Video analysis is a great way to provide students with feedback from gameplay strategy sessions to student skill development and student self analysis, iPads are an effective tool. They’re easy to use. Students are very, very good at using them. So where does one begin, especially for the teacher who only has one or a few iPads to use in the classroom. First, let’s talk about skill development analysis. Place the iPad on a good tripod or worst case scenario of the students take turns holding onto the iPad. Using a video analysis app such as Bam video delay or video delay, or even just utilizing your iPads basic camera function. You can set up the iPad so that it sees the area that you need and have the students rotate through that area. For example, during our golf unit I have the students take turns watching themselves strike the golf ball either for the pitch, the lob or the full swing.
I can set up the iPad where it views one or more students so that I can utilize the iPad as effectively as possible. I use a simple on/off rotation quite a bit for the iPad video analysis strategy. The on person is going through the skill development and the off person is watching themselves because of the video feedback video delay option. What’s nice about some of those video delay apps is you can actually go back in that development and then be able to point out different things with those students while it’s still capturing the current time footage of the student who’s on the on rotation going through the live skill work.
When using the on/off rotation in my weight room, students who are using resistance bands, they are on the on rotation. When the timer says rotate, they come over to the iPad that has been recording on the Video Delay app and they switch with their partner. They’re able to stand there, look at the iPad and then the task analysis cards that are hanging up next to it to see how they compare in their technique.
What are they doing well, what could they improve upon? It’s really a great system. After the minute is up, they switch back and they carry on with the next lift, the next exercise in that sequence and they go from there continually trying to improve their technique. Another way to do this as to have partner or peer feedback, maybe both partners are in the video and on the rotation they go off to watch themselves and they’re able to give each other feedback and say again, what are they doing well and what’s one area to improve in? I think it’s really important for students to be able to give both kinds of feedback. Again, what are you doing well and then what can we build upon? What can we improve upon? So use the iPads for a simple on/off rotation for them to be able to work on their skill development and their training techniques and they can have self analysis, peer feedback. The format can be as easy as you like.
Lastly for the game play analysis, you can use your video camera function or a video delay app and you need to establish four to five minute game play rotations where some teams are off while others are playing. The off teams are watching gameplay video taken from the previous group, usually about the first two minutes or so of that four to five minute rotation and then they’re recording two minutes of new gameplay for the current group so that when they rotate they will have gameplay footage for them to watch. This is especially helpful if you do not have a Video Delay app. If you do have the Video Delay app, then the same rotation applies, a four to five minute game. However, you can leave the iPad running on your tripod in a corner where it can see the game play and then the teams rotate on and off automatically and they can actually just watch the entire four to five minute gameplay rotation without having to be interrupted to record for the team that’s currently playing. I love to challenge teams to identify one thing they’re doing well as a team and one thing to plan to work on when they rotate back in.
Well in closing here remember technology is a tool. Keep it simple and realistic and you can provide valuable feedback to your students in a simple and effective manner. Thank you for teaching and I hope you have a wonderful day. To continue the conversation you can reach out to me on Twitter at @JessicaShawley. Read my blogs on the Gopher Sport website at blog.gophersport.com and check out the resources mentioned in this podcast on my website at www.pechamps.com.
