Blogging

So far I have been a lot more consistent with journaling my CAS activities. I hope I can continue to journal and maybe start writing twice a week instead of just once.

Lacrosse So Far

So far in our official Lacrosse practices, I haven't missed a meeting, game or practice. I've been keeping up on my goal of staying committed!

Second Week of Practice

Today went really well. I'm used to having coaches now and I like them. Today we continued to work on basic skills and then split up into positions and had two half field scrimmages. It was fun because we knew basically what we were doing so we could really get into the game. I think this is the best method for starting something new; to start small and gradually build up to more and more complicated things. It sounds really obvious, but its easy to forget. Playing lacrosse is a lot more fun than doing drills. Also it is easy to just assume that everyone knows what you know and instead of waiting for new players to master the basics, just start playing scrimmages. I don't know though, I guess it's a little of both. I think a lot can be learned from experience. My first season of lacrosse my coach started me and a lot of other freshmen in the first game. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing. We couldn't really help our team win the game, but it did definitly speed up the learning process. You learn faster when you are forced to learn. But anyways, the scrimmages we played today were really fun. I think everyone got experience and learned some things about lacrosse. During the game, if some kept fouling or was confused we would stop the game and explain what they were doing wrong or give them advice. I learned today the importance of passing and the importance of staying spread out in offence. Both of these stills helped my team keep the ball.

First Week of the Season

      Last week’s practices went well. The weather was gorgeous, warm and sunny, for the first time this year, so it felt great to be outside.

      We actually have two coaches now: Coach Arcenas and the girls’ soccer coach, Coach Austen. I think it is good to get input from more than one person. They also work well together because Coach Arcenas knows about lacrosse, but is new at coaching and Coach Austen has been a coach for a long time, but knows nothing about lacrosse. But, it is weird though for me and some of the other upper classmen to have one coach let alone two. The “captain’s” practices, which lasted for about a month, have consisted of all kids. There was opportunity for everyone to give input about what they thought we should work on and how to practice. Now we have two “outsiders” telling us what to do. I mean, obviously, we are playing a high school sport, so we need a coach and a coach’s job is to lead the team. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this, but it does feel weird. It’s just a weird transition. I am still trying to work towards my objective of working collaboratively with others, and this includes the coaches. Therefore, I will try to work collaboratively with the coaches to help the team.

      I think I did work collaboratively with the coaches this week. I did what the coaches asked and it actually helped me a lot. For example, we started to work on being ambidextrous. I have always heard that this was an advantage in lacrosse, but I had never really tried it. This year though (this week) I’ve really been practicing and experimenting with this and it’s been working. I’ve been learning all these applications for switching hands and so I know that what my coaches are saying is worth listening to. Another time, Coach Austen asked me to explain rules whenever someone broken them in a scrimmage. The other returning players and I have been working with the coaches to teach the rules to the new player. This is working really well. Even if the player knows a rule already, pointing out mistakes can help make the rules memorable and provide application for them (At least that is what it does for me. I’m glad when people point out my mistakes that I can learn from.) Encouragement is also always good.

      Actually, having new and returning players work together seems to contain the same concept as peer tutoring. Sometimes kids are the best teachers because they themselves have just learned the concept. They can simply explain the concept the way that they learned it. They also can remember the mistakes they made or things they were confused on and so they will explain those parts even more clearly to prevent the learner from making the same mistakes. I will remember this if I ever have to teach something.

Last Preseason Practice

        For our last "captain’s” practice (the unofficial practices before pre-season), we ran a couple laps, practiced passing, did two half field "learning" scrimmages and a more serious half field scrimmage. I liked doing the running and the simple passing because that is what most of our team needs practice on. I'm learning that it's always best to start with the basic skills and build up, especially with beginners. The scrimmages also went well. Although scrimmaging is a more advanced activity, I think it is important to show everyone why the basic skills are important. The whole reason we learn basic skills is so that we can play well in games. I think playing a game every once in a while reinforces the basic skills and raises moral. The first half field scrimmages consisted of 6 players each; 3 defense and 3 offence. With my group, I reinforced passing, which we had just done a drill on. I let them play until they fowled or were having a hard time with something. Then I would stop the play and give an explanation. I think this worked well. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to explain small details while trying to explain lacrosse. It’s a lot easier to watch a game and then explain the details. Also, some of the other more experienced players helped me give tips and explanations. It is so import to work together with others if you lead, especially if the ones you are working with aren't leaders. While leading the captain’s practices with two other upperclassmen, I decided that I really didn't want the practices to be about me. The point of the practices was to help the new players learn and the old player to remember and practice their skills and this is what I wanted to make the practices about. This meant treating everyone fairly, whether I was friends with them or not. It meant that sometimes I didn't get to run at my own pace because someone needed a partner at the back of the line. It meant letting other experienced players help out and give explanations rather than trying to do all the talking myself. I don't know how well I did at all of this, I hope I was successful at teaching lacrosse. Mostly, because this was the first time I've done anything like this, it was a learning experience. I learned that more than anything, leadership is a responsibility and not a privilege to benefit the leader. I also learned about how and how not to teach lacrosse. I learned some stuff about "classroom control" and how to manage a crowd of teenagers (which might help me in the future since I am thinking about becoming a teacher). I also reached my goal of helping others learn to play lacrosse. I think any other teaching I do from here will just be extra than my original goal. I learned to collaborate with others, team members, and other leaders. I could never have lead the practices by myself. I learned that a leader has more responsibility for commitment and perseverance than anyone else. Not only did I have to show up to the practices, but they went a lot better when I thought about out drills to do in advance. I also had to be sure about what I said. I couldn't just guess about the rules or how to cradle. I don't know if I will be chosen captain this year, but whether or not I get another chance to lead, I really grew from this opportunity. Now my next challenge will be regular practices with our coach.

