Friends

This past weekend my best friend from elementary school came to visit with her husband from California. Since I'm the one that moved away I'm always the one friend going to visit everyone back in California. Now that we have a bigger house people are now starting to come visit us. It was so much fun having time with my school friend. We usually talk on the phone a couple times a week but it's so different when you can actually share your life with them for a few days. Now when we talk on the phone we can picture everything in our heads. Having visitors is definitely more tiring than people think. When we have visitors we make it a point to go to the beach or go to tourist locations to hang out. My friend was very jealous of all the things we did but I had to remind her that this is definitely not what we do every day. We usually are working and being responsible and don't have much time to just lounge at the beach all day. We got to take them out and teach them how to surf in Waikiki, go hiking through Manoa Falls, and go exploring on the North Shore. These were just a few things we did but it was just a great feeling to have such a close friend here. It makes me feel so comfortable and at home. I think it's funny how when you see someone you have known for a long time you just revert back to the way you behave with each other. We are definitely like sisters since we grew up together. :-) It was one of the best weekends I've ever had.

Starbucks

Starbucks has a brilliant marketing plan! I've realized that there's three main reasons why Starbucks is so smart. The first reason is because of their mobile app. I feel like being able to pay using your phone is so convenient for people. The next reason is because of their gold card. When you have a Starbucks gold card you can use it when ever you make a purchase and earn stars. You must earn 30 stars a year to stay at the gold level. Being at the gold level offers small discounts that make you feel special. Every 12 stars you earn a free drink of your choice. Any flavor and any size. This takes me to the last reason as to why Starbucks is so amazing. They have a great reward system! When they notice you haven't made a purchase in a while they will randomly email you a sale of $1 off your next drink or buy one get the second free. These are just three of many reasons that this company has so much power. I always have a great experience when I go to Starbucks. The coffee tastes good, the music is relaxing and there's usually a comfy chair to curl up in. Starbucks is also a place for me to focus and get work done. I think this company does a great job at marketing and keeping their customers happy.

Mechanical Energy

Last week I did a science experiment with my students about mechanical energy. They had to use the Engineering Design Process to make windmills using the supplies I gave them. Their supplies included one large index card, 4 jumbo size paper clips, a straw, 2 binder clips, string, and tape. I started with showing them a sample I made. Then talked about the goal, which was to design a windmill that will be strong enough to roll the string on the straw and hold binder clips. I told them that when I made mine I was able to hold 9 binder clips. So their goal was to beat my record of 9 clips. They first started with the first step of the design process which is "ask". I told them to write down any questions they may have before beginning. Then they made their plan, designed their model, tested it out, and figured out how to improve their model. The students really enjoyed this experiment and it was a fun way for them to learn about kinetic energy changing to mechanical energy. After completing the experiment I asked the students to go back and look at their questions and see if they can answer them. It was interesting to hear some of their realizations and how much they could improve their design. Some groups needed help with getting started on their design.  I noticed that the designs I thought wouldn't work ended up being the strongest designs. The kids were way more creative than I was. My design was very safe and simple. They weren't afraid to cut anything and actually put in a lot of detail to make it look like an actual windmill. In the end the strongest design was able to hold 15 binder clips. They were of course extremely excited to beat my record. :-)

TCC

Last week we got to watch all of the master's projects being presented on TCC. When I first heard about the TCC conference I thought it was this big conference we had to attend at the convention center or the Blaisdell. Little did I know that I would watch it all from my living room. I was shocked when I found out it was all online! So as I sat on my own couch listening to these presentations I thought it was cool! Not only do we get to listen to all these presentations but I can listen to them from home. I can even go back and watch more if I miss any because they are all recorded. Then I was wondering where all of the presenters were while they were presenting. I couldn't believe that some of the presenters were possibly presenting their master's project from their very own home. They could even be in their pajamas! Technology really has a big impact on this project. I was relieved when I found out next year when I present I can just do it from home. That will be less nerve racking because I get a bit nervous talking in front of big crowds. However, this isn't the best situation because a couple of times while I was watching my Internet connection went out and I had to restart BBC. Then I thought "what if this happens during my presentation!" Well, I guess I will figure it out when it gets closer. Maybe going on campus with reliable Internet connection is the best idea. Watching these presentations was really helpful to get an idea of what we will do for next year. I took notes on things I liked and can hopefully incorporate into my project.

Remodeling a house through You Tube!

