Digital Learning in PE: Social Media, Apps, and Wearable Devices with Dr. Victoria Goodyear

By Jarrod Robinson · June 2, 2026 · 4 min read

Dr. Victoria Goodyear examines the evidence for using social media, apps, and wearable devices in PE — with a practical framework for evaluating when digital tools genuinely enhance learning and when they get in the way.

Your students are wearing fitness trackers. They're on TikTok. They use apps for everything from homework to ordering food. Yet when they walk into the PE hall, many teachers feel they need to leave all that technology at the door.

Dr. Victoria Goodyear challenges that assumption. A researcher at the University of Birmingham, Dr. Goodyear has spent years investigating how digital technologies — social media, wearable devices, and health and fitness apps — can be meaningfully integrated into physical education and health education.

In this ConnectedPE session, she doesn't advocate for technology for its own sake. Instead, she presents a nuanced, evidence-based framework for understanding when digital tools add genuine value, where the risks lie, and how teachers can make informed decisions about technology in their PE programmes.

If you've ever felt caught between pressure to 'modernise' your teaching and concern about screen time replacing movement time, this session gives you the research to navigate that tension with confidence.

Watch the Full Session

The Digital Landscape of Young People's Health

Before diving into classroom applications, Dr. Goodyear establishes an important context: young people are already deeply embedded in a digital ecosystem that shapes their health behaviours, body image, and relationship with physical activity.

Consider the landscape:

• Fitness influencers on social media shape how young people think about exercise, body image, and what 'health' looks like
• Wearable devices and health apps generate vast amounts of personal health data — but students often lack the literacy to interpret that data critically
• Social media can both motivate physical activity (through challenges, sharing achievements) and undermine it (through comparison, unrealistic standards)
• The line between educational technology and commercial technology is increasingly blurred

Dr. Goodyear argues that PE teachers can't afford to ignore this landscape. Whether or not you use technology in your lessons, your students are using it every day to make health decisions. Digital health literacy is now a core responsibility of physical education.

Wearable Devices in PE: Promise and Pitfalls

Heart rate monitors, pedometers, and fitness trackers have become increasingly common in PE settings. Dr. Goodyear's research highlights both the potential and the risks.

The Promise

• Personal feedback — Wearables give students objective data about their own activity levels, heart rate, and effort
• Motivation — Many students find tracking their own data motivating, especially when they can see improvement over time
• Differentiation — Heart rate data allows teachers to assess effort rather than just performance, which is more equitable for students of varying ability
• Data literacy — Working with real health data builds critical thinking skills students will need throughout their lives

The Pitfalls

• Over-quantification — When every movement becomes a number, the intrinsic joy of physical activity can be undermined
• Privacy concerns — Student health data is sensitive. Schools need clear policies about data collection, storage, and use
• Equity issues — Not all students have access to personal devices, and relying on technology can inadvertently create barriers
• Misinterpretation — Without proper guidance, students (and teachers) can draw incorrect conclusions from wearable data

The question isn't whether technology belongs in PE. It's whether we're using it in ways that genuinely serve our students' learning, or whether we're using it because it's there.

Dr. Victoria Goodyear

Social Media as a Pedagogical Tool

Perhaps the most provocative aspect of Dr. Goodyear's work is her exploration of social media as a legitimate pedagogical tool in PE and health education. While many schools restrict or ban social media, she argues that a blanket ban misses an opportunity.

Key considerations:

• Social media as content creation — Having students create health promotion content (videos, infographics, campaigns) develops digital literacy, communication skills, and health knowledge simultaneously
• Community building — Private class groups can extend the PE community beyond lesson time, sharing resources, celebrating achievements, and supporting homework tasks
• Critical media literacy — Using real social media content as a teaching resource allows students to develop skills in identifying misinformation, understanding commercial motives, and evaluating health claims
• Student voice and agency — Social media platforms give students ways to share their perspectives on health and physical activity that feel authentic to them

Dr. Goodyear is careful to note that using social media in education requires robust safeguarding policies, clear boundaries, and ongoing critical discussion with students about digital citizenship.

A Framework for Evaluating EdTech in PE

One of the most practical outcomes of Dr. Goodyear's research is a simple framework that teachers can use to evaluate whether a digital tool genuinely adds value to their PE programme:

1. Does it enhance learning that couldn't happen without it? — If the same learning outcome can be achieved without the technology, the technology may be an unnecessary addition.
2. Does it increase or decrease movement time? — PE's primary purpose is physical activity. Any technology that significantly reduces active time needs strong justification.
3. Does it promote critical thinking about health and technology? — The best digital tools in PE don't just deliver content — they help students develop the critical skills to navigate a digital health landscape.
4. Is it equitable and accessible? — Technology should never create barriers for students who don't have access to personal devices or reliable internet.
5. Does it protect student privacy and data? — Student health data is highly sensitive. Any tool that collects personal data needs to meet rigorous privacy standards.

Practical Applications for Your PE Programme

Based on Dr. Goodyear's research, here are evidence-based ways to integrate digital tools into your PE teaching:

• Use heart rate monitors for effort-based assessment — Shift from measuring performance to measuring effort. This is more equitable and helps students understand the relationship between exercise intensity and health benefit.
• Create a class health blog or vlog — Students research, create, and share health content. This develops digital literacy, communication skills, and health knowledge.
• Run a 'spot the misinformation' unit — Use real social media posts about fitness and health as learning material. Can students identify which claims are evidence-based and which are misleading?
• Use video delay tools for skill feedback — Tools that show students their performance in real time (like Replay It) provide instant feedback without the privacy concerns of recorded video.
• Explore gamification thoughtfully — Apps that gamify physical activity can increase motivation, but monitor for students who become fixated on numbers rather than enjoying movement.

Key Takeaways

• Young people are already navigating a complex digital health landscape — PE teachers have a responsibility to build digital health literacy
• Wearable devices offer real benefits for feedback and motivation, but come with risks around privacy, equity, and over-quantification
• Social media can be a legitimate pedagogical tool when used with clear safeguarding and critical thinking frameworks
• Every digital tool should be evaluated against learning outcomes, movement time, equity, and student privacy
• The goal isn't more technology in PE — it's smarter, more intentional use that serves genuine learning

Watch the Full Session on ConnectedPE

This blog post covers the key themes, but Dr. Goodyear's full 37-minute session includes detailed research references, practical case studies, audience Q&A, and a deeper dive into the ethical considerations of digital technology in PE.

The course is completely free in the ConnectedPE members area. Sign up or log in to watch the full session and earn a professional development certificate upon completion.

👉 Watch the full course and earn your PD certificate →

About Dr. Victoria Goodyear

Dr. Victoria Goodyear is a researcher at the University of Birmingham, UK, specialising in digital technologies in physical education and health education. Her work examines how young people engage with health-related technology, how teachers can integrate digital tools meaningfully into their practice, and the ethical implications of technology in educational settings. She has published extensively in journals including Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, European Physical Education Review, and Sport, Education and Society.

Tags: PE Technology, Digital Learning, Wearable Devices, Physical Education, Professional Development