Month: October 2020 (Page 1 of 2)

Exploring and gettin’ lost

October 31, 2020 / Carla / 0 Comments

Every time I start playing this game I sit down, and I think “Okay, what am I doing again?”. Maybe if I were playing on a more regular basis it would be easier to progress and look up more information that would help my game play, but time is a hot commodity for me during the school year. For this session I decided to head in one direction and explore whatever I came across. I crafted a compass so I could go in a mostly, straight line. Before I headed out, I visited my zombie spawner that I talked about in my last post. So, after killing all the zombies in there I took out all the candles I had left in there because I think it was impeding the spawn rate. Then it was off on my adventure!

I headed south to explore something that I saw lighting up the sky during the night cycle. It was not very far away and when I got there it looked like Minecraft lava so of course I jumped in! Then I died. So that was a fun learning experience. After respawning and returning to pick up all the loot that I dropped I found that the sun was setting, and I needed to find shelter. However, I wanted to stay in this area, so I started digging and building up a little shelter for myself to spend the night digging/mining in. Which turned out to be great because I was able to mine a bunch of the blocks around the lava but sometimes, they would explode so I should probably investigate what was happening with that.

Once it was day again, I continued exploring south, finding caves to hide in during night to avoid getting mobbed by baddies. I almost made it to a mountain but my time was nearly up and I wanted to head back to my home base because I had a bunch of new items I had no idea what to do with.

So, I made the journey back and I found a merchant along the way, but these people only want to trade for emeralds, and I have no idea how to get those. One more thing to add to the research list. Also, I found out that you can ride lamas, but I do not know how to control them, more research, hahaha! When I got home, I carved up all the pumpkins I had to decorate for the weekend, or forever who knows.

Happy Halloween!!

Until next time!

Third workout blog

October 30, 2020 / Carla / 0 Comments

Blog Post #3

Starting this yesterday I have switched from using a written exercise plan (I was using one from the concept 2 website, which was great but got a bit repetitive) to watching videos and following along. I am typically able to get on the rowing machine three times a week and I’m always really thankful when I take the time to do it. After my sessions on the machine I am able to focus on my assignments and generally just feel better. However, I have been developing some pretty thick calluses on the palm of my hands so after a session sometimes my hands feel a bit stiff and sore.

For my rowing sessions I have just started following along with YouTube videos from Dark Horse Rowing

This is only a 20 min workout but it is for beginners so I was happy to start here and try other videos throughout November

For my new stretching routine I use with this video but I’ve had to find a work around for the last stretch because I don’t have a band like they use in the video

Then after my workout I follow this video for cool down stretches

The stretching has been great for my flexibility so I’m happy that I started doing it both before and after workouts.

Until next time!

Protected: Midterm Music Blog

October 29, 2020 / Carla / Enter your password to view comments.

Seventh week reflection

October 28, 2020 / Carla / 0 Comments

For this week’s class, a large amount of class time was spent in discussion groups. The groups were created using topic suggestions from students and then a vote to see which 5 subjects had the most interest. We were encouraged to change rooms and get involved in the conversation which was a bit awkward because I had to ask to change rooms but I’m happy that I was able to move around as much as I did. It was interesting to see how many people gravitate to certain topics. I was in a room with 8 people at one point, and the next room I went into only has 2 other people in it. I don’t often participate in a situation where there is a free flow between groups so you are free to visit any of the groups at any time. It was a really great exercise and since each group made a list of points that were discussed the class has a document to reference and some resource suggestions from Michael. One resource lead me to Trevor Mackenzie’s website where I read several of his posts about implementing inquiry and a Google slide presentation that made some good points on parts of the inquiry process. For example, in the slides Trevor points out that when you are using inquiry with a class students come up with questions about their inquiry project but teachers need to find ways to tie those questions to curriculum and learning standards.
We had some great take aways from this weeks class, but I find myself saying that for all the classes I am in right now.

With some guidance from Michael I have been looking more into using OBS and Twitch as a solution to streaming the charity event on Nov 7. After doing a bit more research I think OBS will be the best for having the video, audio, and customization I am looking for. I did a quick set up to see how much time it would take to set up and it was fairly easy. Now I have to create some templates for the different scenes I will be switching between during the stream. I will be using PhotoShop to make those templates but that is a story for another day.

Until next time!

Following an exercise plan

October 27, 2020 / Carla / 0 Comments

I had been rowing for a few weeks when I decided that I should try something more structured than the 30 mins (10 min intervals with a 2 min rest) of rowing at a moderate pace of 23 strokes per minute (spm). I started using one of the workout routines from concept2.com to add more interest into the workout because it had started to become pretty boring. Having some set times and spm to aim for throughout the workout added some dynamics that helped keep me focused and engaged while rowing.