In October my husband and I bought a house, and since then we have been non stop remodeling. We realized quickly that this is an extremely overwhelming task. There were multiple things we needed to get done such as, putting up drywall, installing wood floors, and putting in tile. The first task we decided to tackle was putting in the wood floors. We wanted to save money so we decided to put the floors in ourselves. Before starting we watched multiple You Tube videos that had step by step instructions and important tips to remember. The videos actually taught us more than we thought they would. After the completion of the floors we were not only proud of how nice everything looked but excited about how much money we saved! This was a successful learning experience! If it wasn't for You Tube and technology we probably would have paid someone to install them for us or it would have taken us a lot longer. It's amazing what we can learn on the internet! Since then we have utilized You Tube to learn how to grout tile, solder copper piping, and installing a toilet. There's so much to learn! Thanks You Tube! :-)

Gyotaku

Last Friday I had a parent come in my class to do Gyotaku art with my students. They had so much fun learning about the Japanese culture, different kinds of fish, and creatively painting their fish prints with water colors. The parent brought in about 7 fish from the fish market that morning. Some of the fish he brought were Mahi Mahi, Monchong, and Ahi. He first taught the students about the history of Gyotaku and how it's a part of the Japanese culture. Then he talked to them about the different fish that he brought and highlighted the different characteristics of the fish. Last, he went through the whole fish printing process with the students and showed them a bunch of examples of his own artwork. Once he was done with all the instruction the students worked together to make the fish prints. It was really neat to watch my students help each other paint the fish. Each of them would also help each other grab a side of the paper and set it down perfectly on the fish to make a clean print. It was interesting to see the kids who were a bit scared to touch the fish so they were standing off to the side not very excited about touching fish. Then I saw the other kids tell them how cool it was and talked them into making a fish print. My students really enjoyed this art lesson and I thought they learned a lot from it. After they were done printing they got to sit and paint their prints using water colors. Even thought this didn't leave the best smell in my classroom my students had a lot of fun and impressed me with how much they knew about fish.

Stress and Exercising

Last semester I had an increased amount of stress and I was having a hard time dealing with it on a daily basis. It was causing a lot of problems such as neck pain, lack of sleep, struggles with organization etc. At the end of the semester I realized that I wasn't leaving enough time to exercise. Normally my body is used to exercising almost everyday especially during paddling season. Last semester I was so worried about trying to get all my work done that I felt like I couldn't do anything except for school and work. It was driving me crazy sitting at a computer day after day thinking about how I should go outside and run or go out and paddle. I wanted to so bad but wouldn't let myself. As I started this semester I knew that I needed to do something different. This time around I decided to set aside time to go to the gym. Setting aside this time has allowed me to not have to think about having to go exercise because I already knew it was in my schedule. Since I have changed my schedule I have noticed that I'm much more relaxed and I don't have nearly as much neck pain. Even though I added something else to my already full schedule I can actually manage my time better and I'm even more productive! I found this video on how exercising can change the chemicals in your brain. I really do believe exercising is important for your body and everyone needs it to release their stress. I always remind myself and others how important exercising is for your body and you need to make time for it no matter what!

Marshmallow Challenge

The week before Spring break we got to experience the Marshmallow challenge. This game was really fun and a great introduction to design and teamwork. I liked this game because it required you to think out loud and work together as a team. We had to quickly think about what would make this work, listen to each others ideas, and constantly rapid prototype as we went through the building process. It was challenging because we were under pressure with a time limit but still needed to be patient and listen to each others ideas and not break the supplies (like the spaghetti). When we began we quickly grabbed supplies and all started building our structure. We were thinking out loud as we would try things and then asked each other what they thought. We first tried connecting all the spaghetti with marshmallows but then realized it was making it too heavy. Then we started over agin and decided to connect each piece with tape. We saw that making a triangle base was stronger than a square base. As we connected each piece we all helped each other to connect, tape, build, and check to see if it would hold the weight of the marshmallow. If it didn't hold then we made adjustments as our partners held on to the structure until it was strong enough to hold the marshmallow. I thought our group worked really well together. We communicated and used teamwork to make the tallest self standing structure in the class! I'm definitely going to use this challenge with my students to teach them about team work and design. I teach 5th graders so I think it will be a great challenge for them to be patient with each other and listen to everyones ideas. I would also like to give my students a second chance to improve. I have a feeling they will have a hard time at first but then would learn a lot and want to improve on the second time around. Team work is something we are working on with our students and they are slowly starting to realize that they are stronger together than by themselves.

