Action Research Blog Post

1. After evaluating your professional environment, what area (problem) of interest have you possibly focused on for your Action Research Capstone project?

     My environment is the church youth group.  I currently am a Teacher / Minister for a group of kids in grades 4-6th grade.  I have noticed that the curriculum for children in grades Pre K -4th grade is truly spectacular.  With groups such as Elevate Pastors and the Veggie Tales creator What’s in the Bible, children are being feed the scripture in a lot of amazing ways.  All of the material however stops when the topics become too difficult and the tastes of the audience changes.  People love to produce christian maerial

1. Material is not age appropriate

2. Multimedia Tools are nonexistent

3.  Content is sometimes good, but starts and stops on Sunday.

2. Why have you chosen this direction? What is your possible solution to this problem?

     My Action research is based on this simple need.  To bring christian teachings up to date with modern teaching methods and tools available.  Specifically addressing the impact of  the following:

1. Movies (custom made for specific lessons) satisfying a form of background knowledge and personal connection to material

2. Video Preachers

3. Journal/Workbook guilds

4. The impact of website tools such as, blogging, Q & A, testimonials, skits, music videos, and gaming tools

3. Describe your target audience. How do you anticipate them playing a role in ensuring that your solution will make a difference in your environment?

     My end goal audience includes young adults from grades 5 – high school.  In order to reach this goal however, my immediate target is pastors and teachers in churches all over the earth.  To reach each child is a enormous goal.  To give my system of tools to teachers who teach these children is still enormous but much more manageable.

4. You should have started researching the current literature surrounding your topic, please describe any challenges/difficulties you are having with this process and/or any helpful hints/tips that you have discovered to make this process easier.

    I have started my research on one topic at a time.  Starting with the effects of Video lessons on students.  This would include also the pitfalls and the successes of video teachings.  My next goal is to research online social media such as Facebook on the learning environment.  My final goals would be the effects of games on educational environments.  The biggest problem I am facing is the creation of my specific gaming environment.  The research to support it is in great supply however the application of this into the real world seems a bit more tricky.  I can of course use tools such as Second Life for my Action Research however I am much more interested in the custom game I would need to achieve my goals.