Learning

Today I figured out how to journal on this site. It's actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. Most of the stuff on this website is really intuitive. I just had to click on the "CAS Software Testers" activity, and it brought me here, where I can journal, write reflections and add pictures or movies. I learned a new skill on this website, but this is also a reminder that when trying to navigate new technology, the intuitive thing is usually the one that works.

Also today, I was wishing there was some way to save journal evidence so that I could work on it for a while before adding it. Then I realized that I could still edit the evidence after I added it. This is another new skill I have learned which will help me use this site more efficiently.

CAS Software Testers

10 hours Service

This is the official group of online CAS software testers. This project will last 90 days as students complete all of their CAS activities using the online program.

Location
Out-of-School

Dates:
March 09, 2010 to June 01, 2010

Supervisor: Jeffrey Hyer
Learning Outcomes:
1.Show perseverance and commitment

2.Develop new skills

Lacrosse

Today was a good day for lacrosse. It was beautiful out and I met a lot of my CAS goals.

During the school day, I really didn't want to go to practice. I had a really busy weekend, I was really tired, and I had a lot of homework. I had plenty of excuses for skipping it and my friend told me she was thinking about skipping it, but I decided to go anyway. I'm really glad I did. I stay committed to lacrosse even though I wasn't too excited about going, which I think will help me learn perseverance. An even better reward than perseverance though was the way I felt after practice. It was a really warm and sunny day and it felt good to get the exercise. Sometimes, its really hard for me to do what is good for me, but it definitely pays off!

I also worked collaboratively with a senior on my team to run practice today. I think it went well. Because the season hasn't officially started yet, we aren't allowed to have the coach practice with us yet. Therefore, team members have to lead the practices. Today, we ran a couple laps and then went over the basics of lacrosse for the newer members of the team.

I was able to help teach them to cradle, throw, catch and scoop the ball off the ground. I think I met my goal today to help others, or at least came really close to meeting it. I discovered that a good way to teach is to ask the "students" what they have questions about and move on from there. If I talked about, maybe, running for a half hour it would be pointless because they all know how to run already. It worked better when I asked them what they wanted to know and then taught them. This helped the freshmen to pay better attention and, I hope, helped everyone learn more about lacrosse. On the other hand, though, at the end when I was asking if anyone had questions about the rules, no one really said anything. They didn't have questions about the rules because they didn't know about the rules. So sometimes you just have to start talking and then let the questions come. I think its a give and take thing. You have to know what you're talking about, but also be willing to let the learners ask questions.

I also worked with some sophomores on the team. They knew how to play lacrosse, so I had them help me teach the beginners. They were good at this and also helped me remember things I forgot to say.

Lacrosse Proposal

Activity: Sturgis Lacrosse Team

Dates of Activity: 2/2/10 to about 5/1/10

Category: Action

First Learning Outcome: 5. Show perseverance and commitment in activity

Second Learning Outcome: 4. Work collaboratively with others

Sponsoring Organization: Sturgis

Adult Supervisor: Coach, Scott Arcenas

Why is this particular activity being chosen?

I am choosing this activity because I like Lacrosse. I have been playing for two years and I enjoy the exercise and I love the people on the team. As an upperclassmen, one of my duties is to help the newer players. I also need to work hard to contribute to the team. This will be a challenge because I have a lot of homework and a job and I will get tired sometimes. I will have to keep playing and practicing hard even when I'm tired. I think this will make me a stronger person.

What are a few personal goals to be achieved? How will you measure progress toward these goals? How will you know you've reached these goals?

One of my goals is to score at least three goals this season. Last year I scored two, and this year I want to try and get one more. I will measure my progress by the number of goals I score in practice and in the games.

Another goal is to be a good leader and to help the newer players on the team. I will measure my progress of this by how much I help them by giving instruction or answering questions. I don't think I will know for sure exactly when I meet this goal.

How will this activity meet the two learning outcomes you've selected?

I hope that this activity will help me lean to show perseverance and commitment. I think I will get tired of lacrosse, especially if I am busy with other things. I will try not to miss practices or games. I think that by staying committed to the activity I will learn to be more perseverance.

Because lacrosse is a team sport, I will have to work together with my teammates to win games and to get better at lacrosse. I will try to help new players improve at lacrosse and I will try to work together with the team in games.

What is the value of this activity to you and others? And, if applicable, how will this activity benefit others?

I think this activity will benefit me and the other players on the team through friendships and exercise. The more enjoyable I make lacrosse for others, the more we will all benefit.