Welcome to Day 4 of Java Script Camp!

This morning the students began with a review from last class to clear up any questions they had and to make sure it is understood what is being taught. Afterwords, students who needed more time from yesterday finished up their work on texts and strings, while others began to work on Functions. Functions make your code more re-usable by grouping it into functions, and then make those functions accept parameters and return values.

In the afternoon, after lunch and free time, the students continued their work. Students would be either be working on the Functions if they did not finish it before the break, or continue onto the next section called Logic & If Statements. This allows for students to control their program and arrange certain codes to their liking. 

Omar also introduced  a ranking and progress system for the students to follow. It displays the ranking and level of progression for all the students to see where they can improve or whether their rate of work is efficient.

Welcome to day three of Mega Minecraft. To make things more interesting this morning with BrainGym, I found a Minecraft song to play while we did our exercises. I was really impressed when conducting a search for Minecraft music, by the amount of songs that have been written for Minecraft. What a great idea for a next camp, to have the students write their own Minecraft songs and create their own Minecraft music videos. 

After a successful second challenge, students enjoyed their lunch and spent some time outdoors before the rain came down. In the afternoon, campers continued to work on their Dream homes and enjoyed some World Cup action, Holland vs. Argentina.  

To start the day off, I introduced the students to BrainGym. I was introduced to this when supply teaching in England, a few years ago. Doing Brain Gym in the morning helps the students wake up, move and get their brains going. 

Following BrainGym, we had a special guest, Jean-François Jacques, an architect graduate from Carlton University. He came and spoke to the students about the importance of concepts when designing a building. He also spoke to the campers about how their dream home should tell a story and how to use narratives to help them tell their story.  

Students then spent the morning planning their dream home. I was really impressed by the work that they did during this planning stage. 

A long day of Minecraft creativity and building, just wouldn't be there same without some play time outside. After lunch, campers headed to Morrison park and enjoyed soccer, basketball, the water park and talking about Minecraft!

Before the campers begin building in Minecraft, I spent a couple of minutes discussing with the campers, the importance of having proper posture when on the computer. Students took the time to make sure they were properly situated before they begin. 

Over the next few days, when completing activities on the computer, we will set a timer for 30 minutes, and once the timer goes off, the students will do a quick few stretches and eye exercises.


In addition, we also discussed the 10-10-10 rule: 
Every 10 minutes, look at something 10 feet away, for at least 10 seconds. 

5 body exercises for when you are working on the computer:

1. Forearm stretching. Helps prevent conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome.
2. Neck stretching. Helps prevent headaches and keep the deep, supportive neck muscles strong.
3. Wall slides. Stretches upper shoulders and mid-back and keeps the postural muscles strong.
4. Heel raises. Keeps circulation going to the feet and lower legs.
5. Seated knee extension. Helps with flexibility in the backs of the legs and strength of the front of the thighs.

Source: http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/exercise/exercise-for-computer-workers.htm 

6 refreshing eye exercises for when you are working on the computer:

1. Palming
   Start this exercise in a comfortable position. First, rub your palms together to create a bit of heat. Next, form your hands into cup shapes. Now, take your hands and press them over your (closed) eyes. Put your left hand on your left eye and right hand on your right eye. Let the heat warm your eyes and relax for a few minutes like this.
   
   
2. Blinking
   Since a lack of blinking is one of the contributing factors to computer-induced eyestrain, as it dries your eyes and causes scratchiness, it’s very important to blink. You may have to train yourself to blink normally while computing. Aim for a blink every four seconds to keep your eyes nicely lubricated and happy. This sounds like a simple task, but when focusing on a computer screen it can be difficult to remember.
   
   
3. Eye Rolling
   The next best thing since those relaxing neck rolls, eye rolling can really do wonders when you’ve been sitting in front of a computer screen for hours. Take a minute and make sure your roll your eyes while you’re working. It’s pretty simple to pick up: simply close your eyes and roll your eyes around in circular motions. It almost feels like your eyes are getting a massage, so enjoy! This helps to lubricate your eyes and eases the strain on the muscles.
   
   
4. Visual Scanning
   After so many hours staring at up-close objects on a screen, help your eyes adjust between objects both near and far. Sit back and observe the room you are in. Find an object at one end of the room, and begin to scan the outline of every single thing in the room. For example, start with a television and then move on to the DVD player next to it and then move on the window behind it.
   
   Basically, you want your eyes to be in constant, deliberate motion as you visually take stock of everything around you. You may already think that you are doing this, but most people when working or playing on the computer focus entirely on what is on the screen.
   
   
5. Focusing
   Take a visual break and focus on something else every now and then. It’s important to take your eyes off the computer screen and look away at something else for several seconds or a minute. Aim to do this at least once an hour. If you’re at work try to avoid focusing on the clock when you do this, it will just make your work day seem longer.
   
   
6. Glancing
   Sometimes a glance is more than just a glance! Start this one with your eyes closed while sitting. Keep your eyes closed as you glance up as far as comfortably possible. Hold for a moment, then look down. Repeat a few times and then take an eye-breather (open your eyes and look around). Next, close your eyes again. Now, keeping your eyes closed like before, look to the right and the left. Repeat this a few times.

Source: http://www.rebuildyourvision.com/blog/vision-conditions/computer-vision-syndrome/6-refreshing-eye-exercises-for-tired-computer-users/

This afternoon, students accomplished their first challenge "show off your skills". To get a better idea of the campers abilities in Minecraft, they were given 45 minutes to create whatever they wanted. 

Here are a few examples of what the students created: