Month 10 AR Blog Post

Is there a connection between the data produced from your Cycles and the research reported in your Literature Review?

The Action Research demonstrated a connection between Cycle 1 and 2 data and the Literature Review. Based off the data, online group accountability and interaction can illicit self motivation to work out during a busy 9-5 work schedule. The Research also supported and confirmed the Literature Review findings that alternative teaching methods based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences improved learning on different levels (Schrand, 2008); activities and environments conducive to professional development influenced personal development (Koster, Dengerink, Korthagen & Lunenberg, 2008); and social acts that bring out self-awareness and interpersonal understanding were achieved using Web 2.0 technologies (Chih-Hsiung, Blocher & Roberts, 2008).

How did your AR project turn out for you? Describe as a practitioner, how did this project improve your practice.

The research involved in the Literature Review really offered some valuable resources that teachers and professors should consider incorporating into their current teaching methodologies. In this particular Action Research, I can walk away knowing that going out of my comfort zone to try new things is very rewarding. The journey began with self-discovery, which then lent itself to discovering new technologies that were conducive to this project. In this case, I can conclude that Google+ Hangouts is an amazing group video chat service and social network that can be utilized in many ways in the realm of academics. When used properly, it pushes the envelope beyond traditional teaching methods to offer something fresh and innovating that benefit both students and teachers alike.

Is a personal learning environment or an LMO something that could be part of your AR project in the future? Why or why not.

The Action Research project could benefit from a structured learning management environment. Currently, assets are kept on the Exercise From Home website, but they are lost among other blog posts which might make finding the necessary information more difficult. In an age already crowded with data and information, sorting through the clutter to find exactly what is needed has become a challenge in itself. Learning management systems like Schoology offer a way to organize that information and make data more accessible and interactive so that users benefit from the improved structure and interface. It might be exactly what the project needs in order to stand above the rest.

Technology Integration Video

I think I’ve decided on what topic I want to pursue for my capstone project. Having realised that I’m a health nut and I love to work out, it would be awesome to help other graphic designers achieve a healthy lifestyle, too. All we do is sit anyway, which is really bad for our health. Here is a recent article on the effects of sitting on long-term health. Since we designers lead so busy lives anyway, my capstone project will attempt to solve the dilemma of packing physical exercise into a busy work day without having to go to the gym or spending tons of cash on equipment. With resistance bands, you can easily work out and achieve a healthy lifestyle while at work or at home.

I also talk about multiple intelligences in the video, breaking down how resistance band training is very engaging to more than one intelligence. Note that when I talk about interpersonal intelligence, the “interpersonal not unnecessary” caption could be seen as an error, but it’s not. Interpersonal is not an important intelligence in this case because people won’t need to go to the gym, but if online training requires some kind of accountability and motivation, interacting with me (as an example) would allow interpersonal abilities to be tapped and developed. Also note that there is a photoshopped head of mine on some soccer player’s body, which was created in jest for the project. But the other pictures of me are genuine; I gained a lot of weight when I was in undergraduate school, but I was able to lose it with proper diet and exercise.