Health and Fitness Update #5
This past week, was reading break for all University of Victoria students as well as other British Columbia universities and colleges. With reading break, and without the comfort of staying within my own home, staying on track with a healthy diet was a bit difficult at times as well as maintaining a constant workout routine. Therefore, some alternative measures were taken to ensure I could still obtain my goal of eating healthy and staying fit per week. As per Friday afternoon, I travelled to Vancouver (home) to see my family and friends. Once I arrived, I immediately took my dog (Bron) for a 1.5 Kilometer walk. For dinner that evening I ate Sushi with vegetables, which was my only main meal for that particular day. Saturday morning, my family and I headed Downtown Vancouver, where we were saying a few nights. For breakfast, I ate a spinach, mushroom, and egg white wrap. As we arrived, we walked for approximately two hours exploring the great outdoors Vancouver has to offer. When arrived back to the hotel, I went to work out at the gym. Due to limited equipment, I ran for 30 minutes, biked for 15 minutes and lifted free weights for 20 minutes. For dinner that evening, I had pesto mushroom pasta from El Furniture Warehouse. Sunday morning, I ate breakfast at the hotel. My breakfast included: Egg whites, fruit parfait with granola, two pork sausages and one glass of orange juice. My exercise for the day consisted of walking for about 4.5 hours and doing a small workout in the gym. Once again, I ran for 30 minutes, biked for 15 minutes and lifted free weights for 20 minutes. Monday morning, I had egg whites, yogurt, red grapes and strawberries for breakfast. I walked around Granville Island and the market and ended up walking for a combined total of 2 hours. Monday evening, I had a pulled pork sandwich on a brioche bun. Tuesday, I only had a protein bar for breakfast and salad for dinner. Tuesday evening, I also went the gym to work out for an hour and a half. I focused on cardio and free weights, as it was very busy and most equipment had line-ups, therefore I had to improvise my workouts a bit. Wednesday, I intermittent fasted until 3:00pm and had Bourbon St. Grill for lunch, it consisted of chow mien noodles, honey mustard chicken and Louisiana chicken alongside mixed vegetables. For my fitness on Wednesday and Thursday, I ran around my neighborhood for 30 minutes both times. It was beautiful outside and therefore, I could not resist. Thursday, I got back into routine with my chosen diet, as I returned to Victoria on Wednesday evening. I started off my day with eating my protein special K bar with a fruit smoothie. For lunch, I had a chick pea salad with vegetables and rice and vegetables for dinner. All in all, this week I definitely focused more on other types of fitness, rather than just going to the gym and balanced my meals with more protein and vegetables as I cut out some sugar and fat.
Below are some images from this week’s health and fitness post:
Personalized Learning Project: Acoustic Guitar Update #3
As this is my last blog post before my video submission of the “Lion Song”, I would like to discuss what I have achieved throughout my journey and also relate back to my personal growth action plan. Thus far, I have followed my action plan in regard to step number one, and two. This past week, I focused on memorizing the song and practice in front of the mirror and audience. My audience was conducted of my nephews, nieces, grandma, uncle, aunt, cousins and some friends. Some challenges I faced this week was making sure I was on beat with the song, and leading with the strum to ensure I was switching chords on time. Something I discovered is that the reason some of the chords did not sound like they were supposed to was because I was playing too far away from the fret. After practicing the chords: D, G & A7, I am now able to confidently play the chords to my song on beat. Some adaptations I made to my sheet music was instead of playing the proper D chord, I adjusted it by taking out the third finger, although the sound was a tad different, this adaptation was made therefore, I could continue on with the song. This week, I really focused on the chorus and the strumming pattern of the chorus, to ensure I had enough time to change chords, I changed the pattern from up, down, up, down, up down, up down, to up, down, up, down, up, down, up. Below are my notes, along with my sheet music for the Lion Song:
How Can We Use Video To Support Learning?
