EDTC300, Learning Project - Volleyball

Out of the House and onto the Court

I am going to start this by saying that I used to be fit and into sports, but as high school went on and I lost interest in most fitness-related things, I grew to like more sedentary activities, video games for example. However, during this pandemic, one of those sedentary hobbies (watching Anime) has led me to a new interest that I am very excited to start and to learn – which is playing Volleyball! I am not going to lie, I definitely did not think or even consider playing volleyball before watching this anime (Haikyuu!!), but it has sparked that kid in me that used to like sports, games, and the thrill of competition. The show is actually really inspirational because it teaches that not giving up and playing to the best of your own ability is really beneficial. The main character is often found saying もう 一回 (mou ikkai) while he practices, which in English, is “One more” or “Again”. He shows how perseverance (practicing on his own after required practice has already happened) is required to truly learn a sport.

For this project, I would like to learn how to play every position that is usually on a volleyball team to a basic level, decide a specific position I like playing, and then get better at said position. Since it is now nice outside, I get to get out of my house and sedentary lifestyle and start this sort of ‘fitness’ journey while also having fun and learning a new sport. I am very excited to start and have already purchased a ball for myself that I’ve kind of used briefly in learning how to bump, set, and serve.

Red Volleyball
My starting volleyball I bought for myself when I wanted to start playing (in January).

When I was thinking about doing this for the project, I knew it was a perfect time, because I would get to watch the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and be able to understand what was going on in an Olympic level volleyball game, even if my knowledge of the game is low compared to that, it’d be much farther than it would be if I watched it without doing research and playing on my own. I also have an array of YouTube videos and tutorials that I can watch to get myself acquainted with the sport, one specific channel being Victoria Garrick, a former Division I volleyball player. Since the start of the pandemic, she has released a bunch of videos aimed at new players and how to train for Volleyball from home, which I thought was right up my alley!

Welcome to my journey into the sport of Volleyball! もう 一回 !

EDTC300

Start of My Teaching Campaign

Hi there! My name is Hailie Pennington and I am a second-year Education student at the University of Regina. I am currently enrolled in Secondary Education with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Chemistry. I am a very excitable person who loves to learn new things and very often gets hyperfocused on things that I find fun and engaging, for example, in certain video games I will spend many hours learning and trying to master the concepts of what is offered in-game, until a point where I burn out from it and have to take a very long break from it. While this may seem like a bad thing, I think it’s got some good to it, as I can truly know what I like and am interested in if I come back to certain things or don’t suffer from burnout from them. I just get really excited about new and interesting things! I am a relatively introverted person, who likes to read, play games, have fun, and spend time with my family and dog (his name is Cooper, the amount of pictures I take of him is ABSURD).

picture of white dog with paws on couch, sticking his tongue out to the camera, while looking longingly away from the camera
My dog, Cooper, this is my favourite picture of him!
Family sitting in the grass by a river at Wascana Trails
The only family picture I could find of us, but I think we look cute here.
(Taken by JLW Photography)

I grew up in a very technologically advanced household and so technology is not something foreign to me, however, the topic of educational technology is new. I really only knew about it when my mom would talk about how she was going to teach her class with some new and upcoming app/game (Minecraft being the specific example here). I only learned that it was something that could help teach students all sorts of things in their classes, math being one that I was intrigued by. I think the concept of using blogging or ePortfolios as a new way to apply for a job or as a resume is a very intriguing concept as well. While I am skeptical, I am open to the idea because, with the way technology and society are advancing, it’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility. I don’t think anything is really ‘out of the realm of possibility at this point, just how long it will take to get there is really what I want to know. I think being able to open up the options to having an ePortfolio or looking at a professional Twitter will open up more opportunities to people who lack knowledge on resumes or specific professional ways of having connections in person. This will open up the opportunities to have connections via online discussions or opportunities for field experience based on someone’s full ePortfolio/Twitter. I am not good at keeping on track with blogging and blog posts, but I do think that it will be necessary for future endeavors so I will do my absolute best in learning now so that I can be at least a little bit ahead of the curve when the time does come. I will post more insightful opinions and foster discussions here and on my Twitter, so be sure to check both out!

I hope you have a great day/night wherever you are!