Making Meaning of Mendeley

I'm excited to share this blog post because it's my first time writing a blog collaboratively. This particular post is a shared effort based on a meeting of #tiegrad minds to discuss reference tool options for our Master's #litreview. It represents a collaborative effort, combining thoughts, reflections, knowledge and learning by Heidi James, Jason Kemp, Jarod Fong, Mardelle Sauerborn, Harprit N, Angela Dop, Melody Watson, Liane Loeppky and me (Tanya Ross).

Recently a group of us from #tiegrad logged into a Google Hangout session together (after a less than successful attempt to meet via Bluejeans) so that Jason Kemp could school us on Mendeley as a reference tool.  In the past, we had each used a variety of reference tools with success, including EasyBib, Refworks through UVIC, EndNote, and Zotero, but many people were recommending other tools this fall and exploring some of them seemed like a good idea. A number of us found ourselves overwhelmed when looking at each of the options, however, and similar requests for help and information began to surface.  Believing that Mendeley might be The One, a group of us emerged from the #tiegrad pool, all wanting to learn about this tool; we all boarded the collaboration train. If there is one thing we have learned about ourselves in this last year and a half, it’s the benefit of sharing the load and hashing things out together.

After a request for help from the group was posted a out on Twitter, Jason agreed to host a Mendeley sharing session. He admitted to being a bit nervous (as any of us would have been), as he had only recently made the switch to Mendeley himself. He explained that he was looking for a reference management software that was user-friendly and had obtained a copy of Endnote from a friend, but had difficulties using the program. Jason had used Mendeley briefly for another course, but this was only to create a bibliography.

We initially decided to meet up on Bluejeans for our Mendeley session, but soon after we logged on, we began experiencing major issues. As Jason was sharing his screen with the group, it became unresponsive. Unfortunately, Jason didn't realize the participants could not see his screen and continued to proceed with the presentation while the audience, similarly, remained unaware for several minutes. This is a problem when presenting using a program such as Bluejeans to screenshare; it’s not always immediately apparent to either side that there is a problem. After several attempts to rectify the situation, we decided to switch over to Google Hangout (GHO). For many, it was their first time using GHO to present and we found it to be very slick and easy to use. After the presentation was finished, a few other members were able to share some of the features they had discovered (such as the chat window, screen captures, using accessories to dress each other up and other useful and entertaining tools). This was an awesome way to learn about GHO’s capabilities.

As many of us do when learning a new program, Jason had viewed a quick tutorial on Mendeley on YouTube and then began to play around and learn a few of the components of the program. Jason noted that it was very intuitive and had an easy help option; these were features that many of us were looking for in a reference tool. Mendeley easily imports .pdfs, cites as you write in Microsoft Word, creates a bibliography for you, and allows sharing libraries between users. Check out the short, user friendly tutorials that can walk you through the basic functionality of Mendeley.  Mendeley Minutes cover such topics as: importing topics, organizing your library, and how to use the group feature.

It is easy to get started on Mendeley. Simply sign up for an account, download the appropriate software, and then download the tool bar plug-in for Word.  Mendeley trumps many other citation tools with its built-in Literature Search. As articles are curated, Mendeley suggests related articles based on key terms, authors, and tags. Mendeley will indicate whether the articles are available through its library, or directs you to where they can be found. Logging into your UVic Library account while searching makes it easy to copy and paste titles suggested by Mendeley into Google Scholar to acquire a found article. Your library builds quite quickly! Each article suggested by Mendeley comes with an additional list of suggested related articles to explore. The program then auto populated the information for referencing. There is also a Chrome extension tool that will allows for clipping articles directly into Mendeley which is very convenient.

Another Mendeley advantage is the fact that there are apps available so you can access the program on other devices and it syncs easily. Once an article is added on your computer, you can see it from any of your devices. Annotating articles using an iPad, for example, will update the article in your library, making all changes visible from any platform you choose to use. One #tiegrad lit review team has been using the group feature in Mendeley to successfully share articles. This feature works well for small groups, as it automatically syncs the articles to each member but, unfortunately, the group limit is 3 participants; adding more members requires paying a substantial membership fee.

