Physical education during the COVID-19 pandemic and online training of sports teachers integrating technology into its applications levels

With the transformation of the main learning resource into online distance education applications in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic process, the importance of teachers' technology use has emerged in order to maintain an uninterrupted, qualified and equal opportunity education. In the event that students experiencing earthquakes, natural disasters or acute health problems such as the COVID-19 pandemic need online education, teachers' level of integrating existing and emerging technologies into their lessons will directly contribute to the development of students. In this direction, the aim of the study is to examine the level of integration of technology into online distance education processes of Physical Education and Sports teachers working in secondary and high schools affiliated to Muğla Provincial Directorate of National Education. The study is a descriptive research in survey model. The population of the research is 430 Physical Education and Sports teachers working in secondary and high schools affiliated to Muğla Provincial Directorate of National Education as of 2021. In the study, it was aimed to reach all Physical Education and Sports teachers with the purposeful criterion sampling method, which is one of the non-random sampling methods, and 182 teachers who voluntarily participated in the study during the pandemic process formed the sample of the study. As a data collection tool, sub-dimensions of 'Technology Literacy', 'Technology Integration to Lesson', 'Communication' of the Scale for Determining Teachers' Levels of Educational Technology Use, a descriptive information form and an open-ended question were used. Although the form consists of 38 items in total, it was prepared in an online environment to enable teachers to answer the items and delivered to the teachers in digital environment through the Provincial Directorate of National Education. Statistical analyzes were made with the SPSS package program. As a result of the parametric tests applied to the data showing normal distribution, Physical Education and Sports teachers; It has been determined that educational technology usage levels show a statistically significant difference in favor of the variables of gender, age, education level and participation in technology courses. As a result, in line with the findings obtained, it is suggested that pre-vocational and in-service trainings should be based on practice rather than theoretical knowledge in order to improve the technological professional equipment of Physical Education and Sports teachers. It is thought that by meeting these suggestions, Physical Education and Sports teachers will contribute to student development by increasing technology integration into their lessons and enriching education.