Genius Hour Part IX - Reflection

A Genius Hour Reflection

It's hard to believe that 8 weeks have passed. My Genius Hour project timeline has come to an end, but that doesn't mean I have to stop learning. There are many more things I want to learn about boating. I have a feeling that this learning journey will continue far beyond a Genius Hour project.

When I first began this journey, I wasn't sure what to expect. My initial reaction was filled with dread, to be honest. I wasn't sure I could pull it off. I wasn't sure how I would find the time. I wasn't sure if I could stay motivated until the end. But all of those worries were for nothing. I did pull it off, and I have more ideas for where I want to take future learning. I made the time because it was important to me. My motivation pushed me through until the end.

I spent quite a long time deciding on a topic. Once I determined my topic, I was glad to have the support of my husband who came along for the Genius Hour ride. It was so helpful to have a partner to maintain motivation and bounce ideas off of.

Determining a timeline and outline of what I wanted to try to accomplish was important to my ultimate success. Even though both of those were tweaked along the way, without them, I would have floundered and had no end goal in mind. Throughout the process, I took important safety tidbits that I learned and created a Boating Safety Binder filled with some reminders, checklists, and visuals.

In the end, I feel a great deal of success. I'm ready to enthusiastically say,

"Let's Go Boating!"

10 Genius Hour Teaching Takeaways

My whole goal in completing a Genius Hour project of my own was to experience what my students feel embarking on what seems like a monumental task. Experiencing the pitfalls and productive struggle, helped me to better understand how to support my students through their own independent investigations. So, here are 10 of my biggest takeaways:

Ultimately, this was a great experience that every teacher who plans to have students engage in a Genius Hour should try for him/herself.

Genius Hour Part VIII - It's Showtime

The End is Near

With the end of my Genius Hour project timeline in sight, it's time to reflect on this experience.  Learning with someone else, my hubby, kept me motivated and engaged.  I had someone to discuss what I was learning about which helped me better understand.  It also made me excited to share a video or article I found with him.  Even talking to him about a part of my boating course that made no sense helped me understand it better.  So, I learned that I learn better when I can do parts independently and have a partner to check in with.  Having a timeline and an outline to guide me through the project was also very helpful - especially when trying to accomplish a big task over a longer time period within an already busy life.  Knowing that I wanted to be able to enthusiastically say, "Let's go boating!" by the end of the eight-week time frame kept me motivated to routinely fit boating into my day.

Not only did I learn a lot about myself as a learner, but so did my family who were witness to this entire process.  My husband was thrilled that I took an interest in one of his passions.  He tried to be helpful along the way by encouraging me, suggesting articles I could read, and even taking the boating course along with me.  When I would find an interesting video, I'd be sure to show him, and we were able to learn together.  He's excited that I might be more comfortable boating so he can enjoy it even more.  My daughter commented that she observed my hard work and dedication.  Being a positive life-long learning role model for my daughter filled me with pride.  She also said that I devoted a lot of time to learning which left little time for other things. A slight pang of mom guilt set in right there. Probably the most meaningful comment she made was, "You learned a lot and hopefully will be less stressed the next time we are out on the water,"  which, of course, was my whole reasoning behind choosing this topic.



This week, I spent time becoming more knowledgable about the practical task of tying off the boat and a fun task of planning possible boating locations.

Tying off your Boat

Thankfully, after watching a few really bad videos, I found this very helpful tutorial video from Annapolis Performance Sailing on YouTube to learn how to tie off the boat.  Now, I feel much more confident that when I tie off the boat, it won't be likely to float away.  I not only learned about 3 hitches but also the importance of the rope diameter. Who knew it mattered?  Using the correct rope diameter to cleat length ratio is important when securing your boat.  For every sixteenth of an inch in rope diameter, the cleat should be one inch.  For example, if you use a 5/16 inch diameter rope, you should be tying up at a 5-inch cleat.

Knowing what type of hitch to use in which situations is also important.  You wouldn't want to come to the dock in the morning and find that your boat has drifted off.  Now that wouldn't make for a pleasant and stressfree day of boating.  So, here are the 3 main types of hitches that I learned and when to use them.  The video below explains each hitch and how to tie them.

Half Hitch - used when you are keeping the boat in sight.  Maybe you are just fueling up or stopping for a quick bite, but the boat is always in your line of sight.

Full wrap cleat hitch - used when you are tying the boat up for the night or you will be leaving the boat out of sight for an extended time.

Multi-wrap cleat hitch - used when you do not have the appropriate diameter rope to match the length of the cleat.

Boating Bucket List

My family and I are interested in boating on lakes that are large enough to cruise around and enjoy water sports - swimming, water skiing, and tubing.  Being able to enjoy the water with the whole family, including our dog, who loves the water more than anyone else, is very important to us.

After an initial investigation of boating locations, here are the locations currently on my Boating Bucket List.  A few of them are closeby, so we can get our feet wet without extremely long road trips.  Others would be part of trips already on our travel bucket list near our favorite travel destinations - the US National Parks.

