UberSense App

Description:

I have created a multimodal tutorial for the app Ubersense which is a slow motion application for computers, Androids and iDevices. This app is used often to help record and play back a specific sport skill in slow motion to help create better form and enhance performance. The application can be downloaded from the app store or from the internet at http://www.ubersense.com/ and does not have to be paid for.

Pedagogical Use:

The app is perfect for a variety of different teaching strategies including review drills, comparing and contrasting, problem solving, self- reflection, and group work.

Screens Below:

1. This app is very user friendly and once the app is opened the first screen shot below appears. From the main screen to get started creating your own videos you would push the “record” button.

2. Push the “record” button again to begin recording the video once you are in place. Push the same button again to stop the recording.

3. The third screen below is what appears after the video is recorded, you may instantly tag who is in the video and what sport skill it is. When you are finished tagging this information you click “Done” and the video is saved to the device you are using and you are immediately ready to record the next video.

How To Do It:

This digital tool requires the teacher to download the application on a device, a phone, tablet, or computer. The teacher has the opportunity then to establish some personal settings in the device such as Name, Picture, Employer, Primary sport, Location, and which social networks to link the app too. The teacher would have to have a specific skill station set up for the teacher or coach to record the students at multiple times so the videos can be compared to find flaws within the skill that are hard to see with the naked eye. The videos can be played back in slow motion at speeds of half of a second, a quarter of a second, an eight or a second or at normal speed. Multiple videos can be linked together to be played at the exact same speed and motion for easier analysis.

Screens below:

1. Click the small window in window icon to compare the video being displayed to another video. You may choose between a professional video, another video you had recorded or another video you are going to record immediately following clicking the button.

2. After the comparison video is chosen the user will scroll the time reel on the bottom of the screen to fast forward, rewind or stop the videos from playing to synch them to the same timing before clicking the lock on the screen so they play at the same speed.

3. While the videos are playing you may use the pencil icon to draw lines, angles, circles, squares or arrows in different colors to visually show the differences between the videos being compared. This will help pinpoint the areas of focus for the students or athletes. The comparison video can be saved and shared as well.

Limitations:

This app has some limitations which include not all sport skills are in the video library. Making the comparison of a specific skill to a professional difficult because there might not be a quality video in the video library. This app is user friendly but the videos are not stored on a cloud so the videos have to be shared so they can appear on different devices.

Conclusion:

My recommendations to teachers are this app can be used to review skills for sports specifically during PE or coaching classes. I would suggest using this type of tool in the classroom when a student is having trouble with a skill that will hold them back from advancing on more complex skills. Often students who are kinesthetic or visual learners need to see their mistakes versus how the skill is supposed to look. This app can help create a Personalized Learning Network as well because all the videos taken and edited on this app can be emailed to people or shared on social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.