Website Helps Teachers to Include DDR in PE Class and Karaoke Revolution in Music Education

St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) March 6, 2007 - Fitness benefits associated with playing the active video game Dance Dance Revolution are widely published, and have prompted one state to install DDR game equipment into every single one of its public schools. Physical Education teachers in other states have embraced the concept of the game, but many struggle with how to adapt DDR to their own programs. These educators can now access CoolTechSchool.com, a free information resource for teachers to guide them through including DDR in PE classes.

Developed by elementary school PE and Music Education teachers in conjunction with a parent who introduced DDR to their school three years ago, CoolTechSchool.com provides a clear outline of the equipment needed to play DDR, how much the equipment should cost, and where the equipment may be purchased. Even more helpfully, the website provides step-by-step instructions on how to set the DDR equipment up, how to navigate the game, and how to effectively use DDR in PE classes.

"We launched this web resource because our teachers were being inundated with questions from other PE teachers in the district who knew we had developed a successful program and wanted to do the same at their schools," says Maureen Byrne, the parent who introduced DDR to Shenandoah Valley Elementary in Missouri. "CoolTechSchool.com explains all the basics to teachers who have never really played video games, and it helps remove some of the technical stumbling blocks that PE teachers in our district experienced early on."

To the seasoned video gamer, CoolTechSchool.com may appear almost too basic a primer. But for PE teachers who are among the least likely groups to have significant experience playing home video game systems, CoolTechSchool.com covers information that has become intuitive for seasoned gamers.

The enthusiasm for DDR in PE classes among both students and teachers at Shenandoah Valley prompted the assessment of other video games which might prove beneficial in a class setting. Karaoke Revolution, a game published by the developer of DDR, was identified for its pitch and phrasing feedback features, and is now used in Shenandoah's Music Education classes as a tool to help students monitor whether or not they are singing in tune. A guide for using Karaoke Revolution in Music Education classes is also available for free on CoolTechSchool.com. To learn more, visit the site at www.cooltechschool.com.

About CoolTechSchool.com:

CoolTechSchool.com is a free information website for teachers who are interested in incorporating DDR into PE classes or Karaoke Revolution into Music Education classes. The site was developed by veteran elementary school PE teachers Annalee Zweig and Terri Hauser, Music Education teacher Pamela Yelton, and Maureen Byrne, a parent of children attending Shenandoah Valley Elementary, located outside of St. Louis, MO, where DDR has been a part of Physical Education classes since 2004.

For more information, contact:

Maureen Byrne, Site Publisher
CoolTechSchool.com
636-519-7509
http://www.cooltechschool.com


###