Videos can be utilized in a variety of different ways within a classroom setting. Not only does videos help support the learning of the students but teachers also benefit in using video in their classrooms. Some of the benefits for the teacher using video in the classroom include; videos are easier to be accepted by the students, it immerses students in the production, it stimulates activities, sometimes videos can bring more information, they engage learners, they integrate the outside world into the classroom and they can often create an experience. For more information regarding the benefits of teachers using video in the classroom, please visit: https://filmora.wondershare.com/video-editing-tips/benefits-for-using-video-in-classroom.html. On the other side, videos help supports the learning of the students by keeping them engaged, giving them details to information, and ultimately, they are used to amplify the students learning. According to cincopa education, the following link: https://www.cincopa.com/blog/10-reasons-to-use-video-for-education/,listed are a few of the reasons to use video for education, as it is a visual stimulation, which grabs students’ attention, there is an emphasis placed on digital literacy, remote teaching opportunities expand exponentially, there are a few ways teachers can use classroom videos, the stimulation of higher order learning, the variety of videos available, the teacher becomes a facilitator, video hosting is a growing industry, videos can be used to accommodate attention spans, and videos are excellent marketing tools. This website also includes a quick 30 second video which addresses the reasons to use video for education. Additionally, using video to support student learning can often be difficult, if the uses of video in learning was unclear. Therefore, to clarify, it can be used through animation, whereas it is usually used as a snappy way of delivering compressed messages, but perhaps with more detail than your average video. It can be used in a factual documentary, ted talks, how to, comedy or even role-play. Below is an attachment of a video, which is four-minutes long and discuss why videos are important in education: https://www.nextthoughtstudios.com/video-production-blog/2017/1/31/why-videos-are-important-in-education. Additionally, in Tech class today we worked on video editing with iMovie. After much deliberation and assistance from my peers I came to the conclusion that my laptop was not updated and did not support the iMovie application. Although, trying to get the application downloaded on my phone, took a very long time, during that time, I was able to watch my peers and collaborate in their video making. I have also used iMovie in the past and am quite familiar with the application, which is why I felt the need to not include a video attachment.
Group Inquiry Post #3
Link: http://blog.teslontario.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kahoot-logo-2.jp
This week, we will discuss game-based learning and the impacts motivation has on students, and in relation to Kahoot. For those of you who may not know, game based learning is a type of game play, which has defined learning outcomes. More generally, game based learning is designed to create a balance between playing and having fun and the ability to retain subject matter/ relevant information, which can be implicated into the real world, depending on the situation. The ultimate goal of game-based learning is to provide a fun environment where students can work towards a goal. Here is a quick two-minute video about what game-based learning is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj_8C2L9bXI. Consecutively, by using a game-based learning theory it is a way of motivating the students to learn. Students are more likely to participate in any type of game rather than the old-fashioned way of learning (the teacher talks at the students). Motivation has several effects on student’s behavior but most importantly, their learning. Motivation leads to increased effort and energy and has a direct impact on how an individual learns. There are two types of motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic is determined by the individual’s outside surrounding and specific tasks. Intrinsic motivation can be found within the individual since the task can be viewed as valuable. Therefore, when applying the affect that motivation has on the learning process, it is clear that people learn better based on the perceived value of the task, subject matter, personal goals, financial incentives and wide array of different factors. (For further explanation about how Motivation Affects Learning, please use this link: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/2013/07/how-motivation-affects-learning/). In conclusion, when relating these concepts to Kahoot, we recognize that Kahoot is considered to be a game-based learning platform, therefore this is one example of what may motivate a student to learn. Here are some images of Kahoot being used in the classrooms (a variety of different classrooms), as you can see, the students look engaged, and essentially motivated to be learning through this game-based platform. In the first image, it seems that the students appear to be young (elementary aged students) and they are celebrating their joy for learning and more importantly, because most of them got the answer correct. In the second image, it appears that the students are a bit older, because they are using their own technology devices, and it seems that some peer teaching is taking place.
