Mondays ...

Mondays are really tough on me and I am trying to figure out why they affect me so much. It is like no matter what good foot I put forth, I always seem to get down on myself a bit on Monday. Several reasons perhaps:
1) Tired from the weekend? I don't think so... slept much.
2) Not wanting to go back to work/class? Well, I do find that the courses I am taking at this time are someone repetitive and I am not being challenged enough. Even though I am busy, it is a lot of "busy" work, not too challenging to my mind. In fact, the extra online course I decided to take during this semester has challenged me more than anything. I guess it is probably because I am learning new things and it is related to my research. OR... it is a course from the U of M where I was used to being asked tough questions, think critically, reflect and have active dialogues, think outside the box, solve problems,... The courses I am taking here are at the moment fairly straight forward mainly based on theory and facts. The philosophical side of research is something that often challenged me at the U of M but I have yet to get that here. I am taking mostly courses that I have actually already taking at the U of M so it is normal that I am less challenged.
3) Catching up: yes, big deal! I wanted to have my weekends free from work and study so I can get down on all the work that piles up and I have to catch up on during the week. I love being busy but it does add stress, stress I don't need. I know that all I need is a couple of hours in the weekend but I really like to have that time off! Time for myself and those I love.
I think I need to relax more on Monday. I have everything planned out for the weekend, I know I will get there, I just need to be patient and let it flow. That is difficult for me. I always want to be two steps ahead of everything, even my own thought but in reality, there is so much I must learn and being open to new knowledge also means being patient. Yes I must learn a lot but everything in time and place. I must acknowledge what I have learned thus far and look forward to so much I will learn in the near future!

Second try to use ScribeFire

I attempted to use ScribeFire through FireFox but it won't upload my picture which was a simple screen shot. I wanted to see if it was an easy solution to copy and pasting a screenshot in the blog but I will try again. Scribefire allows you to write several blog entries and put it in your blog by pushing a button. Also, there seems to be way more options for formatting. So I will try to screenshot again.

Sadly but true, I have to do it the long way - screen shot - save as picture in publisher - upload picture. Frustrating! I want to copy and paste. Would make life easier!

Ok, now I am even more frustrated. ScribeFire wouldn't upload my picture! Grrrr
These tools should be easy to use! So I am sticking with text and must figure this out.

Translating!

For my family and friends in "vlaanderen"! On the left you can push a button to have my blog translated in any language including dutch. I tried it and well, it is funny. Some of my sentences are messed up but I think it can actually help me keep my dutch close to heart! Next time I go home may be in another year and that is way too long so need to keep up with the Flemish.

The Dutch is interesting to say the least! Probably not a great way to learn a new language. They translate things literally!

MyPyramid Tracker

In one course I ask my students to complete at least 3 days a full account on their eating and activity levels. I use the pyramid tracker and even though I tried it out once, I decided to go with it for a week. Reason? I think I eat too much in the weekend because I don't eat enough during the week. So let's see that this is correct. This tracker takes into consideration your activity level as well as the foods you eat and than calculates the energy balance, which should be around 0 if you wish to maintain weight, which I want to do. If my hypothesis is correct, my energy balance should be out of wack. Let's have a look.


So, my hypothesis was correct for today. Not good. My food intake was fine but not enough according to the activities I did. I did go to Aldi for groceries but I was active quit a bit today and that was not reflected in my eating habits.
When I assess my daily intake of nutrients this is what it said:

Dietary Guidelines
Recommendations My intake Recommended
Grain Good 10.9 oz equivalent 8 oz equivalent
Vegetable Average 2.3 cup equivalent 3 cup equivalent
Fruit Average 1.5 cup equivalent 2 cup equivalent
Milk Good 5 cup equivalent 3 cup equivalent
Meat and Beans Poor 0 oz equivalent 6.5 oz equivalent

Dietary Guidelines
Recommendations My intake Recommendation or Goal
Total Fat Poor 7.1% of total calories 20% to 35%
Saturated Fat Good 2.1% of total calories less than 10%
Cholesterol Good 25 mg less than 300 mg
Sodium Average 2424 mg less than 2300 mg

