Category: Uncategorised

Inquiry Project #2: Baby Steps (Oct 10th)

On October 10, 2021

First off: Juggling six courses and having a regular yoga practice is going to be hard. But once I get used to it I think it will become more manageable.

This past week I researched different yoga studios in Victoria and Saanich (reasonable distances to my house near UVic) and here are my findings and thoughts:

Ashtanga Yoga – Too expensive. Their student monthly membership that requires a 3-month commitment is $113/month. Even their virtual (online classes) membership is too pricey for me – and also if I’m going to pay for a membership at a local studio, I want to physically be going to the studio. They also don’t offer an intro month pass.
Yoga Lab – In general this studio is a bit too expensive – they do have an intro month pass for $52 which interested me but then I realized that the Yoga Lab is all hot yoga, which I’m not keen on. They do have an outdoor class pass for $105 (first class is free though) for 10 sessions, but then I realized that the times for the outdoor classes are limited and overlap with school.
One Yoga – I did a drop in Yin class at this studio this past week and really enjoyed it (It was $21). This studio is also kinda expensive but I’m realizing now that maybe all yoga studios are just expensive. Their intro month pass is $55 and a one month unlimited pass is $150. I am considering this studio…
Anja Yoga Studio – This studio doesn’t offer many pricing options. 1 class is $20, a 5 class pass is $100 and a 10 class pass is $200. Too expensive.
Oxygen Yoga and Fitness – This studio offers both yoga and group fitness. Overall I think this would be great for me but another part of my brain is telling me that studios like this don’t offer authentic (Eastern style) yoga classes. Maybe it is better to honour traditional forms of yoga (eg. Hatha, Vinyasa, Bikram). Maybe, as people living in the West, it is better to keep our Western “yoga” terminology (eg. Hot Flow Yoga, Freedom Flow) so we aren’t stealing or appropriating Eastern culture. Should it even be called yoga then? This is a question I want to explore a bit more. They have an intro offer of $19 for 3 classes which is a steal and I’m considering trying out. After that, their drop in is $21 and an annual membership is $119 a month.
A couple other studios I found didn’t have a wide enough range of classes to fit my schedule (including Lumina Yoga & Wellness and Dancing Lotus Yoga)
CARSA at the University of Victoria offers yoga classes, which would be a much better option for my wallet. Classes are offered in 4-week periods (4 classes) for $40. There are 8 different classes offered each week, 3 of which work with my schedule. Next week I am going to drop in to one of these classes and then decide if this is the route I want to take.

After realizing (or remembering) how expensive yoga is, I think I will need to have a blend of studio and home yoga sessions to be practicing the amount that I want. This coming week I will try a class at CARSA. If I don’t like it then I will try Oxygen Yoga and Fitness, but if I do like it then I will purchase 4 weeks of classes and then research how I can incorporate a home practice (following yoga videos, channels) in with it.

Featured image: Photo by kike vega on Unsplash

Reflection #3: Tech in the Classroom (Inside and Out)

by juliaaurora

On October 10, 2021

In EdTech Reflections, Uncategorised

Jesse Miller was a guest speaker in our EDCI 336 class last week. What he presented to us provoked many new thoughts and ideas in my head. Based on the conversations we had at the end of class, I think a lot of my peers would agree.

My background is in biology, mostly ecology and environmental science, and I’m a huge advocate for outdoor classrooms/schools and I always seek to connect youth with the natural world. But that being said I definitely do think that technology, including social media, should be utilized for learning. For many students, the access to and usage of technology will be a crucial component to success in our exponentially increasing technological society. And I think that using social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, etc. right now (all the most popular apps amongst secondary students) is a great idea. The argument that using these apps in school will be damaging to students mental health because it is “hooking” them on to a form of social media designed for endless scrolling is still important to talk about. But I think it’s even more important to teach kids that these apps can be very beneficial sources of knowledge, communication and connection, and how they can properly curate their feed to receive positive information and not believe everything they read. If it’s going to be downloaded on your phone or you’re going to interact with it from time to time – why not understand how to use it to your benefit? After I mindfully curated and understood the algorithms of my Instagram, Facebook and TikTok feeds, my relationship with these apps became a lot healthier. It is also easier for educators to meet students where they’re at – by utilizing the technologies they’re already using. Introducing new forms of media, programs, websites, etc. is also great too. I agree with all of it as long as accessibility doesn’t become an issue for some students and material is consciously selected for the students’ educational advantage.

