Music Video Backs National Fitness Campaign

Reposted from SUNY Cortland News:



05/13/2011 

About 50 SUNY Cortland students from two physical education courses took to YouTube recently with a music video parody to promote awareness for First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity.

The clip, which features Assistant Professor Stephen Yang’s students, is a response to Beyonce’s "Move Your Body,” a workout video re-written with new words to her hit song "Get Me Bodied." The Grammy award-winning singer released the tune earlier this month to encourage dance exercise among children as part of the First Lady’s effort.

Yang saw an opportunity to teach his students, mostly aspiring physical education teachers, in a memorable way. Students performed a choreographed routine similar to Beyonce’s, with old dance moves like the Running Man and new ones like the Dougie.

“We can’t just talk about current issues,” Yang said. “We’ve got to give students opportunities to create social moments.”

Yang’s students banded together to form a group dubbed the P.E. Rockstars. All of his students are required to maintain their own blogs related to physical education. Yang has even created an all-inclusive blog of relevant course material.

J. Trenton Jones, a junior from Clifton Springs, N.Y. and a physical education major, volunteered to edit the raw video footage, which was shot from four cameras.

“Dr. Yang gives you the tools and he allows you to teach yourself,” said Jones, who knew little about video editing before Yang’s class. “He puts you in a situation and you have to work through it.”

The production of a music video made sense, given the relevance of the First Lady’s fitness campaign and the fact that May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.

“This was a great way to move and get people doing cardio,” Jones said. “Dancing is lifelong fitness activity and that’s pretty much where physical education is heading – lifelong fitness.”

Yang said he would like physical education students to create exercise-encouraging music videos every year. SUNY Cortland’s Department of Physical Education is one of the largest and most respected in the United States, attracting about 800 students every year.

“Obviously, we’re not professional dancers,” Yang said. “But this is a baby step towards a much larger goal: to create agents of change.”

Dr. Tim Davis to Receive APAC National Outstanding Professional Award

Congratulations Dr. Davis! Please drop by or send him a congratulation e-mail.  davist@cortland.edu

Taken from the SUNY Cortland Bulletin

Timothy Davis, assistant professor of physical education at SUNY Cortland, has been named the 2010 Outstanding Professional Award recipient by the Adapted Physical Activity Council (APAC) of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).

A nationally respected SUNY Cortland faculty member since joining the College in 1998, Davis will be recognized on Thursday, March 18, during the AAHPERD convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

“He embodies the concept of a truly selfless, compassionate professional, always taking the time to help others,” noted University of Florida Professor Christine Stopka, in her nomination of Davis for the honor.

“In fact, his mission has been to improve the quality of physical education services for children with disabilities through the development and promotion of highly qualified adapted physical education teachers, one teacher at a time. He believes strongly that empowering individual teachers can have a profound effect on the quality of lives of children with disabilities.”

The APAC award recognizes an exceptional member who not only has provided leadership to the organization and who has contributed to scholarly publications in the field of adapted physical education, but also someone who has “made a significant mark on the lives of others through teaching, athletics, entertainments, serving in public office, or in some other way enhancing the positive image of people with disabilities in society.”

Davis, who presided over APAC from 2000-02, has been a role model and an indefatigable adapted physical education leader in both service and scholarship for years, noted Stopka.

The chair of the Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS) Project for the past eight years, Davis is the anonymous “expert” behind the organization’s PE Central “Ask the Expert” online service.

“Dr. Davis receives 15-20 e-mails and messages a week asking for information ranging from disability to state licensure and beyond,” explained Stopka, adding that he answers those requests “in a meaningful and personal manner” and “without receiving credit whatsoever for his time and effort.”

He has promoted APENS through a Web site, online links and enhanced visibility at AAHPERD regional and national conferences, she noted.

“More recently, he was interviewed for an article in Education Weekly, where he was asked to speak on behalf of the field of adapted physical education and national standards,” Stopka explained.

