Here is the fifth instalment of my ongoing series on creating a healthy balance between screentime and time being present in the real world in the online courses I teach. In an attempt at encouraging offline breaks, I am putting reminders into each Unit of my BCIT Course, BCST 1073: Building Your Digital Media Presence, to take a break from the computer and get up to stretch, dance, meditate …etc. I will be sharing these Activity Breaks with all of you here, in case you are thinking of doing something similar. Feel free to copy and modify these for your own online courses, if so desired.
This activity break is designed to also provide students with an example of how they can get their YouTube Channels and YouTube Videos working with their websites to build audience and help with Search Engine Optimization, as we wrap up our Unit on Video SEO.
Activity Break #5: Mindfulness On the Go
As you’ve just submitted your first video as a part of this course, I thought I’d share an example of how Lori has included video she’s made into a blog post, while at the same time giving you a bit of a mindfulness break and a healthy reminder to unplug for a bit, giving yourself a brain break.
These first two mindfulness exercises, Lori created as a part of this blog post on Roamancing, On the Go Mindfulness Activities:
If you look at the descriptions on the videos, you will see that they both link to Lori’s Mindfulness On the Go post on Roamancing – leading new viewers to the site. On Roamancing, having video in the blog post, makes the post more dynamic and keeps viewers on the site longer as they watch the videos. It also allows viewers to click on the link in the video to our YouTube Channel, if they wish to discover more of our videos.
If you have links to your own or other people’s activity breaks in online courses, I’d love to see and hear about them. Tell us about them in the comments below.
In case you missed it, here are Activity Break #1, #2, #3, and #4:
Great idea to have activity breaks, mindfulness teaching, etc. But there is something left out – human contact. With all the emphasis on digital communication, with texting and DM taking the place of talking, so much is lost. But everything has its tipping point. And perhaps that point is now, with all the talk of self-isolation, social distancing, quarantine……We humans are social creatures. The more we are distanced from others, the better it feels to pick up the phone rather than text, to make plans to get together even if all the restaurants and cafes are closed. Human contact is beginning to seem so precious. I wonder what will happen when we are once again free to congregate, meet for coffee, go to a movie, a concert. Some might say that after such barriers, we will be content with communicating by screen. I don’t think so.
Thanks Jacqueline. Some of these activity breaks do involve human contact – just not this particular one.
Indeed. It is good to have socially distanced coffees and walks with people, and I very much look forward to a time when I can give people a hug again.
Hello Erica, thank you for sharing these fantastic ideas! These activity breaks help us to keep track of things on our plate while we are having our online tasks. I usually have breathing exercises during breaks or having stretching exercises.
So glad to hear these are of use to you, Karen.