...and this is also important

So ... Like Happy Loman, you're interested in "losign weight" ... great. You know, just being physically active and eating right will help you too.

Don't believe me? How about the American Heart Association?

'k bye bye.

Losing weight

Hmm ... are there a few students I've known in this course that could have been helped with this post? I know there are.

Weight loss can be hard - make it easy by following simple steps to make it almost unconscious; you can lose weight without really thinking.

Fo real.

Oh, this .... is funny

I often think about what my kids are learning from me.

Here is what makes me chuckle.

Whoa

SO, I guess I'm trying to get past this blog for the moment ... hA!

Although I know as I go forward, there will be things linked here, like this one about a kid in Markham with TB, that I will use.

and then there's this one about e-coli in Peel.

Right now, though, I'm just trying to keep to the middle ground.

Monday May 9

OK, so I got almost everything marked on the Friday - I say that because a bunch of material is coming in now that I have shown people their marks for the module.

Finny how that works.

In any case, here is a picture from my workout on Saturday:



The class will continue work on Unit Five with readings today on Stages of Infancy and finishing off Andromeda Strain, the film from 1971... it's awesome, (fist pumps) yo!

The bitter end

Well, unit four is due ... and I have five of nine students handing it in on time...

And, I'm. waiting. For. The. Presentations. To. Begin.

I'd like to get on with it.

Can we get on with it?

Let's get on with it.

We're almost done, we're almost at the bitter end.

Thursday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday .... and the exam Friday.

That's it.

May 3

Today was the last day of Unit Four - and we did a film study of Deep Impact; after that we watched a short clip from Wonders of the Solar System, in which the Professor explained just how the events in the film might actually happen...

You're welcome for that, man.


The we watched a snipped from Neil deGrasse Tyson explaining about how the events in the film 2012 will not happen.

The film study is the last thing due for unit four.

Get it done.

Oh, and here's a picture of my brain... appearing like a walnut:

Friday April 29

The last day of April. Seriously ... I know it really ISN'T the last day of April, but it's close enough for me... last working day of April, so that's that.

What are we doing today? Well ... here we go ...

We need to give some time to taking up the homework from yesterday.

We need some time for you to work on your First Aid Booklet ... a good chunk of time. There is a lot on the internet to help you with this one. Access that stuff, man!

We also need to do the sign ups for Task Two presentations; they start on Monday!

Finally, we need to wind the week down with starting a film study for the unit that revolves around Health Promotion and Safety... hmmm ... I think I got one.... should be a good show!

If you don't have a choice for a topic for your presentation, or Unit Three not homework handed in, I found this website that might help ... he he he he he he ...

Thursday April 28

So ... what are we doing today?

First things first ... unit test on Unit Three "Stewardship and Mental Health" ... yeah, weird name. I get that a lot.

Well, you need to work on the questions for the film we watched yesterday - were taking them up today.

Then you need to grab a pen and a piece of paper for the PPT were doing. Riveting stuff, man..

After that, you should be working on your First Aid booklet...

I also read this article about getting sleep instead of trying to "pull all-nighters"






Oh, and a prayer... it sometimes works, too:


Beannacht, John O'Donahue

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

Also saw this article about working out ... seems pretty basic. But I'm also finding that the workouts that are the most basic are some of the best ones to do.

Wed April 27

What did we do today - we took up the questions on p472 from the textbook first.

We also presented a powerpoint/keynote presentation on high risk behavior in regards to medicine and illicit substances. Then to drive the point home, I showed a film form the National Film Board website. Link is in the Unit Four links.

Questions are on paper; in the top slidy drawer of the desk.

Tuesday April 26

Q: So, like what are we, like, doing today?

A: stop saying "like".

We're looking at Safety and Health Promotion, which is Unit Four. Specifically for today, we're going to be reading stuff from the text about "the accident chain", which is similar to the "Chain of Infection" idea we took a look at on Thursday.