  In the end, our fabulous Mendeley Guide, Mr. Jason Kemp had us comfortably navigating our way through the world of online resource curation and citation. Mendeley has proven to be an efficient and effective tool that allows us to search, read, make notes, curate and cite our sources. It organizes our sources however we need, offers collaboration amongst colleagues (three maximum),  and integrates beautifully into Microsoft Word making it easier to insert citations and create bibliographies as we progress through our lit reviews.

Our Google Hangout session was a success. It is nice to know that with so many of us using Mendeley, support and new ideas are only a tweet away. While the business end of our session was very productive, we also laughed and enjoyed our #tiegrad community. There is nothing better than dressing as a pirate or mixing and matching props and backgrounds online. The collaborative nature of Google Hangout offers a wonderful mix of business and play. Just remember, that only three microphones can be active at once. Perhaps this is something that Google can increase in the future. Are you listening Google?

Stretching My Practice #tieyoga

Okay, it’s off to the races. I’m trying a new strategy tonight: blogging in 45 minutes or less. Since my last #tieyoga post and revised plan for regular practice via Haiku Deck, I have had more success with my #learningproject.  I've been more regularly practicing yoga and trying to focus on poses that will support the 5 key postures I identified as targets to improve on. 

Several key factors have contributed positively to my improved yoga practice over the course of this last week.  First and foremost, my Accountability Log, the log of accountability, my #tieyoga journal; it allows for a concrete view of my success (or shortcomings). I leave the Accountability Log  open on my computer (it’s just a basic word document) and as I log out of my yoga site, I open the document and plug in the date, the name of the video I used, running time, yogi’s name, and how it went.  Bam.  Done. And I know it’s there waiting for me on days I’m not so inclined to practice, which often (not always) kicks me in the general direction of the yoga mat.

 My motivation for practicing yoga at home has climbed to a more positive place; I think it’s because I am actually noticing some improvement in my flexibility…What? WHAAAT??? Yes, that’s right, increased flexibility.  That’s a good hook for me. I noticed a similar phenomenon with my #tiefit participation (the #notmylearningproject fitbit thing).  I am feeling so incredibly good with all my #tiefit walking, that I am currently getting out every day. I don’t want to miss a single day. I have set personal goals, such as nothing less than 10 km a day, 12 000 steps minimum as a daily total and walking to/from work at least twice a week.  While the #tiefit community drew me in, it’s now my own progress and improvement that is propelling me forward. Bingo.

Photo Credit: Bikram Yoga Westshore

Lastly, I follow my local yoga studio, Bikram YogaWestshore, on Twitter and Facebook and recently they shared these 3 photos to emphasize the progress we can make with regular practice over a fairly short amount of time.

Photo Credit: Bikram Yoga Westshore

Photo Credit: Bikram Yoga Westshore

 These photos inspired me to use some of the photos I started my project with, along with some I've taken more recently, in a different way.  I plan to create similar “collage” pics as a way to compare my own growth in my 5 targeted postures. It’s one thing to feel you've improved, but it’s quite another to see you've improved.  I’m excited to see what my #tieyoga growth looks like as I move through these weeks and weeks of practice. It is inspiring to me to see the personal improvements in these pictures over the course of one, two or three months!








It turns out that #tieyoga is alive and well when, a week ago, I thought it might have crashed and burned altogether. It’s challenging to have to figure out my own obstacles to learning and problem solve ways around them without other learners who are working on a similar thing. Many of our #tiegrad group are working on #learningprojects, but the projects are all so different.  Seeking out support from  my peers can be helpful when I am simply looking for a new strategy for my own project or trying to overcome a specific obstacle, but sometimes just to get going you need a buddy who is working on the same thing. Being part of a team is a huge part of our #tiefit success. Being a lone yogi at home has been my greatest #tieyoga challenge. 

In light of my recent shift, I’m now wondering if pursuing this #learningproject on my own is going to make success taste all the sweeter. We shall see….but for now, Namaste.

PS:  30 minutes for the writing. Pics & video took a little longer though.

We all have a story to tell...

Stories upon stories line the bookshelves of my imagination and memory…Or at least they once did.

The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.  

― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

I was inspired by last Thursday’s EDCI569 class when Alan Levine was guest presenter. The topic?  Digital Storytelling.  I've been aware of the term, “Digital Storytelling”, for quite some time, but admittedly, wasn't entirely sure that I knew exactly what it was. I was reassured by the discussion that ensued; "digital storytelling" is what it says it is—the telling of stories using technology.  The age-old tradition of storytelling, which has seen rounds of evolutionary shifts over time, impacted by various technological advances, continues to be an integral aspect of culture.

