins as you make your way down the river. The upside here is the intense, rapid left-right movement that is required to make your journey successful. Connect your iPad to an external projector to take the game to a new level. A great little addition to the theoretical classroom to get students moving.

Fit Freeway & Virtual Active

These cool games use head tracking software and the device’s front facing camera to control the action on your screen. Used in conjunction with an exercise bike/elliptical/treadmill, the basic premise is that the faster you move, the greater movements of your machine which the app tracks and therefore the faster you move the action in the game. Heaps of fun. Stop moving and your in-game activity also stops.

Anatomy Apps

Superbodies HD

Peel away the human skin to reveal exactly what takes place at a physiological level amongst elite athletes. The app is available for either iPhone, iPod or iPad and starts off with the users selecting a focus sport. The app then launches an introductory video narrated by Dr Greg Wells, before it takes the user inside the body. From this point on, the app really excels as you navigate through the blood stream via a simple, yet exciting navigation system. As you approach points of interest related to the focus sport, the app switches to a video explanation or tidbit of information. The net result of this app is a totally immersive experience for students and teachers, which dramatically enhances the learning of human bodies in movement.

Pocket Heart 2

A brilliant way to learn and review the function and structure of the heart in 3D. Students can explore the case studies in full detail or complete a ‘locate pin quiz’ to test their knowledge. Connect your device to a screen and share with your entire student group.

iMuscle

Incredible application that allows you to explore the muscles of the human body in isolation. Zoom in close to find out the anatomical name, appropriate stretches and training. Recently used this on the iPad while connected to an interactive whiteboard to explore stretches for specific muscle groups.

Living Lung

A superb app that helps teachers showcase the internal workings of the human lungs. Users can modify the breaths per minute to see how this varies the lung volume. Use it with students learning anatomy, or during practical activities to help students visualize the acute responses they are experiencing.

Whack a Bone

The gamification of learning continues to excite and this app is no exception. “The game is designed to draw beginners into the curious and fascinating world of anatomy, guiding them toward a commanding recall of the major bones of the human body”.

Powers of Minus 10

In this version of POMT, zoom into human bones, see how broken bones heal, and investigate some of the cool and weird cells found in the middle of our most sturdy organs. A very useful tool for exploring a range of theoretical concepts in PE

Virtual Heart

This FREE iPad allows users to see inside of a model heart as they change the Heart Rate from resting right through to max. It then allows users to label key components or explore elements such as blood flow, right through to valves/electrical impulses. Will be using this in class to help visualize the concepts of acute responses to exercise. For example, have students complete a step test and determine their HR, then use the app to show them what their heart actually looks like at that exercise load.

Communication and quiz Apps

eClicker Host

This nifty little application allows teachers to set up and administer a multiple-choice quiz directly from the mobile device. The app also produces a direct URL that students enter in their internet browser to complete the test. As students complete the questions, the app produces an excellent breakdown analysis of results, which they can use to frame further teaching and discussion.

Socrative teacher / Student

Socrative is a cloud-based student response system. It allows teachers to create simple quizzes that students can take quickly on laptops – or, more often, via classroom tablet computers or their own smartphones.

Video Analysis Apps

Coach’s Eye

Simply point to record your desired sports action or choose existing video footage. You are then able to review the video frame by frame, draw and highlight points of interest and, best yet, you can record a narration over the top of the video further emphasizing points of interest. The other exciting feature is an automatic system that shows you which videos have been reviewed and which are still waiting. Perfect for teachers and assessment.

Sportalyzer

A video analysis app with an original twist. Record your footage and you can begin to produce phases according to the various movement phases of the performance (see right). The phases can then be all analyzed with drawing tools and text editors to produce a final PDF report that can then be shared with the student or used for assessment. Teachers and students can easily use the tool to produce posters highlighting perfect skill execution. Another highlight is the ability to edit recorded footage to the most appropriate moment and to capture footage at an adjustable frame rate.

