PARTICIPATION IN OCCUPATION 2- Week 6

Week 6, playing volleyball would have been our most challenging game we have had yet!

As I’m now living in a different location (1hr and 20mins from the sports venue) I made an effort to travel to my game. I left home at around 5pm and got to the hall at around 615pm. luckily we didn’t have our game until 815pm. From arriving at the hall I was roped in to play for a team who was low in players which was fun as my friends were playing in the team and I was able to have a quick catch up on things while playing.

Then for the next 2 games I helped with the scoring and also gave me a chance to socialise with people I haven’t seen for a while.

Then it was time for our game. We only had 6 players which is the minimum you have on court, so if anyone got tired or had any injuries they would have to tough it out! The game didn’t start out very well. The opposition seemed to be getting points and we seemed to be getting none! We were doing bad hits and not communicating with each other well, leading to losing the first set. This made us take the game more seriously and in the second set we had better communication, better ball handling skills resulting in us winning the set by just 4! Last set was to determine who the winner of the game was, it was first to 30 and both sides were starting to look fatigued. But for the last 30 last points we both worked really hard and to our team’s relief we won the set by 1 point, winning us the game. I think we better this set as we had good control of the ball and controlled the passes we did to each other. Also good blocks were made which even I was able to successfully do which is an achievement in itself for someone as short as me! This would be the closest game we have had throughout the competition. After the weeks of playing volleyball I feel that it was the most satisfying win. This is because we had good competition and was playing a notoriously challenging team, so to win against that team felt like we achieved something as a team. We all left very satisfied with the win!

In the weeks of considering the aspects that play a large part in this paper I have come to consider practical considerations once again:

I noticed I stated that I felt like I had time to spend playing volleyball and overall participating playing for other teams and also doing score. Now coming so far along on the week I have found myself staying at home until later, still doing my 2 hours of the activity, but just that. I guess I didn’t take into consideration how the work load of the course gets greater over time and the closer the weeks got to exams and assessment; I would have less time for leisure activities.

Also, as I was looking around for good resources to relate back to volleyball I found a great reading on affordances in relation to volleyball and how it relates to anthropometric properties through the example of the block in volleyball!

This link was made through a study completed on volleyball players who were tested to see of the player could perceive the blockability of volleyball and if so what property can account for this. The results found that the player’s impulse determined if the ball was blockable or not. By noting this, kinetic factors can be perceived to have some influence on the behaviour as it can includes the person’s impulse and jumping ability. So as it concludes the manipulation of the kinetic factors and the players-environment contributes to the aspect of affordances (Pepping & Li, 1997).

I feel that this relates to the aspect ‘action properties’ and the indication of knowing what to do next afforded by the activity.



Reference:


  Pepping, G., & Li,F. (1997). Perceiving action boundaries in volleyball block. In  M.Schmuckler & J.Kennedy (Eds.). Studies in perception and action IV (pp. 137-139). USA: New Jersey, Lawrence Elbaum Associates Inc.

PARTICIPATION IN OCCUPATION 2- Week 5

In class we were asked to write a full description of our participation in our activity that week to help our learning and applying the aspects we have learned to our activity.

I got ready for volleyball and arrived at 545pm at the sports hall to help set up for the volleyball games that were occurring that night. First game started at 6 and the first 2 teams arrived around 5 minutes before their game. The hall was freezing so I had to jog around for a bit before I lost the feeling in my feet! I was all set up to do the score for the first teams but one of the two teams only had 5 players and was short one player so I decided to play for them. In volleyball there are 3 sets. To win a set it is the first one to get to 30 points. In the game I filled in for we won the first 2 sets so won the game. But had some spare time so played the last set just for fun. At 6:45pm when the second game was on I did the scoring for them. It worked out that each team had won a set so the last set would determine the win and ended up that the younger underdog team won the game! At 7:30pm was the third game of the night and was our teams turn to play. We started off very slowly, not calling for the ball and unsure of what we were doing. You could tell that some of us were fatigues from the long day. Still we managed to scrape through winning the first set. Second set we decided to control the ball more by hitting the ball over in 3 hits. This technique was really successful and got us increasing our communication with each other and in my opinion won us the second set! So we won the game! But then also played the third set just for fun. Usually there would be another game after ours but one of the teams defaulted and our night was cut short. Everyone then evacuated from the hall quick as most people don’t have time to have tea before they come. So who ever was left in the hall helped clean up rubbish, put chairs away and the volleyball net away. It was good being the 5th night paying volleyball as my arms got used to the impact constantly from the ball so I left feeling pretty good!!

In this class we also touched on the framework that we follow in the analysis of our activity.

                                            

This is a picture of the framework which shows how the links can be made between the main aspects of this paper. These include ergonomics, ambience, affordances and practical considerations.

Out of the 3 main aspects that are described as the 'human condition' (food/paper/play) in the framework, the one that relates to my activity the most is play.

