The Argus

The ARGUS:

This week has been an incredibly sad week for Cape Town. There have been the most awful fires, kilometres of beautiful fynbos have been burnt, and  homes have been lost. Firefighters have been busy all week in order to try and get everything under control and we have watched the City of Cape Town support them, donating necessities and giving them time and help.

This is why the Cape Town Cycle tour was renamed the Solidarity Ride this year. Due to the fire damage, the various parts of the Cape Argus route were determined unsafe. This is why they changed the route completely, and drastically reduced the distance to 47km. 

The circumstances of this shorter distance were very dire, with one fire popping up after another. When I found out that the Argus was reduced by such a large number, I felt hugely relieved. Before I was feeling very nervous for the race, but afterwards I started feeling very excited to participate- a much more sensible distance. 

On Friday evening I started my  "carbo-loading" with some Sushi and inherited a outfit for the big day on Sunday. On Saturday afternoon my dad prepped me, packing my snacks, checking my tyres, making sure everything was in working order. We went to a family friends' big pre-argus party, where the carbo-loading continued with a choice of 5 pastas! I had an early night and lay in bed in anticipation.

On Sunday we woke up at 5 and headed towards the CTICC. My dad surprised me, and decided he was not going to start at 7:30 and instead rather start his 12th Argus at 10:00 with me. I had an incredibly special day riding with my mum and dad - while my sister raced on ahead of us.. 

I was very surprised with how much easier the ride was compared to what I expected. I was very chuffed that all my spinning classes paid off and that I was still feeling fresh towards the end. I was a little disappointed that we didn't complete the 47km in under 2 hours, but I was satisfied with 2:10. 

What am I going to learn in the next few weeks?

In computer use we have been assigned to learn something new and post about it on our blogs..
I have decided to learn how to challenge myself as I feel that this is important for personal development. I am going to challenge myself to do the Argus.
I have not been on a bicycle for about 7 years.. On the Saturday before the  "three weeks to go" mark, my mum and dad pulled me out of bed to get going and have my first cycle. I was disappointed to learn the the saying "it's like riding a bike" wasn't very applicable to me! I was a bit wobbly with my balance and had completely forgotten how to use gears! We cycled from home to Gordon's Bay for a quick breakfast and trip home. After our first thirty two kilometres I was feeling confident that the Argus was a possiblity... until the last kilometer! It was awful and straight up a very long and steep hill.
Then came a challenge within a challenge. SPINNING. I booked myself in for my very first spinning class at Virgin Active. I arrived feeling a little nervous and apprehensive as to whether I would cope and mange to keep up. I looked at the machine in front of me and had no idea how to adjust the settings to fit the bicycle to my height. I slowly figured it out and ended up really enjoying the class.
The next day was not as pleasant as I had to take my jelly legs up the G.G Cille bulding steps!
I am looking forward to seeing the results of these spinning classes and I am feeling optimistic about the benefits they will have on my Argus Ride. 

What is Digital Pedagogy

What is Digital Pedagogy?

"Digital pedagogy allows us to open up learning and teaching in ways that gravity-bound education doesn’t permit. When we bring the Internet into our teaching, and truly embrace all that the digital engenders, we open our students (and ourselves) to a whole new world of networked, connected learning."

-Sean Morris


http://learning.instructure.com/2014/03/what-is-digital-pedagogy/