"Dr. Davis’ scholarly activity speaks to his passion in the field,” she continued. “He has been represented in all of the leading physical education journals. His list of international and national presentations is formidable. Dr. Davis exemplifies the professional who ‘talks the talk and walks the walk.’ He connects with practicing physical educators through his writing as well as through his presentation. He has a national reputation as being a ‘go-to’ person for answers that require practical application.”

Stopka said that Davis has been instrumental in the three-year expansion of the national mentoring program, “I Can Do It! You Can Do It!” for youth with disabilities developed by the Office on Disability in the Department of Health and Human Services. He is one of nine national directors promoting the mentorship of children with disabilities to increase physical activity and nutrition. He is targeting his upcoming research on addressing perceptions of physical education teaching majors with disabilities, an underrepresented area in literature for many years, said Stopka.

She singled out his commitment to the local community as director of the Cortland Homer Afterschool Mentorship Program (CHAMP), a five-days-a-week, state-approved, afterschool daycare program. In addition, Tim has developed many service learning opportunities for his students. These include Skill Builders and Challenger Sports for children with disabilities birth to 21 years, Thursday night wheelchair sports, Project LEAPE, and most recently Project DREAM serving at risk youth and those with disabilities ages 13-21.

A native of Reno, Nev., Davis earned both a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s degree in adapted physical education and early intervention from California State University, Chico. He has a Ph.D. in adapted physical education and early childhood special education from the University of Virginia.

From 1991-94, Davis was an adapted physical education instructor and director of the Ability Challenge Sports and Recreation Program at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.

At SUNY Cortland, Davis received the 2009 Rozanne M. Brooks Dedicated Teacher Award and was honored by the College with its Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Outreach Award. In 2007 and 2008, he was presented by the College with its Distinguished Faculty Service Learning Award. In 2008, SUNY Cortland earned the Adapted Physical Education Program of the Year Award from AAHPERD.

Davis was presented with the prestigious William A. Hillman Distinguished Service Award in 2006 by the National Consortium on Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities. He has received several other Professional of the Year Awards from state organizations in New York and outstanding service awards while working in both New York and Indiana.

A member of several College committees, across his career he has successfully written grants for nearly $600,000 in sponsored research associated with adapted physical education. Most recently, Tim has developed the School Partnerships in Physical Education Program creating funded teaching opportunities for graduate students majoring in adapted physical education.

Within the community, Davis presided over the board of directors for Access for Independence of Cortland County, an independent living center servicing adults with physical and developmental disabilities. He has been active with local Little League organizations and serves as faculty advisor to the national powerhouse SUNY Cortland baseball team.

For many years, Davis was a big game guide in the province of Alberta for the Canada Division of Forestry, having served a year as a guide in the Yukon Territories. Since 2003, he has taught Inclusive Outdoor Education, a graduate course at SUNY Cortland developed specifically to address the needs of diverse populations in outdoor education experiences.

He and his wife, Lisa, have two children, Chase, 13, and Peter, 10, and reside in Homer, N.Y.

Tim Davis quoted in Education Week regarding access of students with disabilities to sports

Our very own Dr. Tim Davis, CAPE was featured in an Education Week piece regarding access of students with disabilities to sports. Click here to read more about the importance of focusing on student abilities and not their disabilities.

School staff members often lack training and experience in how to adapt physical education classes for students with disabilities—and the quality of services is reduced as a result, says Timothy Davis, an assistant professor of physical education at the State University of New York at Cortland and the chairman of the Adapted Physical Education National Standards, a project established by a professional group to create standards and a certification program for the profession.

Only 13 states suggest additional training for physical educators to teach adapted physical education, according to Mr. Davis. Most states do not require any additional certification.
Teachers in an undergraduate program for physical education are often required to take one three-credit course in adapted physical education in the last year of the program, he notes. “By the time they get interested in adapted physical education, they are done and they are out student-teaching,” Mr. Davis says. “Then because they have had the one course, they get a job in a district teaching adapted physical education.