 After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.  

― Philip Pullman

The concrete (and exciting) examples provided by Alan during our session were somehow reassuring to me. I was reminded that storytelling can be a fantastically creative commentary on our world, time, and our own experiences.  However, I also came to the realization that, as educators especially, many of us have reduced the concept of “story” to the very limited framework of “beginning, middle and end”.   If we consider some of the greatest literary works of modern times, such as Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights or James Joyce's Ulysses, or thinking of films such as Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, all told in a nonlinear style-- no tidy beginning-middle-end format--yet so much of what we present to our learners centers on the this premise of order and calculation.  Much like many people decide early on that they can’t sing or draw or play sports, I suspect a number of people quickly decide that they can’t generate a great story. I was reassured and reminded during our class discussion that we all have the potential to be skilled storytellers in various contexts and felt encouraged to consider my own abilities in this rite.

In reflecting these past few days, I suddenly realized that my own quirky fitbit video updates are, in fact, examples digital storytelling. Who knew? I’d been creating and participating in storytelling of my own and didn't even have the awareness to realize that my efforts qualified as storytelling. Since @cogdog’s presentation, I've been exploring some of the DS106 website as well as other sites to look at other examples of digital storytelling.  I’m most awestruck by the work that is created as a representational image—because of the visual artistry—and the fact that it reminds me that a painting, a photograph, a sculpture—are all examples of storytelling.  Over time, and I mean a really long time, I have naiively accepted that a story is a story in that more traditional sense. I appreciate many forms of art, but have forgotten to consider the story each piece may be attempting to tell.  I agree with Liane Loepky who shared in a recent blogpost the idea "that storytelling somehow becomes this programmed piece as students get older. What begins in Kindergarten as a game, as a fun, imaginative activity, somehow becomes a formulaic story with the ‘beginning, middle and end’” restrictive framework. 

A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead. 

― Graham Greene, The End of the Affair

I’m excited about digital storytelling and the opportunity it presents to repeatedly redefine and stretch what qualifies as a story. I’m excited to encourage and nurture creativity and storytelling in learners who might not believe they can tell a story or have a story to tell.  And, I’m perhaps most excited to continue telling stories with a heightened awareness of my own role as storyteller, to tell my stories in different ways using different tools, and to rediscover my own creativity. 

The assignment suggestions on the DS106 site have left me buzzing. While I don’t have my own “classroom” as a Special Education Teacher, nor much opportunity to direct learners to specific learning activities, I am looking forward to sharing the possibilities and inspiration with my colleagues. The highlight of our Digital Storytelling discussion for me, however, was my own epiphanic moment that I am, still, a storyteller with many stories to tell. My bookshelves are, indeed, very full.

3.5 Week Update: My #tieyoga Practice

In my last blog post I touched on the fact that my online yoga practice, while regular, was feeling unfocused. There are many different styles of yoga, many different postures, variations of the same posture between styles, and many different, often personal, approaches to teaching yoga. All of these things impact my own practice significantly. Personally, I would like to see my practice become less random in terms of my choice of "class"; I'd like my choice of yoga practice to move to a more intentional and thoughtful place. It was as I reflected on all of this that I realized I was lacking in adequate "prior knowledge"! My yoga experience, previously, has been limited to participation in Bikram Yoga, which is a fairly rigid sort of practice (details are below).  As a learner approaching her learning subject independently, I recognize that there are certain factors that will contribute to my success (or lack thereof), consistent with the Learner Control Principle discussed in Chapter 21 of Richard Mayer's (editor) book, The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (2014).

Katharina Scheiter, author of the chapter, explains that learner control as a learning approach is more likely to be successful if "learners possess high levels of prior knowledge." (Scheiter, 2014, p. 487)

So, in the spirit of Learner Control Principle, I thought it would be a good idea to research and learn a little more about the different yoga styles.  With some help from Becky Ward's article called, "14 Styles of yoga Explained Simply", I'm building my knowledge base to allow me to make better decisions and choices as a learner, thereby maximizing my success (ideally)! Yay me! What I've learned about different yoga styles follows here:

Ashtanga & Power Yoga—These are both high intensity yogas that incorporates cardio by flowing from one posture to the next. Ashtanga is more traditional and includes the same sequence of poses every class or session. Power Yoga, in contrast, varies the postures from class to class and does not include the more spiritual aspects of traditional yoga. These are similar to Flow, or Vinyasa Yoga, mentioned below.Anusara—Similar to Iyengar but a lighter approach that is more personalized, not quite so serious. Students of Anusara yoga are encouraged to move through the poses in a more personal, expressive way. 

