Happy Jing~ Inbox Instructions

Have a listen to this ~

Here's a description of the different types of Zumba classes.

My First You Tube Video~!

Picture This!

Photosharing Ideas

Action photos!  As I was looking over the assigned information, and following the links, I found myself on a Flickr page featuring rollercoasters.  I was immediately transported to a rollercoaster, and was bracing my body for the ride, instantly.  This gave me a great idea to incorporate action photos into a fitness class.

Using the big screen and overhead projector in a classroom, show a selection of photos each with an action theme, and have the students respond with their body, words, &or movement.

Here’s some ideas that I came up with after doing a Flickr search for Action Photos:  Rollercoaster HILL, people jumping into a lake, catching a foot ball, huge ocean wave, a motor cycle taking a tight corner, skate board ramping, cartwheels, two birds flying, a bike in midair, ice mountain climber, water skiing, salsa dancing, photo shopped image of guy hanging onto the Eiffel tower…. Got the picture?  Just imagining these images creates response in the body.  How about seeing them on a large scale and taking action! This could be especially fun in a Kids PE class to get them out of their head and into quick action.  Talk about an Action photo!

Another activity with photos in the classroom could be used in Zumba class.  The Zumba dances originate from around the world.  We could focus on the individual dances and share photos depicting the style of dance; and with the use of geotagging, share cultural aspects of each dance.  For instance, the Cumbia originates in Columbia, the Flamenco in Southern Spain, the Reggaeton from Puerto Rico, the Salsa is influenced by Cuba, Africa and Spain.  What a great way to get a well-rounded feel for the different styles of dance.

Indeed, a picture is worth mucho words~  Muy Bien!

CouchSurfing ??!!

CouchSurfing for you and me~

A hospitality exchange is an organization that connects travelers with local residents in the cities they're visiting. Connecting with the right people at the right time, can lend you a room or sometimes a couch in the place you’re visiting for free. A grassroots effort that gave the hospitality exchange network a stronghold on our planet is CouchSurfing!

In 1999 Casey Fenton found a great deal on a flight from Boston to Iceland.  Rather than afford a hotel or even a hostel, he “spammed” 1500 students from the University of Iceland asking if he could stay with them.  He received more than fifty offers of acceptance.  On his return flight to Boston, he began to pencil in the ideas that would create the cultural phenomena that would be forever known as CouchSurfing.

The target audience was for travelers who had flexibility and were traveling on a dime.  Flexibility was and still is important to ensure that schedules were harmonious and suitable to the couch owner, and travelers themselves.  On a dime, because money is not exchanged, staying with your host(s) is always free; it is contrary to the values of CouchSurfing and against their terms of use to charge someone to surf your couch. Many surfers like to bring their hosts gifts or treat them to a meal as a "Thank you," but it’s not a requirement. “There are infinite ways to reciprocate goodwill”, they say.

CouchSurfing.org became a public website in January 2004. Initial growth was slow, and by the end of 2004 the site had just over 6000 members. In 2005 growth accelerated and at the end of that year the membership stood at just under 45,000.

CouchSurfing is still popular.  In fact its mission statement is to create inspiring experiences and is intending to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!

There are other hospitality exchanges in the network but according to this chart from Wikipedia, CouchSurfing is way ahead of the rest.

Members * Organization

 -------   ------------

1,430,318 * #CouchSurfing Project   

  437,042 * #Hospitality Club

   56,961 * #GlobalFreeLoaders

   13,000 * #Servas

    7,236 * #BeWelcome

    4,000 * #Evergreen Bed and Breakfast Club

    4,000 * #Affordable Travel Club

    1,350 * #Pasporta Servo

      700 * #Hospitality Exchange

        ? * #Casa Casa

        ? * #Belodged.com

        ? * #Stay4free

I would definitely consider becoming a member of this site.  There are built in safety features that make me feel comfortable. Like the fact that they’re a self moderating community, which means they work like a neighborhood watch program to keep each other safe. This includes a valuable rating system that collectively shares experiences that others have had with a particular couch.

A world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter?  I like this.  Let’s call it the couch effect.  Sleep Well~

Digesting some ideas from Steve Hargadon

Failure is free.  What a sweet concept.  This allows me to know that I can just go for it.  Get my ideas out there in any out-of-the-box way that I can dream up.   See what brings people to the network.  Try different videos, pictures, messages and links.  What will grab the attention of my audience and keep them there to engage and share.  Because, according to Steve Hargadon, it is the engagement that trumps the topic.  We want to create a place where conversations can take place.

This can be an asset for the classroom to get students to engage and converse.  Frequently students don’t really say what they mean, they may hold back as they look around the room a little shy of speaking up and/or sharing for fear of sounding weird, or making a mistake.  The online social environment can create an arena where they can add information, ideas, links and such, as a way to speak, be commented to, create dialogue and feel that sense of leadership and participation online.

I appreciate what Steve says regarding promoting the philosophies of being authentic, polite, setting boundaries, expanding on ideas that will better the social experience.  A great example of this in action is one of our teachers, Todd Conaway.  Todd’s online presence is polite, encouraging, he strives to improve the network, and he promotes authenticity.  If we all modeled our social networks after him, what a wonderful world this would be~

As perhaps as our own social networks evolve, we will create an environment where the students and participants can blossom, share, lead, improve, converse, and create an authentic experience that will have far reaching benefits that leave the screen and crescendo out into the real world.