How High School Teachers Leverage Educational Technology in Sports Coaching

"In my classroom, we talked about different modalities of being able to learn, and all these kids learn so differently. And with the push of technology in their hands, many of them are starting to learn through technology," says Sam Tilts, Girls Director at Igloo Lacrosse and school teacher.

Tilts discovered this technology integration opportunity while working with young athletes who had grown up with digital learning tools. Her educational background revealed how classroom technology principles could transform athletic instruction effectiveness.

This challenges the assumption that educational technology and sports coaching technology require completely different approaches and expertise for effective implementation.

Igloo Lacrosse's educator-coach technology perspective

Sam Tilts brings classroom teaching experience to elite travel lacrosse coaching, providing unique insight into how educational technology principles can enhance athletic instruction. Her dual expertise spans both academic learning environments and competitive sports development.

The program serves young athletes who have grown up with technology-enhanced education, creating expectations for digital learning that traditional athletic coaching often doesn't address effectively.

Tilts' educational background positions her to recognize technology opportunities that pure athletic coaches might miss, particularly regarding how students actually absorb and process information in modern learning environments.

The gap between classroom technology and sports instruction

Before applying educational technology principles to athletic coaching, Tilts observed disconnects between how students learned effectively in classroom settings and how sports instruction was delivered through traditional methods.

Educational technology research demonstrates diverse learning modalities and engagement strategies, but athletic coaching traditionally relied on verbal instruction and basic demonstration without considering proven educational approaches.

"You might tell them, 'Hey, you opened your hip, that's why the girl beat you.' Until they see that, they can't conceptualize what those words mean a lot of the time," Tilts notes about comprehension challenges that educational technology could solve.

The classroom environment provided daily evidence of how technology-enhanced learning accelerated student understanding and retention compared to traditional instruction methods.

How educational technology principles transformed sports coaching

Tilts implemented video analysis using educational technology principles that matched student learning preferences with effective athletic instruction. "All these kids learn so differently. And with the push of technology in their hands, many of them are starting to learn through technology," she explains.

The approach recognizes that modern athletes have developed learning preferences through constant technology exposure that athletic instruction should accommodate rather than ignore.

Educational assessment principles improved how she measured and tracked coaching effectiveness through systematic video review and player progress documentation.

"Veo has been a tool that really has changed a lot of our players' games. I think that even though we have middle school and younger players, this tool has given them the edge to get ahead of many people," Tilts notes about applying educational technology principles to competitive advantage development.

Ready to unlock educational technology insights?

Tilts' educational technology approach shows how classroom learning principles can transform sports coaching effectiveness through appropriate technology integration. Veo experts are standing by to help.