Running Head: Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

Alan Delgado
University of Texas at El Paso
Literature Review
Elizabeth Lang
English 1312/RWS 1302: Research and Critical Writing

Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

Humans need food and oxygen to survive, but they have created another necessity for
them technology. The technology might not be a necessity like I said, but people see it like this.
Engineers, scientists, and architects have created things that make our lives easier. This
inventions have become addictive and at some point they have become essential on our
everyday life. Before people didnt have internet, and now a days we use it to pay bills, talk to
friends, play games, and etc. Also there was no T.V., cars, or microwaves. People have become
dependent on this things, and there is many people that would not be able to accomplish many
things without all this creations. There is even little kids that are already using smartphones and
computers instead of going outside to play with friends. I did some research of how all this
types of technologies can affect and benefit us regarding the physical activities that we do
every day.
Technology Helping to Enforce Physical Activities
Although many people thing that technology only has a bad effect when talking about
physical activity, it has a bright side also. There is many things that have helped people to have
a better experience when doing physical activities. The article Design requirements for
persuasive technologies to motivate physical activity in adolescents: a field study shows us
many studies that have been done whit technology, so they would start more physical than
digital. They used games, smartphones, internet, and etc. and all of this technologies became
very helpful to successfully complete the goal they had. In one of this studies the researchers
made a game where the users had a fish pet, and the happiness of the fish depended on the

Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

activity the user had. This projected show that this method was effective because the users
knew that after they did their physical activities there was going to be a reward. Edwards, Helen.,
McDonald, Sharon., Zhao, Tingting., and Humphries, Lynne mentioned on the article In each of the

studies participants enjoyed receiving rewards and reviewing them(2014, p.971) Although the
reward was not so immense it had an impact on people using it. Sometime the only thing that
someone needs to begin to have progress is to get just a little bit of motivation.
I found an article on a newspaper called Video Game Pilot Combines Physical Activity
and Learning. This article talks about how some teachers around the United States use the
platform Xbox 360 to play games with the Kinect to , but not only to learn also they involve
physical activities. The author said The educational activities, designed by pedagogy experts,
are paired with existing video games for the Kinect, like bowling and darts, which require
physical activity(2012, p.11) This is something very important to do not only when trying to do
exercise. When you are doing anything like writing, working, and etc. you should enjoy it. When
human beans are excited about what they are doing they are going to put much more effort
than what they would if they were bore while they are doing it. Combining the games with this
physical activities makes anyone try it, and this would definitely benefit them.
Sometimes Technology Keeps Us From Exercising
We live on world surrounded of screens, and distant communication. There is many
people that has replace their time of going out to exercise for watching T.V., or for staying on a
computer screen checking social networks like Facebook, and Twitter. We have become all
virtual you dont have to get out of your house to survive. You can order food with the phone,
you can pay your bills online, and you can even work at the comfort of your house. On the

Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

article Screen Time Versus Activity Time: FINDING THE BALANCE the author talks about on
Australia kids are spending their time using technology and not doing physical activities. Vize,
Anne explains Another recent study found that children in Australia spend more time watching
a screen than they do engaged in any other activity apart from sleeping'' (2008, p.89). As it is on
Australia it is on the hold world technology is tacking control instead of us taking control over it.
Also this article talks about how seventy percent of the society on Australia exceeds the
recommendation of only spending 2 hours per day engage on electronic devices. It is
preoccupant that we are spending so much time on this devices when we have a hold real
world to discover.
Like I mentioned before video games can be a good way to have some kind of physical
workout, but there are games that does not involve any physical activity at all. On the article
The Role of Structural Characteristics in Problem Video Game Playing: A Review they
mentioned how games can be addictive. King, Daniel., Delfabbro, Paul., and Griffiths, Mark
mentioned young people that are addict to games spends so much time playing because they
rather play than going out with friends and they say that is easier than sustain a personal
relationship (2010 p.2). This people tries to hide from reality and from the world. The video
games are not the problems because you can obtain some skills from them, but it is also
important to stay physically active.
Technology and Sports
The technology have changed sports a lot referees use repetitions to see if a play, or
penalty should be valid. On the old days referees only resource to make a decision was to see

Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

with their naked eye. This physical activities called sports where changed, but not everything
was for good neither for bad. On a newspaper I found an article called Responsibility in sport?
which talk about the technology has become a factor on sports. Weir, Stuart says rugby League
and Union referees can call for the video ref to decide if a player has scored a try-did the player
make the line, stay in play and ground the ball successfully? In cricket the technology is used for
run-outs and catches-but only if the catch has been taken by the fielder, not whether the ball
hit the bat first!(2005, p.8). Many people agrees with including technology on sports to have a
better conclusion on this decisions. There is one sport that has not implemented this kind of
technology which is the football (soccer) because it is a fast phase sport that stopping it to see if
there is a penalty, offside, or a goal would damage the essence of the game. This sports is like
life it goes on and dont look back no matter if the things that happen where the correct ones. If
technology happen to be added to this game it would never be the same and it could be a
discontent with the fans that watch this sport.
Also the technology is used to make a better training for athletes. New machines and
techniques are been created because of the new knowledge that scientist have retrieve. On the
article How to build a better athlete it talks about some of this technologies. Gillis, Charlie
talks about this machine called Neuro Tracker that is use with hockey players to let them
have better reflexes while they are skating(2013 p.4) This technologies have given an advantage
to athletes and it made the competition between them step to a higher level.
People is changing

Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

As this graph shows us we can clearly see that technology is taking over and the human
population is being affected by it. This is only a chart for smartphones and we can see how fast
the increment on the selling of this kind of devices is, but this is not just happening with
cellphones. Every day we see people with much more modern stuff than we used to see like 2
years before. New computers, televisions, cars, videogames, and etc., many of this technology
had make us be lazier people. Although there are technologies that help us be on better shape
like, new gym equipment, gym machines, application on our cellphones, and even the internet,
the majority of the technology that people buys and use is the one that makes life easy. What I
mean when I refer to make life easier is that this kind of devices make you do less physical
effort.

Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

Survey
I conducted a survey to some of my friends asking them about the use we give
technology. My first question was Do you think that the use you give technology is the right
one? the majority of the people y ask told yes. They said that they used the technology to do
homework, investigate, and play games, but nobody told that they used to do any physical
activity. My next question was How do you use technology the most? there were answers like
watching television, playing video games, surf the web, interacting with friends and etc. Then I
ask Do you use technology for any physical activity? this was a very important question
because many of them did not use at for any of this type of activity, and the few that used it say
they just use it when they are on the gym like new machines, and new exercises. For my last
question I said Do you think technology affect the way we do physical activates? the most
common respond that I got was no they said that technology is not relate to technology. After
this survey that I did I realize how many people chooses technology that makes them do less
physical activity instead of choosing the technology is going to challenge them to be on a better
shape. It is very important that people start to worry about using the technology on a way that
is going to help them have better helath.
Conclusion
Technology always comes with good and bad things. The problem is not technology the
problem is the people that uses it. We have the choice to do physical work. It depends on every
and each of us how are we going to use the technology we are provided. Every person should
think about how they are handling new inventions and if they are really getting advantage of it.

Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

Source List
Edwards, H., McDonald, S., Zhao, T., & Humphries, L. (2014). Design requirements for
persuasive technologies to motivate physical activity in adolescents: a field study. Behavior &
Information Technology.
Retrieve from http://0search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=97189137&site=ehost
-live&scope=site
(2012). Video Game Pilot Combines Physical Activity and Learning. T H E Journal.
Retrieve from http://0search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=74454474&site=ehost
-live&scope=site
Vize, A. (2008). Screen Time Versus Activity Time: FINDING THE BALANCE. Screen Education.
Retrieve from http://0search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=34685118&site=ehost
-live&scope=site
King, D., Delfabbro, P., & Griffiths, M. (2010). The Role of Structural Characteristics in Problem
Video Game Playing: A Review. Cyberpsychology.
Retrieve from http://0search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=53172066&site=ehost
-live&scope=site
Weir, S. (2005). Responsibility in sport? Challenge Newsline.
Retrieve from http://0search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=18042874&site=ehost
-live&scope=site
Gillis, C., (2013). How to build a better athlete. Macleans
Retrieve from http://0search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=90642594&site=ehost
-live&scope=site
Graph
(2011). Gartner Research; A.T. Kearney analysis

Technology and Physical Activities Go Together?

Retrieve from http://www.atkearney.com/financial-institutions/ideas-insights/article//asset_publisher/LCcgOeS4t85g/content/inside-tomorrow-s-retail-bank/10192