Month: April 2022

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

On April 4, 2022

Thankfully, my term this semester allows for Wednesdays to be a free day from classes. Since it’s my brother’s birthday this weekend, as well as one of my first shifts at my new job, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to surf this weekend. Since I knew this, and the conditions looked good for Wednesday, I decided to use my day off to surf! There was a 6 foot swell in the forecast, which turned to 7 the day of. Me and my friend Meagan set out at 2 pm, and arrived at Jordan River at 3:30. Once we were changed and our boards had been waxed, we were able to get in the water at 3:45, meaning we had an hour and a half of daylight. From afar the waves were looking small, but as soon as a set rolled in, I was excited to see they were looking to be the perfect size for us.

When we got out to the spot I usually surf at (“River Mouth”) the two other people out in the water who were surfing at “The Point”, decided to make their way closer to us, but at least they were far enough out that we weren’t having to avoid them the whole session. As soon as we started surfing, I became increasingly excited about the conditions. Right away, I caught a non-crasher! I was having such a blast, until a set rolled in. We were creeping further and further out as our confidence grew (mine at about an 8/10 at this point), until I realized we were over estimating our strength. I could barely touch the rocks underneath me, which had me struggling to get on and off my board, which meant I was also unable to jump over waves. Being able to surf without touching the bottom is a milestone I’m striving to achieve, but this day was not the day for that milestone to be reached. Just as my confidence had peaked, I was humbled by a wave that crashed on my head and sent me spinning underwater. Unfortunately, I haven’t learned how to hold onto my board and “turtle spin” when a wave hits me, so instead I panicked and threw my board to the side, sending it up and almost landing on my head. Just as I tried to go further into shore to get away from the set, another wave came down on my head as my heart beat faster. These were some of the biggest waves to crash on me, and it made me realize I may need to work on my swimming skills at the pool, since it’s been awhile since I was actually good at swimming. My confidence went way down after being hit by the waves, since I was spooked as well as frustrated. I decided to head a bit further in and catch smaller non-crashers the rest of the day, while still testing my confidence with a few bigger waves throughout the session. After a little while I was having lots of fun again, and caught my best wave (maybe ever?) near the end. I rode the wave to the right, and went almost completely back to shore since the ride lasted a good amount of time.

Aside from a jet skier ripping it towards my head, and being hit by those two waves, it was a very successful session, as I faced some fears and caught the most non-crashers I have ever caught in one session. Even though it wasn’t perfect, the day ended well with Cheezies and overall good vibes. I’m more excited than ever to get back in the water and improve!

Overall Confidence : 7/10 (majority)

Conditions: 6.5 foot swell

Busy: No

Best Wave of Session: small non-crasher

Length of Best Wave: 15 seconds

Session Duration: 1.5 hours

Week 5: Tech Reflection

by ericasblog

On April 4, 2022

In Weekly Reflections

During this week’s tech class, we discussed the views of Generation Alpha, and how quickly their world is shifting, mostly due to the technological advancements they are growing up with. When we think about the age of children we will be teaching in the near future, the youngest will have been born in 2018.

They will have known a childhood during a global pandemic, which in ways unknown to us yet, will greatly affect their development in some way. This generation will also have been raised with technology in their hands, which is something we as future teachers have to consider when thinking of their life experiences, and how it relates to our lessons. Their minds will be wired in ways that mine may not be. They will have grown up in a world where an algorithm has monitored them, and therefore affected their thoughts, including in the classroom.

Something to consider when I begin my teaching to this generation, is the fact that they have grown up in an instantaneous world. With every click, swipe, and double tap, they have been rewarded right away. So what does that mean for me as a future teacher?

My initial instinct is that I should slow them down, and create a ‘safe space’ from technology. Though, I know their future may completely rely on their understanding of tech.

One issue that may need to be addressed before jumping into HOW we can shape this new generation of students, is the fact that the 20th century school system was developed in the 1880’s and is no longer supporting the jobs that it was once developed for. This is a great concern, as what we may be teaching our students, no longer guarantees a job, since the world has changed, and therefore the jobs and the requirements have changed as well.

We have inherited a system that is very flawed, but since it has stood the same for so long, it has been solidified as the ‘right’ way since everyone knows it as the way we were ‘all’ taught. It’s important to ask ourselves why we are teaching the way we are. Is it out of the fear of ambiguity?

We must ask ourselves, is what we are teaching preparing our students for the life they will encounter outside of class, and later in life?

Active learning is one way to keep this new generation engaged in the classroom, and develop skills that are predicted to be keystones to getting jobs in the future, such as problem solving, collaborating, and creative thinking. Providing the necessary resources for them to explore tech and become responsible in their usage is a way one can incorporate tech into lessons. Technology can be used in a multitude of ways that are beneficial for both the environment and the further development of the students that will ultimately help with the unforeseen future that lies ahead.

There are many online resources that allow students to explore technology while learning classroom material. Using Kahoot in later years, or playing with “Puppet Pals”, which is a great resource for students to create a story digitally.

https://www.educationalappstore.com/app/puppet-pals-hd

https://kahoot.it/

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/games/quizzes

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

by ericasblog

On April 4, 2022

In Free Inquiry

A large swell is forecasted for this coming weekend, meaning not ideal conditions for a beginner or someone of my skill level. Thanks to the handy dandy surf forecast online, I can avoid getting demolished in waves I’m not prepared or equipped for. Since the conditions were looking perfect for us, we decided to cancel plans we had for Wednesday and make the journey to JR (Jordan River). The forecast showed glass and low winds, as well as wave heights at 3.5 feet. Perfect for beginners or intermediate surfers.

We left later in the day, due to work, and arrived at JR around 2:30. This gave us two and a half hours of daylight, the perfect amount of time to get ready, surf, and unchange before losing all light. There was one other surfer in the water, paired with clean, perfect waves, making for great conditions. We were ready to redeem ourselves from our disappointing Sunday surf! We changed into our wetsuits in record time, just as the only other surfer made his way back into shore! It was just me and Katie and the waves, that is for a little while. We were both able to catch a few waves before another man showed up, which included Katie catching her first non-crasher. Before anyone else had taken our waves, I was feeling quite confident, probably 7.5/10. The waves were a fun size, with the perfect amount of thrill and security. Unfortunately our perfect conditions were jeopardized when a much more skilled surfer took the spot behind us, meaning we had to get out of his way for the most part, giving us both major anxiety, as the surfing community doesn’t tend to be the most patient towards beginners, and ‘kooks’.

We managed to catch more waves, but also managed to get in his way, dropping my confidence level down to 6/10. I caught a few pretty good non-crashers, one of which I rode while I stood up, and the others on my knees. After Katie hit her hand on a rock in the shallow, she headed in while I surfed a little while longer. A milestone I had never achieved before; surfing alone at Jordan River! Once we were out of the water, the man surfing behind us mentioned we should watch some videos from “barefoot surfing”, a youtube channel helpful for beginners. I decided to not read too far into this, as he was either being kind or telling us we sucked and needed to move out of his way the next time, though he seemed pretty nice. Overall, we had a great surf session. We came to the conclusion though, that next time we would try to go out a bit further into the surf, catching the waves in the back. We’ll have to see if we brave it out the next time!

Overall Confidence : 7/10

Conditions: 6 foot swell

Busy: No

Best Wave of Session: small non-crasher

Length of Best Wave: 5-6 seconds

Session Duration: 2 hours

https://www.sportsdefinitions.com/surfing/glassy/

https://www.gq.com/story/kook-surf-etiquette-guide-2013

https://www.surf-forecast.com/