53 Days. 635 minutes (10 hours)
Learned from here
Alleluia!
53 Days. 635 minutes (10 hours)
Learned from here
53 Days. 635 minutes (10 hours)
Learned from here
EdTech Inquiry Project
Educational Gaming: Coding
By: Jordan Johnson & Sarah Hiscox
Self rescues and rolling
Self rescue techniques in a sea kayak are for when you’ve performed a wet exit and need to get back into your kayak, whether you have paddling partners or not. While an assisted rescue is quick and convenient, it’s important to be able to return your vessel upright and get back into it as quickly as possible in the occasion that you find yourself without someone to assist your rescue.
There are lots of video tutorials that will give you the information necessary to Self Rescue If You Capsize, perform a Cowboy Rescue, how to use a Paddle Float to Self Rescue, and many others.
One of the most confidence building techniques in any kind of sit-inside kayak (whitewater and sea kayaks equipped with spray skirts) is the ability to roll your kayak without having to do a wet exit. With this group of techniques and skills (along with lots of practise and ideally guided instruction, you can develop a “bomb-proof” roll and be able to right your kayak quickly and efficiently when you capsize.
There are many instructional videos available to teach the theory of rolling and can give you lots of valuable information for when you’re ready to try it yourself, however as with many advanced maneuvers in sports in person instruction will provide immediate feedback and correction to progress quickly.
Here are some videos related to self rescue and rolling: Re-entry and Roll, How to Roll a Kayak, Developing your Hip Snap, Sweep Roll Overview, and Common Mistakes when rolling.
The best way to build confidence in your self rescue techniques is to practise them, starting in safe conditions like a pool or close to shore, and progressing to a variety of less favourable conditions as you build your skill.
Happy Paddling!
#edcampuvic
What an interesting experience! I hope that real-world Pro-D sessions are increasingly organized in the fashion of an Edcamp because I think that having a choice of interesting topics to learn about is a fantastic way of engaging the learners. It was very amusing to see (and participate in) the overwhelming interest about “How to survive your first practicum”, as I think that topic initially attracted over half the participants of the overall Edcamp! I managed to note many helpful tips from the speaker in the room I was in, and I know that although we won’t have a practicum this spring in which to apply the tips, they will apply when we do finally have a practicum.
I took advantage of the invitation to change rooms at will and moved over to the topic that was second on my list: Indigenization of the curriculum and integration of the FPPL. I think the conversation when I arrived was a little above my level of understanding, however when the conversation waned I was able to pose a question about integrating the FPPL into the classroom and received several helpful pointers and strategies of doing so.
I’m sad that there was so little time to spend listening to the various conversations, but I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to take in the information shared with me. The google docs look to have some resources shared within them which is a nice bonus for those who couldn’t be everywhere at once. I hope to see and participate in further Edcamps in the future, as I can see the appeal, utility and benefit of this style of learning conference.
Capsizing and Partner Assisted Rescues
All kayakers will eventually lose balance and capsize their vessel and it is imperative to know what to do on this occasion and how to rectify the situation. All beginners should paddle with other people and ideally have taken a basic kayak course where these skills will be covered.
There are kayak strokes like a low brace or a high brace that can prevent you from capsizing, but in the event that they don’t work (or you don’t know them), you will end up sitting in your kayak upside down. Like with all skills, practise will reduce the panic you may feel in this eventuality. The recommended course of action is to give three loud taps on the hull of your upturned kayak to give an auditory signal to any group members that you have capsized and to come to your aid. Depending on how much breath you’ve got and whether you think a group member might be close at hand, you have the option of running your hands up and down the gunwales of your kayak and hope that they will execute a T-Rescue. If they’re not close or you’re out of breath, you should proceed immediately to the next step:
Wet Exit! If you’re in a kayak with a spray skirt, you will need to reach forward to the the front of the cockpit where there will be a loop designed for this purpose, you need to pull the loop toward the front of the kayak to unhook it from the lip of your cockpit and then pull it towards your head to unseal it completely. From here, your body’s instinct to breathe is going to guide you to the surface in the quickest fashion, but I can tell you it will involve moving to one side or the other of your kayak and pushing your torso away from the boat which guides your legs out of the cockpit.