Video Tagger

Video Tagger is a unique and powerful video analysis and assessment tool that makes it possible to capture and tag sports performance. Start recording and tap the customizable buttons to tag performance as it happens. The app will record a few seconds either side of the tap. Continue this for the duration of the performance and, when finished, two video montages will be compiled with the highlights you identified.

FrappTapp

A similar app to Video Tagger; however, with the focus being on recorded footage as opposed to live footage. The app enables you to tag elements of interest and jump to them for review. The tagged elements can then be saved to the photo library.

Touch Stat Highlight

This exceptional app enables you to produce a highlight video with only the footage you desire. Simply start recording and point the app towards your action. When you see something exciting during game play, simply tap anywhere on the screen to record the footage a couple of seconds either side of your tap. Continue this process as you desire and when you stop the recording the highlight reel will seamlessly fuse together.

Clips

Clips is a free app for making videos to share. With a few taps you can create and send a video message or tell a quick story with capacity to annotate, add artistic filters, animated text, music, emoji, and fun stickers.

Make quick videos • Create videos in real time with simple controls—no timeline, tracks, or complicated editing tools • Record video, take photos, and add them from your library • Drag and pinch while recording to add smooth pan and zoom animations • Easily adjust the length of your clips and reorder them

Cricket Coach

Don’t let the name fool you. This app is a full-scale video analysis tool that allows for dual screen analysis. Although the inbuilt library includes videos of various cricket shots, users are able to record and use their own videos. This ultimately means that you can film and analyze your recordings from any sport you desire. In recent weeks, we have been using this amazing app to analyze student performance in a variety of athletic field events with a high level of success.

Coach My Video

The paid version of the popular free video analysis app “CoachMyVideo”. New features included in the paid version are the ability to analyze video directly from online streaming sources, such as YouTube. This is a super powerful addition inside of any video analysis app, especially when you utilize the app’s side-by-side comparison feature on the iPad.

Kinesio Capture

A high-end video analysis package that enables users to conduct incredible motion analysis of performance. Users can complete side-by-side analysis, annotations, frame by frame and video layering. Use the apple camera adapter to import pictures taken with a digital camera directly to the app.

Hudl Technique

With Hudl Technique - free for iOS and Android - coaches and athletes can study mechanics in real time through slow-motion playback, notes, drawings and community feedback. You can even compare two videos side-by-side to track progress over time, or get a closer look at your form against a pro's.

Dartfish Express

Dartfish have been involved in Video Analysis for years, making this entry to the mobile market somewhat expected. The app combines some of the popular features present on other mobile analysis platforms. Where the app really shines is its integration with their own video hosting website Dartfish.tv.

BaM Video Delay

With this app, you can simultaneously show live and delayed video. This means that a PE teacher can have the app pointed towards any sort of discrete skill and, after the skill has been completed, the performer has adequate time to return to the screen to see their skill in action. Where this app takes it to the next level is its ability to allow a grid of 4 different video delay timers effectively creating up to 4 opportunities to view your performance The user can then specify a different delay time for each grid and dynamically alter the delay by swiping up or down with their finger on the grid. This app is a must-have for PE teachers and sports coaches who are keen to take performance analysis to the next level. Use it in gymnastics, dance, track and field or during skill development. The possibilities are endless.

Coachmyvideo

Another highly useful video analysis tool for coaches and PE teachers on the go. Use the built-in pen and drawing tools to emphasize aspects of a given performance during review and send them via email or save to the camera roll. One of the coolest features is the ability to send a video directly to another iOS device via WiFi.

Photo Apps

Burst Mode

Burst mode is an excellent app that allows you to capture the perfect image in a fast moving activity. Simply set the amount of frames to be captured and the timing of these frames and hit the record button to capture a burst of pictures. The user can then go through the frames one by one to review the execution of a specific skill or movement pattern. Great for coaches or students interested in improving their performance.

Fast Camera

Capture up to 800 pictures a minute with this app, making it perfect for highlighting or emphasizing points of interest during skill development. Never miss that perfect image again.