"Hot Yoga - Wikipedia Profile Picture"
by HealthZone - The Star. Licensed under
FAL via Wikimedia Commons - 

Bikram—This is the type of yoga that I have experience with already. It takes place in a hot room, where the temperature is maintained at somewhere around 100-105 degrees and humidity is just a way of life. Imagine doing yoga in a sauna for 90 minutes. There are 26 postures and each one is done twice; it’s the same sequence of postures and the instructor is required to follow the same guiding dialogue for each and every 90 minute class. Thus far, it’s still my favourite yoga option. I recognize aspects of Hatha and Yin yogas in the Bikram method, and it helps, somewhat, to explain my attraction to the Yin style.

Hatha—Hatha yoga, characterized by one pose followed by the next at a relaxed pace, is a basic style of yoga and great introduction to the practice. Hatha emphasizes mindfulness in its approach.

Iyengar—This is a traditional yoga that often utilizes props and instructors/yogis specializing in this style take bio-mechanics into strong consideration in guiding a student’s practice. There are brief pauses between postures. This type of yoga is recommended when recovering from an injury.

Jivamukti—This style of yoga includes lots of chanting in Sanskrit and incorporates a strong foundation based in very traditional and spiritual beliefs. 

Kripalu— The theme of Kripalu is three-fold based in developing awareness, acceptance and growth from your body’s own journey. It emphasizes reflection and awareness in your practice moving towards the holding of postures for extended periods of time. Meditation is also a feature of this style of yoga. 

Kundalini—This style of yoga keeps the body moving continuously with demanding poses. Kundalini is a term that translates to “serpent” and it’s meant to release this serpent-type of energy from your body. Think of those places in your back where you hold tension and stress; that would be the serpent energy. Kundalini yoga’s goal is to tap into that and get it moving so it can be released.

Kundalini Yoga Principle
Image from http://www.crystalinks.com/kundalini.html

Prenatal—Many women choose to practice yoga when they are pregnant; it’s a calm, gentle activity that can easily be adapted depending on the needs of the mom-to-be. This style of yoga can be practiced from the first days of pregnancy, right through postpartum/recovery stage. I used to work in a midwifery practice and the midwife often commented that women who were active in a strong yoga practice generally had an easier time moving through the stages of childbirth and recovery.

Restorative—Restorative yoga does just that—it restores body, mind and spirit. The blogpost where I found a lot of information on yoga styles described this yoga as “group nap time for grownups” (MindBodyGreen.com)! I like the sounds of that! It sounds kind of like Yin Yoga on steroids; you hold just 4-5 different poses for up to 20 minutes each. Restorative Yoga utilizes props and other modifications as needed.

Sivananda--The description of this style of yoga makes me believe it might be one of the more holistic approaches, incorporating "proper breathing, relaxation, diet, exercise, and positive thinking" (MindBodyGreen.com) with the goal of achieving a lifestyle that supports healthy living. It's a relaxed practice that follows the same 12 postures (asanas) each session.
Viniyoga--Similar to Anusara Yoga, Viniyoga is somewhat personalized, but I think the similarity ends there. Educators should be excited by this yoga style which emphasizes differentiation and adaptation based on the individuals needs and strenths. At the basis of this yoga style is a focus on contracting each muscle group prior to beginning the stretching of the posture. In other words, Viniyoga values a good warm up.

   Vinyasa-- Similar to Power Yoga, Vinyasa is derived from Ashtanga yoga and developed 

   out of the aerobics era of the 80's.  This yoga is sometimes called "Flow" and requires        more of a degree of stamina and fitness than something like Hatha yoga would.  It gets      your heart rate up and involves continuous flow, from one posture to the next.

   Yin Yoga—This yoga’s name has its origin in one side of the yin-yang concept and              focuses on long, deep stretches. The postures are held for approximately 5 minutes and      this style of practice is known to alleviate pain and stress. There is significant             emphasis on breath and breathing.