“The lack of standards for hiring highly qualified teachers is a huge frustration,” he says, “that perpetuates the lack of service, the lack of quality, and ultimately has a tremendous impact on the quality of life of students with disabilities.”
About 1,700 teachers in the United States are nationally certified in adapted physical education through his group, Mr. Davis says.

A Level Playing Field from Education Week on Vimeo.

Because of a lack of training, physical education teachers often feel uncomfortable attending individualized-education-program, or IEP, meetings for students with disabilities—and the absence of those educators troubles him.

“Even if we are not invited to the meeting, we have to knock on the door. It’s your student, in your class,” Mr. Davis says. “If the physical education teacher is not at the meeting, somebody else makes the idea for placement. Somebody else is writing the goals and objectives for physical education. We need to be there; we need the representation.”
Sometimes an attitude shift can make a big difference, he says, in how to teach sports to students with disabilities.

“You focus on ability and not disability,” Mr. Davis says. “Focus on what a kid can do, and you can make it work. If you say, ‘He can’t run, he can’t throw,’ I cringe. Tell me what he can do, and now we can start teaching.”

Dr. Columna on L.A. PBS show

Dr. Luis Columna was recently on the Spanish language Los Angeles PBS show called Los Niños en Su Casa to discuss the importance of providing quality physical activities in the home. The topic of the day was El movimiento (Movement) and the host of the show was Alina Rosario. One of Dr. Columna's research areas includes physical activity for migrant workers and their families, so it was a great opportunity for him to share his expertise with the public. In the link to the article, you will find some written advice on how to make fun activities for kids of all ages. The filming occured in February 2009 but the show did not air until June 2009. ¡Felicidades Dr. Columna!

Assistant Professor Stephen Yang radio interview at 2009 Games for Health Conference

At the Games for Health conference (June 2009) in Boston, MA, PE faculty member Stephen Yang was interviewed on the Dave Graveline Radio show, a weekly radio network program covering the latest in consumer electronics and technology. Professor Yang researches ways to use technology (exergames) to increase healthy behaviors, knowledge and attitudes in children of all ages and all abilities. His research blog (www.exergamelab.blogspot.com) serves as a place to highlight the latest exergames, technology, and research invloving electronic games and technology.

"Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline" is a 3-hour radio program (as well as 60 second Daily Features and ITTV Video Reports) covering the Latest in Consumer Electronics & Technology available today and ... into tomorrow. The show airs on over 100 AM & FM radio stations around the U.S., on SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio, radio stations in Germany, Bermuda, New Zealand, Canada and several other sources including Mobile Broadcast Network, BeOS Radio, Sprint Radio, TiVo, CelleCast and many others - every weekend. "Into Tomorrow" is also heard around the world on the Armed Forces Networks in several other countries. In addition, they stream all their audio and video via their web site and provide free Podcasts of all show archives.

The ONLY international show covering Consumer Electronics exclusively for 14 years, "Into Tomorrow" highlights the way technology is changing our lives! From Gadgets & Gizmos to Home Theater, Digital Photography, Car Audio, Security & Navigation, High Tech Recreation, HDTV, Technology On-The-Go, GPS and everything else that people are talking about.

Check out the rest of the broadcast and interviews at the David Graveline Into Tomorrow Radio Show.

Be sure to catch the other great interviews with Ole Petter Høie, Managing Director – Positive Gaming, Kyle Ward, Musician/Engineer – Positive Gaming, Gary Florindo, President & CEO – LIGHTSPACE Corp., Jerry Heneghan, Managing Director – Virtual Heroes, Seth Sivak, Chief Product Officer – Deep End Interactive, Ben Sawyer, Co-Founder – Games For Health Project, and JoAnna Darst, Project Manager – Humana Games for Health.

And here is the rest of it.

Yang & Foley receive Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Outreach Award

In May 2009, Stephen Yang (Assistant Professor) and John Foley (Associate Professor) received the Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Outreach Award in recognition of being the assessment team for a Department of Edication - Carol M. White - Physical Education Program grant.