ActionShot

ActionShot lets you shoot sequential movement images in a snap. Simply point the camera in the direction of your intended target; the app will take a series of photos of the movement in action. You need to ensure that you hold the phone still and don’t follow the movement of the player. The finished results are spectacular. Try it in athletic field events such as triple jump to produce an amazing sequential action shot highlighting the key points.

SmartMotion

A superb free app offering intuitive frame-by-frame playback. Slide your finger on the screen to control the action and pinpoint the exact moment you’re after. A great tool for developing skills and performance review.

oSee Lite

A video delay app with the ability to set a delay time of up to 4 minutes. This will provide plenty of time for review and subsequent analysis of physical skills.

SloPro

The easiest way to produce beautiful slow-motion videos. A great way to explore movement and sports action in any context. Choose from a number of playback speeds, ranging from 60 frames per second to a whopping 1000 fps. A must-have.

Collabracam

This is an absolute incredible app perfect for any class, including PE. Collabracam allows you to link up to four iPhone, iPod or iPad cameras streaming to a fifth device in real time over the local WiFi. The fifth device is considered the director and has the capacity to switch between all video feeds and record the footage coming from each. Imagine a group of students in a PE class filming a match from different angles, with a director switching between the feeds to record an amazing professional quality video.

Video Pix

This great app allows you to capture frame by frame images of sports activities and then play them back in either slow or faster than normal speeds. A perfect addition to any skill development activities or video analysis/instant feedback task.

Video in Video

A first app of its kind in the app store allowing the user to produce a picture-in-picture effect in a matter of minutes. In a PE classroom, this could be used to do a comparative analysis between pre- and post-lesson skill development.

Vyclone

This nifty little app allows you and your friends to film the same event from multiple angles. Simply log in to the application and start recording; the app will determine your location and others within your proximity and seamlessly piece together a video including all of the various angles. In a PE classroom, students could use this to film high-quality sports footage within a SEPEP film crew role.

Training Apps

iYoga

A superb Yoga app brought to you by the developers who created iMuscle. The app was produced using motion capture technology to bring the most accurate and natural movement possible. Where the app really outshines its competition is with the female model who allows you to see muscles in action as each pose is demonstrated. The app also features a distinctive viewing option which highlights muscles relevant to each pose as they contract and expand. The app comes loaded with over 80 beginner poses, with options to extend the resource with in app purchases to over 200. Use the program feature with your students and have them design and participate within a beginner Yoga Program. The app will seamlessly take them through the entire process with timings, voice narration and better pose animations than a real person could ever provide. Check out the video of the app in action below.

Isometrics

A simple app useful for teaching students about the different types of muscle contractions. The app contains exercises that can be performed in static classroom environments free of any required equipment. As the name suggests, all of the exercises use isometric contractions, which are those that occur when a force is developed, but the muscle length doesn’t change.

Workout Trainer

An awesome app that puts a personal trainer in your pocket. Contains thousands of individualized training programs based on your level. Pair it with an Apple TV unit (see picture to left) to share the trainer with your entire class.

Headspace

An exceptional mediation app, that takes you through a daily 10-minute routine. The best part about this app is the fact that it actually takes the time to teach the user how to meditate in a very open and friendly manner. In the PE classroom, this app finds its place within sports psychology units or as a means of finishing off practical sessions and reducing over aroused students to a more calmer and focused state before their next class. Something their next teacher will thank you for.

runWithME

A superb running app that enables users to train with or race against others who use the app. Simply start a run, invite a friend and wait for the run to start. You will then receive audio cues at nominated times telling you who is in the lead and how far ahead they are. What a fantastic way to promote activity with people on the other side of the world. Check out the demo video of the app in action here.

Rip Deck

An interesting exercise app that uses a deck of playing cards to generate workouts. It has the capacity to track your training history, providing an opportunity to learn about the development of training programs/training principles.

