Playing Games for Education!

Tag: beginner (Page 1 of 2)

I went to the Nether!

December 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I went to the Nether!

 

So I have been watching this video about making machines with redstone and I figured I’d try making the first one for this week’s post.

 

However I instantly ran into a problem because I need an observer to make it and to make an observer you need Nether quartz

 

 

Okay, new goal! Get a working Nether portal. I have actually been mining really close to two busted portals but I didn’t realize what they were until a couple weeks ago. So I figured I would break down the worse off of the two so I could rebuild the other.

 

 

So I salvaged what I needed and headed to the more complete portal!

 

 

Then I was ready to try it out, but I didn’t have any  with my flint and steel. So I had to spend time running around to get that. But THEN I was ready! I stocked up with weapons, food, extra flint and steel, materials to make a shelter if need be. And I tried to start the portal but ended up setting myself on fire.

 

Then I decided to check out the bricks that were lighting up and bits of stuff were flying off of. A quick search revealed that there were crying obsidian and needed to be replaced for the portal to work again. Thankfully I still have more obsidian from the other broken portal, so I hacked the crying obsidian away and replaced it. Now I was ready to start the portal.

 

 

Yeah!! But the night cycle was about to start and I had no idea if that would affect things in the Nether so I decided to sleep and go in the morning.

 

After one last gear check I was, once again, ready to go through the portal

 

 

This video is pretty long and is basically me going to the Nether and being freaked out by the weird noises I was hearing and doing a mad dash for the closest materials I could mine. Eventually I come back victoriously and make my long awaited observer!

 

 

Alas, my time was up and I needed to stop playing Minecraft and move on other things. Maybe next session I’ll have everything that I need to make my sugar cane factory machine. But for now I’m happy that I took an unexpected trip to the Nether tonight.

 

Until next time?

I cannot believe that is it November 20th!

November 20, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This term has absolutely flown by! I am generally not much of a journal/blogger so writing all the posts for my various classes has been a bit strange but it might be nice to look back on and relive my experiences.

Enough about the constant march of time, and more about getting out of this chair and on to a much smaller seat on a rail. Because rowing machine!

I am still really enjoying every chance I get to hop onto the rowing machine but its been harder and harder to fit it into my schedule these days. Lately I had been using rowing workouts from YouTube but this past week I have just been going for 30 mins in 10 min set. I take about a one min break between each set of 10 mins. I might have to do this next week as well because I find it can be nice to sort of check out with an audio book or podcast while I row. I typically like to have the coaching aspect from the YouTube videos but for now I really need some time where I don’t need to be paying attention to anything. Or if I am paying attention it isn’t information I need to retain.

The audiobook I have been listening to is called The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.
https://www.audible.ca/pd/The-Left-Hand-of-Darkness-Audiobook/B071VM1Y82?qid=1605932578&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=b278ed0a-c3b2-4491-808c-7cb2190a487c&pf_rd_r=TZZVC6C14XAM5YTPNGC0

When I am looking for something a bit lighter I like to listen to The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week podcast by Popular Science.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weirdest-thing-i-learned-this-week/id1377843908
This podcast usually pretty entertaining and the time fits well with my stretching and workout so I feel like I got some brain “down time” and energized my body with the workout.

Until next time!

The stress is building up once again

November 20, 2020 / / 0 Comments

The end of term one is fast approaching and everyday is both stressful and exciting. Thankfully I have been able to fit in my music practice however, the clam and relaxing sessions I have been enjoying since the midterm have become more stressful as the end of term approaches. I am keenly aware of the goals I have set and now when I practice I have a checklist with me. I haven’t decided if this causes more or less stress during my practice. On the one hand the checklist helps guide my practice sessions and keeps me focused on playing rather than trying to remember what I should do next. Yet, the checklist is a constant reminder of how far I have to go in what little time remains in term one. After talking to some of the others in my cohort I am wishing that I had done some videos early one to show how far I have come. Not that I have achieved mastery, or even competency, but I think it would be neat if I had some footage of where I started. Maybe this could inspire me to try this sort of activity again but start filming from the very beginning. It might be fun to try out the ukulele now that I have some musical knowledge and it would be easier to store than a guitar (space is a limited quantity where I live).

Okay, I can’t get ahead of myself, I still have to focus on my music final!

I have still been having problems shaping my hands properly for some of the notes but from previous experience this should go away with more practice. I am hopeful that I’ll be able to play without my hands, or finger tips, hurting when I record the videos for my final assessment. I am really happy with the changes I made to my musical growth because I think the songs are much more suited to my level with enough variation to keep my practices interesting. Speaking of, it is about time for me to do my nightly guitar session.

Until next time (the last time?)!

PE rowing post #4

November 13, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I have been making good progress with rowing but lately  I have only been able to do it three times in a week. The end of term is fast approaching so I aim to keep up my three, or more, days of rowing but I’m worried that assignments will pile up. For now I am focusing on what I can do with the time left in term. 

 

I have found the “row with me” videos on YouTube really fun. However, I can’t always keep up and usually pause for a 2 minute break in the middle of the 25-30 minute workout. I don’t see this as too much of a problem since I am still starting out. 

I’ve have used this work out a few times now and it’s been good

 

Lately I have been switching between the previous video and this one

They each have some challenges and I like how the second one has stretches at the end that I can do while sitting on the rowing machine. 

That’s all for this update.

Until next time!

Things have changed

November 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Things have changed

 

After my music midterm it became pretty obvious that I had set my expectations a little high. I’m not sure if it was because of all the issues around my instrument or my pace but I have come to terms with the adjustment. There has been an odd shift in my daily practice as it is less frenetic and focused on simpler movements. However, this switch has flipped the mood of my practice sessions from stressful to feeling much more calm. Now when I play I find that I can focus on one thing at a time and although it is slow I feel like I am progressing.

 

For my end of term video growth demonstration I will be learning to play the songs “My Paddle” and “Hey Lidee”. Since I got the okay to proceed with these as my final songs I’ve been practicing the chords. Stay tuned for my next update!

Is this what rage quitting feels like?

November 9, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I have been exploring my Minecraft world during my sessions and trying to sort of discover different aspects of the game as I go along. I watched a few videos in September on how to get started, and when I find something interesting I’ll look it up but other than that I’ve been going it on my own. However, I think this is when that method stops and I start doing more research into things. I normally play this game as a bit of a ‘brain break’ and start it up with the goal of exploring what I can do. However I find that I end up wandering around and digging/mining without much point to it and the last few game sessions I have left feeling like I didn’t do much.

 

Last week a frustrating Minecraft session ended when I died in a spot that I am not really sure I know how to get back to. I went outside of a new place I had built at night and was immediately attacked and killed by a wizard. I suppose it wasn’t so much of a rage quit as it was just giving up because I couldn’t be bothered to deal with finding all the stuff I had dropped. So here is when I decided that maybe some time I put aside to playing the game should be shifted to watching some how-to videos. For next week I am going to  search out some resources on YouTube or maybe some other blogs and start my game sessions with a plan. Hopefully that will give me a goal to work towards in my exploring of Minecraft.

 

Until next time!

Third workout blog

October 30, 2020 / / 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!

It was broken. The. Whole. Time.

October 26, 2020 / / 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! 

« Older posts

© 2026 Playing Games for Education!

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