Then, I'm going to set you loose on the Task Three of Unit Four; The first aid booklet.

S'all good.

We're done Unit Three's Journal; ya'll can hand this in at any point in time.

Watch the video of Al Gore on the last post. He's kinda funny, like a Mr. Chesser, like, funny.

I also found the link to the website about Youth Workplace Safety that we talked about in class.

Hey there - quick thing

I just got this emailed to me tonight; it is from Al Gore. At the end of his film, there were more than a few depressed people in the room.

Here is something a bit more upbeat :

So .. .what did we do TODAY in Health for Life ... a very good question. The first thing we did was a lot of talking about the questions assigned for Homework. Then we helped out with the Case Studies (Task Two for the unit).

After that we did a little bit on the Cycle of Infection:






At the end of the class, we did a short note taking thing on Control of Infection:


Please be safe on the extra long weekend.

April 20 - a quick reflection

My. Students must stop thinking of me as an ISP.

I'm actually a teacher. Seriously. Hand in your assignments.

Take a peek at your mark, then get your homework complete and handed in.

We read "Communicating Effectively", and assigned questions 1,2,3 and 4.

April 19 .... I think this is day 15

Today we took up the questions on Beyond the Blues" a film of case studies about depression and other mental illnesses. Yes, the questions are due today. Link is under the Unit Three links.

We also read from the text book (page 242) and we updated the Journal List to include questions 1,2,3,4,and 6. See the wall and get the readings done.

What else? I hounded people to get assignments in to me. I marked today, in preparation of giving you your midterm mark.

Yup, time to be all grown up.

Brrrrr

I was looking around on the interwebs and found this youtube video ... first one I've ever seen from the dude, although I've seen him in a few commercials.



Dang, that looks cold.

What we'd do?

Yeah, stay off your cell phones. Internet addiction is a serious thing, man.

We did the PPt's on Stress and Therapy today - Imma hoping you took notes, 'cuz there's stuff coming down at ya. Life goes on, man. Then we watched "Beyond the Blues", a film of a four case studies of mental health issues. Link to the film is in the Unit Three links, on this blog.

Stuff is starting to come due.

Get it in, man.

Oh, I thought this was going to be hard

Yup, that was my mid morning snack/breakfast today. Oogle it and be jealous, man. I love this diet.

In any case, today we're going to be doing some work with stuff that stresses us out, which is kinda appropriate, considering it IS Monday... then we'll get on with taking up the questions on WOSS and Crapshoot, films we have already finished ....

Ok, on with Monday!

April 15

Right ... more on nutrition and wellness today in the paper.

Too bad we're done that unit ... oh, wait; we've got a Culminating Activity to get into now. Might want to consider the newspaper as a valuable source of inspiration and knowledge, too. Speaking of which, here is an idea for someone to try for their Culminating Activity.

Today is all about Stress and Mental health .... oh, and a film, Crapshoot.

"Did I miss anything"?

Yup, yeah, yes.

We finished off two films today, the first was An Inconvenient Truth with Al Gore. It ends rather in an uplifting manner, with solid advice to get yourself educated about climate change. Check the Unit Three links for more info.

In an effort to help your understanding of our Earth, we watched an episode of Brian Cox' series from the BBC called "Wonders of the Solar System", the episode entitled "Thin Blue Line". I tried to get some screen shots of the episode ... simply awesome pictures of Earth and other places, but it didn't work. I did find this image of Titan, though:



That blue stuff on the right of the pic was the stuff that got all the eggheads excited. That and the flowing lakes of Methane on the surface. Makes me want to get in my van and go for a very very long drive... to see what a rain storm on Titan would be like.

Tomorrow, Unit Two journal is due and we have a quiz. Make sure you got it done. Aaaaaaaaaaaaand you should have an idea about your Culminating Activity posted on your blog.

Anyway, for no apparent reason, here is another wonderful pic:

Day 12!