Another thought I had while listening to Jesse speak: I think that secondary school students these days (aka the past 2 years during the pandemic) aren’t going to become overly engulfed or addicted to new technology in the classroom because they are generally trying to disconnect and reduce high amounts of screen time. Having to take classes over Zoom and use multiple online platforms to communicate with their teachers, friends, family (essentially everyone), is extremely tiresome. I think most of these teenagers are smart enough to realize that in-person interactions and hands-on learning are still necessary and there should be a healthy balance between tech and no tech experiences. This past summer I was working with a crew of 16-18 year old boys at a wildfire base in Southern Alberta. Upon the crews arrival I had individual Zoom meetings with each member to give them information regarding their upcoming work experience program. One thing I had to tell them was that there was no WiFi and no cell service at the base, and that we would only be able to get service a couple times a week when we went into town. I thought this was going to be a problem, but to my surprise every single crew member was really excited that they were going to get a break from their phones. Some said they “would rather have it that way”. Although it was a small sample of teenagers, it was evidence that youth are still enjoying technology-less experiences. After getting to know the crew better, it was evident that they all understood both the positive and negative sides to their relationships with technology (wether it be social media, gaming, YouTube, etc. etc.). I hope this awareness can be passed on to everyone!

Incorporating technology and nature together in an educational context has always interested me and is something I hope to explore more. The app iNaturalist is one of my favourite apps and has actually made me go on long walks in the forest to discover new plant and insect species. Other cool tech/ media literacy + nature ideas I’ve thought of for science (off the top of my head) are:

Recording nature sounds and then learning how to use sound mixing/video technologies to create “soundscapes”. Mostly a creative project but could also be used to learn bird calls, insect sounds. Can also incorporate music production.
Photography – Taking photos in nature then learning photo editing tech or give a better understanding of biology subject material such as the biodiversity and levels of a forest, types of clouds, parts of a plant, layers of rock or soil sediment, etc.
Using natural materials to build new technologies! Natural building, bushcraft, gardening and permaculture – to design water catchers, harness solar and wind energy, discuss waste management and resource management, create natural dyes, discuss food systems.
Using technology and media for citizen science, BioBlitz, public databases, mapping (eg. ArcGIS open source maps) – any app that collects data.

Featured image: Photo by Sai Kiran Anagani on Unsplash

Reflection #2: OERs

by juliaaurora

On October 3, 2021

In EdTech Reflections, Uncategorised

I have always been an advocate for open access to knowledge. I felt like I ran into this topic a lot completing my undergrad in biology; always reaching dead ends when doing research because so many research articles have to be bought or subscribed to through an expensive journal. Gatekeeping information for the “elite” academics. I am very grateful now that the education program, and many current or past teachers that I’ve interacted with, are all about sharing resources. In EDCI 336 we spent a class discussing open educational resources (OER) and were given a list of websites to begin to explore. I am going to complete a brief review of some of these OERs that I could use as a PDP student over the next 15 months. More specifically I am going to be searching for materials that can connect with the Geology 12 (weathering and erosion processes) BC curriculum because I am going to be completing a unit plan for my EDCI 767 class in this area.

In no particular order:

1. ShareEdBC – You have to be a teacher that is invited to use this site. Not useful for me right now.

2. Teachers Pay Teachers – Lots of useful resources, most are payed for, still thousands that are free though. I couldn’t search specifically for ‘geology’ but there was an earth sciences category with some potential. Lots of photo packages of rocks and weather that would be good to put in power-points.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Google-Earth-Activity-Weathering-Erosion-and-Deposition-2568648?st=befc83bcb8a205a676e9fe106df2d6d7

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Geography-Natural-DisastersSevere-Weather-StationsWebQuest-1419694?st=befc83bcb8a205a676e9fe106df2d6d7

3. Open School BC – Provides courses for finding open educational resources. Limited resources for finding specific subjects. Not useful for me at the moment search for Geology 12 material.

