Over time, technology has become essential. We rely on it daily – for many, starting the moment our eyes open in the morning up until we close them at night. With this in mind, Bowie Middle School math interventionist and assistant cheer coach Raina Scruggs decided to utilize technology as a learning tool for her cheerleading squad.
“Last school year I noticed some of the cheerleaders were having a difficult time memorizing the cheers,” says Scruggs. “Instead of giving them a piece of paper with the words, we wanted a more efficient way to help them learn.”
In came Canvas, Nearpod and Flipgrid. These are all tech-based resources that are already used for instruction in Irving ISD. Scruggs had an idea to incorporate them in cheerleading as well.
Scruggs and head cheerleading coach Gretchen Goldston began using Canvas – a one-stop shop for housing information – to post announcements and the athletics schedules so the team can keep track of game days as well as house videos of the cheers for reviewing. Through Nearpod they are able to create engaging lessons to test the knowledge of the cheers and Flipgrid to record themselves practicing cheers at home.
“It’s not one’s first instinct to incorporate these technologies for an extracurricular activity,” adds Scruggs. “But the same way we want students in class to demonstrate understanding – athletes can use these platforms in the same manner as well.”