Today, April 14th, 2011, is Day 12 of the course. Not only THAT, but this is one of the only five day weeks in this course...

Everyone gets stressed—it is a basic fact of life. Too much stress, however, can have profound negative effects on your health, including hypertension, stroke, and heart attack.

I was trying to find a stress assessment tool online ... I did find one here; it’s ok.


There are a lot of things that stress people out. Do you know what stresses you out? Look around on this page and just read for a few minutes.


Here is an interactive quiz to find out about your stressors.


The first question I had was about my social network - yes, I want to point out that you can use Facebook to get help with things that stress you out, rather than being a source of stress. Funny story about Facebook last year ... it CAN be a source of stress. And it can also help you lose weight, live healthier and live longer. See “Lose weight with Twitter”



Another question asked me about my reactions to stress... how about the time I was so broke while at University I was “borrowing” food off of a roommate and waiting for a student loan to arrive. The University Registrar held it back for a week as I owed 5 bucks at the Library for a lat book return. I actually laughed at that. Seriously.

In the end, my result on the online assessment was 83 percent. I got a lot of “Good for you’s”. But, I’m thinking that is because I got a lot of stuff figured out ... like social support, what job I’m going to have in five years, what kind of future I’m going to have .... the biggies.

Do you know what stresses you out? Was it on the list? (We're going to be talking about this during class time .... )

Oh, one of the videos you SHOULD watch that I mentioned the other day that I have not yet posted on Self esteem is here .... wear headphones!





Oh, and here is a picture of an Easter Island Head that I mentioned in class yesterday:



I like them.;)
On with the day!

What did we do?

Well, lots of stuff. Two ppt's - one on the Hierarchy of Needs, one on five parts to Good mental health were done. Questions were also assigned.

I handed out the terms you need to know for Unit Three.

I also asked you to do some questions on the previous post.

Then we watched this:


Carl Sagan, dude.

Anyway, then we started and got through an awful lot of Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth. Some were saying that it made them feel scared. Well, that's a good thing, to be frank. If you're scared about what happens to us as a species, that is a good thing.

Get educated, get moving. There are things you can do to help lead the way to a better planet. Even if you do something like stop buying bottled water.

Simple, right? Right. Stop chatting online during class time.

April 13

Right. Today. Kind of Breathless.

Whoa.

We start Unit three - Mental Health and Stewardship. Yeah, weird mix, I know.

Start with this online quiz; after you've finished, write a short paragraph about an aspect of mental health that you've never thought about or have always thought about and want to learn more about.

Right. After that, take a look here, a link about Depression. No, don't poo-poo that topic. It's more serious than you think.

Then, do these questions:

Pg 178 Mental Heath questions

1.Define the term Anxiety - what is a positve result of it, what is a negative result of it?
2. What are two strategies to manage day to day anxiety?
3. What is depression?
4. Under what circumstances should a depressed person seek professional help?
5. How might being a volunteer help relieve mild depression?
6. What might drugs and alcohol be an answer, albeit a dangerous answer, to depression?
7. Create a chart with three columns; “Family”, “friends” and “School”. In each column, list how depression and or anxiety could affect your relationships.

Today

We're getting close to the end of Unit Two - we may even start Unit Three today, for sure tomorrow. Which means that you need to get the journal ready to hand in.

By the way, someone was asking me about using Dropbox yesterday. Here's a video that you should watch if you're getting angry at the H drive from the school:



Anyway, there will be a dead tree version of these questions in the room:

Chapter 4 Pg 85-93 questions

1. What are some relationships between nutrition, quality of life and disease?
2. What are three influences -other than family- on people’s food choice.
3. How does what you eat affect your heath, now and as you get older?
4. What the difference between a food allergy and food intolerance?
5. What is pasteurization?
6. Why demand people who work with food (say at a restaurant) to wash their hands?
7. What does washing hands prevent?
8. What’s a good way store leftovers? Why is this necessary?