Here is a sample of one of the routines from the concept2 website

3 minutes at 20 strokes per minute (spm), comfortable effort; 1 minute rest.
3 minutes at 22 spm, harder effort; 1 minute rest.
3 minutes at 24 spm, comfortable effort; 1 minute rest.
3 minutes at 24 spm, harder effort; 1 minute rest.
10 minutes steady state rowing at your choice of power and stroke rate. Make note of what pace you settle on, because you will use it in your next workout.

I liked how the site gave 5 workouts to do and repeat. It also has you track the resistance you use and your stroke rate which I hadn’t been doing at first. I knew I was going faster than when I first started but writing it down has been a good exercise to see exactly how or when I am improving.

Stretching is your friend.

I have found that doing some dynamic stretching before and after rowing has helped me avoid pain or injury so far. But I will say that my hands still hurt after most sessions so I’ll have to try and relax my grip somehow. I also do some stretching in my rests between rowing intervals which I think has been helpful. I also sometimes jump on the rowing machine for 5-10 mins to give myself a brain break during the day. I can definitely see the benefit of these small sessions to help get resettled with better focus.

I’ve been thinking about doing some follow along rowing video workouts but that will have to wait until I’ve done a few rounds of the exercise plan I’m working on.

Until next time!

It was broken. The. Whole. Time.

October 26, 2020 / Carla / 0 Comments

Friday Oct 16 I got an email from my 306 prof suggesting I bring my guitar to one of the music supply stores to have them restring it for me. I was able to borrow a vehicle so I could make the trip between my morning class and my music class. I walked in the store and went to the first employee I saw and explained to them that I was new to playing the guitar and wanted help restringing the high E string.

That is when the employee took one look at the guitar and told me it wasn’t just the string that was broken. They took the guitar from me to have a closer look at it. Since their back was turned to me I couldn’t really see what they were doing other than loosening the strings with some kind of tool, and then inspecting the area where the neck joins the body of the guitar.

Then they turned towards me to explain that two of the screws that hold the neck to the body of the guitar were not working. The employee suspected that since there was a different tension on the string when I was tuning the guitar compared to the tension when pressing on the fretboard and that was the reason my string snapped. Looking at the guitar I could see exactly what they were talking about and I was surprised that I hadn’t noticed earlier. However, now I was stuck with a broken guitar instead of a broken string. I didn’t have time to do much else at the store and since I was borrowing the guitar from someone I didn’t leave it at the store to get repaired. So despite my efforts I had a five string guitar for the class.

After my class I was able to chat with my prof about the situation. It was then that they suggested that my frustrations with playing the guitar might stem from using a defective instrument. Which would make sense given that the neck of the guitar wobbles quite a bit. It could explain why I thought the sounds I was producing were off despite having just tuned the guitar. At that point we made a plan for me to get an instrument from MERR and stop by their office for some coaching.

I had mixed feelings about switching instruments at that point but I didn’t have much of a choice because I definitely couldn’t keep using the guitar I have. I picked up a rental acoustic guitar from MERR and went to see my prof. It was great to have some in person feedback on tuning, hand placement/shape, and general tips on ways to practice.

After that I started feeling much better about my guitar learning journey. Yes I had spent time playing an instrument that wasn’t working properly but the chords and strumming are the same and transferring that to an acoustic guitar has been okay despite the size (a big part of my reluctance to start with the acoustic). Even with the rollercoaster of emotions I was finally seeing some improvement and have been steadily working towards my midterm goals.

Until next time!

Digging Deeper and Deeper

October 25, 2020 / Carla / 0 Comments

I have been playing this game for a while now and I think I am starting to see how people sit and play for hours and hours and not even notice the time pass. Since I have many assignments, classes, work, and general life going on most of my time is scheduled and that includes time working on this free inquiry. Alarms and timers on my phone have been a life saver in this Covid-19 world where most of my time is spent inside at a desk. I have been feeling more at home in my little Minecraft world and after spending a bunch of time digging and pickaxing my way to iron and diamonds I resurfaced to go to my home base so I could drop off a few things. On my way up the mine shaft I had dug I heard the strangest noises. Confused, I started looking around expecting to see an enemy trying to attack me. But there was nothing so I figured I’d have a deeper look once I finished my trip ‘home’. When I went back to investigate the noises were in the same spot so I figured I should start busting down some walls and figure out what was going on.

And then, I found the zombies.

It was strange but so is this game so I cleared the zombies away and walked into the room they were stuck or hiding in. That is when I saw it.

Usually when I find something unfamiliar in this game I do a quick search for what it is before messing with it. Turns out this thing is a zombie spawner and its great for leveling, which is good I guess! The rest of the session I spent enlarging the room so the zombie spawner could do its thing and I’ll go back later for all the sweet low effort experience points.

Until next time!

Sixth Week Class Reflection

October 25, 2020 / Carla / 0 Comments

Part of our to-do list for class this week was to watch some videos taken at the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII). I was really interested in hearing about a school in Victoria that focused on inquiry based learning and teaching critical thinking. Hearing Jeff Hopkins talk about the way that students interact with other students and teachers at the school seemed so forign to me. It’s hard for me to think about running a class at an inquiry based school while trying to make sure students hit the milestones set out for them. The material got me wondering how teachers find themselves teaching at this sort of school. Maybe they have experience with inquiry learning, or teaching or maybe they see traditional classrooms not working and want to be part of the transition to a better system. Are the current teachers at inquiry schools the early adopters of the new way we educate Canadians or is this one step of many in education reform?

We are almost a third of the way through this term and I feel like my days are flying by. With the time moving so quickly I am happy to be recording my journey in writing. I think this will be a great resource later when I am trying to remember some content that we have covered.

Until next time!

Music Blog #1

October 24, 2020 / Carla / 0 Comments

In my EDCI 306 class each person is tasked with learning a new instrument. For beginners the professor suggested to try the recorder, ukulele, or guitar. I tried playing a friends acoustic guitar and it felt really large and clumsy for me so I tried strumming my partner’s electric guitar and that felt a bit easier to handle. I decided to email my prof to see if I would be able to use the electric guitar instead, after I got the green light from them I was ready to go!
First I started looking at chord charts and lists of songs for beginner players. I also started playing the guitar using the game Rocksmith which was a bit overwhelming but had some great lessons on tuning, chords, picking/strumming, shifting and basic things like how to hold or sit with your guitar. I was really excited to learn guitar so it was easy to fit in the 10-20 mins each day for the first week, then things started to fall apart a little.

After the first week or so I was becoming more and more frustrated with my guitar practice. I was sure that I had tuned the guitar well, or well enough for my purpose, but when I went to play a chord or tried shifting it just didn’t sound good. I would start my practice sessions by going through my chord chart trying to place my fingers on the right frets and strumming a few times before switching to another chord. I liked to end my practice time by trying the “play a song” mode in Rocksmith. I would only be playing a small amount of the notes in the song, but it seemed like a fun way to get familiar with the instrument. While the “play a song” was supposed to be a fun ending I would often get really frustrated because the game would often tell me I was using the wrong fret so I would make adjustments within the fret and would still be missing chords or notes in a song. The combination of having the beginning of my practice time with the chords and shifting sounding off, and the Rocksmith game telling me I wasn’t playing notes/chords properly really started to wear on me. Eventually I started to dread playing the guitar and was feeling pretty hopeless about the goals I had set for myself.

One fateful Thursday night I was practicing because I knew I was going to be meeting with some fellow students who were also learning the guitar the next day. As I was strumming I heard, and felt, something weird. Next I felt a combination of confusion directly followed by horrible realization, as my stomach dropped to the floor as I saw that I had just broken the high E string on the guitar. So it was 11 pm, my guitar was useless, and I needed it for a 1 pm class the next day. After taking some time to decide if this just sounded like a made up excuse I elected to email my prof to let them know what had happened. I was a little worried that this would come across as a “the dog ate my homework” situation but I was feeling so discouraged that sending the email seemed like the only thing left to do.

My next post I’ll be writing about the email I got on Friday morning, and the turn my musicianship journey has taken.

Until next time!

Fifth week reflection and Minecraft update

October 24, 2020 / Carla / 0 Comments

Fifth week reflection and Minecraft update

There was no class in week five because of the long weekend so I took this time to start exploring some streaming software. I have been involved with the charity Extra Life for the past few years by helping my partner set up their in the person event. The two of us have typically been part of a bigger team that run various games for the 24 charity marathon but like most things this year it is going to be a bit different. This year instead of auctioning off seats at the game table and having a sort of revolving door of players there will only be 7 people playing for the entire 24 hours. In previous years we have streamed the 24 event with an extremely simple set up of one webcam and two microphones because all participants were in the same room. However, this year five people will be in different locations and two will be in the same room. The two people in the same room will each have their own camera and audio feed. To bring this all together I decided to use OBS as our streaming software since it is easy to connect it to Twitch, where the game will be streamed, and OSB has robust features with, what I hope will be, easy to manage menus. I have no experience using OBS but from the tutorials I have looked at it should be a great solution for the stream.

For Minecraft this week I spent most of my time mining and trying to find iron, gold, diamonds, or any other materials hidden in the earth. I decided to just start digging down in a random spot and ended up finding a few pockets of usable materials. Eventually I hit an area where I couldn’t break any more of the blocks, no matter which pickaxe I tried to use on the blocks. I suppose I hit the lowest layer?

As this is a short update I’ll leave it here for now.

Until next time!

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