The framework touches on the aspect of what the activity means to you and what would you do if you didn’t do this activity. For me the main reason think I participate in volleyball is for the social aspect of the activity. This includes the relationship I have with my team mates and also the relationship I develop with the opposition. Also maintaining these relationships is an important to me. Also as the other people at volleyball that I socialise with have a shared interest it easier to relate to one-another and also I’m able to share memories with the group as our team has been together for over a year now. So referring to the framework the need I have for the occupation is social interaction. Within this then considers the ergonomics and affordance of the activity and by having these then aids in meeting the need- which is my need for social interaction and communication with others.

I think there are still some aspects of the framework that I’m still slightly unclear of but as the weeks go on and the more discussion we have in tutorials I feel ill grow a better understanding and appreciation of this framework. 

PARTICIPATION IN OCCUPATION 2- Affordances Week 3 & 4

In the last two weeks we have been talking about Affordance, what it means and how it relates to our activities.

It can be described as, "a quality of an object, or an environment, that allows an individual to perform an action" (Crepeau, 2003. pp191). So an example from Christiansen & Townsend (2010) is related to knowing the affordance of a door. How it has a flat horizontal handle and that affords the pushing of the door, and those with a vertical handle afford the pulling of a door.

I can relate affordances to volleyball through the aspects of aesthetics, spirituality and health.

Aesthetics relates to volleyball for me because it includes the aspects of technique complexity and how something more complex may be more beautiful to the individual. I can relate this to me personally as in volleyball there are certain moves or collections of moves that require complex strategies and moves. My feeling of a beautiful/ complex move is executing a spike properly. It takes the right footwork, good timing, a high jump, right arm movements (utilising both- dominant one for the spike and non-dominant for propelling), strong hit on the ball, good angles when aiming the hit and accurate placing of the ball. This, as you can see, is a complex move and in my eyes is beautiful if executed accurately and all aspects are considered.

In relation to spirituality, the main aspects that relate to me are the sense of connection with others and how sports are a tradition in my family.

I feel that as volleyball is a team sport you have a connection with others. This connection is through being in a team and having similar skills to your team member and attitudes (WINNING!). Also by getting to know your team members you make a friendship with them. But you can make an overall connection with your team and the opposition as can connect with each other through common interest as both there to play volleyball.

Also the second aspect I mentioned was how there is sense of spirituality in relation to sport in general being a family tradition. This tradition comes from both sides of the family my mum’s side of the family played sports like rugby, netball, badminton and golf. My dad’s side of the family played sports like rugby, hockey, cricket and golf. My sister played cricket and touch and still plays volleyball netball and basketball. And I have played golf in the past and currently play volleyball, basketball and netball. Because of my families past in sports, it has encouraged me to play currently as they have been introduced to me since I was small and they are an essential part of my life.

The third aspect of affordance is in relation to health. This can be related to physical health (fitness) and also social interaction/ social health, both to me as important as each other.

I can contribute to good health through volleyball as by moving around the court can increase my fitness levels. Also it contributes to increasing my strength, endurance, co-ordination, timing, balance and basic volleyball skills.

I am also able to cater to my social health and wellbeing through the regular interaction with others. It provides a way of increasing my rapport with others, meeting new people and catching up on the regular gossip!


VOLLEYBALL WEEK 3 & 4:

In the past couple of weeks playing volleyball we have managed to win both games!! I have also had to fill in for some teams which have been fun and a way of engaging with others. It’s interesting the different dynamics teams have and how I have to adapt the way I usually play to fit in with their style. For example in volleyball you are allowed three hits on your side of the net before it goes over. My team tries to do this every time to enhance control, however the team I played for was only concerned about getting it over in one hit. This can relate to what I have said above about what I see as beautiful and what others see as beautiful and the different aspects of complexity for each person e.g. some people who have just started find smaller things more complex that people who have played before.


References:

Christiansen, C., & Townsend, E. (2004). Introduction to occupation: the art and science of living. New Jersey: Pearson


Crepeau E. ( 2003 ). Analyzing occupation and activity: A way of thinking about occupational performance. In Crepeau E., Cohn E, & Schell B (Eds.), Willard and Spackman’s occupational therapy ( 10th ed., pp.189-198). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

PARTICIPATION IN OCCUPATION 2- Ergonomics: Week 2

In the second tutorial we talked about the idea of ergonomics and how they relate to our activity.

Ergonomics can be defined as it, "aims to design appliances, technical systems and tasks in such a way as to improve human safety, health and comfort".

Ergonomics (human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with understanding of interactions among human and other elements of a system, and the profession that applied theory, principles, data and method to design, in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance (Dul & Weerdmeester, 2008).

Ergonomics can relate to person, occupation and environment.

Aspects to do with the person include:

• Time available
• Financial resources
• Personal space
• Sense of the individual (putting your stamp on something)
• Age and were you are on the time line
• Particular responsibilities

I can relate some of these aspects back to my activity through the aspect of particular responsibilities I have. These include being there on time, playing fair, participating to my best at the activity and supporting my other team mate and communicating with them.

Age and gender isn’t of concern in the competition I am involved in. It contains teams which are either same gender or mixed and range from ages of around 12- 50 yrs old. With the mixed ages in teams and also rules for mixed genders produces a variety of skill levels in teams and makes it a fair opportunity for everyone.

