★★★★★ World War II veterans continued from page 12
Joanne Leight, associate professor of physical education, uses a new iPad in one of her classes.
benefits of regular activity. Google has Ping Pong tables in its office buildings, Nichols said, because Ping Pong engages and electrifies your brain and promotes alertness and improved handeye coordination. “Why does Google have Ping Pong Tables in its offices? They know the benefits,” Nichols said. The physical education classroom has also changed since students donned sweatshirts for what was typically called gym class. Today’s classroom is a modern learning center utilizing the latest technology, including Wiis and iPads. Professors use heart rate monitors, video cameras to videotape biomechanics of swimmers and Global Positioning Systems for hikes, runs and Geocaching – an outdoor activity in which participants use GPS to hide and seek “caches” anywhere in the world. Joanne Leight, associate professor of physical education, said the iPad has replaced the traditional clipboard and offers a number of resources. The smart pad enables educators to take pictures and videos of students performing skills and then permit feedback when played back on the device. iPads permit the storage of songs for use in fitness activities, station work, dance lessons and other applications, Leight said. Emergency contacts, medical information, grade books, attendance, lesson plans and rubrics can also be stored on the iPad. “There are also thousands of applications, many of which are free, that can be downloaded and used in health and physical education classes,” Leight said.
when a “shot from a German plane hit my engine. There was oil all over the windshield. I turned and headed for home base, wondering if I could make it in time.” After the war, Cottrell taught at West Chester University, eventually serving as the associate dean of the department of physical education and was the golf coach from 1954 to 1980. Ten years earlier, Cottrell had married his college sweetheart, Millie. At SRU, Cottrell was a four-sport star, excelling in football, basketball, baseball Edwin Cottrell, ’43 and tennis. In 2003, he was inducted into Slippery Rock’s Athletic Hall of Fame. “ I think every “SRU gave me a great education,” generation has served he said. “We had wonderful professors. with greatness.” They were dedicated; they made you work, – Edwin Cottrell, ’43 and we had to concentrate but it was fun, too. They taught us that if we worked hard, we could succeed.” So, does Cottrell consider his generation the greatest? “We were not any better or different than today’s generation,” he said. “Our country was facing very serious problems back then, and our country is facing very serious problems now. And our youth are doing now what we did back then—whatever is best for the good of the country. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who served in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.” “I think every generation has served with greatness.”
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