We also need to take up the answers to yesterday's questions. And get the presentations done .... ugh.... I can't believe I was that silly to forget ... twice!




Finally, we also need to start the Culminating Activity today ... this is the day we kick some butt, man!


And ... look what I was writing about a year ago ... some things never change...

Day 9 recap

In the text, it talks a little about a Heart Rate chart ... if you haven't seen it before, the image above is what it looks like. If you have any questions about it, we'll chat tomorrow.


Whoa, lots of stuff came down at us today.

Reminders of the Nutrition poster assignment, the questions on Super Size Me and a reading/homework from the text were all completed today.

Then, I read this aricle about people stealing from Geeks. Don't steal from people who know how to use the internet better than you do.

In a little foreshadowing of a later unit, there was this article I got emailed to me today about internet addiction. That is something I've head of before and see sometimes in my room. Make sure it isn't you, man. Addiction to anything, the internet included, can be harmful to more than just your own body.

Ew, it was kinda gross in the room today. I'll see what I can do about it tomorrow.

April 10 - nutrition chart assignment

Hey everyone, in order to help with your Task Two Poster assignment due in a few days, I'm going to be asking you to fill out a chart (a dead tree version is in the classroom) about the "stuff on the left side of a nutritional label"

I also have the questions for "Super Size Me" ready to go (finally .... sorry about that) We'll get them done today in class.

I also have stuff for us to read together and answer together (if we HAVE to) for the Journal due later on this week.

Ok, then, lets get on with it!

Something quick.

Day ... Seven? and a quick quiz

Ok, before we go any further, read this article. Bummer.

Did ya read it? Here it is again. Read it this time.

You didn't read it, did you ... that's too bad. Might just make you feel better about yourself, but that is the way of the world.

Speaking of feeling better, please recall that you are not attending school tomorrow:



Finally, here is a short quiz for you to complete and start thinking about your lungs before we get going on today. Link is here.


Last thing before we get back to watching Super Size Me ... here is a link that was emailed to me from the Coaching Association of Canada. Seems they want me to share the idea that some types of fast food is healthy with my athletes and students. Go ahead, the link is here, but I have to share my humble opinion that they are just wrong in even thinking like this.

Web Quest April 6

Hey there, this is for after the Unit test .... oops, did you forget about that one?

This is due as a part of the Unit Two Journal. By the way ... got all of Unit One done? ;) There is other "Stuff" is due tomorrow. Get on it.

First of all, I totally stole this from here. Secondly, please tell me you know who Nolan Ryan is... finally, yes I know this is all about Americans....but Canadian trends follow American ones, especially in lifestyle.


Directions:
Click on the link and read the Nolan Ryan Fitness Guide.
After you reading the booklet, answer the following questions:

What is the minimum exercise goal for all Americans?
What are the two most important steps for avoiding pain and injury when exercising?
What type of exercise does the booklet describe as "the cornerstone of any fitness program"?
According to the booklet, how often should you work out, for how long, and at what intensity, in order to gain the greatest long-term benefits from aerobic activity?
Name three benefits of weight training.
How long is a good stretching routine?
What does the booklet describe as the best sports drink?

oops, one more thing

I promised a student that I'd post a pic of me using a tire with a sledge hammer. Please note the huge amount of space all around me... ;)

Here is a pic of my garage gym from Tuesday night. I had a pretty hard workout.





Let's get on with Wednesday.

April 5 ... ahhh, thats better...

ok, I'm up to ten URL's, which is better, but needs to be complete.

It is, after all, a part of the Journal for Unit Two. Which means you get a mark for it. If I can get to it, you run the risk of getting a zero.

Rant over.

Today we started Unit Two - taking a look at Personal Health. We read from Chapter 3 and have questions on Pg 51. Posted on the wall while you are writing your Unit One Unit test.

