Like I mentioned in my first blog post about the Networked Learning Project for our CEP 810 class, our goal was to learn how to do something we’ve always wanted to do using only online resources. I have always wanted to learn to use the speed bag, so I was excited to have this opportunity to finally start training with it.
Throughout the past few weeks, I tried using various sources for my learning. I checked out Reddit for the first time but found it cumbersome and difficult to find information. I tried searching Twitter hash tags, but I realized that it was difficult to search for relevant hash tags about speed bag training. I searched for help on a boxing forum but didn’t find anything helpful there, so I posted my own question asking for some advice. I don’t like having to wait to get answers when I’m looking for information but being able to ask a specific question can be beneficial. I didn’t receive a response to my question in the boxing forum, but I have asked questions in other forums with some success. I’ve also had success searching forums in the past, so I see the value of using them. I posted a question on Twitter using the #speedbag tag as well, but it didn’t receive any responses. I wonder if it would have been a good idea to try some other hash tags to see if I could get a response.
Videos turned out to be the best source of information for learning how to use the speed bag. Being able to see an instructor demonstrate proper techniques as well as the common mistakes that people make was really valuable. Since this was a physical activity involving motion, video definitely helped me learn more quickly than reading about it or even seeing pictures about it because I could see and mimic the motion of the teacher. One video in particular from Shraims Academy (2013) helped me correct an error I was making which caused the bag to spin out of control when I was hitting it. Seeing the intructor demonstrate the right way to hit the bag was helpful.
Finding videos that show someone hitting the speed bag in the first person perspective was one of the most helpful things I did. When I watched those videos through an Oculus Go, I felt like I was there hitting the bag. Since there were times during my learning that I wasn’t able to hit the speed bag, using this visualization technique was really valuable. I did a short video about this in my second blog post about networked learning.
While doing this project, I realized the importance of context in Mishra and Koehler’s TPACK model (Mishra, et al. 2006). Using a virtual reality headset with a first-person perspective video was a good use of technology for me because I wasn’t able to actually hit a speed bag for two weeks. In a different context where I had access to a bag, using technology this way would not be the best way to learn. It would be best to forego the use of technology altogether and go straight to work with the bag. When hitting a real bag, you get physical feedback. If you don’t hit it correctly, you’ll quickly lose control. Practicing with a virtual reality headset does not give this same feedback so it’s not the best tool to use in this context.
I plan on continuing using networked learning in the future. In particular, I’m curious about experimenting more with Twitter. Before this project, I thought that I would need to build a large network of followers and ask them questions when looking for information. It never occurred to me that I could post a question with a related hashtag and potentially reach a much larger audience, but I plan on exploring that more in the future.
References
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for Teacher Knowledge. Teachers College Record Volume 108, Number 6, June 2006, pp. 1017–1054. Retrieved from https://d2l.msu.edu/content/DEVELOPMENT/2017/courses/DEV-candacem-2017-CEP810Master/Articles/mishra-koehler-tcr2006.pdf?&d2lSessionVal=XfUxWkrK71SZ0tVAIkbCOCjgz&ou=628350&&d2lSessionVal=rpAqJcgvsobatSrG0Jk0bp9ok&ou=663261
Shraims Academy, 2013. How to hit the speed bag, Speedbag for beginners. Retrieved from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W9FZiOWvFuY
Brian Durst EdTech 