     

Looking forward to where this final week of Genius Hour takes me.

Genius Hour Part VII - Reflecting on the Process

The Highs and Lows of Genius Hour

Working through this process was a great experience to help me better understand the highs and lows students experience when they embark on a Genius Hour Project.

It was helpful for me to determine a weekly time frame to dedicate to this project. Knowing how much time I needed each week made it possible for me to devote time to the project. If life happened to interfere, I knew I had to make up those minutes at another time during the week. Staying on track throughout the process kept me motivated. Once I determined my project and based on my timeframe, I created an outline of milestones to accomplish during the project. That was extremely helpful for me. I knew what I wanted to get to within my allotted time and I purposefully left some of the more fun topics toward the end to keep me going throughout the project. Not every milestone was met according to schedule, but they are all well on the way to being met.

Spending time in conversation and collaboration while part of my time would be spent working alone was a nice balance for me. Who likes to work alone all the time? It was not only, more fun, but it was encouraging to have someone to discuss ideas with and bounce ideas off of.

It didn't take me to long into my online boating course to discover that I prefer learning with live, audio or video resources. The online course, I took was great as far as the content. But, every time I logged in to work on it, I wished it included more videos or audio to deliver the content. I was wanting to talk to or watch an expert who could pass on his/her wisdom to me. Sitting and reading each slide and waiting until each slide timed out before moving on to the next slide did not match my learning style. I found myself in arguments that I could not win with an online course that just did not listen to or care about my learning needs.

Throughout the process, I can't say I felt frustrated beyond my time constraints. I enjoyed the topic I chose to learn about; I mostly enjoyed the ways I chose to research and investigate my topic and having a partner to collaborate with kept me motivated. Learning online is where it's at for me. While learning at my own pace, I ultimately have a deadline to accomplish my goal.

I can see the stops where kids could get stuck in the mire, and I now feel that I have a better understanding of how to help them help themselves get "unstuck."

Passing my Boat Safety Course

Well, I did it.  I passed my IL Boating Online Safety Course on the first attempt with a 100%.  I'm so proud of myself.  I feel like I really did learn a lot about the safe operation of a motorboat and how to handle the numerous potential dangers involved.

Final Exam Passed

Genius Hour Part VI - Staying Motivated

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

When learning something new, fear is to be expected. Fears of failure. Fears of the unknown. Fears of the struggle. Fears of overscheduling yourself. Fears that whisper, "Just give up. It's not worth it."

How do you crush those fears and continue on your learning journey? That's what this week is about. Perseverance and Stick-to-it-ness.

I will not give up on my passion. "Why?" you ask.

My commitment to self-improvement and peace of mind.

My commitment to my family and future adventures.

My commitment to granting myself "me time".

Just a few minutes a day already has me feeling more confident about operating a boat safely. Learning about and talking about boats with my husband has me excited about our upcoming summer adventures. This pushes me forward in my journey.

Anchors Aweigh

I've nearly completed my BoatUS online boat safety course. I have to admit that understanding the responsibility and potential dangers of boating scared me at first, and I thought my plan had backfired. The course was supposed to help me feel educated and at ease. How can learning about everything that can go wrong - running aground, fires, COB (crew overboard), and collision - help me feel better about a leisure activity that already had me on edge? But, the deeper I get in the course, the better equipped I feel to avoid dangers and handle the responsibilities that accompany boating.

I've learned about:

• Safe Boat Operation
• Boating Equipment
• Trip Planning and Preparation (a personal favorite of mine)
• Safe Boat Operation - "Rules of the Road" (not a personal favorite of mine - just a little scary to see images of boats and boaters in very precarious situations.)
• Emergency Preparation (again a little nerve-wracking)
• Boating Activities (Finally, we get to the fun stuff that my husband used to sell me on this whole boating idea!)

Online boating course nearly complete.  Feeling confident so far.

After this module, comes the big final exam! But, I think I'm ready for it. When in doubt, the answer is always to wear a PFD (Personal Flotation Device).

After that, I'm going to investigate places my family and I can enjoy boating this summer. A boater's bucket list, if you will. Now, who wouldn't be motivated to keep going with that end in sight? If you know of any places we have to visit, leave your suggestions in the comments.

Genius Hour Part V - Here's My Why

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a planner, a rule-follower, and a color inside the lines kinda gal.  Sure, I like adventure as much as the next person, but why not plan for that adventure?  Know what you're getting into.  Be prepared.  Can that still be called an... adventure?  

Growing up I never imagined myself on the back of a motorcycle, snowshoeing into a winter campsite, hiking the backcountry trails at Yellowstone, attempting to canoe in Lake Michigan, or immersing myself in nature as I portage a canoe.  My better half pushes me out of my comfort zone at times which has led to some amazing memories.  It has also led to some stress-filled days on my part.  Through my exploration of Genius Hour, my goal is to embrace our newest endeavor by educating myself; therefore, appeasing my Type A personality while preparing myself to enjoy the adventures ahead.