Gaming

A couple weeks ago in class we got to play video games. This was one of the best classes ever! I had so much fun playing the different games and comparing them. It's not very often that you get to play and compare so many gaming systems. My favorite system was the Kinect. I liked this system because of all the movement involved. I prefer using my whole body to interact with the game as opposed to just using a remote control. I've always thought of video games as not being a good influence on kids because they don't get enough exercise. If I had kids I would have a hard time buying them a video game because I don't want them sitting around all day looking at the television.  I think kids should be outside running around and getting exercise. The Kinect is a great way to incorporate both. I do think video games can be educational and a great challenge for the brain. I found this video on the impact of video games on kids.

Makapu'u Lighthouse

When my brother came to visit I took him on a walk up to the Makapu'u Lighthouse. This trail is right by my house so of course I don't think to hike up it very often. It was fun to bring my brother up there to see the view. I like to think of it as a short hike with an enormous view. It's perfect for someone who doesn't hike very much. It's not too long and not too hard. When you get up half way they have a whale sign that teaches you about the Kaiwi Channel and the different types of whale characteristics you may see. In addition to the beautiful view of the Kaiwi Channel this is a great place to go whale watching. On this little sign it tells you what to look for and when the best times you are likely to see whales. My brother was able to learn a lot from just this little display on the path. As we continued walking we got to the light house. This is a spectacular view to take in. It's nice to take a seat and look out on the ocean. It was a clear day so we could see the outline of Molokai. It felt good to teach my brother a little bit about the islands. The Kaiwi Channel is also the Channel I race in when I paddle in the Na Wahine O Ke Kai. This is a 6 man outrigger canoe race from Molokai to Oahu. I feel very lucky to be able to see the Kaiwi Channel from land and from the water.

Costco

Costco always creates a mixed experience for me. When I walk into Costco the first thing I look at are all the enormous televisions they have on display. I'm always mesmerized by their size and how bright the picture looks.  Then as I walk down the same path every time I walk by the clothes towards the food section. In the food area, the first thing I do is look for samples. I always try all of them especially if I'm hungry. Having samples there is a great idea and improves the Costco experience. There have been many times that after I try something I buy it then or on another visit. Even if I don't like the sample it still makes shopping more fun when you can try something new. After looking through all the food and getting every sample possible I head for the lines. This is when the experience changes. The lines are always enormously long! Then comes the challenge of trying to chose the shortest and fastest line. Sometimes my husband and I get competitive and we see who can pick the best line. Then we each stand in a different line to see who can get to the register first. Once we get to the register we stand there and watch the cashier ring up our bill. For some reason the bill is always more expensive than we expect. After leaving the register we head for the exit door. As we get close to the door every one starts to slow down because we have to get our receipt checked. For some reason though people always stop and make one line for one person at the door even though there's two people checking receipts. So then we always walk to the second door checker and then others will follow. After leaving Costco we head to the parking lot and try to remember where we parked.  Sometimes we stay and eat at the snack bar too. I always love going to Costco. Despite the frustrating long lines the workers are always happy and helpful. 

Koala Sanctuary

In January I got the opportunity to go to Brisbane, Australia for a few days. When we were there we went to a Koala Sanctuary. After arriving at the sanctuary we saw many different animals such as birds, fruit bats, iguanas, kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, platypus, dingos, and many beautiful birds.  There were multiple koalas sleeping on Eucalyptus trees when we first entered. I learned that they are nocturnal animals which explains why they were so sleepy. They had over 100 koalas there and were able to keep them living a few years longer than koalas living in the wild. Currently Koalas are losing their habitat and are considered to be at a vulnerable status in Australia. This means that they are not officially endangered yet but they are decreasing fast.

Some other animals we got to interact with were kangaroos and wallabies. We got to feed and pet them. I was surprised at how calm and friendly they were. I couldn't believe how muscular the kangaroos back legs were. My favorite thing we saw was when the mom kangaroo would hop around with the little Joey in her pouch. It was so different than what I pictured. They don't actually sit perfectly inside. Their legs stick out and look like they almost don't fit.

This experience was extremely fun and informative. There wasn't really any technology used because everything was mainly outside and all about interacting with the animals. The sanctuary workers were readily available to ask questions and tell us facts about the animals. You could tell they cared a lot about the them. The most helpful experience was when the workers would do shows.  They had scheduled show times which consisted of feedings that we were able to watch. As they fed them they would teach us about the animals. The most interesting animal to watch eat was the Tasmanian Devil. I learned that they eat everything like small whole animals, including bones and all! I definitely lost my appetite after watching them eat. Overall, the koala sanctuary was an experience I will never forget.