Once you’re out, you’ll want to keep track of your paddle and kayak, maintaining a grip on both of possible. Confirm that your group is aware that you’ve gone for an impromptu swim, and wait until at least one of them is close by before moving forward.
It’s going to be essential to get as much water out of your kayak as you can before attempting to get back into it and it will reduce the amount of pumping or bailing you have to do when you do. The T-Rescue (slightly different from the prior mentioned T-Rescue) from the water is an effective way of having a partner help you to get the water out of your kayak and get back into your vessel. A strategy that will help getting back into the kayak is called the heel hook and you can learn more about it here.
Next week I’ll go into more detail about self-rescues and rolling.
G ā Em
My learning on this song has progressed quicker than I thought it would and the separate pieces are coming together faster than anticipated as well. My strategy of slowing the video down has helped immensely and while I still canāt play anywhere near full speed, Iām much more confident at playing half speed, and can manage 75% speed when Iām strumming (my finger picking is much slower, but very satisfying as well). In breaking my practise into pieces I had left the chorus until later, thinking that it would be more difficult however when I went further in the video to find out what I had to learn, the chorus is quite simple: F, Am, F, C, G, C.
Currently, my biggest challenge is my transitions between more complicated chords like G to Em (both involving three fingers) and F to G (two fingers to three, but moving a fair distance over the fingerboard). I have been operating under the skiing-inspired mantra āslow is smooth, smooth is fastā while practising these transitions, meaning that I have worked on them at a slower pace, hoping to develop the smoother muscle memory that will allow me to increase my speed eventually.
I have wondered for a little while whether the way Iām holding my ukulele is affecting how easily I am able to make these chord transitions, as the largest struggle between G and Em is fully letting go of my grip on the fingerboard to quickly switch my fingers. If we were in person, it would be a relatively simple matter of checking with my colleagues or instructor to help me fix my error, however without those in-person connections, my option is limited to watching trouble-shooting videos on youtube. Which is what I will work on this week to try and get my G to Em fingering nailed down.Ā
Coding
I was looking forward to this class and it didnāt disappoint! I am a little ashamed to say that until I had a chance to play with some of the learning resources presented in class, I didnāt really understand what coding was, or how it could be taught to students in primary grades. I have a slightly better idea now, however I know that there will be much more learning in this area for me. I recognize the importance of preparing our learners for the future in as many ways as possible, and it will be important that students are not only proficient at using the technology synonymous with society today, but that they understand how it works as well.
Why teach coding? Understanding code helps explain the world, learning to code develops problem solving and computational thinking skills, and it can be really fun! The resources explored in class give a variety of interesting and fun ways to introduce children of all ages to coding. While I havenāt had a chance to explore most of the resources, I hope to be able to spend more time doing so in the future.
The resources presented include: codebc.ca and Scratch (and itās associated tablet app: Scratch Jr.), Sphero and Beebot programmable robots (and microduino, Lego Education, and dozens of other entrants in the programmable objects category).
I am very intrigued by the offline possibility of csunplugged.org and other offline teaching tools like Robot turtles board game and Littlecodr card game
The resources I have explored are code.org and hourofcode.com and I enjoyed exploring the possibilities for kids as young as kindergarten to start learning to code.