4. Siyavula – Need to sign up for a free trial. Only has practice and textbook resources for math, physics and chemistry.

5. CK-12 Foundation – Looks very promising, I will need more time to deep dive into this website.

https://www.ck12.org/search/?q=Geology&source=ck12&grade=12

6. Hyperdocs – Not much selection, nothing when I search for “geology”, very limited resources for secondary science. Requires you to make an account.

7. Curriki – Has some good links to other resources (ie. academic papers, PDF documents with information) on geology that would be a good refresher for me to go through.

https://library.curriki.org/oer/Weathering-vs-Erosion-186399

https://library.curriki.org/oer/An-Introduction-Into-Geology

8. Smithsonian Learning Lab – Couldn’t find any good resources for geology, but could be a good website for other topics (aka. biology). Requires you to make a free account.

9. Wikimedia – Great for finding specific photos.

10. OER Commons – A lot of resources for most science areas, just not many for geology. Still a good website to come back to.

Featured photo: Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash

Inquiry Project #1: Let’s Get Bendy

by juliaaurora

On September 30, 2021

In Free Inquiry, Uncategorised

For my free inquiry project I am going to be exploring the world of yoga. More specifically, my goals by the end of this semester are to have a regular yoga practice (4 sessions a week) and to be able to do a headstand. I have always dabbled in yoga but I have never been able to keep a consistent practice. I’ve signed up for many discounted first month memberships at yoga studios around Calgary and Victoria, but I have never bought a membership further then that (they’re always to dang expensive). I know that there are a lot of online resources, some of which are free, but I haven’t put the energy or time into finding a website or video series that will work for me that I can practice alone at home. I want to take on this project for a couple different reasons:

It’s healthy, no doubt about that. Physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally.
I’m naturally quite flexible but I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older I am beginning to lose some of my flexibility – but I really don’t want to.
I usually have trouble sticking to a workout or really any kind of physical activity routine. I want to practice self-discipline and prove to myself that I am capable of taking time for myself (and for my health) four times a week.

To accomplish my goals, and because I like to set hard deadlines for myself, I’ve laid out the steps I am going to take each week. (I have only included the next month in this schedule and at the beginning of November I will lay out the steps I will take during the rest of the semester in a different blog post).

October 4 – 10

Research all the different yoga studios in Victoria to see if there is one that I could afford and will work with my schedule. I will attend 1 drop in class to the studio I think I will like the best.
Research all the online yoga resources (such as YouTube videos, websites, apps., etc.), both free and paid, to see if I can find a yoga instructor or program that resonates with me and will motivate me to continue my practice at home. I will try 2 different online resources (aka. following a video) in the comfort of my own home.
Write a blog post laying out my research (include links, videos, etc.) and decide on a course of action.

October 11 – 17

Start slow – complete 2 yoga sessions this week.
Research different types of yoga, the history of yoga and its emergence in the west (North America).
Write a blog post about my experiences starting a regular practice – how I am feeling mentally, physically, emotionally. Also discuss what I have learnt about the roots of yoga (include links, etc.).

October 18 – 24

Complete 3 yoga sessions this week.
Reach out to my friends who are yoga instructors or have practiced yoga for a long time to ask them any questions I might have at this point. Talk to them about their perspectives on yoga and how it has benefitted their life. Write a blog post about my conversations and reflect on my own practice up until this point.

October 25 – 31

Start my 4x a week practice (likely Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays)
Write a blog post reflecting on my experience, anything that I have learnt, and how I believe a consistent yoga practice has helped me (mentally, physically, emotionally, etc.). Also discuss the process of learning yoga through a free inquiry project and how technology has been incorporated into my journey.

November 1 – 7

Continue my 4x a week practice but also begin to work on more difficult positions that will further strengthen my core and arms (preparation for learning to do a headstand).
Research how I can prepare to learn a headstand.
Make a vlog speaking about my progress so far. Write out a week-by-week schedule for the rest of the semester that I can follow to accomplish my goals. Plan to include other forms/modes of technology to share my experience.

Featured image: Photo by Kaylee Garrett on Unsplash