Ok, I really do not like beans.... and I guess I need foods that have more fat... humnn
I did take an e-gel between workouts, which gives me electrolytes and 100 cal. That was not counted for. Anyway, no wonders I was hungry when I got home at 9 pm. The problem is that I hate eating that late so again, I must get smart and just buy the food before the day begins! I try to save on money but food is not the area I should not spend money on. Lesson learned, I did go to the grocery store and we'll see what happens tomorrow.
On the active side, I taught my students core exercises in a 40 minute active class and as I was working out hard so did they so it just felt great working out with my students. This goes back to my idea to incorporate blended learning next semester.
Students can learn the theory (or at least most of it) online through reading, ppt viewing, guided tasks and come to school and learn fitness theory in practice. Focusing more on engaging the students in fitness activities may actually enhance their learning and encourage them to be more active? Perhaps, just a speculation.
Another aspect I am not good at is going to bed at a descent time before an early morning. Let's try that right now!

Using social networks in PETE

Completed an iVocalize session yesterday for an online course I am talking from the U of M on "online teaching". The course introduces people to several tools that can be used when you are teaching an online or hybrid course.
Before the start of the course I wanted to firstly gain more practical info on web 2.0 tools and how to import these effectively in your courses. When I started the course I found that I got a lot more theory than practice, which to me was a well needed challenge at the time. The course discusses several aspects of online learning and while the first few weeks went by without notice trying to figure out the "angel" network, yesterday's session was worth my while. This week we are discussion metacognition, which in fact is part of my research in PE. How do we teach teachers to be more reflective and can it improve their practice?
Last week I discussed the potential in using social networks with PETE students to combine discussion groups and blogs to encourage refection and critical analysis of their teaching. In addition, I believe that wikis can assist in the scaffolding of knowledge and reflection upon practice. So to put it all together, I had a good idea but it was not quite grounded in theory.
As I was looking at books and articles around blended learning, I was not finding what I was looking for until last night. I think that "cognitive apprenticeship" can form a framework around the pilot study I would like to do.
Here is what cognitive apprenticeship is:
"Cognitive apprenticeships are situated within the social constructivist paradigm. They suggest students work in teams on projects or problems with close scaffolding of the instructor. Cognitive apprenticeships are representative of Vygotskian "zones of proximal development" in which student tasks are slightly more difficult than students can manage independently, requiring the aid of their peers and instructor to succeed". Cognitive apprenticeship hold several parts: modeling, coaching, scaffolding, reflection, articulation, and exploration. These I must further explore.
Therefore, my next step: LIBRARY SEARCH! (which I did last night and saved several articles, which I have yet to read). That takes me to my next step: understand the theory and put it into practice.
So, can a cognitive apprenticeship theory form the grounds to enhancing metacognition among practicum students in PE? That's my question right now.

Moving along

I realize that my time is precious and know that every minute counts. As of the start of my program, one of my goals was to keep a balance between work and play. Thus far I have somewhat been successful in this quest. I work hard during the week so I can have my weekend open. However, I also know that if I want to publish, I must put away a few hours per week solely on writing and this has yet to happen.
After several weeks, the process of getting published is slowly coming to an end. Going through the process of receiving the notification of re-submitting my work all the way the final edits last week, it has been interesting and even though I like things done quickly, I must learn to be patient. Once I realized how long it actually takes to get a paper published in a journal, I now understand how long it takes to get a book published. Realizing this makes me think of the meaning of knowledge. Today, if we pick up a new book, it may be that a part of the book is out dated even though it is brand new. This is where the Internet plays a role in creating and sharing content knowledge and that is one reason why using wikis in education can be a powerful tool.
Speaking of patience, I have once again so many ideas for research studies/publications and must stop and think and set priorities! Here are some things I want to do soon, or these are things that I believe can help me along my path to professorship.
1) Write an paper/article from my thesis focus on the technological aspects of using wikis in teacher education, in particular PETE. (Innovate?)

2) Contact Curtis Bonk regarding Blended learning! I am reading his book at the moment and believe that Dr. Bonk can be a wonderful source for me but must think this through before I email!