Missed class: Distributed Learning
Ironically, due to a failure in technology somewhere upstream of my internet router, I wasnāt able to attend class synchronously yesterday. Thankfully I was not alone in this circumstance and the class agreed to allow an audio recording as an alternative to those of us without access. Distributed learning win!Ā
The assistive technology post that was shared is an amazing compliment to last weekās guest presenter. Iām curious to hear more about AI at the EDSA workshop as well, hopefully I can make time for it.Ā
Although I couldnāt participate in the discussion, it was interesting to hear what my colleagues think about the benefits and drawbacks of online learning. I have experienced many of the benefits outlined such as not having to commute and the associated benefit of being able to roll out of bed and head to class (though my dog usually has something to say about my wake-up time and his morning walks). The added benefit of having the digital resources from our courses available to us before and after class is something else I have appreciated as well.Ā
The negatives raised have all been things I have experienced first-hand as well. The screen exhaustion is so real and finding the energy and motivation to complete computer work outside of my scheduled class times has been a challenge throughout this whole year. The access to distraction being “only a tab away” has also been an enormous exercise in self-control for me (with varying degrees of success). I know that many of my classmates have suffered the same decline in mental and physical health that I have and on this topic, I can only say that Iām eternally grateful to be in a cohort with such supportive and compassionate humans. Trying to complete this year without their support and encouragement would have been impossible.Ā
Learning about the various systems for online learning spaces like Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams and others will be beneficial as technology becomes more and more ubiquitous in our elementary school classrooms. At some point in the future, I will try and experiment with creating my own google classroom so I have an idea of what the back-end looks like for teachers, ideally before Iām expected to use that tool in my own classroom.
Iām glad that the topic of zoom fatigue was raised, as I know weāve all experienced it at some point this year. It was interesting to hear everyoneās ideas of what contributes to this fatigue and very informative to see the data from research on this topic that points to the up-close eye contact being so intense, the fatigue of seeing yourself in real time (I am so guilty of this, but also so afraid to turn off my self-view for the exact reasons that were brought up in the class discussion: I donāt want to forget and thing that my camera is off and do something potentially embarrassing). I want to agree with the fact that the cognitive load is so much higher in video chats, but itās hard to measure on myself while Iām in the moment. The virtual space options like Second Life and Gather Town are interesting alternatives to being on zoom all the time and I would be interested to see if that has any effect on those zoom fatigue factors.
Paddle Strokes
With access to a kayak and requisite safety equipment, the next step in progressing your paddling skills will be to learn and develop the different paddle strokes that will propel you through the water. Like with all of the skills and knowledge presented on my blog, I won’t be presenting anything new or novel but rather gathering resources you can use to inform yourself on the topic.
Some general knowledge resources for paddle strokes: Paddle Education by Jackson Kayak, Paddling Magazine, REI, REI video, Paddling.com video, Paddle TV video, etc., etc.
Forward Stroke: This stroke is going to make up most of the paddling that you do, it will propel you forward in the water. The following is a screenshot of the instructions from here:
Reverse Stroke: If you need to stop or back your kayak up, this will be a helpful stroke to know. The instructions following are a screenshot from here:
Sweep Stroke: This stroke is used to turn your boat. The forward and backward sweep strokes can be combined to turn your kayak without moving too far in either direction. The following instructions come from here:
Draw Stroke: This paddle stroke can be used to move yourself laterally, keeping your boat parallel with your intended target (boat, dock or otherwise). Instructions taken from here:
A baffled king composing and a bewildered student strumming…
According to my Musicianship Goal Planning document, itās time to start learning another song! I accomplished my goal of learning 2 songs by the time of the midterm demonstration and they even included the more complex strumming patterns that I had set out to accomplish in the second half of the semester. I have also been able to learn the chords I intended to, though the speed in which I can change chords still leaves something to be desired. Because I learned 2 songs with different strumming patterns using the chords I set out to learn, my plan is to focus my practise time on one slightly more complicated song that adds another chord to my repertoire and introduces the option of finger picking: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, taught by āThe Ukulele Teacherā.
While I find that his video often goes too fast for me to keep up, I like the slightly easier version in C that he presents versus the version in G that Cynthia Lin teaches, and I can use the youtube function to slow him down as needed! In my first few playthroughs I have come to realize that I will need to break this practise down into smaller, easier components that I can practise regularly and assemble to the final product rather than the strategy that I employed for the previous two songs of just playing through the whole song over and over again.
First of all, the strumming pattern of down down up up is proving difficult to imprint into my muscle memory after using the swing and island strums so frequently over the last two months. Thereās also the faster chord changes and a tricky quick change between G and Em that I will need to practise several times. Finally, the fingerpicking option provides an added challenge if I manage to nail the other pieces together quickly.