Aspects to do with activity include:

• Robustness of material- making you feel more competent
• Degree of engagement necessary for the task
• Costs
• Time of day, year

An example of one of these aspects in relation to my activity is the degree of engagement that is necessary for the task. This is because as I am in a social competition it is not expected of you to have great skills and put a great amount of effort in. I personally have a competitive personality so I try and engage myself as much as possible; however it’s clear some are there just for a social outing.

Aspects to do with environment include:

• Physical environment
• Distractions from the game
• Accessibility of the venue
• Culture
• Seasons
• Political environment

An example of this in relation to my activity is through the accessibility and physical environment of the venue. I am lucky as the venue is 2 minutes up the road from my house so very easy to access and the hall is only new so spring courts which are good to move around on and easier on your body.

VOLLEYBALL WEEK 1 & 2

I feel as I have been playing volleyball for two weeks now I haven’t analysed the aspect of ergonomics. For next Tuesday I feel like ill have a better understanding to the link to person occupation and environment and how these can be viewed in an ergonomic view.

Reference:

Dul, j. & Weerdmeester,B. (2008). Ergonomics for Beginners: A Quick reference Guide (3 ed.). USA: Taylor & Francis

PARTICIPATION IN OCCUPATION 2 (2nd semester) Introduction:

For this course an activity had to be chosen that we were currently participating in. The activity also had to be something we doing for at least 9 weeks. I am currently playing social volleyball so I chose that as my activity.



What does volleyball mean to me?

I have played volleyball since I was about 16 and always enjoyed it. I’ve played in competitions in the past and liked the competitive side of it. But being in a social grade is good to as there is less pressure to do well and you can have more fun. I really enjoy team sports because of the social aspects of it on and off the court. Volleyball for me is a great activity to increase my fitness and also catch up with friends and meet new people.



What is this activity like?

Volleyball is structured sport and has positions on the court where people need to stand. It can also be quite tactical as different moves can be played and dummy shots played to trick the opposition. Also you rotate around the court to the position on your left so you have to be skilled at all areas on the court.



What would it mean to me if I was an Occupational Therapist?

As an Occupational Therapist Volleyball could be beneficial in many ways. It would be a good way to help a client increase social skills and give them an opportunity for social engagement. Also it can use as a way promoting physical activity and increase fitness levels. Volleyball can be used as meaningful occupation for someone and may be seen as a therapeutic activity. Also it can be used as a way of increasing skills for example co-ordination and timing.



Practical Consideration

I will be able to participate in this activity for at least 2hrs a week. This is because a typical game goes for 1hr but I also participate in filling in for other teams or doing the score for other teams. So I’m there from about 6 to 9 at night.

Also another practice consideration I thought about was - do I have time to do this for this amount of time each week? I feel that if I manage my workload I will be able to have time to fit everything in!

Tutorial Eight: Assistive Technology

Assistive technology is described as technology that is used to assist people in completing tasks with less effort and increasing the independance of an individual. Also with the new technologies being introduced in the workplace, more people with disabilites are able to have a job that they greatly deserve (De Jonge, Joslyn & Redger 2007).
So assistive  technology is technology that can be used to compensate or assisit someone who may have a disability. For example hearing aids are used for people who have hearing loss.

The assistive technology i though was the coolest was the interactive SMART boards
These SMART boards range in sizes and functions and are available all over the world. They can be used for educational, business and even government purposes. Link to the SMART board website here

Average size:

• 165.7 cm × 125.7 cm  (can be larger or smaller)

Some Functions Include:

• Hands on learning and interaction
• Able to use google maps
• Transfer file from your desktop straight onto the board
• Interactive games

Average Price:

• Around $1200 NZ dollars

This equipment can increase occupational capacity as it is controled by touch. This may aid people who have difficulty holding a pen to write on the white board , possibly from rheumatoid arthritis. Also it is used fo educational purposes in schools so can be a fun way to educate people. Interactive games can be used to increase general physical activity and co-ordination. Also it reiterates the occupational concept of play and how it can be meaningful to others.

Here is a YouTube clip which gives a demonstration on how you can use the SMART Board and its capabilities.

This video clip off YouTube is a really good explanation of how a SMART Board works and tips on how to work it.





This clip is of a demonstration on how to work a SMART Board. This video clip is purposely made to teach people how to use the it so is clearly instructed.

Reference:

De Jonge, D., Joslyn, M., & Rodger, S. (2007). Assistive technology in the workplace. USA: Mosby Elsevler

Tutorial Seven: Linking to Blogs of Interest and Exchanging Comments

For this tute we were expected to link blogs of interest to our page and also have a comment on blogs we had questions for or were interested in.

From my top five blogs (links found in top right of your screen) i chose my favourite which was the WiiHab rehabilitaion blog. This blog has videos and information on how the Wii console is used in rehabilitation!
Heres what i commented on the blog!

Sarah said...

Hi im a 2nd year OT student and would if never even though to use a form of gaming console as a rehabilitation device! Awesome idea and would love to hear more about it!!