Link: https://www.scoop.it/topic/technologie-de-l-education/?&tag=kahoot
Partner: Brittany Johnson
Health and Fitness Update #4
This week, I was able to focus more on my fitness, than health. I was able to motivate myself to go the gym for longer periods of time and four times this week instead of three. I worked out on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I was able to focus on my same workout routine, affecting all parts of my body, however I was also able to use external resources to bring new exercises into my routine. On Sunday, my friend whom is a rugby player joined me for a workout along with my other friend who is a retired swimmer. I was able to observe that everyone does different workouts and for different reasons. I also observed that everyone does what they feel works best for them and is at their comfortable level. I did lots of critical thinking on Sunday, after my workout and decided to prolong my external research into researching other females my age who are looking to lose weight and gain muscle. Throughout my extensive research, I came across a woman who I went to high school with, and recognized she had an Instagram workout page, I noticed that our bodies are very familiar and our workouts are about the same, therefore I was able to gain some reassurance as well as several new exercises. On another note, my health was still improving. Although, all my craving of chips, candy and junk food in general were getting to me a bit. I stood my ground, and continued to focus on healthier meals. This week is very unique because I tried ordering my groceries for dinner prep only from “HelloFresh”, I had a coupon laying around the house, and I’ve always wanted to try it. Believe it or not, the meals turned out very tasty and it was all healthy. Because most of HelloFresh meals cook for two or four, I ordered the equivalent of 3 meals, and I had leftovers throughout the week, to balance the proportions of what I was in taking. For my breakfasts, I was remaining on track, having my homemade smoothies, as well as my protein bars. Typically, this kept me full until at least 1pm. From there, my lunches this week, changed a bit as I incorporated more vegetables, and tried to eliminate sugars from my diet. I still continued with chicken breasts and a variety of salads and sandwiches.
What is HelloFresh? HelloFresh is the leading provider of fresh food at home, their goal is to “aim to provide each and every household in 12 markets with the opportunity to enjoy wholesome, home-made meals with no preparing, no shopping and no hassle.” “Everything required for delicious meals every day is carefully planned, carefully sourced and delivered to the front door of each subscriber at the time most convenient for them.”
Link: http://ir.hellofreshgroup.com/websites/hellofresh/English/100/about-hellofresh.html
The first two images represent what the HelloFresh boxes come with and look like. Whereas, once the meals are cooked, they will look like the two meals below. These are two meals that I have tried and have really enjoyed.
Below are more images of my smoothies, protein bars and two images from my workouts (as you may see, I focused heavily on legs this week.
Personalized Learning Project: Acoustic Guitar Update #2
This week, I was able to focus on extensive research and find the strumming pattern for the song Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. I started off by practicing the strumming pattern while saying it out loud, before playing it on the guitar. This made sure I was staying on beat and correctly playing the strumming pattern. The strumming pattern for the song Brown Eyed Girl is as follows:
Some of the challenges I faced, while learning the strumming pattern was being able to stay on beat, and the fear of the unknown, which in this instance, was not knowing if I was playing the strumming pattern correctly. To solve this problem, I video-recorded myself playing the strumming pattern, and brought the video to my co-worker: Paris Russell who informed me that I was certainty off beat, however, the pattern was correct. She also offered to help me out with getting the strumming pattern on beat on Wednesday, February 5th, as she recognized how hard it was to find videos solely focusing on strumming patterns and beat practice. On Wednesday, February 5th, I went over to Paris Russell’s home, where we sat down and chatted about what I knew and what I did not know about the guitar. Unfortunately, there were several small basic things to go over first, for example; she corrected the way I was holding the guitar and informed me that we should start with an easier song before jumping to brown eyed girl as my basic guitar skills needed a lot of practice. We went through the lion song, as I got the strumming pattern down, I learned chords, and how to read sheet music. Unfortunately, while playing chords, we recognized that my guitar strings were close together, and I was not quite getting the sound I needed to get. Therefore, I tried using a classical guitar, which was easier for me. After chatting and playing with Paris, I have come to the decision to learn the lion song first and then brown eyed girl for my second song as both songs follow similar chords, although brown eyed girl is a bit more complex to learn. This will ensure I am still achieveing my goal before the deadlines.
Flashcard Apps: Quizlet
Today in class, Maddie, Catrina, Brittany, Angie and I researched flashcard apps, in particular Quizlet. Below are our findings on Quizlet:
Flashcard Apps: Quizlet
Link: https://quizlet.com
What is Quizlet? Quizlet is a free website which provides learning tools for students of all ages. It includes a flashcards section, learn section, write, spell and test section. It makes learning fun! It is a digital take on the simple Q cards, which allows for students to think and share to learn. Below is a link to a Youtube video, which explains what Quizlet is. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oJk0IBynoU
Did you know?
- That 90% of students receive higher grades when using a quizlet to study.
- It is an American Company.
- It was invented in California.
- It has seven study modes.
- You can share your Quizlet’s with your friends.
- You can include Quizlet diagrams.
