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Week 5

This afternoon in our Tech Ed course we touched on topics of inclusion in our classrooms and the importance of adjusting teaching to accommodate learners of different capacities. I was suddenly struck by the functionality of all of the technology at our fingertips. It is incredible that in todays world we are able to have students distantly participate in classroom lessons via zoom and video conferencing. Not only can they see their fellow classmates but they are able to listen in as the instructor delivers the days lecture. This also allows for the distant learner to actively participate through a live audio mic or respond on the Apps messenger chat. The chat is then projected through screen share onto a large monitor at the front of the room for their peers to read. I’m encouraged by these advancements and the efforts being made to provide content access to individuals with various needs. Inclusion should always be made a priority and I believe it is the role of the teacher to creatively tailor lesson plans/activities for students who may require extra assistance or who have diverse learning needs. This could also mean building appropriate scaffolding while delivering content in a mode suitable for the child’s abilities.

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Turning to the pros

While I am definitely starting to feel myself getting stronger overall, I still can’t seem to stay up for longer than about 2 seconds! Time to turn to the professionals…

This week I took my questions to the experts. I went to MA yoga studio downtown in Dragon Ally and interviewed three of their top instructors.  These were my take home messages:

  • Ground FIRMLY into your hands and use your fingers to grip the floor
  • Ensure that your gaze and point of focus stays in between your hands – this will help with balance
  • Externally rotate shoulders. Push up and out of scapula
  • Engage EVERYTHING – core, glutes, legs..
  • Flex feet as if you were standing on the ceiling
  • Use a wall to get comfortable with the feeling of being upside down
  • Practice every day and don’t get discouraged!

Looking forward to taking all of their advice to heart and applying these tips over the coming months.

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Little by Little

Wrist Warm Up

A long with a proper warm up routine I have begun to regularly include a daily strength training circuit designed to help me build the neccessary muscles for a sustained handstand. This includes three 30 second reps of each of the following:

Forearm Planks

Supermans

Hollow body holds

Supplemental Practice

This week I reinforced my regime with daily yoga classes:

Monday – 9:30-10:45am  Hatha

Tuesday – 12:00-1:00pm Vinyasa

Wednesday – 5:30-6:45pm Slow flow

Thursday – 5:30-6:45pm Vinyasa flow

Friday – 7:15-8:15am Vinyasa

Saturday – 9:00-10:15am Vinyasa

Sunday – REST

Am certainly feeling all of the increased weight bearing on my left wrist. My ganglia has been flaring up again and impeding my ability to train as much as I would like. Frustrating to not be able to go as deep in many postures but I am adapting and using modifications to alleviate the pain. I know it is important to listen to ones body and not push it too far. A sustained injury will only impede my progress. For the meantime, I am taking care to rest completely on Sunday as well as ice my wrist after practice.

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Week 4

Last year I took a Digital Arts course at UVIC and was blown away by some of the technologies we were exposed to. I discovered that I really enjoy using digital  tools in art making, particularly employing the use of photoshop when working with images.

Clouded, 2019

This was a piece I did as a commentary on my relationship to social media and the digital world.

I also found a love in creating film. The skills I developed in my digital arts course aided in the production of my short “Who Am I” introductory video for EDCI 352.

Who Am I

Another one of my passions lies in music. My partner and I make electronic music together using a program called Ableton. The soundtrack used in the background of my Who Am I video is a tune made a couple years ago called Washed Out.  Attached as a widget to the footnotes on my blog is a track titled Shanti that we co-produced featuring my vocals. The lyrics to the song are from an ancient Sanskrit mantra.

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Week 3

This has been such an insanely busy week. Every time I think that I have gotten a handle on all of the assignments I realize there are many more I’ve missed! I’m afraid my transition into the world of online learning has not been as graceful as I had planned. I’m hoping my clumsiness will fade as the term progresses.. Apart from all of the intermittent course load panic, the last few classes have actually proved to be extremely interesting. In my EDCI 352 Multiliteracies course on Thursday we were fortunate enough to be joined by Rich McCue from the Digital Commons. He presented an introductory workshop on TWINE a digital story telling tool. After his talk we were all invited to try our hand at creating our own interactive story. I even earned a digital badge for successfully completing the tutorial!

During our Tech class on Friday we had the opportunity to sit down with Jesse Miller who spoke to us on our online citizenship. He covered a number of enlightening topics including online privacy, safety, bullying and consent. I found his lecture extremely informative and his talking points gave me much to consider. I have been thinking a lot recently about my online presence and last year I made the decision to make my instagram private and change my facebook name to an alias. I would not feel comfortable having students be able to find me on social media. I’ve since tried to google myself and the only thing I can find is a memorial piece I penned for a famous Norwegian Philosopher.