3) Research idea #1: attendance in PEAC courses - leading into perhaps implementing a hybrid PEAC course (blended learning in Fitness concept?) Attendance seems to be an issue in PEAC courses, which are 8 weeks long. I would like to know which courses have the greatest attendance level, is this determined by the day of the week the course is offered? And are there differences among Freshman, Sophomore, junior, senior? Also, how does attendance in PEAC courses relate to test scores (content knowledge)

4) Research currently doing: Wikis in PEAC. Ch. 1-3 has been written and Ch. 4/5 will be done in course 6403. This is a great (small) research topic to get me emerged in mixed study design. I am starting to understand why statistics can be useful even though I do not believe that in Education, you can strictly use quantitative. I still believe in the voice of the student as being a huge part of the research and therefore understand the values of mixed. I look forward to understand the statistical effects and tests on research.
5) Dissertation idea #1: Sharepoint in PEAC: Sharepoint is a program used by the Uark and it combines social network with a wiki and a blog. I am now learning how to create this network by attending several workshops this month. I will see if it is feasible to create a network by Jan to try it out, if not, I will stay with Pbwiki and perhaps NING for the Spring and move over the Sharepoint next Fall. The idea is to create a network for ALL PEAC course students/instructors to use in their classes. I would like to see whether using a network such as this one can enhance learning of the concepts behind the activity being taught through the creation of an e-textbook. If I use this for my thesis, I would like to do a pilot next Fall in order to write up my first 3 chapters. But of course this is NOT my only dissertation idea. Go figure!

6) Dissertation idea #2: PETE and the inclusion of Web 2.0 tools. First I would like to view all the syllabus from all the courses PETE students are required to take. Than I would like to assess these and try to find ways to implement web 2.0 tools that may enhance the learning of the concepts taught in that particular course. Afterwards, evaluating the process. First idea: Practicum class uses a personal journal. To enhance inquiry/reflection, I would like to incorporate a blog and/or discussion board to increase the amount of reflection and critical thinking while participating in a practicum. Second idea: teaching games: building on what I have done in Manitoba. Teaching basic movement skills, creating new games and learning about models in teaching sports/activities and the use of wikis in this process to encourage collaboration, reflection, inquiry and scaffolding.

7) I need to read more! I seem to be too busy with teaching/classes I forget I must read! That is also the reason why I would like to email Dr. Bonk. I would like to ask him for a reading list in Blended learning, or web-enhanced learning. I find that there is so much information and I am looking for experts in the field of social networking, web 2.0 tools, wikis and blogs so I can create a reading course in preparation for my dissertation/ pilot study. I think that would be handy.

8) I am presenting this Fr. in Little Rock on Basic Movement Skills. I am interesting in finding out how my interaction with Arkansas PE teachers will go. I will also be presenting in AAHPERD, Florida in 2009. May do two, one is already set: using wikis in PE or PETE- a workshop of 2 hours! I am excited! The other one may be a poster that will come out of the current PEAC study. I also applied to go to CAHPERD in Banff and would like to find a conference in Web 2.0 tools - yet much is online.

9) Currently taking 3.5 courses. I say .5 because I am taking a 6 week online course through the U of M discussing learning for the future. It has to do with using Web 2.0 tools in university courses. All my courses so far are going well.

10) Want to take 4 courses in the spring: stats 6403, adapted II, Supervision in PE, Effective college teaching. That should be interesting!

11) Creating the H.O.G.S. Website - job I have to do as part of the student group within the department. Just need to find the time.

Doing too much?

After all this I am still trying to figure out how I can keep it all up financially. That is not easy but I knew that coming in. The most frustrating part of it is the fact that as an international student I can only work using my 50% GA and nothing else. I am willing to work yet I can't. And that really frustrates me. I have gone through this process before in Canada so I will get through it but it still sucks. I am trying to find a job at Christmas but teaching Skiing in Canada may in fact hurt my wallet more than it will fill it up. In stead of worrying though, I must visit the international center and ask about my options! That is step 1. There is a way to work more over the holidays and in the summer, if I can find something before the holidays for the summer I may be able to relax a bit more. Also, I have decided to look for a roommate so that may make it easier. It should!

Well, it is almost 2 am and even though I am used to it, I must get some valuable sleep so I can go run tomorrow morning and work all day until my class that end at 9 pm. Long day ahead! I know this is not my first and will not be my last in a long haul! But I am enjoying my trip! And that is what's important.