Nexercise

This rewards-based app allows users to earn points for the exercise they complete. Users can earn badges, take up exercise challenges all within a social networking style environment. The device tracks users’ activity using both the accelerometer and GPS, ensuring that points actually need to be earned. A useful tool to look at motivational strategies and objective methods of measuring physical activity.

Fleetly Fitness

Another social fitness app that allows you to log your workouts, connect with friends and join challenges.

The app provides you with an overall fitness rating as a simple number based on your workouts.

FitDeck

A collection of high-quality task cards for all sorts of fitness activities. Have students work their way through random activities, following the clear instructions. They can choose to complete a beginner, intermediate or advanced workout which is shown on the top right of each card. Simple and highly effective, with over 250,000 users, this is a must-have. Also comes in a Junior version.

Nike Boom

This app lets you use your own music to help guide your workouts. Within it, you can set your workout time, rest time and number of sets. Great app to co-ordinate circuit training or warm-ups.

MyFitnessPal

Although this app is essentially a calorie counting tool, it does provide opportunities to teach theoretical concepts on healthy foods and exercise. The app allows for the simple tracking of all food and drinks over the course of the day; exercise can then be added to the mix to help balance consumption. I plan to use this app with my senior physical education students as a diary for them to track the food groups they consume in the lead up to competition. It will also provide us with opportunities to discuss exercise metabolism and other physiological concepts.

GymPact

GymPact is an app that allows users to make a pledge about how often they want to exercise and the penalty they are prepared to pay if they fail to meet their goal. The user then “checks in” to the gym on arrival and the app goes to work, tracking the user’s location to ensure they stay at the gym. If the user meets their goals for the week, they can earn cash rewards; otherwise, if they don’t meet their goals, their credit card is debited based on the pledge they made at the beginning.

Pace Wheel

A useful app for athletic coaches that allows users to determine appropriate training loads. Users start by scrolling the app to their finish time for one of the following distances between 800m to a Marathon. The user is then provided with approximate training targets for building aerobic base, developing lactate tolerance and increasing V02 max. Even though these figures are just a guide, they can lead to discussion in senior classes about important physiological concepts and how they link with training.

Hundred Pushups

The first in a series of apps designed to improve your core strength. Simply complete the initial test pushup maximum test and the application designs an appropriate training program to guide you to the ultimate goal of 100 pushups. Use this app within a classroom environment.

GymGoal ABC

Gym goal is an exercise database that seeks to allow you to keep track of all of your workouts. It also includes step-by-step how-to animations on over 250 exercises. This application is the perfect tool in a classroom to teach students about exercise concepts such as progressive overload and specificity.

Breathing Zone

This groovy, well styled app is perfect for guiding the users through deep breathing exercises that promote relaxation. In a PE or sports science class, this app can be used to teach theoretical components such as mental rehearsal, imagery or other sports psych theory.

SuperStretch

Super Stretch is a fun, interactive yoga app created for kids, used by the whole family and school classes!

Sworkit Kids

Both physical education (PE) and classroom teachers can use Sworkit Kids to get kids exercising. It's a perfect short activity to get students moving after a long lesson or first thing in the morning, or as a longer activity during gym class. Sworkit Kids can be used anywhere that the app can be shown to students: in PE class, in a regular classroom, at home, outside, inside, while watching television, while doing homework, or with friends or family.

Resource Apps

Eureka Sports Science App

A simply superb publication that has lots of interactive content for Physical Education students

Fit Deck Basketball

A super collection of challenge-based Basketball Skill cards. Students can sort through the cards, which outline the skill and the target to complete various levels of difficulty. A great way to move students towards a more student-centered, self-paced environment within practical activities.

TGfU Games for Elementary

This handy little app created is a great resource for PE teachers looking to employ the TGfU model within their teaching. Featuring the instructions for over 200+ games designed to facilitate understanding within the TGfU categories. With more and more teachers moving away from the traditional model of PE instruction, this app becomes a great tool for facilitating change.

