My Fourth Week of Flowing Forwards!

This week was, by far, one of the best weeks on my learning project journey so far. I feel as though my practices were so beneficial to me and my body. My schoolwork has been neverending, so yoga was a great way for me to listen to my body and find a sense of relaxation. Again this week, I used two videos from Yoga with Adriene. The first one I used was titled 30-Minute Yoga With Adriene to Reduce Stress, and it was a beginner vinyasa flow. After completing the first video, I began to feel as though my body was wanting more from my practice, so I felt as though it was time for me to step it up and try more advanced exercises. As the saying goes: “A little goes a long way,” so I opted for another one of Adriene’s videos, this one more advanced and called Power Yoga Break | Yoga for Weight Loss. I am most definitely not using my journey to aid in weight loss, but safe to say, I definitely felt the burn in my arms, core, glutes, and legs after the video, but the right kind of burn! There was definitely some sweat mixed in too. Beginning to use more advanced videos has taught me that even the most simple looking movements can be complicated. I am excited to try out more advanced videos to test and see what my body is capable of.

Since I was sick and feeling out of sorts last week, my energy level was shallow, but this week I am feeling back to normal, so I thought it would be an excellent time to put my body up to a challenge. After each video I used, I took some time to practice several poses, learn new ones, and also began using yoga blocks. I have never looked at myself as being a flexible person but using a block really put my balance and flexibility to the test. I was able to find out that I am more flexible in one leg than the other (see in pictures below). The first time I used a block, I began to feel quite frustrated because I was finding it hard to balance. Once I began to feel the frustration, I stopped and stood back, took a few deep breaths, and then tried it again. I find it very important that my brain is focused and in the moment when using the blocks to help myself relax and avoid the frustration. But I know if I continue using them and put my mind to it, that I will get better the more I practice. 

I hope you enjoyed my post this week, and stay tuned for my next yoga post in two weeks!

-Namaste-

Diving Deeper into the World of Twitter

Since starting EDTC300 five weeks ago, I feel as though I have become more engaged on Twitter in such a short time. Before beginning the class, I had my own twitter account, but it wasn’t something that I made use of very often. Since I became more active on the particular social media platform, I have found myself using it as part of my daily routine. I find myself each day in the afternoon, spending at least 15 minutes scrolling through several informative posts and resources from my classmates, along with ones from other educators. I have also begun using my account as a sort of storage space for a wide variety of resources, articles, etc. that I see being helpful in the future when I have my own classroom.

In terms of having Twitter in the classroom, I can see myself continuing to use it as an educator and in the classroom because I feel as though it is a very informative place for students (depending on the age), parents, and teachers alike. It also has the potential to be a location that can show the learning, growth, and development of students through the school year by posting media of different projects and day-to-day activities, for example.

Last week during the lecture on Wednesday, I also had the informative experience of joining my first Twitterchat. Safe to say, I learned a lot in such a short period! My classmates and I joined the #CdnEdChat with other students and educators from around the country and touched on the topic of #EdTechEthics. I felt as though the experience was exciting and allowed me to gain new knowledge and perspectives on the idea of ethics with education technology. Although I had a great experience with the chat, I felt as though it was kind of tricky to keep up with between posting my own response to the designated question and trying to answer to the reactions of others in such a short time. Before I knew it, the next question was posted, so I felt as though I didn’t have a lot of time to really think about what others were posting and really gain a sense of deep understanding. It was a great professional development experience, but it would have been nice to have more time to participate and achieve a higher level of knowledge with the content being discussed in the chat. Yet I know it was my first chat, and I’m sure I will become more comfortable with them the more I participate! I hope to take part in more Twitter chats soon, to help me gain new knowledge and build new connections with others. In conclusion, I am proud of myself for not getting too overwhelmed with my first chat, and felt as though I put considerable effort into it. Here’s to the beginning of my Twitter chat journey, and to many more soon!

Do you use Twitter? If so, what are your thoughts and views on it? Let me know below!