In moving forward, I'm going to consider what it was, specifically, that I liked or didn't like about an online yoga session. While I think it's important to try out different styles, I also think it's important to focus on the ones that are the best fit for me.  I admit to starting a video session and stopping it in the first five minutes more than once (okay, maybe more than 7 times). I recognize that I was jumping in to some videos without an understanding of what they were offering me.  As a #tieyoga student, it's important to know my own preferences and be able to make decisions based on the information available to me in the synopsis for each video. I believe I'll be able to make more informed choices after learning more about the various yoga styles. #tieyoga is definitely a work in progress!

References

Scheiter, Katharina.  (2014). Learner control principle in multimedia learning. In Richard E. Mayer (Ed.),  The cambridge handbook of multimedia learning (pp.487-512). Cambridge University Press. 

Entering into week 3 with #tieyoga -- An Update

This week I thought I would try something different. This is a little out there for me--oh my goodness, listening to my own voice is not my idea of a good time--so thanks in advance for enduring!  I don't think I'll blog this way again, but it was good to try.  So, here I am, on Soundcloud, bringing you "Entering into week 3 with #tieyoga -- An Update."

And once you've had the pleasure of listening to my audio-blog...enjoy this fun Harold's Planet cartoon, Yoga For Wine Lovers!

#tieyoga – Day 8

So, it’s been just over a week since I started working on my #LearningProject for EDCI 569, #tieyoga (yoga online) with the goal of practicing 5 times per week.  In terms of frequency, I’m pretty much there. My motivation is extremely low, however, and most days it’s like a cloud that hangs over my head and when I go to practice, it’s often done begrudgingly.

 

Problems:

Border Collie Lex loves yoga.

• While I have set some goals (improving flexibility and practicing 5 times weekly), I believe my goals need word.  Aside from the frequency of practice, I don’t have any truly measurable outcomes.  As well, I haven’t made a commitment to my method of tracking and reporting on progress.  Basically, I’m lacking an assessment plan.
• Practicing yoga in the middle of the day, in a busy household that has no available “yoga space” is not relaxing. The dogs, the kids bickering, my husband grinding coffee, someone playing loud music or loud…something…almost continuously throughout my 30 minute session somehow impacts the level of relaxation achieved and negatively impacts my motivation.
• Finding the time, even though it isn't a huge time commitment, and ensuring that time slot coincides with those minutes in the day when I don’t feel exhausted…this is a challenge too, one which, again, impacts motivation.

Positives:

•          Some days I practice yoga and I would have done nothing active otherwise
•          I’m getting some coursework completed every time I practice
•          I’m always glad I did it…okay, I never regret doing it.
•          My physical flexibility is showing minor signs of improving

Strategies for improving the success of my online yoga practice:

1    1.  Make an assessment plan

a.       Tracking Progress

                                                               i.      Choose a pose from each target area (forward bends, back of the legs, hips, back bends, for example) and take before, during and after pics to track progress (improved flexibility)

                                                             ii.      Video footage of my practice

                                                            iii.      Each day reflect on the session (just jot down a couple of notes, how I felt, what I noticed, etc)

                                                           iv.      Blog a minimum of once weekly

b.      Record “practice” sessions using fitbit device

c.       Reflect, anecdotal ly,  on my “online learning”

                                                               i.      Using videos, pictures, reflections to record a brief comment following each practice session

      2. Try the other yoga site, Do Yoga With Me and continue to explore other sites through #yoga on Twitter.  Thus far, I've really only explored the paid site, My Yoga Online

      3. Force myself to stick to a scheduled time, when the house is quiet, or quieter; create a #tieyoga schedule, and FOLLOW IT.

      4.   Recruit a yoga buddy or buddies; my husband has said he will practice with me and I’m sure I could get one of my kids to join in an evening session. Misery loves company. Lol, kidding, I’m not miserable.

      5. Set up a #tieyoga space, even if it’s “portable” or temporary in nature, to ensure I have a location in the house that isn't high traffic and to allow my mind and body to make a mental association between the space and the activity.

This sounds like a solid plan, improved from my first blind leap into my #LearningProject on January 14^th. Here are some pics, taken today (Jan 24th), of my postures in these early days of online #tieyoga practice.

Funny how when I'm in the posture, I think I've gone so much deeper than this. Must be the lighting.

Looking forward to more flexibility as it comes.

Watch for #tieyoga updates!