Group Games

GroupGames was designed for teachers in the outdoors who require quick and minimal equipment activities that help with team building, ice breaking and problem solving. Featuring over 50 games, users can also submit and request games to feature inside of the app.

Basketball PE & Soccer PE

Each app features over 100 games and activities to help students learn concepts, skills and strategies within respective sports.

PE Games

The premier app for PE teachers, allowing you to sort through and discover minor games for use in your practical sessions. You can even add your own games and game categories to build an enormous mobile library.

Sports Rules

An app for PE teachers who desire quick reference of rules in over 17 popular sports. More sports will be added, making this a one-stop shop for busy teachers. Give it to your students and have them quickly review rules before giving them the umpiring role.

Knots Guide

A simple app containing reference of over 92 knots. Especially great for outdoor ed teachers.

WADA

Great app made by the World Anti Doping Association which lists the many prohibited substances and methods. Perfect reference guide for teaching the rationale behind anti-doping codes.

PE Activities

A superb mobile resource for PE teachers, featuring heaps of games and activities for teachers. You can easily plan your lessons, save your favourite games and add further games to build an enormous resource.

ClassBreak

A super useful app that will become a key tool in teachers’ classrooms all over the world. Exceptionally well produced with an intuitive interface, this app contains hundreds of games and activities for the classroom. You will find everything from PE activities, Brain Gym, Brain Teasers, Jokes and much more to keep your students active and engaged.

Tag Games

Featuring the instructions and playing guides to over 100 tag games. The app is broken into 4 distinct categories, ranging from no equipment to 3 required items. Another exceptional feature is the ability to shake for random games and the incorporation of a stop watch inside the app.

PE Shake

Fitness Testing Apps

Beep Fitness Test

A sleek and simple Beep Test app that is by far the best looking Beep test app on the App Store. What separates this app from its competitors is its number of test variations, which include the ability to choose from the beep test (UK, Canadian or Australian timings), Birtwell 40m, PACER 15m and 20m, or YOYO endurance and intermittent level 1 and 2 tests. Simply connect it to a set of external speakers and you can easily conduct the test with your students.

Cooper Test HD

A great app that enables the user to complete the class 12-Minute Run fitness test by simply placing the device in their pocket and running. There is also the Multi User mode. In this mode, you can test up to 5 athletes simultaneously. Each time the athlete completes a lap of the track, you press the runner’s name to accumulate distances. The app then uses the average speed of the runner to calculate predicted distance, while updating accurately when they cross the lap. The HD version enables the simultaneous tracking of up to 20 runners.

Step Test

Designed with PE teachers in mind, the Step Test app quickly and easily facilitates the Queen’s College Step Test. The app guides the user through the test using the internal metronome to keep users in a “up-updown- down” cadence. At the completion of the 3 minutes, the user measures their Heart Rate for 15 seconds, with this data then being used to determine their cardiovascular fitness and predicted V02max.

Beep Test Trainer

A great app that allows users to facilitate the classic beep test with ease. You can also use the app to facilitate training by starting or looping the test at a certain stage.

Body Age

This simple app guides users through a series of fitness tests covering all key fitness components with the idea of eventually providing you with an overall body age. A great way to explore or introduce senior students to the concepts of fitness testing, protocols, chronic adaptations and fitness components.

Coaching Apps

CoachNote

CoachNote is an exceptional app that allows users to record set plays and game strategies for a variety of team sports. The coach simply drags the icons onto the screen to represent the players and can then record the movement of the players and the ball as they narrate. This app fits perfectly into any Games Sense or TGFU class, where students are responsible for developing deeper understanding of the why behind the sports they play.

Great Coach Netball

A superb app by the makers of Great Coach AFL. This makes it possible to quickly and easily manage a netball team. Give your team the winning edge with better planning and team performance. Great Coach Netball packs together team management, statistics and reporting tools into one application for junior through to senior teams.

