iDAT 206 - What is a typical "On-the-go Pro"?

In today's society, it is perceived that an on-the-go pro is someone who works 24/7, lives in a big city, eats organic food, and goes to the gym everyday. Whether or not this is the truth is a different matter. There are many sources that disagree about the above description:



Kathryn Burkholder says she is like millions of other folks. She wants to be healthier, but hasn't been able to do it alone and make it work with her lifestyle.

The 31-year-old finance manager for Cingular Wireless feels she is where a lot of people are as they get into their 30s. They start to gain weight and have a harder time getting it off, she says. It's hard sticking to a 1,200 calorie a day diet; it's "just annoying," she says.

Burkholder is 5 foot 8 and 150 pounds, but, she says, "stuff isn't where it's supposed to be."

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This is what has brought me to see the necessity for a site like I am going to produce. Although people have the money to go to the gym on a regular basis and buy and make healthy food, they often don't as they get caught in a vicious cycle that becomes very hard to get out of.

iDAT 206 - Slow Food..

We have been given the brief for this piece of coursework that requires us to use new media in order to explain "Slow Food";

"The project you device should address an identified need and operate within a broader community, it should critically address production and distribution issues raised in the lecture/tutorial sessions, such as open source and social networks. This may sound vague but all will be made clear in the lectures/tutorials."

My idea is to make a community-based website to encourage "on-the-go-pro's" (Professional people that are on the go all the time) to try and maintain a balanced diet no matter how busy they are. This will involve recipes for them to follow that do not require much cooking or preparation time, a forum for everyone to share ideas and perhaps an area where they can submit their own recipes so they can be shared.

iDAT 202 - Metacognition

In one of our meetings, as this module is supposed to give us some insight in pyschological theories to the way someone learns, we tried to pinpoint which theory on how we learn was as close to the way we expect our target audience to use. Katina helped us out and mentioned metacognition.

Having learnt a little about metacognition, I decided to do some further research to see how relevant metacognition really is.

To start off, a definition:

"Metacognition is recognition on the part of the learner that learning has taken place, or is taking place. It involves understanding and appreciating the factors that make learning possible and one's own strategies and processes of learning...". www.assessnet.org.uk/mod/glossary/view.php

This is a very common cognitive process with problem-solving in mathematics. When someone reaches a problem in maths, they consciously acknowledge the problem and manages to find a way to overcome it as a consequence.

I read a few chapters of the book "The Handbook of Research on Mathematics Teaching and Learning" -
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lLeo33Tvz9
UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=metacognition&lr=
&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0#PPP1,M1

In chapter 15, it goes into a large amount of detail on how "problem-solving must be one of the fundamentals of teaching mathematics in schools". Although this is not chipped in stone gospel words of wisdom, the opinion of the author does have a valid point. Solving numeric problems is the best way to learn the very fundamentals of mathematics. This gives us even more reason to carry along the same track we are on already in terms of how to structure the learning element of the game.

iDAT 202 - Further Ideas

In order to make the game attractive for Year 4 students, a theme is needed for the user to be interested in. As most people know, Harry Potter is a continuing theme that all kids love to read and watch. This has brought us on to the idea of a role-playing game on the them of Harry Potter.

The idea is:

Once the user has chosen which character they want to be (either Harry, Hermione or Ron), the idea of the game is to find the Philosopher's Stone by solving maths-related problems along the way and avoid being caught and getting sent back to bed.

iDAT 202 - E-Learning Module

"This module is an introduction to theories of learning and range of pedagogical approaches in formal and informal education. This module explores the potential and use of interactive multimedia and networked technologies for learning. Through an investigation of e-learning products and environments, explore the collaborative, remote and individual learning with interactive and networked technologies. Develop a critical awareness and practical application of learning theories and styles in interaction and interface design."

We have been put into groups of 2. I have got together with my coursemate James Court and we have decided to come up with a Flash application which will test and teach maths for kids in Year 4 (ages 8-9).

iDAT 206 - Project 1

"Project 1 will act as a diagnostic tool for critique and tutorial input. It is a production based assignment that asks you to author an interactive product. This product can be anything. You can organise yourselves to operate in small production groups (no more than 4 per group). The intention is that your projects will form the substrate for a group critique on the nature of a digital media products and their place in a broader culture."

We got into a group of 4 where it was myself, James Court, Mat Hughes and Chris Blackmore. Our first idea was to do a "Most Haunted" style video tour of Berry Pomeroy Castle, Nr Totnes in Devon.

We went down to the castle, at night and film us going into the castle to seek out the unexpected. Unfortunately, the night-vision was very bad and the footage was useless.

We then came up with the idea to do a "Day in the life of a university student".

Here is the url for it:

Student Life

iDAT 205 - Creative Industries..Sputnik Industries

"Each group will present itself via a live website as an independent media company or digital arts agency/organisation. Whatever form it takes, each group must ‘sell’ its products or services by demonstrating its professionalism and excellence through superior web content and effective marketing, such that it will immediately attract and impress any potential client or visitor to the site. The information presented must be based as far as possible upon actuality, so that you are really demonstrating the combined skills of the members of your group.

You should research as many existing sites as possible, in order to find inspiration and guidance for your own site. You will be expected to reference these sources and any other books/journals/materials and incorporate them in a webography to accompany your site, with annotations explaining why you were drawn to these sites.

You should include the following elements on your website:

Original idea for company/agency/organisation
Description of same (mission statement)
Products/services offered
Profiles of individual members
Selection of best work (based on course projects) with annotation
Compelling images/sound/text
Content and form appropriate to such a company/agency/organisation "

We came up with the idea of a graphics and art canvas distribution company for the office environment.

Here is the URL for the finished piece:

Sputnik Industries