"Without them, students are upset"
Alese Ferrell, Daviess County Middle School PE instructor
Alese Ferrell started using Heart Zones PE technology five years ago after an encounter with Sandy Moore at the local SHAPE conference in Kentucky. Both Alese and her school administration believed their PE program would benefit from incorporating technology so they purchased a Heart Zones Move Solution pack with funds from a hospital grant, fundraising, and the school budget.
When Daviess County Middle School started using heart rate sensors, for Alese and her students, physical education changed for the better. In the first couple years of the students wearing Heart Zones' sensors, the data collected revealed two or three students with heart conditions that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Being able to see their heart rate data live also increased student participation and engagement. So Heart Zones was a hit with the students right off the bat.
With 23 years of teaching PE under her belt, Alese says that she has never encountered this unique dilemma with her students... because now, whenever the students are unable to use the sensors, they are upset!
Alese was pleasantly surprised how much more motivated to participate her students were after they incorporated heart rate sensors and live heart rate data.
Heart Zones allows Alese to not only track heart rate but also levels of intensity which she has turned into a teaching tool. Before, Alese was only able to guess at how much effort her students were putting in during class. Now, her student's heart rate data is saved every PE class which can then be used as a tool for objective grading.
With Heart Zones, her students can be held to a higher standard, such as the Kentucky state requirement of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. Alese can also set her own goals for the students, using their MVPA percentage or FIT points (as pictured above).
Even the administrators loved the visuals of the Heart Zones' "Big Board" and were thoroughly impressed with the real-time feedback that Heart Zones provides! Alese is happy she made the switch after seeing the significant improvement it has made for the 150 students at Daviess County Middle School.
If you are curious...
to know more about how Heart Zones has affected PE for Daviess County Middle School, Alese is happy to answer your questions or even show you in person! Contact Alese Ferrell at alese.ferrell@daviess.kyschools.us or set up a visit to their school in Owensboro, Kentucky.