Published... almost

The email any graduate student hopes to get sooner then later came to me yesterday. It states that my article was accepted for publication. Having talked about the difficulties with publications and the length of the process I think I had the right attitude from the beginning. I submitted an article to the best of my abilities and thought it would be great if it got accepted but if it did not, I would just try to send it elsewhere. When I received the first email to request re-submission after re-vising, I was somewhat conflicted: should I try or should I send it elsewhere? See the article was based on one part of my thesis and even though it is vital to the field of PE, it was focused on the used of a technological tool (wiki) so the reviewers reflected that it may perhaps be more suited for an educational technology journal. Yet, I disagreed and replied to the best of my abilities. I mentioned that wiki could perhaps provide a way to connect the theory to the practice in PE or in this case, the teaching of games. In PE, we are always fighting for our right to exist, everywhere you go, PE is yet to be seen as a valued academic subject and this is reflected at every level of education, including higher education. I believe in a more holistic way of teaching PE where we value the connection between practice and theory or in this case, movement and the knowledge behind the movement. In the case of teaching games, playing and the theory behind teaching games effectively. Bringing it all together on a wiki may have many values. Wikis are collaborative in nature and as student collaborate, they build on each others' work. In my article I mention that wikis are not only useful in PE but they can actually assist in learning how to work collaboratively online. Nowadays, every student must learn how to work with the Internet as well as how to work in groups online. So I do believe that adding it to the journal in PE is extremely important. This being said, the global TGFU wiki is currently being spearheaded by a group of teacher candidates using the wiki for an assignment, just like the one I researched for my thesis.
My hope is that the "experts" in teaching PE, games, TGFU will join in the collaboration with the students. I can only imagine the rich nature of networking! How education can be sweet! Bitterness I experience as well but it is these reflective moments that keeps you going in Education. I start to value research more and more and that is a good thing but I also notice that I am quite on my own in this process. I look forward to continuing my research on wikis through action research within my courses. I also look forward to the conferences I will present the research. SO far I know I will be heading to Tampa, FL in March/April for AAHPERD where I will do an experiential session on "creating a class wiki" of 2 hours as well present the research in a poster. Now, I will think on presenting at CAHPERD,... perhaps I could do the experiential wiki sessions as well. Why not? One in Canada and one in the US, in the hope to catch at least 40 different teachers who may want to adopt the wiki in their classroom.
As I dream on, my mind today has been mostly on the weekend, ok, my mind has been on the weekend for the past two weeks. The Traveler 100 miler is on Sat and I am excited for the runners who will complete it. I am also happy to be part of it as a pacer so I am excited to say the least. Must now sleep so I can handle a weekend of movement! Oh boy! It doesn't have to be much to make me happy as long as I am moving!
Move on!

Glogster

Keeping up!

Week four has begun! So far so good.
Being critical of myself as I am all time I believe that my teaching is going ok but I could do better.
a) About the classes I teach!
What's working: the wiki in two classes has great results! Students are producing valuable articles. Other class has a bit more trouble. Wondering if I did something different?

What I need to do next: Create wiki scavenger assignment mandatory for all students! Here they will learn how to navigate and use the wiki through a practical assignment. This (I believe) will alleviate the various small issues that have come up. Not all students are self-starters and they should be provided with a how-to guide as the wiki workshop is not enough.

Get active assignments are not working, need to change that. I think it was a good idea but scheduling issues get in the way and I don't think it is fair to the students so I will announce that in class. In stead of 2 group activities and 3 out of class they will do 5 out of class activities of choice.

Free points is a good idea and working well. Those who like to work extra can receive free points towards their exam.

Not working: I need to uphold the absence policy more I think. I guess I tend to take the benefit of the doubt and allow for make-up classes. Perhaps a bit too lenient. Must create a solid one that is good for all my PEAC courses. This will be especially vital when I do my research!

b) About the courses I take
Research in PE is helping me jump start my research project that will begin in 4 weeks. I will investigate wikis with students in activity courses (fitness concepts) + check test performance and perceptions of students on using the wiki. I will use 4 classes this Fall and 4 perhaps next Spring. (depended on what I teach)
Oh btw I may be teaching 'team handball". If I do, I want to try to do the GPAI! Perhaps a small research project?

Adapted PE is interesting. Very practical and useful to anyone in PE. any activities I must and have been writing up on my wiki. I had to tour in a wheel chair once which was neat and I am learning about the different disabilities, which is more of a refresher but good for me!

Stats: Also refresher but this one is important! Dr. Dennis is a good teacher in that he can provide examples in a variety of ways and he is very patient. Also, we have a small class which makes it easier (FYI all my classes are small from 4 to 15 students which is nice). Tomorrow my first quiz. I don't think it is going to be easy but I seem relaxed even though I should be sleeping right now.