Run-Lap-Tap

Designed for PE teachers and coaches, this iPad app enables the tracking of up to 12 runners’ times and other vital statistics. Start by entering in the lap length and the number of laps your runners are to complete. Users can then choose to start all runners off at once or nominated and use a “start delay” value for handicapped races/training. As the runners complete a lap, simply tap their name to update the lap splits, speed, pace and much more for that runner. At the completion of the race, you can email the results or archive them inside the app for review.

G.A.P.S. Sports Coaching

A collection of over 1,750 high-quality coaching resources for a variety of sports. Use it to cut down on planning and preparation. Give the app to students and have them run a peer teach or coaching session.

GPS Tracking Apps

Endomondo Sports Tracker

An incredible app that allows you to record activity via the iPhone’s GPS. The best part about it is the fact that any activity you do becomes social, allowing your movement to be followed live via the Endomondo website. This gives students the option to send through messages of encouragement or discuss physiological responses to exercise.

Runtastic Altimeter

A brilliant altimeter that enables you to check accurate altitude information without an internet connection. Use it during hikes or outdoor activities to facilitate discussion on altitude and its effects on exercise performance. Compare and contrast the altitude during a trip to sea level and a snow field. Other features include GPS co-ordinates, weather and sunrise/sunset information. A great app.

Runkeeper

Go for a run/walk/ride/jog/ski while running the program and your activity will be recorded. As most modern phones include GPS, Runkeeper will present you with a plethora of statistics from the activity, including total distance, speed, elevation and even a Google map tracking your activity in real time. It also combines powerful voice-overs to provide you with current real time feedback on your activity. Use the Runkeeper app during the Cooper 12-minute run fitness test, to share distance, speed and intensity and allow for discussion of the interplay of energy systems during exercise.

Geocaching

Geocaching, which is actually pronounced geo-cashing, is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache anywhere in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS device can then try to locate the geocache. Using either an iPhone or an Android phone, you can search for and participate in the global treasure hunt. Geocaching will have you running around and exercising without realising it. There are currently over 1.1 million active caches in existence across 100 countries. Have your students race to find a series of geocaches around your town that require them to work as a team to solve puzzles in order to receive the next geocache co-ordinate.

Kinetic GPS

This app is the Swiss army knife of GPS tracking, with the capacity to be customised to however the user desires. Use it during the 12-minute run or team sports to capture the average speed and distance travelled. Use this information to inform training and discuss theoretical concepts.

Measurement Apps

AFit

This great little free iPad app allows students to track and record their physical activity and nutrition via an engaging interface. It provides many opportunities to discuss hydration, physical activity guidelines and many other health related areas.

Stress Check

Another one of those apps that made me go “wow” on first use. The app uses the device’s camera to measure heart rate variability and in turn can use this information to track overall stress levels. A great tool for introducing students to the concept of arousal and readiness for optimal performance.

SprintStart

This simple, yet effective app enables users to measure their sprint start reaction time from the starting blocks. Simply place the iPhone or iPod inside your pocket, or better yet an armband, and press the start button. You will then be prompted with “take your marks, set” and then a gun will sound. Your reaction time will be noted and displayed on screen following your explosive start.

Moves

Simply download the free app, place it within your pocket and check back occasionally as the app tracks your activity, via both the GPS and internal accelerometer. At the end of every day, you will be presented with a beautiful storyline of your day’s activity, with metrics on aspects such as your total steps and distance accumulated in a variety of types of locomotion

Cardio Touchless Camera

The creators of the most popular heart rate app, “Instant Heart Rate”, have brought out a touchless heart rate app that makes it possible to measure your HR by analysing the tiny colour changes in your face. This becomes a wonderful addition to the PE classroom during fitness classes. Simply place the device at a fixed location and have students check their heart rate during a rest station.

Cardiograph

Cardiograph is a super high-quality app that tracks your heart rate via your device’s camera. The best feature about this app is the capacity to create multiple profiles, making it perfect for a class full of students.