Study Modes and Games: Quizlet lets users create sets of terms and their definitions. These sets can then be used with several study modes
- Flashcards: this is the most commonly used mode and it simulates paper flash cards. Users are shown a card for terms and they can flip it over by clicking it to see the definition
- Gravity: In this mode definitions move vertically down the screen like asteroids. Users must type the correct term before it reaches the bottom of the screen. Gravity is one of the ‘Play’ study modes
- Write: in this mode users are shown a term or definition and must type the term of definition that goes with it. Users are graded automatically
- Long term learning: In this mode users are given a study set that has been recommended to them based on whether they answer study set questions correctly. Terms are repeated if answered incorrectly. A dashboard shows learning progress. This mode focuses on spaced repetition to stimulate long term retention and mastery rather than short term memorization
- Speller: in this mode the term is read aloud and students must type the term correctly. Correct responses are rewarded with a video of a monster truck using a flip
- Match: In this mode users are shown a grid of terms in random order. They must drag terms on top of their definitions
How is Quizlet Used in the Classroom? (Pros and Cons) Here is a good link for some pros and cons of using quizlet in the classroom: https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/quizlet-pros-cons Because quizlet is a public website, anyone can go on and create a set of study notes. However, this freedom can lead to the spread of misinformation. Educators can combat this by creating study sets for their students and encouraging them to work with their peers to create concise notes. Another problem with quizlet, is that if one word is out of place, the website will mark the answer as incorrect.
Quizlet Live is an in-class tool similar to Kahoot for quizzes using devices. The students are shown a question on the board and must choose the correct response on their device (phone, laptop, or tablet). It is important to weigh the pros and cons of Quizlet, to decide whether or not it will work in your class.
Pros
- Free
- Allows students to share and create their own quizzes using various forms (MS, short answer etc, matching)
Cons
- Could be used to encourage cheating, as students can copy/paste material and find answers to online quizzes.
- Could provide false info because anyone can make a quizlet
History: Quizlet was first created by Andrew Sutherland while he was studying for his French class to help him memorize words. The coding for this program took him over 420 days to create, and was then posted to the public in October of 2005. Over the years Quizlet has been revamped and restructured to grow with modern day technology. Quizlet was then developed into an app available for iphones and androids so that students could view their flashcards anytime, anywhere.
Privacy Policy: Information from Quizlet is stored in servers in the United States, which as we know, have different privacy laws than Canada. Quizlet keeps the information as long as the account is active. The information Quizlet can gather include: login information, google and Facebook accounts, language, and local time zones.
GROUP: Catrina Moyes, Angie Cauthers, Maddie Osgarby, Brittany Johnson & Arnelle Basi.
Health and Fitness Update #3
This week due to unforeseen circumstances, I was only able to work out twice, instead of the regular three times a week. However, instead of working out a third day I really focused on what I was eating and the proportion I was eating. This week I bought salad packages one for each day of the week, which was seven in total. I also bought a new type of smoothie called Naked, therefore I was able to alternate between homemade smoothies and store-brought smoothies. Three out of the seven days, I had a smoothie for breakfast and also one for dinner, to replace having a meal with a lot of carbohydrates, as I was not able to burn many calories. My home-made smoothies this week included; strawberries, blueberries yogurt, protein powder, bananas and milk. I alternated what types of yogurt I was putting into the smoothies (strawberry and vanilla), to change it up, therefore, my smoothies did not taste the same every day. (See images below).
On Sunday evening, I spent two hours food prepping for the week. I made seven salads, and I marinated chicken breasts. Within these seven salads, I was able to incorporate protein (chicken breast, chick peas, tofu, beef and taco meat). I also incorporated a variety of vegetables to make sure I was getting the proper nutrients I needed. For breakfast each day, I was having my smoothie along with a protein bar (as seen in the image below). For lunch, I was having salads, alternating in the different types. For dinner, however, for five days I ate rice with vegetables, chicken with vegetables, noodles, curry soup and stir fry.
Saturday and Sunday this week, I was able to work out for an hour and a half both days. However, on Sunday evening when I went to work out after work, all of the treadmills were being used, therefore I had to try a different cardio machine; the elliptical. I quite enjoyed it as I was able to lose the same number of calories, however the next day my knees felt quite sore. Throughout my work out this week, I focused on drinking lots of water, while I was working out. Below is an in-depth breakdown of my workout routine, which I followed on Saturday and Sunday.
