Wearable devices and the impact they have on classroom students.

Wearable devices and the impact they have on classrooms students.

Being a pre-service educator I have noticed a few trends that are dominating classrooms. One of the largest trends or should I say new technology, is wearable technology. By wearable technology I am purely referring to Fitbits, Apple watches, Garmin’s watches, and any other bit of wearable wrist technology. They are taking over the fitness world, as wearables become more and more advanced each year, more people have them. My methods are outdoor and Physical education, this becomes an important conversation and topic particularly in these subjects. With wearables devices having sold 50 million in 2015 and the expected number to be around 125 million by 2019 (Marr, 2016). This is the very beginning of the innovation of wearable technology. Over time there will be technology advancements, different designs, and even an increase in the use. Wearable devices are changing the way we as teachers will be required to teach, with more distractions for students my question is are we able to use them as a positive resource rather than a limitation?

Critical engagement

In this blog post will be a list of resources for teachers on how to teach in a classroom whilst using wearable technology as an enhancement, whilst referring literature and personal experiences on how to best incorporate wearable technology in the classroom. To properly define wearable technology is “a small computer or advanced device that is worn on the body” (dictionary.com, 2017) Wearable technology has only been around for the past 3–5 years, as we haven’t yet had a large enough sample size to study the effects and implications of such technology, it becomes important that we proceed with caution. It has now become a staple within the Victorian curriculum to teach students digital literacy. This becomes tricky as some teachers themselves are not digital literate. What needs to be pointed out is that wearable technology is uncharted waters when it comes to classroom teaching. There are many possibilities but I believe the best place to start is with physical education and health. The reason for this as they can directly be related. It provides so many avenues to explore for example:

· Data collection

· Calorie tracking

· Physical goals and challenges

· Nutrition tracking

· Weight tracking

· Water log

· Distances, steps and some provide GPS for activities such as running

On the flip side, there are negatives associated with wearables for example:

· Distraction

· The constant buzzing on your wrist (linked to anxiety and)

· Exclusion

· Expense

Determining whether or not we should allow students to wear smartwatches and the like is a tricky question. If it were up to me I personally would say no. The reason why is because using them in a practical sense makes sense, using them as a tool seems incredibly appealing. The issue is students are not using this technology as a tool, but more a distraction, at least from my personal experience. Students don’t use wearables to enhance learning, they use them to reply to texts or view notifications as they are not supposed to use phones in class (depending on the school). Wearables force the question in classrooms for teachers. Teachers can’t force students not to wear them, which leaves us needing to find a way that we could use wearables to enhance students learning, and not distract from it.

For this blog post I want to specifically focus on the apple watch, the features of the apple watch and how it can enhance learning. What I do need to mention is that wearable devices are not cheap and therefore are an added expense. The school would need to justify the need for these devices. Apple watches are priced too high for schools to ask students to buy them at the beginning of their high schooling but the school could buy some for the physical education and health department, rather than heart rate monitors or GPS devices. Other cheaper options such as Fitbits and Garmin versions with less features could be purchased by students prior to high school. The biggest thing is that schools need to justify the education use to parents. In saying all of that we as teachers cannot exclude students so if some students cannot afford these devices, basing a class around the use is very difficult. It has been asked in surveys that if wearable devices will take over smartphones and tablets and 43% of smartphone users said wearables could replace smartphones at some stage (Meola, 2016).

The video linked below is the Fitbit designer Gadi Amit, he talks about the future of wearables and how it is changing the landscape of wearable devices:

The apple watch is a highly advanced device with many features. This device is fantastic for health and fitness, but with other features such as calling and messaging it can do essentially all that an smartphone can do. This device records a series of different data, and below I will create a list of features and will link a youtube video which shows the devices capabilities.

• Steps
• Heart rate
• Calories
• GPS (map)
• Health and fitness tracker with reminders
• Siri
• Messaging and calls
• Sleep tracker
• Exercise tracker

How can wearable technology enhance the classroom and the school curriculum.

The physical education and health curriculum could defiantly be incorporated with the use of wearables. There is a list of different uses that wearables could be used for within these class’s and classrooms.

· Data collection

· Fitness program tracking

· Distances, speeds and heart rates

· Nutritional information

· Calorie counting

For example, you could use the apple watch within class and get students to track all their nutritional data for the week, track everything they eat and drink. As a teacher, you have the ability to link back all this information to the curriculum, talking about food sources such as Carbohydrates, fats and proteins. After the data is collected you would have the ability to compare food types with water intake and sleep, which would allow you to teach alternatives to what students have been doing. For a health class, it provides an interactive way to be involved with the data you have collected. Say the school has five apple watches you could create a rotation and 5 students use it for week one and then it swaps. I have watched a teacher implement a similar process but without apple watches. She had students track all their food and data intake for a week by hand so students understood the process it took. The following week she gave a couple of the students Garmin wearables and let them record their data with the application. After the two weeks, they made a comparison of the data. It was defiantly and interesting use of the devices and it worked well, had students really excited for their week with the devices. What this does in the long run is give students a better idea of what they are putting in their body. Students or even society in general need to understand just because food might be the same in calories doesn’t make it even. Things to consider such as vitamins, minerals, sugars, fats/healthy fats and even sodium becomes important when looking at what you are putting in your body.

For a physical education class, it can be used to track data but in a different way. In VCE physical education students will participate in practical classes in where data will need to be recorded the Apple watch makes this far easier. Rather than fiddling with GPS devices or Heart rate monitors this becomes a less invasive method. In VCE physical education students begin designing training programs and logging data and an Apple watch could do that more accurately for students.

Curriculum:

The Victorian curriculum requires schools to teach students digital literacy. The Victorian Curriculum website states:

• blended and virtual learning
• game-based learning
• accessing digital content
• collaborating locally and globally
• assessment and reporting online
• active participation in online communities
• Using technology to connect, collaborate, curate and create (Victoria State Government, 2017)​.

These are all things that become important, especially where the world is trending, it becomes vital to give students an understanding of these dot points. Wearable devices tie in with many of these dot points and come under digital literacy.

Resources-

How to justify this approach to Parents and the school:

Using wearables can have a lasting impact on students not only does it teach students about nutrition which is a lifelong skill and something that is very important going past school. It allows teachers to challenge students and get them motivated towards achieving their fitness goals, with reminders, challenges and even time exercised. These devices will help students to meet the national guidelines of physical activity, which is something that is becoming harder since video games, Netflix and smartphones took over.

Physical activity-

Exercising is a very important habit and not just a hobby but a lifestyle. Wearable devices encourage exercise and it is shown students who exercise are more productive in classes. “researchers reported that students who are physically active earn higher grades and score better on achievement tests than their inactive peers” (Torlakson, 2012). Students who exercise in still better habits and are more productive in other aspects in their lives.

Nutrition understanding-

Giving students Nutritional understanding, is important as it teaches them more about their body and understand how it functions. Nutritional information is a long-term skill for health and fitness as well as overall wellbeing. Giving students some further information on nutrition shows them there are better choices than just reaching for the sugar.

Data collection-

For a physical education or Health class collecting data as stated before is a valuable resource, and gives a lot of freedom and an exciting activity for students. Students engage more and work harder through theory and practical classes.

Health-

“Consumer wearables can provide patients with personalized health data, which could assist with self-diagnosis and behaviour change interventions” (Piwek L, Ellis D, Andrews S, & Joinson, A 2016). As these devices advance they will track more health components. This can help students have a greater understanding of just how important health is within the bigger picture of life.

Below are some links to resources that are useful and can be paired with wearable devices:

The below link is a website from Vic Health in which they encourage physical activity. The website includes news, campaigns such as walk to school and even new projects in the works:

Promoting Physical Exercise - Physical Activity Programs | VicHealth

Below is a link for Active for life, which promotes a healthier lifestyle not for the short term but for the long term. There is a set of downloadable resources on the website based around physical education:

Active for Life

A downloadable resource from active for life:

Download the Active for Life resource

Physical activity: getting kids involved | Raising Children Network

Activity Tips for Children | Nutrition Australia

Physical Activity: Keeping Motivated | Nutrition Australia

There are so many resources out there in regards to physical activity and health. Many of these resources allow you to add in your own aspects, and most of which teachers can include wearable devices into. Adding challenges and including wearables is a fantastic to get students to buy in and engage further into the activities in which they will evidentially learn more.

What does the literature have to say about wearables?

The literature tends to highlight just how far these wearables are able to go into the future. The literature also argues against if we should be using and relying on these devices the way we are. The main points the literature covers is privacy, value of the product, the influence it has on education and the uses of the device. With these components to consider, does the literature support the use of wearable devices in classes?

As far as privacy goes there is little in place for wearables. Wearable devices take all of your information and there isn’t any privacy policy that blocks people from being able to access the individual’s information. There have been reports that some of these companies are collecting data and sharing it with other companies and individuals. “Wearable devices are armed with an array of sensors whilst also offering the means to establish a network connection, enabling the transmission of the collected information to a remote node” (Ly, Jin, 2016). Data is taken from the consumer and with no privacy policy we are not protected. This alone would make it very difficult to incorporate these devices with school students. “While these devices are capable of providing increased convenience and improved health services, they are also “collecting, transmitting, storing, and often sharing vast amounts of consumer data, thus creating a number of privacy risks” (Ramirez, 2015).

Is the price of wearables worth what we as consumers pay for them? The main argument is that are these devices worth buying with inaccuracies, bugs and broken hardware? “The takeaway? Money doesn’t buy precision” (CBS, 2017). Some of the devices are worth the money others maybe not much. Schools and individuals will need to do research into devices prior to making an ultimate decision.