Pedometer

An app with the ability to track steps via the accelerometer or GPS. It also incorporates a Heart Rate feature, pacer, calorie counter and playlist integration.

SpeedClock

A fantastic app that allows users to record the speed of anything. Simply set the distance between you and the object you wish to record and the speed is displayed. There are also a few other tools which can be helpful for a host of situations.

Data Analysis

PLATOSPORT

Any combination of Player, Location, Action, Time and Outcome (PLATO) can be recorded. PLATOSPORT also allows you to graph the results directly on your device and then share them by email. Have injured students complete intense analysis.

TimeMotion

Fantastic FREE application that allows you to record locomotion types of either live or recorded team sports. While observing the activity, simply select the type of movement the athlete is completing and update throughout the game. The app keeps a statistical breakdown of time/percentage spent standing, walking, running, sprinting, etc., allowing for a detailed exploration of energy system usage, training requirements and much more.

Dartfish Easy Tag

A simple application that allows you to do statistical recording within sports. Perfect for getting Key Performance Indicators from within games. Have injured students do recording during practical classes.

Utilities

TempoPerfect

This app turns your mobile device into a fully functional metronome that can be used by PE teachers to allow timing of all sorts of exercise. Simply set your desired temp and you’re on your way. We used this recently in senior physical education to time a step test that allowed students to explore the physiological response to exercise.

sprintTimer

A unique timer and photo finish app that employs the same techniques as the professional equipment used at the Olympics. Start the timer and point the camera towards the finish line. sprintTimer will build an image of narrow slices of the finish line. You can then scroll along the photo to get the time when each competitor crosses the finish line with a 0.01 s resolution. The image can then be saved for record keeping. To top it off, the timer can also be activated by a button touch or automatically by sensing the gun sound.

Finish Line Photos

A great little app that combines a digital stopwatch with the digital camera. Simply use the app to snap a photo as athletes cross the finishing line. The app will overlay the finishing time with the finishing photo, creating a unique record of the race results. A perfect addition to cross country or athletic events.

Team Shake

A simple app for randomly deciding teams in your classes. A clean but powerful interface enables you to quickly add class lists and sort out random teams in a flash.

Make My Groups

As the name suggests, a great app to take the stress out of placing students into teams. Allows import of names via Dropbox and saving/exporting of group lists. Use it to organize spontaneous team activities.

RaceSplitter

“RaceSplitter is the ‘do it yourself’ solution for race timing — providing coaches with accurate split times, lap times and standings during the race, and organizers with a powerful alternative to chip-timing.”

ShowMe

This free app allows users to record the drawings they make on their screen while completing a narration. Perfect little tool for students to share their understanding of game strategies.

PB GO

Great app for use in Swimming and Athletic events which allows you to record the personal best times for your students/athletes etc. There is also the option to attach an image for each event.

TempoMagic

It allows you to alter the tempo of the music on your device. Perfect for fitness circuits, running or anything where you need a consistent tempo.

Interval Timer

An app that will assist with the timing of activities by allowing you to designate a high intensity and low intensity duration along with a dedicated rest duration. Perfect for use within cycling, running, weights, exercise, workouts, stretching, boxing, etc. No longer will you need to keep an eye on the stopwatch.

Interchange Manager

A great little app to allow teachers and coaches the ability to track a student’s or player’s game time statistics. Start by adding your classes or team lists, start a game and tap the students who are starting on the field. When they move to the interchange, untap their name. At any point in the game, you can easily see the amount of time any player has spent on the ground, and use this data to inform your choices. It could also be used to ensure equitable decisions are made in terms of equal participation for all.

Result Tracker

Result Tracker records results so you can track progress in the activities which are important to you. It’s designed to track results for all types of sports, academic, personal fitness, child growth or just about anything you can think of. You set up the activities by choosing from a wide range of result formats. With this FREE iPad app, you can easily track your classes’ improvement in a wide range of activities, from fitness tests to athletic and swimming events.