 

 

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Foundations

This week I dug deep into my library and pulled out some informative yoga references. I really appreciate the skeletal images provided in “The Key Muscles” textbook. It highlights a great visual representation of the joint stacking required to enter and hold this pose.

 

Preparatory Poses:

  • Downward Facing Dog
  • Mountain Pose
  • Plank
  • Feathered Peacock
  • Reclining Hero
  • Eagle
  • Cow Face Pose

Wrist Warm Up Video

IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS STRETCH AND WARM UP APPROPRIATELY !

Today I activated my Trello board. I’m really excited to have access to an online tool that can help me make lists and keep track of my goals. I’ve always been an avid list maker and Trello really takes it to the next level. I like how user friendly the interface is, and how the ease of moving tasks from in progress to done. The visual layout helps me to take mental note of what still needs to be completed.

Oh yeah, and did I mention I learned how to screen shot on a mac!? It’s been such a game changer! I can use CONTROL/COMMAND/3 for a straight screenshot, or CONTROL/COMMAND/4 if I want to select a particular portion of my screen.

 

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Week 2

It has now been 10 days since the start of my PDP program. Needless to say, it has been a rollercoaster of emotions! While last week had left me feeling mentally drained, I found a renewed sense of purpose after our first full day observing in a high school setting. Being able to interact with students in an educational setting was exactly the kind of affirmation I needed, and I feel an increase in motivation knowing that I am on the right career path.  I am entering this coming week with an increased sense of self-assurance and a desire to stay on track.

On Friday I had the pleasure of meeting with my fellow POD members. This proved to be an extremely beneficial experience as their queries regarding the course mirrored my own. Together we were able to work through our various questions and guide each other through the weeks task list. I see what a tremendous asset it will be to have a core group of classmates to chat with on Mattermost and meet with regularly via Zoom. It is a relief to know I can check in with my POD whenever I have questions about the class content or want to receive guidance on my current blog posts and assignments. In this time of isolation, having any opportunity to connect with my cohort in any medium, seem like a triumph. I would love to take the skills I am learning in this course to continue developing a professional blog on the various teaching resources I encounter. I hope this type of platform will help me to connect with fellow educators in the future.

Going into the next week, I want to be mindful of all the prolonged screen time my eyes and body are enduring. Valarie, one of our TechED professors, reminded us take care of our eye health over the coming months. I’m going to make a conscious effort to take breaks to stretch my neck and look away from my screen every half an hour. I’ve definitely noticed the constant sitting starting to take a toll.

 

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Reflection – Week 1

This first week has been an absolute whirlwind and I am struggling to flip my mental switch from ‘summer brain’ back into the world of academia.  Never the less, I am so grateful to have been accepted into this program and couldn’t be happier to embark on this next step to becoming a teacher with such a wonderfully diverse cohort.

When signing up for EDCI 336, I’ll admit I was intimidated by the course subject and found myself feeling slightly apprehensive. Our first lecture on Friday left me with a lot more questions then I had answers for, and initially, I was fairly overwhelmed. Over the weekend I dedicated time to slowly go through the syllabus and tackle each task on our weeks list. While I am still struggling to get a grasp of all of the new platforms we have been exposed to, I’m beginning to understand the true breadth and functionality of the multitude of technologies at our fingertips. What a truly dynamic time to enter the world of education!

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Free Inquiry Project

As a dedicated yoga student and trained yoga teacher, I make sure to set aside time each day for a mindful, movement based practice. While I have certainly progressed in many asanas, one posture in particular has always alluded me –Adho Mukha Vrksasana – also known as the handstand.

My goal for our Free Inquiry project, is to devote my energy and efforts into learning the theory behind the pose, mastering the preparatory postures and building the core strength required to enter and maintain a handstand for 5 seconds.

I believe the first step in this pursuit is changing my internal dialogue from: “This is impossible”, too “I CAN handstand!” That being said, I will attempt to approach this challenge with patience and a sense of humour, knowing the process could potentially take years..

In the next few days I plan to start gathering useful resources. This may include:

  • Yoga textbooks
  • Consulting with advanced practitioners
  • Watching instructional youtube videos
  • Reading about the success and failures of others
  • Creating a daily workout plan to build core strength
  • Becoming knowledgable about the risks and contraindications of this advanced pose

 

Questions:

  • Why can I kick up into a handstand but am unable to stay?
  • What muscle groups are involved in balance and stability?
  • How long will it take me to hold the pose for 3 seconds or longer?
  • Can my wrists withstand this level of daily strain?
  • Will I be able to achieve this goal without injuring myself?