It is still clear that there isn’t a large enough sample size to show the long-term effect or even if devices such as these have educational value. Wearables effect Habits by making us walk further to meet targets, exercise more, but there’s something less seen. Men and women changing the way they eat in a negative way or rather not eat (“How We Discovered The Dark Side Of Wearable Fitness Trackers”, 2017). This is defiantly a hard topic to find literature on and I defiantly found little to nothing. No one wants to study these effects, nor is there a large enough sample size. There will defiantly be studies done in the future.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, there are many types of wearable devices in the 21st century that provide consumers with value. The question posed was do wearable devices, provide a roll or value within the classroom and education system. With some research and some personal experience yes, they can defiantly have a role, but with technology there will always be limitations. There are many ways particularly within the health and physical education curriculum that wearable devices can be included. Including tracking data, setting health goals for students, keeping students motivated and educating students around the physical and health world, whilst relating all of it back into the school curriculum. Whilst wearable devices may not be an ideal tool in maths for example that shouldn’t mean that wearables should be completely excluded. There are ways and resources as linked above that can help wearables be a useful tool and in the future, there will be more and more resources. The world of wearable devices is an untapped world just waiting for education facilities to discover.

Refrences:

Active for Life. (2017). Vichealth.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 13 October 2017, from https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/media-and-resources/publications/active-for-life-resource

Activity Tips for Children | Nutrition Australia. (2017). Nutritionaustralia.org. Retrieved 15 October 2017, from http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/resource/activity-tips-children

Amit, G. (2014). Fitbit designer Gadi Amit: wearables will help us become ‘more human’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyH-r1Mk_qE: CNET.

Apple Watch explained in under 2 minutes. (2014). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsJYgHlJ1zo.

Are fitness trackers worth the money?. (2017). Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 21 October 2017, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-fitness-trackers-worth-the-money/

Developing a healthy eating policy | Healthy Eating Advisory Service. (2017). Heas.health.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 15 October 2017, from http://heas.health.vic.gov.au/early-childhood-services/developing-healthy-eating-policy

Edith Ramirez, FTC Chairwoman, Opening Remarks at the International Consumer Electronics Show: Privacy and the IoT: Navigating Policy Issues 2 (Jan. 6, 2015), https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ documents/public_statements/617191/150106cesspeech.pdf.

Gross, G. (2016). Privacy protections for wearable devices are weak, study says. Computerworld. Retrieved from https://www.computerworld.com/article/3150780/security/privacy-protections-for-wearable-devices-are-weak-study-says.html

How We Discovered The Dark Side Of Wearable Fitness Trackers. (2017). IFLScience. Retrieved 27 October 2017, from http://www.iflscience.com/technology/how-we-discovered-dark-side-wearable-fitness-trackers/

Phaik, J., & Goh, L. (2015). Privacy, Security, and Wearable Technology. Landslide,, Volume 8,(Number 2), Page 1.

Kelvin Ly, Yier Jin, “Security Challenges in CPS and IoT: From End-Node to the System”, VLSI (ISVLSI) 2016 IEEE Computer Society Annual Symposium on, pp. 63–68, 2016, ISSN 2159–3477

Marr, B. (2017). Forbes Welcome. Forbes.com. Retrieved 11 October 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/03/18/15-mind-boggling-facts-about-wearables-in-2016/#e700b8d27323

Meola, A. (2016). Could the Apple Watch replace the iPhone?. Business Insider. Retrieved 11 October 2017, from http://www.businessinsider.com/could-the-apple-watch-replace-the-iphone-2016-6/?r=AU&IR=T

the definition of wearable technology. (2017). Dictionary.com. Retrieved 11 October 2017, from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/wearable-technology

Torlakson, T. (2012). Physical activity helps improve academic achievement. The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/sdut-physical-activity-helps-improve-academic-2012feb16-story.html

Physical activity: getting kids involved | Raising Children Network. (2017). Raisingchildren.net.au. Retrieved 15 October 2017, from http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/physical_activity_children.html

Physical Activity: Keeping Motivated | Nutrition Australia. (2017). Nutritionaustralia.org. Retrieved 15 October 2017, from http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/resource/physical-activity-keeping-motivated

Piwek, L., Ellis, D. A., Andrews, S., & Joinson, A. (2016). The Rise of Consumer Health Wearables: Promises and Barriers. PLoS Medicine, 13(2), e1001953. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001953

Promoting Physical Exercise — Physical Activity Programs | VicHealth. (2017). Vichealth.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 13 October 2017, from https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/our-work/encouraging-regular-physical-activity

Victoria State Government. (2017). Teaching with Digital Technologies. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/Pages/elearningcurriculum.aspx

Created by: Timothy Hart.