This is an interesting article. Firstly, its Australian. Secondly, its more recent that the last one I wrote about. Thirdly, its similar to the last one I found but The Daily Telegraph provide their trademark bias (lovely) and live up to their tabloid newspaper status by throwing in a celebrity interview mid-article!
Despite having to sift through the opinions of a world champion boxer (who must therefore also be an expert on achieving Physical Education outcomes right?!) the article to does raise a few points that are worth considering when discussing this issue.
Is it reasonable to offer Wii Sports/Wii Fit as an elective, effectively offering it as a substitute for other outdoor activities/sports? Maybe. Is there additional compulsory PE that includes outdoor activity? PE is not only about physical activity. It also about spending time outdoors (important for a number of reasons including the obvious one of getting some vitamin d!). It is about socialisation of children. Does the Wii provide the same social benefits as team games and activities in regular PE class? I'm not sure that it does!
See the following image (from the article):
This image raises another question: How does using the Wii effect student participation? As a PE teacher in training I have been repeatedly taught that maximum participation is a key element of any good PE lesson. Simply, you should have as many students active at any given time as possible. This is not only to increase the amount of time the students are physically active, to maintain high levels of student engagement and give students more opportunities/time to develop and improve their skills. The picture above shows 4 active students and the rest of the class sitting and waiting. What does this do for engagement levels? Activity levels? Skill development? I can see 16 kids who look like experts at sitting on their bums! Unless schools have the means to provide multiple consoles in each class their will inevitably be less overall activity than a 'regular' outdoor/gymnasium PE lesson.
The article does mention that the Wii provided a great alternative in a school that did not have a tennis court. I can see the benefits that this may have.
It also includes the idea that the Wii can provide a means for promoting sports. Though it is not explicitly stated in the article, it is worth extending that thought and thinking about potential future research addressing a research question such as "Can use of the Wii lead to greater interest and participation in 'real' sports?"
Hmmm... ponderness...
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