Bella Vista School Opens Xbox Kinect Classroom
By: Kyle Leyenberger, KNWA-TV, Fayetteville
Updated: November 29, 2012
Kids at Bella Vista's Cooper Elementary are trading in their dodge balls for Xboxes in a new classroom using video games for physical fitness.
Students can hit the slopes, serve up an ace, or even face off in a game of football, all within the comfort of the Kinect Classroom.
"In these cold winter months especially, the times when they can't get outside they're still staying active," says P.E. teacher Jason Rowan. "They're still getting their heart rate up."
Microsoft designed the room, hooking up 12 TVs to Xboxes with cameras, shadowing any movement on the screen. 24 kids can play all at once, and Rowan says the room is the biggest of its kind in the country.
"We're going to use this opportunity to collect data," he says. "Hopefully it can be something contagious to other schools as well."
Rowan says the games keep the kids moving constantly, and the activity is a great alternative to recess.
"They're working up a sweat, and they're loving it," he says. "I think it's going to be limitless, the different sports they can put in a video game."
Click here to watch this report.
Students can hit the slopes, serve up an ace, or even face off in a game of football, all within the comfort of the Kinect Classroom.
"In these cold winter months especially, the times when they can't get outside they're still staying active," says P.E. teacher Jason Rowan. "They're still getting their heart rate up."
Microsoft designed the room, hooking up 12 TVs to Xboxes with cameras, shadowing any movement on the screen. 24 kids can play all at once, and Rowan says the room is the biggest of its kind in the country.
"We're going to use this opportunity to collect data," he says. "Hopefully it can be something contagious to other schools as well."
Rowan says the games keep the kids moving constantly, and the activity is a great alternative to recess.
"They're working up a sweat, and they're loving it," he says. "I think it's going to be limitless, the different sports they can put in a video game."
Click here to watch this report.
