Journal #5

Did you enjoy journaling? Explain your answer.

I admit I haven’t really done journaling like this or any before so given this was really my first time, yes it was enjoyable.  Often times we do activities, take them for what they’re worth in the moment, and then file them away as a memory to probably be forgotten.    This journaling experience made me reflect on the various activities that we took part in throughout the semester and then before they became a memory, document my thoughts using this journaling assignment.  The final part that was neat was the fact that we didn’t just do this as a personal journal for ourselves, but we did it as a blog for others to see.

Did you think about things you may not have otherwise? What were they?

Yes, as I said, often times we do assignment, call them done, and just move onto the next thing.  Through the journal assignment questions, I was made to think about things that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.  Some examples were: with the EDGE experience I had to answer what I found out about myself during the experience and discovered that I followed instructions well, but needed to work on voicing my own opinion more which I think I’ve done; with both the EDGE and geocaching assignments, I hadn’t really thought about how I would interact with team members in a education-type setting as opposed to working with a team in sports which I’m very familiar – I learned that I worked well in those team settings as well.  Finally for all the times that I’ve spent outdoors in a park or at a lake, so many times I never really took the time to really enjoy how much there really was in the surroundings.

What profession do you hope to pursue once you graduate?

I hope to become a physical education teacher and teach high school sports, preferably football. In addition, I’m going to be taking a course offered at GMU to become a personal trainer, so in addition to teaching hopefully I’ll be able to do some personalized training on the side.

How has taking this course affected your thinking about outdoor education?

The course has affected my thinking about outdoor education in that I have often taken the outdoors for granted.  I’ve walked through the woods, fished at a lake, and have just enjoyed spending outdoors in general.  However, now that I’m planning to become a teacher, I’m looking at those same experiences as opportunities to teach.  The outdoor is not just a place to go to do something, but also a place to go and learn.  I hope that in my future teaching career, I’ll be able to use some of the lessons learned during this class.   

Journal #4

What you were most frustrated with today.

Before talking about what made me frustrated, it is good to say that I had a great time geocaching at Conway Robinson Memorial State Forest.  The most frustrating part of the day was definitely associated with find the first cache, Troll Treasure.  When we first arrived at the location with the help of the GPS, there was a teepee built up from sticks that caught our eyes.  We looked in and around it for several minutes before realizing the name of the cache we were trying to find – Troll Treasure and Troll’s are associated with bridges. When we realized this we saw a small bridge nearby and realized something must be hidden below the bridge.  We went there, searched, and finally found a very small cache with only room enough for a log sheet.

How you felt your team worked together and why.

I think as a team we worked pretty well together.  One person was in charge of guiding us to the area using the GPS on their phone while the other three of us were really focused on deciphering the cache hint so that when we arrived at the location we’d be able to find it quickly.  Unfortunately, as I’ve already said that wasn’t the case with the first cache. 

What you enjoyed most about today’s outdoor experience.

I think what I enjoyed most about today’s experience was just being outside of the classroom, doing something fun, and in the process learning!  There definitely was a feeling of accomplishment when as a team we found the location, figured out the cache clue based on the name, and then found the cache.  Working as a team to accomplish a goal was great.

What personal leadership skills you exhibited today that helped create a positive learning environment.

I think the personal leadership skill that I exhibited today was one of being able to work as part of a team to accomplish a goal.  I, along with each member of the team, listened to each other’s ideas and considered the inputs when trying to decipher the hidden cache locations.  

Journal #3

The most interesting thing you learned about the outdoors today.

Believe it or not the most interesting thing that I learned at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park was that copper head snakes were present.  That fact surprised me and then I also didn’t realize that they were poisonous. Luckily we didn’t come across any!  It was unfortunate that the weather was so terrible because I’m sure there would have been many other interesting things that we would have experienced.

Two effective learning strategies you observed being implemented by Mr. Pitrizzi.