I am trying to sleep 6 hours a night but having class each night makes it difficult. In addition, I teach early every day so I can never get enough sleep. I think next 8 weeks will be better, only 2 early days! I must try to organize my courses better though so I can combine grad courses on 1 or 2 days in stead on 4, that would allow me to manage my time better.

As for my goal to balance my life as a grad student: that is still going strong!
During the week I focus on working hard for school (that is probably why my nights are so short). During the weekend I focus on relaxing and running. I guess it may be official that I am moving my running goal up to an earlier date. I am now planning to run my first 50K on December 5th and not in April. HA! Oh well, I will do it. I get excited thinking about it! I am so looking forward to the Traveller in October where I will be pacing a friend for at least 20 miles of the 100. Perhaps more, we'll see! That will be great training for my 50K. My longest run so far was 24 miles.

There you go, my mid course update! My mind is starting to drift to the winter at times and my cravings for snow and skiing has been popping up at various times. May teach skiing this winter. Who knows? Anyone need a private instructor! I sure need the money! (Let's NOT talk about the money concerns of international students)

Working hard and (at) letting go

I always thought grad school was about writing papers, gaining knowledge and being a loner. I asked several grad students whether they had a life besides school and often got the answer I did not want to get:"Nope, you pretty much live at school!" Before embarking on this journey I always searched for the program I could combine and balance both my personal and school activities. I don't know if it is possible. Can I go through my doctorate without having the people around me thinking I left the planet. Some people don't like to admit this but I do: I like being myself. I enjoy what I do and I love where I am heading. Right now, I get to combine learning with teaching every day and I know there will be challenges but I am having fun creating and absorbing those challenges. However, I must be able to connect with my family and friends in a meaningful way to keep connected and not disappear for 4 years. So a few things I have been working on/ will work on this year:
- Week is for study and training, weekend is for relaxation and friends.
- Get at least 6 hours of sleep each night in order to keep going.
- Have fun while teaching, make and keep it fun, create courses that are manageable, meaningful and interactive.
- Be there for my friends/family/students as much as possible.
- Set goals! (smart ones)
- Be happy, take nothing for granted and enjoy life!

Can I do this? Is it possible for a grad student to balance study, work and life? I think I can. Even though the semester has just started, I am looking at ways to life "smart". Using the wiki/Internet for my courses actually makes things easier on me and the students. Anything that I want my students to learn, or anything that I or my students need is on a central web page! So less paperwork! I like that!

Time Management is big!!! So I use the Calendar to schedule in study time, research time, office hours, work out time in order for me to free up my weekends for FUN! Don't get me wrong, I have fun during the week as well but in the weekend, I want to pursue other goals. I have recently started trail running and just completely fell in love with being outside, running trails and enjoying nature. I can honestly say that I have been on many different planets without ever leaving earth. Being alone, physically exerting myself in nature,is one of the greatest feelings of times. I always thought going for a run or bike ride was good because I could reflect upon a days worth of work, or think of the future. Running trails for hours and hours is much more than that. It goes beyond reflection. Perhaps I reflect for 30 to 60 minutes but really, most of my time is spent enjoying the moment, being grateful for what I have in life and for the ability to use all my senses together. "just being" in the moment is the best feeling in the world. Everything else seems insignificant but you, nature and movement. My first experience with ultra running/trail running was running about 1.5 hrs at Lake Sylvia a few months ago and watching the OT 50 K race.
When I ran, I felt so great and knew that at that time I can let go, I put things in perspective, I relax! When I watched the race, I found family, tranquility and comfort. A wonderful combination and one I will not likely give up.
I dislike getting up in the morning but after getting up twice at 4:30 am this weekend to go run I see the value of early rising.
My goal is to run the 50K at OT next year and complete it. I know I can. I ran 18 miles last Sat, 6 miles Sunday and 24 miles Monday so I know I can run 50K and I can't wait. I may even cheat my goal and run a 50K earlier then next April but because the OT is where I ultimately fell in love with the sport, participating in that race will top it all.
I am now training for long runs, it is different than trying to be active or run 30 min 3 times a week, this is bigger and somehow training for ultras is way more fun!
The best part of ultras is the combination of walking, running, nature and people. You can the best of everything without the competitiveness of a marathon.

Can I combine my work/study with my friends/family/trail running weekends? I want to! I will. Life is so much easier and better having started trail running so I would recommend it to anyone! Here is my plan: working hard during the week and letting go during the weekend! Life is too short to let it go by and I want to be aware of how I am living it!