Digital Camera in the Gym???

i teach phys-ed to the intermediates, and also coach the basketball teams at the school. so, i've been thinking about how students could integrate the use of the camera in a meaningful way. we just finished our unit on basketball in phys.ed. for some reason, students always think they're going to get in the gym and play basketball for 6 weeks. when they realize that they will actually be learning different skills and fundamentals, they are even more enthused.

students can work in groups and be assigned a certain skill (bounce pass, chest pass, dribbling, defending a dribbler, shooting, rebounding, etc). (be sure to teach the skill first!) then students are responsible for breaking down the skill into steps. they would take a picture of each step in performing the skill: for example, the chest pass, one frame would be the student's beginning position with their elbows out, knees slightly bent, ball at chest level. the next frame would feature the student taking a step forward with their dominant foot. next, they would take a picture of the student releasing the ball, continuing to step into the pass. then, the picture would be focussed on the student's hands and arms to ensure that their elbows are out, and thumbs are pointing down.

the students can then use these photos to create a "how to" poster (eg. how to make a chest pass). brief, written descriptions can accompany each step/picture. they can also be laminated and posted in the gym, or used in previous years. if you have a reliable group of students, you can have them teach some of the younger students, perhaps in an intermural format, or have them teach the younger students the skill as part of their knowledge, understanding and communication of the content.

the possiblities are endless. any sport or activity would benefit from this type of use of the digital camera.what about stretches and circuit training sessions? students could pose for those exercises as well, and those posters could be used in gym class to demonstrate a certain stretch or exercise.i'm starting volleyball in 2 weeks...hmmmmm....!