The first effective learning strategy I observed was that he made the experience for us very hands-on.  It’s one thing to be talked to and taught about something, but it’s another when you can actually put your hands on it.  He let us get in the creek and showed us how to turn over rocks and logs looking for wild life.  The second effective learning strategy was that he made us pay attention to things that you might not otherwise have noticed such as the bird calls.  And, it wasn’t just that he said listen to the bird calls, but he was able to tell us which sounds went with which birds.

One thing you learned about yourself today.

The one thing that I learned about myself was that I could deal with tough outside weather conditions and overcome them with the right clothing/gear and a little perseverance.  I think we all learned that even under the weather conditions you can still learn.

One activity you would add if you were to expand today’s activity to a full day.

The one activity that I thought would have been fun would have been if we could have done some fishing.  I’m sure we would have caught some fish if we threw some lines in the water. Now, that might have been difficult since I think everyone would have had to get a fishing license.  However, instead of fishing, another activity or information that would have been both fun and useful was if we learned about any plants that were edible – just in case!   

Journal #2

What you found out about your colleagues that you didn’t know:

To begin with, I thought the EDGE experience was great and part of what made it a great experience was learning about my colleagues.  For instance, I learned which ones are more inclined to take leadership roles and how others were able to work together as a team taking into accounts everyone’s ideas and then coming up with the best possible plan forward.  I felt like the EDGE exercises really had a way of bring out individual personalities and characteristics.

What you found out about yourself today:

I found out that I’m very good at following directions.  Whenever someone told me to do something for the team, I did not hesitate and did the very best that I could.  I suppose I’m good military material!  From a physical standpoint, at the climbing tower I found the activity to very easy for me letting me know that I’m in fairly good physical condition for outdoor learning activities.  As a result of finding out things about myself, I realized that I need to work on voicing my opinions more and stepping up in a team setting into more of a leadership role.

What the facilitators did well today:

The facilitators did a very good job of drawing a relationship between the activities we did to real life situations.  Many of the activities taught us that sometimes we must trust and rely on others to help us in order to accomplish a goal.   Additionally, they talked to us about how we went about solving problems and how we might encounter similar problems later on in our profession.  For example, sometimes we may not have the perfect solution and by asking others their opinions a better solution may result.

What the facilitators could improve for working with groups such as ours:

I realize that the exercises are designed for some category of students, but I felt that the tests could have been made a bit more challenging for people of our age.  A number of the activities were very easy.  For example, because we as young adults are so big, the exercise having to do with getting the rope that was in the middle of the ditch was very easy.

Journal #1

What you found most interesting that you might be learning or doing in this course:

One part of class that I’ve found to be most interesting thus far is that in the upcoming weeks we’re going to be spending the day with and learning from a Naturalist.  I’m also looking forward to getting the opportunity to visit different parks and learn about the outdoors in general and outdoor educational and recreational activities.   

Whether or not the course is what you expected and Why or Why Not:

In general, I think the course was what I was expecting.  I knew there was going to be an outdoor aspect to it, but I was unsure exactly what it might be until reading the syllabus.  The course deals with outdoor education, so I assumed we would be developing a lesson plan for outdoor activities that might be useful for us in our careers.  I also thought that there would outdoor activities we would be participating in and seeing that Geocaching is one such activity is something that I believe will be fun for the entire class.

Two “things” you hope to learn in this class:

The first thing that I hope I can learn from this class is how to become a good leader and learn the skills necessary to be able to teach others about all aspects of outdoor activities and recreation and to appreciate them.   The second thing that I’m hoping to learn from this class is an even greater appreciation for the outdoors than what I have right now by learning things that I might not otherwise have known without taking this class.

How you think Outdoor Education can help you in your future endeavors:

For one, I believe that outdoor education will come into play later in my life as a coach.  I believe the skills that I will learn from the team building and lesson plan creation activities will be very similar to those that I will need to do in coaching a team full of young kids.  Secondly, I believe that outside of any future classroom or coaching activities that I may be involved in, outdoor education will provide my personal life with a greater appreciation for outdoor elements that I might have just taken for granted.