We also took a look at Nutrition Labels, and the assignment for that, too. Should be "off the hook" as the kids are saying these days.

Here's the link to one of the MovNat videos we saw today. This guy owns a place in Toronto; I've been there, it's pretty cool:



and for those of you who just don't see the point of bodyweight training:



Finally, for those of you who dislike the way that this course is being taught, I got this article emailed to me today. It talks about how at least one other US State is making students complete at least one course online. Such things are available here in Ontario, too. Hey man ... this is the wave of the future...

Of course, I'm looking into this for next time I teach this course... (seriously, you need to read that article ... it'll provide some ideas on how you can teach yourself anything)

Now, on to Wednesday. w00t!

Update on Day Five ... not a good update.

Yeah, um ... how do I say this ....

This is a blended course - that is, some of the content is from the text book, and some of the content comes from you, your brain ... and your life.

Rather than kill more trees, and because we are teaching this course in a computer lab, I was kinda hoping to help you elearn. That is - show what you've learned electronically. The other, "dead tree" version of this course is something that I just don't want to go back to. Seriously.

If you don't know how to start a blog, or if you don't know that you have to start a blog to get this credit ... well, now you know.

I have six links from a class of nearly 20 students. Chances are I don't have your URL. If I don't, I can't mark the electronic stuff. If you don't have a blog, get one. If I don't have the address, I need it.

Day Five

Lesson 2 review - Page 58 Online questions - Chapter three begins!

To be posted on your blog ASAP (that would be “As soon as possible”)

1. If you are only working on 50 bicep curls a day ... what area of health related fitness are you benefitting? What else could you do to benefit other areas of your health?

2. If you were to start using a treadmill for fitness, what area of health related fitness are you benefitting? What else could you do to benefit other areas of your health?

3. Find a youtube video and embed it on your blog of someone doing an exercise that you thought we should see - either because it’s funny or very cool.


For example: Funny



Cool:

Day Four

In this activity you will explore advertising techniques and evaluate the ads and the fitness products themselves.

1. Find an online ad for a fitness centre, a program for “rock hard” abs or bulging biceps, or something along those lines that you are interested in (or want to focus on.... if you don't have anything in mind, look at the TRX.

2. What product is being advertised? What are the claims being made? What are the statements describing the product’s advantages.

3. What does this product cost? Does the cost seem reasonable or inflated?

4. Who is the spokesperson for the product? Does this lend any credibility to the claims

5. Are there any scientific studies, medical professionals, or fitness experts endorse this product? Do these studies add any credibility to the claims?

6. Are there any celebrities who endorse this product? What effect does the celebrity’s endorsement have on the product’s credibility?

7. Are there any “People on the street” who test out the product on camera? What effect does the celebrity’s endorsement have on the product’s credibility?

8. Are there any YouTube clips of people using the product? What are some of the comments (if any) in the comment section of the video? Are they generally positive or negative?

9. Are there any tweets about this product?

10. Would you buy this product? Explain why or why not.

Day Treis

I totally took this from here:
http://www.thirteen.org/peaceful/strate.html

Read the following post, then answer the following questions, to be handed in as a part of Task One, Journal:

1. List three things that active listeners do.
2. What is the purpose of "I" messages?
3. What are the three basic parts of an "I" message?
4. What is the optional fourth part of an "I" message, and why should it be used with caution?
5. What is a win-win solution?
6. What are the four steps of collaborative negotiation?

At Roosevelt Middle School in Oceanside, California, trainers from the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) model good communication skills and help students practice these skills through role-playing and other exercises. Students learn to use communication skills in the process of collaborative conflict resolution, to reach win-win solutions that meet the needs of all parties.

Communication skills encompass a variety of strategies and techniques that aid interpersonal interaction. Using good communication skills is not a matter of simply being "nice." Rather, communicating well facilitates information-sharing, perspective-taking, and genuine understanding. When communication flows well, conflict is more likely to be resolved in a collaborative fashion, rather than escalating to destructive levels. Key elements of effective communication are:

Active Listening
Active listeners:
encourage the speaker with nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions, gestures, and verbalizations.
check for understanding by asking questions such as "What did you mean . . . " or "Could you tell me more?" They also restate in their own words what the speaker said.
"reflect back" the speaker's feelings, saying things like "It sounds like you're really upset." Only when feelings are acknowledged will the speaker feel heard and understood.

"I" Messages
"I" messages are a way of saying how you feel without attacking or blaming. "I" messages help to de-escalate conflicts and facilitate constructive dialogue and problem-solving. Here is an example of the difference between a "you" message and an "I" message:

"You" message: "You selfish jerk! You think the TV belongs to you. Well, it's my turn now."

"I" message: "I feel annoyed when you switch the channel without asking. I want to be able to watch my show all the way through." (For more on "I" messages, see "An 'I' Message Has Three Basic Parts".)

Win-Win Solutions
Win-win resolutions of conflicts are those in which the needs of all parties are satisfied. They stand in contrast to win-lose resolutions, in which a conflict is seen as a zero-sum game where one party's gain is another's loss. To arrive at a win-win resolution requires clear communication and collaborative negotiation.

Students can practice constructing "I" messages in response to these situations. For further practice, think of other situations and then respond with "I" messages.
Carla saw Heather with her arm around Carla's boyfriend Greg. What could Carla say to Heather, using an "I" message? To Greg?
Will wants to copy Mike's homework. Mike wants to say no, even though he let Will copy his work once before. What can Mike say to Will, using an "I" message?


When people negotiate their conflicts collaboratively, they use these four main steps:

1. Pick a good time and place to talk. This can mean waiting until tempers have cooled, or choosing neutral turf on which to talk.



2. Talk it out. Each party states his or her position and talks about his or her needs, using active listening to try to learn how the other party sees the situation. The parties reframe the conflict as a problem to be solved, one that incorporates both party's needs.



3. Brainstorm for solutions. Together, the parties come up with as many ideas as they can for resolving the conflict.



4. Choose a solution. The parties choose a solution that meets their needs and to which they can both agree. They test it out; if it doesn't work, they try another solution.


Oh, finally, here is Figure 1.2:

Day 2, 2011

Hey everybuggy:

Here is a Health Inventory you need to do before we get going on to today.

Lemme know how the web Quest is going, too.

World Health infor for the last unit

So ... I'm ramping this blog up for next week ... and I keep getting really cool emailed to me, and I keep reading really cool stuff in preparation for this course.

It's like I want to be a life long learner or something.

In any case, here is a link to HealthMap.org, a place that uses cell phone technology and other Web 2.0 devices to track illnesses and diseases.

The other link I didn't get to look at too much today, but may later. The basic idea of this website/researchy thingy is to take a cell phone and use a few bluetooth thingys and make it useful to diagnose and detect bad stuff, like stuff going wrong inside your body. UC Berkeley is a pretty honking high end university, so they better know their stuff.

And then there is this article about how we can make healthy eating decisions for students at regular schools.

OK, on with the rest of today.

"I'm too fat too workout"

You know, look around you.

There have been people in that classroom who have actually said to me that they "were too fat to workout." Not just one, a few.

And then you read about a guy who weight 400 lbs and runs a marathon. Awesome.

What's your excuse for not working out?

How about this guy ...



and finally, one of my personal favourites ...




...and finally, and article that got emailed to me today that is giving me a bit of a chuckle. Love some of the lines coming out of the students' mouths

What to eay, what to eat

Ya know, now that I have a third child, I keep wondering just how to keep my children from becoming obese...

And then you run into an article like this.

Awesome stuff, man. Awesome.

Eating healthy is too expensive? Read this

I keep hearing that eating healthy costs more than eating poorly.

Read this, man. Excuses for eating badly are falling off to the side all the time.