The purpose of this project is to collect and analyze data to support the implementation of the Cortland County Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant from the Department of Education that is intended to improve physical education classes district-wide. SUNY Cortland graduate and undergraduate students will assist in the collection of teacher and student data such as attitudes towards physical activity, time spent in physical activity, and motor skill testing. Results of the assessments will be reported back to the grant administrator to include in the grant progress reports to the U.S. Department of Education. School level reports will also be generated to inform administrators and educators. (Cortland Excels)

Gary Babjack Receives Excellence in Professional Service Award

Congratulations to Gary Babjck for receiving the Excellence in Professional Service Awards -
Excellence in Innovation within Profession. This award is in recognition of Gary's constant strive to making things better and to help different groups here at Cortland.

Gary has taken the lead in developing new initiatives from synthesizing and utilizing technology in the classroom to developing a web-assisted master’s degree program in Physical Education at SUNY Cortland. He “catalyzed technology applications,” including Dartfish technology, XOS (a state-of-the-art digital team analysis system), and a mobile tablet computer lab to provide training to physical educators and students in utilization of cutting edge technologies. Through Gary’s diligent efforts and close work with Academic Computing, all student-athlete program evaluations are now done using WEBCT. He was instrumental in securing the hardware necessary to have a digital analysis system in place for coaches to utilize in assessing individual and team performance. As a Dartfish Master trainer, he attends practices daily to assist coaches in learning to use Dartfish and XOS to enhance team and individual performance. Our state-of-the-art camera systems for Corey Gymnasium were the result of his being instrumental in partnership discussions with Panasonic. He co-wrote and received a grant for instituting computer assessment in pedagogy classes. In addition to teaching, advising and volunteer activities, Gary coached our 2007-08 Gymnastics team to a third place finish and coordinated the 2008 USGA National Gymnastics Championships held at SUNY Cortland this spring. His technology innovations have resulted in improved processes and effectiveness for all connected with our Physical Education Programs and Team Sports. (Via Cortland)

Please leave a comment for him, stop by his office, or send him an e-mail (babjackb@cortland.edu) to congratulate him.

Dr. Tim Davis receives Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Outreach Award

Dr. Timothy D. Davis, also received the Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Outreach Award at the President's annual award ceremony, Cortland Excels.

Dr. Davis was responsible for securing funding and programming for the “Homer CSD/SUNY Cortland Graduate Student Partnership” worth $15,000.

The Homer Central School District (HCSD) and the Adapted Physical Education faculty within the Department of Physical Education have created a partnership to improve the quality of Adapted Physical Education services currently provided to children with disabilities. Tim Davis and Mike Carboine, Athletic Director for HCSD, outlined the guidelines for a long-term partnership designed to enhance the access and adaptive physical education programming opportunities for children with disabilities throughout the Homer school district. The HCSD will support a part-time Adapted Physical Education graduate student in exchange for 20 hours per week of direct service working with children. The responsibilities of the graduate student are to teach the majority of HCSD’s adaptive students four hours per day in either the elementary, intermediate or junior high schools. The graduate student is responsible for the planning and teaching of daily lesson plans specific to each individual student, along with coordinating and updating any IEP plans for students with the office of Special Education for Homer Schools. The “win/win” scenario provides financial support while graduate students receive valuable public school experience. Past public school partnerships in Adapted Physical Education have been created with Marathon Schools, DeRuyter Schools and the Fransizka Racker Centers. The creative designs and outreach for school partnerships exemplifies why SUNY Cortland’s Adapted Physical Education program was recognized in April of 2008 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAPHERD) for The Program of the Year Award, which is the highest honor for adapted physical education programs as recognized by AAPHERD. The school partnerships are an extension of the APE commitment to promote and assure integrity for individuals with disabilities throughout central New York.

Ast. Prof. Stephen Yang quoted in OPRAH Magazine

Assistant Professor Stephen Yang was contacted by Sari Harrar, a health/medicine journalist for OPRAH Magazine, to see if the GoWear Fit (a physical activity monitor that is worn on the arm) might help people lose weight.  His research involves measuring physical activity and has been using the Body Media Sensewear Armband for a number of years - it is the parent company of their commercial unit GoWear Fit (mentioned earlier in the article).  Here is the link to the article that was posted online earlier this month (my comments are in the final paragraph).  To find more information on Yang's research on physical activity and video games, click on the Exergame Lab website or Exergame Lab Blog.