Workout Routine: (Breakdown)
Elliptical: 15 mins x2
Treadmill: 15 x2
Rear delt fly: 3×10
Peck delt fly: 3×10
Shoulder press: 3×10
Biceps curls: 3×10
Triceps push downs: 3x 10
Leg extensions: 3x 10
Hamstring curl: 3x 10
Leg press: 3x 10
Abdominal machine: 3x 10
Barbell squat: 3x 10
Free weights: 3×10
Squats: 3 x 15
Group Inquiry Post #2
Link:http://www.newlearnerlab.com/blog/four-reasons-why-i-am-absolutely-loving-kahoot
This week, we will be focusing on some helpful tips and tricks on how to use Kahoot as a resource in the classroom, as well as Kahoots anonymity. In reference to our question; how can Kahoot be used as a resource in the classroom & how does it connect to formative and summative assessment?
Tips and Tricks on how to use Kahoot as a resource in the classroom:
Link:https://www.tips-and-tricks.co
- Use the results to direct classroom activity
- Assess student understanding.
- Zero in on the needs of individual students.
- Conclude class with a quick round.
- Use it for review!
- Warm up the class with a game (good for Mondays, when the students are tired in the morning)
- Assess students’ knowledge, to see where they are at before starting a unit.
- Include a game, in your teaching.
One of the many benefits of Kahoot is that it has an option to be anonymous, therefore children are not as afraid of making a mistake. As such, this encourages motivation and willingness to participate as they are just playing a game to help them learn. Motivating our students is key to support their learning as they need to be engaged and motivated to be involved. This anonymity helps students not compare themselves to others learning but instead learn from each other. Additionally, this reflects the idea that the classroom is a safe and open space and because of this anonymity there is no judgement and instead only learning. Here is a link that supports this idea https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1524/4ecd307ab706cbb394cb5e4ccd045b3c2d6f.pdf. Furthermore, students can download this app on their phone or play via web version and so we can say that Kahoot can extend beyond just the classroom, as children can also make their own and study while using this surface. Kahoot is an interactive, fun and engaging way to learn!
Partner: Brittany Johnson
The Pro’s and Cons of Formative Assessment
There are a variety of pros and cons of formative assessment. In my opinion, I believe the pros outweigh the cons of formative assessment because if formative assessment is done correctly, there are no disadvantages to the student. Ultimately, this type of assessment is considered time consuming for teachers as they analyze results from daily assessments to provide detailed feedback to each student. In my future teaching, I would like to implement more formative assessment than summative assessment into my classroom, because I believe that the progress in student’s learning will become more evident.
What is Formative Assessment?
Formative assessments are a way that teachers are able to check the understanding of the students throughout a lesson, instead of waiting until the end of a lesson to test their knowledge. Formative assessments support the learning of students and allows for teachers to check for understanding.
Advantages of Formative Assessment
The advantages of formative assessment include; that formative assessments are not graded, teachers are able to check for understanding, therefore if a student is struggling during a lesson they can get the help they need in class. Additionally, the most common form and example of formative assessment is ongoing feedback. If teachers are able to provide ongoing feedback, the students are able to make changes to their learning style or even adapt or change the way they are doing something, without being graded.When formative assessment is implemented, some of the benefits include: defined learning goals, increased rigor, improved academic achievement, enhanced student motivation, increased student engagement, personalized learning experiences, self-regulated learners and data-driven decisions.
Disadvantages of Formative Assessment
Once again, if formative assessment is implemented well there is little to none disadvantages of formative assessment. Some of the downfalls, however, include; not having enough time to assess during a lesson, teachers feel rushed to complete a lesson, teachers may lack training on how to use formative assessment and if a teacher consistently uses formative assessment in their classroom, the students may not take it seriously.
Types of Formative Assessment
Some types of formative assessment include; teachers using summarising techniques, digital or non-digital portfolios, checklists, collaborative work, group projects and small achievable goals (goal setting). Other examples include; using round robin charts, strategic questioning, three-way summaries, think-pair-share, 3-2-1 countdown, classroom polls, exit/ admit tickets and creative extension projects.
When to use formative assessment?
The ultimate goal of formative assessment is to gauge student learning and adapt content correctly. Formative assessment should be used to monitor students learning progress during the lesson, or even when the teacher is teaching the lesson, by focusing on one or two students for different parts of the lesson, it will ensure all students are being assessed. However, this is one of many strategies.
Below is a link to a video, which discusses what formative assessment is and some strategies and examples to go along with it:
http://https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-formative-assessment-strategies-examples.html
What is the difference between Formative and Summative Assessment:
