Fitbit One Teaches Students Benefits of Healthy Living
In today’s standards-based, data- driven educational climate, it’s easier than ever to track student
progress in any subject, and physical
education is no exception. As a PE
teacher, I’m always on the lookout for
apps and other digital age tools that
can help make staying fit easier for
my students.
Recently, I used a device called
Fitbit One as a data collection tool
in a higher education wellness and
fitness course. The Fitbit One contains
a three-axis accelerometer, altimeter,
and cylindrical vibration motor that
aids in wellness and fitness data collection. The miniature device is durable,
may be worn discreetly, and is rain
and sweat proof. It records steps taken,
distance traveled, stairs climbed, calories burned, hours slept, and the quality of sleep.
The Fitbit One contains a three-axis accelerometer, altimeter,
and cylindrical vibration motor
that aids in wellness and
fitness data collection.
In my course, each student used
their personal results to lead them
into a behavior change project. Student feedback was overwhelmingly
positive. Many of them lauded the accuracy, ease of use, and ability to collect and analyze data associated with
activity, nutrition, and sleep from a
single device.
Because of its ease of use, I think Fitbit One would be ideal to use in a K– 12
environment, where students are just
learning how to live healthy lifestyles.
Fitbit offers an easy way to illustrate
to students how to balance calories
consumed with physical activity. The
device analyzes energy expenditure
at rest and during activity as well as
calories consumed to determine if a
student is gaining or losing weight.
It also reports how many hours and
minutes users spend in the sedentary,
lightly active, fairly active, and very
active zones.
Users can sync the data wirelessly
to a computer via USB or to a Blue-tooth-enabled smartphone or iPad,
and information is automatically uploaded to a free, personalized online
dashboard that displays results and
trend analysis for physical activity, dietary patterns, and sleep effectiveness.
Students enter the foods and beverages they have eaten throughout the
day directly into the online dashboard