So, here's my why...

My Family

Cherishing every moment we have together to create unforgettable moments is so important.  I don't want to waste the precious time we have shrouded in worry or sitting on the sidelines crippled by fear.  I'm jumping on board.  Let's go boating!

Boat US Online Training

It was exciting to dive into the Boat US online boating course this week.  I completed the first two of seven modules.  The first two modules focused on some boating basics - vocabulary for talking about boating and boat safety.  That was an important topic for me.

I now know the difference between the port and starboard sides of a boat.  I can tell you where the transom is located.  And, I learned boat to boat communication with blasts, how to tell the location of another boat by its lights at night, required emergency equipment such as flares, etc,  and how to make distress calls using the VHF radio.

I'm not sure if all of this knowledge has made me more at ease or more nervous.  I did find myself saying, "We will NOT be boating at night."  

So, Let's go boating (during the day)!

Genius Hour Part IV - A Seaworthy Routine

Establishing a Genius Hour Routine

For Genius Hour to be successful, you need to dedicate time to your passions.  My goal is to spend about 2 hours per week over the next 7 weeks delving into boating.  With work, household and parenting responsibilities, graduate coursework, and church responsibilities - that's tricky at best.  Where will I find 2 hours of time in an already over-scheduled week to dedicate to something solely for enjoyment?  Panic mode nearly kicked in just considering that.  But, the rational side of my brain took over and said, "Just break it down, Lorene."  2 hours is only 120 minutes.  Over the course of a week, that's a little less than 20 minutes per day.  That's doable.



It was about a week ago that I announced to my family that of my three interests, I was going to spend more time learning about boating.  It was at that moment that I heard an audible, "Yes!" come from my husband who was in another room.   Right then, he vowed to join me in my Genius Hour.  Just another perk of this endeavor.  My husband and I try to eke out about 10 minutes in the morning before I head to work where we touch base about what we have each investigated, share resources, or talk about the next steps in the process.  In the evening, before going to bed, I spend about 10 minutes on my own reading, watching videos, investigating boat safety and operation training courses, or jotting down my thoughts and ideas.  I am really excited to take a free online course about boat safety and operation.  In the end, I will receive an official Boat US Certificate (which essentially means nothing, except peace of mind for me).

Choosing a Boat

For this week, my Genius Hour time was dedicated to investigating which of two different boats would best meet the needs of our family.  After visiting the Chicago Boat Show and climbing aboard many boats, we narrowed our search down to two.  Once we narrowed it down, back and forth we went for the rest of the day comparing features of the two boats.  I watched the videos below of Randy Vance from "Boating" magazine review each of the two boats and read his article about the Chaparral in the November/December 2019 issue of "Boating".  So, the list and chart gal that I am, I went at it again.

 Regal 21 OBX

   

VS.

Chaparral 21 SSi OB

Leave a comment below to let me know which you would choose and how you find time for your passions.  I'm excited to reveal our choice and the next steps in my process in an upcoming post.

Genius Hour Part III - It's Time to Choose

My Surprising Choice - The Sea is Calling.

If I am going to plunge into the world of boating, I want to be as knowledgeable as I can and not totally dependent on my husband's expertise.  For the most part, he is well planned, well educated, and well prepared for anything (He was an Eagle Scout).  When he had a sailboat, I knew nothing about sailing - I mean, nothing - at all.  That led me to be completely and utterly uncomfortable every time we were out on the water.  So I can be comfortable with the decisions we make and confident when we are out on the water, I want to be well educated about this new family pastime. 

By the end of this journey, I want to be able to utter this sentence with great enthusiasm and confidence, 

"Let's go boating!" 

 

The First Decision - OB vs IO

If you are anything like me, you may be asking, "OB vs IO?"   

OB = outboard motor
IO = Inboard-Outboard motor

Evidently, among boaters, this is a very important decision when purchasing a boat.  So I dug into the research.  First I read a few articles from back issues of "Boating" in which someone in my household so helpfully tagged pages.   The December 2017 and October 2019 issues had articles specifically comparing the two motors which were very helpful.  




Of course, any researcher worth anything then heads to YouTube to continue the investigation.  The following video really confirmed what I had read in the magazines.  Note to self, seek out YouTube when you want the quick lowdown.

After quite a bit of research and many Post-It notes hanging out of my husband's magazines, I decided to make a chart to compare the two because that is what I do.  I wanted to visually see how each motor choice stacked up against the other.  Here's what I found:

Even after all of our own research, we went to talk to the EXPERTS.  We visited two different boat dealers Munson Ski & Marine where we talked to Matt, a third-generation boat dealer, and Basa's Marine, where we talked to Brianna, to take a closer look and ask a few more questions.  Finally, it was clear for our family's needs that OB is the way to go.

Let the adventure begin!