Exercise researcher Stephen Yang, PhD, an assistant professor of physical education at State University of New York College at Cortland, says this innovative armband takes the guesswork out of one side of the weight loss equation. "Until recently, mainly research labs used devices that measured calorie burn this way," he says. "Seeing the numbers can be a real motivator and will help keep you from missing workouts." Use the GoWear Fit to figure out how much additional activity you need to burn an extra 500 calories a day. If you keep up that effort, you should drop about a pound a week.

Assistant Professor Stephen Yang quoted in USA Today

Can games like 'Wii Fit' really work it?

Stephen Yang, Assistant Professor in Physical Education was contacted by Kim Painter, Senior Health Columnist for USA Today, for comments on how effective exergames are for cardiovascular benefits and overall health. Here is the excerpt of the article referring to my comments and the full article can be found by clicking on this link.

But games that are more demanding, more interactive or both are on the way or already available, says Stephen Yang, assistant professor of physical education at the State University of New York-Cortland. For addictive, calorie-burning fun, Yang recommends Eye Toy Kinetic (for PlayStation2), a workout game that points a camera at the user to track movements and provide instant feedback.

He also likes tween favorite Dance Dance Revolution (for various game systems), which is not marketed as an exercise game but fits the bill. And he directs parents to Gamercize, a British import that connects to any video game system — and keeps it running only as long as the user keeps moving on a mini-bike or step machine.

The future will bring games that track heart rates and keep exercisers working at a challenging but safe pace, he says. Virtual group workouts, with participants connected online to a live coach, will happen, too, he says.

But the games that work best, Yang says, will be the ones that are the most fun.

To find more information on Yang's research on physical activity and video games, click on theExergame Lab website or Exergame Lab Blog.

Congratulations Dr. Tim Davis - Teaching Award

Congratulations to Dr. Tim Davis - for being selected to receive the 2009 Dr. Rozanne Brooks Dedicated Teacher Award. Tim will receive this prestigious award at the Honors Convocation on April 18, 2009. It’s wonderful recognition for the great work that Tim has been doing and very much deserved.

The Brooks Award honors a faculty member who devotes a significant amount of time both to teaching and to working with students outside of class. A $5,000 honorarium is included with the award for use in enhancing Tim’s teaching initiatives. Tim is a dedicated and outstanding teacher. His classes are exciting, challenging and filled with energy. He expects professionalism both in behavior and academic performance from each individual student in his classroom as well as from the community of students in his classroom. Tim’s students respond to his expectations by being active and vigorous contributors to class discussion, always listening, always questioning, always engaged. The selection committee noted that Tim’s work outside the classroom is exceptional. He developed a partnership with the J.M. McDonald Sports Complex and the Cortland Homer Afterschool Mentorship Program (CHAMPS), which is an extension of his Motor Development undergraduate course. The program places his students as afterschool mentors to at-risk youth ages five to fourteen. He develops community programs that benefit the participants and, at the same time, gives our students the confidence and skills they need to succeed as teachers and leaders. Tim serves on the College’s Student Affairs Committee as the School of Professional Studies representative for the Faculty Senate. Tim directs the Adapted Sports and Adventure Camp at SUNY Cortland. He is faculty advisor for the College’s baseball team and for Project LEAPE (Leadership and Exercise in Adapted Physical Education). Since 2002, he has chaired the Adapted Physical Education National Standards Project (APENS), which provides national standards and certification examination for adapted physical educators. A grant review committee member for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Recreation Services in the Division of Personnel Preparation since 2001, Tim has been awarded many College, state, federal and private grants. Tim has presented at numerous international and national conferences and has written for several publications and children’s books. (Viaww.Cortland.edu)

Please stop by his office or send him an e-mail (davist@cortland.edu) to congratulate him.