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Port Arthur Schools Launch 'Interactive Playground' for PE

A Texas school district will use a software-powered audiovisual system that includes a laser projector, movement detection camera, sound system and automated lights to turn a gym wall into an interactive panel.

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(TNS) — In this day and age, technology is ingrained into almost every aspect of everyday life — particularly in schools.

That's no more evident than in Port Arthur ISD where elementary students soon will have the opportunity to utilize an "interactive playground" in their physical education classes, which aims to combine academics with athletics.

The interactive playground, known as Lü, is an audiovisual system powered by educational software that includes a high-definition laser projector, a movement detection camera, a powerful sound system and a fully automated multi-colored lighting system to create an immersive environment, according to the company's website.

As part of a district-wide implementation of interactive panels for classrooms, Port Arthur ISD Instructional Technology Supervisor Kenneth Daigre said he came across the "dynamic" program being used by other schools and districts for P.E. classes.

"Basically what Lü Play is, is it turns a wall inside of the gym into an interactive gaming system that combines academics with physical education," he said during a demonstration of the program Wednesday. "There's a whole curriculum that's designed to turn the wall into (an interactive interface) and there are games that the kids will play that they'll get physical with, but also do math, science, social studies, (language arts) or English."

Daigre said this program will allow students to learn through physical activity and create a fun environment that doesn't necessarily feel like school.

"Imagine kids coming here to play games and they're learning but not realizing that they're learning because they're being active," he said. "What we're trying to do is utilize that fun time to close those educational gaps and challenged that some of our kids have when they go back into the classroom. Hopefully, when they leave here, they'll go back to the class a little bit sharper, a little stronger and they can get over those fears of things that they just haven't mastered yet."

As far as he knows, Port Arthur is the first school district in Texas to implement this program on a district-wide level, Daigre said.

"I have collaborated with some school districts in California, in some (other) states that have used it and saw tremendous standardized testing gains and local grading gains from using the program," he said.

Though no one solution can solve all academic gaps and challenges, Daigre said he thinks this program is a good place for the district to start.

"Any time we can find something that gives a reasonable increase, we should always look at investing in it," he said.

Because athletics is so popular in Southeast Texas, Daigre said he thinks Lü Play will allow the district to motivate more athletic-minded students to utilize their skills in the classroom as well as on the field or the court.

The district will launch the program first at its eight elementary campuses: Adams, Dequeen, Houston, Lakeview, Port Acres, Travis, Tyrrell and Washington.

Washington Elementary P.E. Coach Terrell Clark said this program will be a game changer for his students.

"This is taking P.E. to a whole other level and kids are so much into technology now," Clark said. "Now, you can merge what the kids are learning in the classroom with the P.E. program. When some kids learn the regular way in school, in a classroom with a teacher teaching a subject or something, some of the kids don't get it, but when they're on a computer, they get it."

Adams Elementary P.E. Coach Brittany Johnson said she thinks the program will increase class participation amongst her students.

"They'll be eager to come to P.E. because of the Lü, and they'll be eager to learn in their classroom setting, too," she said. "They'll be like, 'Oh, we did this in P.E., I remember this word from P.E.' It's phenomenal."

Lü Brand Ambassador Jason Watson, who did Wednesday's demonstration, has been using Lü Play in his Pasadena P.E. classroom for four years and he's seen the impact its had on his students over the years.

"It gets the kids motivated," he said. "There's an app on there called the 'Disco app,' and it coordinates with music and it flashes — I try to do a one-minute warm-up with my kids when they come in and half the kids are walking. But if I turn the disco on and turn the lights down, the kids go crazy and it creates that immersive environment."

Watson said he's noticed the program encourage shyer students to participate in activities and collaborate with their classmates.

"Anything you can use in your gym to increase physical activity nowadays is a plus," he said. "You get pushback from those people who say it's just more screen time but it's not. They're not sitting there — they're moving, hand-eye coordination, they're working together to solve problems. It's meeting the kids where they are."

Pending results at the elementary schools, Daigre said the district might look at implementing the program at the middle and high schools.

Daigre said he's never seen a program like this for P.E. classes before.

"We have the interactive touch panels in the classrooms and this mimics that on a wider scale because these P.E. teachers, they get a whole grade level at a time — they don't have just one class, they may have all of first grade," he said. "So, you can imagine a 65-inch TV, even though that's a big interactive panel, it's not going to be effective for a whole class. But something like (Lü Play) where you can have teams, you can engage the whole group, that's effective."

To install the program at all the elementary campuses will cost the district more than $200,000, which was approved by the school board at its June meeting, but Daigre said he believes it will be worth it.

"We're a district that (tries) to utilize every penny that we have, we don't have money to waste, it's too hard to get," he said. "This came about and we utilized some funds that coincided with some grant funding. I'm very proud that we were able to work to get this."

Daigre said he feels the implementation of this program puts Port Arthur ISD ahead of the curve.

"Sometimes with larger inner-city schools, it's very difficult to get ahead," he said. "It's sometimes difficult just to stay on target. This is not just about the kids, think of the teachers. We're trying to retain our teachers and we have a shortage of teachers — this kind of stuff keeps teachers here when they see that we're trying to support them, to give them the tools they need to be successful."

©2022 the Beaumont Enterprise (Beaumont, Texas). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.