I have really enjoyed the blogging aspect of this class. I wasn’t sure at first if I would get a lot out of it, but I feel it has been the most affective assignments I have had in this program. I am not a very intrapersonal person and am not an amazing writer, but I found this way of showing my knowledge non-threatening and quite enjoyable.
I have found many Web 2.0 tools that I would use in my classroom. There are many that are just plain fun, but many that teach standards and concepts I review in my class. The most appealing thing about these tools is the no cost. My school is very supportive of incorporating technology into our curriculums, but does not always have the money to buy everything that I need. I found a few tools that had inappropriate songs and materials on them. I did also find some that do not allow users to upload anything and the user has to use stock pictures and songs, all which are appropriate.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Week 4 - Blog Posting #7 -Second Life
It has been very interesting and something learning about Second Life in the past few courses. In our first course, my group and I found it very difficult to navigate and frustrating to use. The assigned places we discovered did not relate to my music curriculum and the only location I could find that dealt with music was a concert hall that played a recording at noon everyday. This did not excite me because, first off I do not teach at noon and it is no different than me playing a recording for my students.
One the teachers in my group was a social studies teacher who had just finished a unit on Egypt. She had all of her students create avatars and visit the Egyptian museum. She had great success with this, telling us her student made numerous connections with knowledge they learned in class and the activities in Second Life.
http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/article/view/392/456
I have found some research that discusses inspiring students to learn about Classical Music in Second Life. David T Schwartz of the Music Academy Online talks about their new virtual world in Second Life. Between the Music Academy Online and Disney they have created a virtual world to inspire the exploration of Classical Music.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Utwig/60/80/36
I went to the Music Academy’s place in Second Life and was highly disappointed with what I found. They have a building for each era of classical music, which sounds like a good idea, but the architecture is off for some of the buildings. There were many pictures of artwork created in this time, which is great for students to know, but I found no useful information about the music. There were many places to buy things but I did not click on those. Some of the artwork had links to website, but they are not meant for middle school or high school students. The few I clicked on were doctoral papers on the era’s music. Also, there is no sound for any of the buildings. The last place I visited was this lounge, which was the teleporting center, and I found this to be very inappropriate for students. They offer you coffee, which is a nice gesture, but they also offer you vodka on the rocks and a vodka martini.
I would not use this site with my students. There is not enough relevant information on music history to warrant the exploration. This site is not as closely monitored as Quest Atlantis, so I was say it might be unsafe for students to explore. Also, I find it very hard to navigate this world.
One the teachers in my group was a social studies teacher who had just finished a unit on Egypt. She had all of her students create avatars and visit the Egyptian museum. She had great success with this, telling us her student made numerous connections with knowledge they learned in class and the activities in Second Life.
http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/article/view/392/456
I have found some research that discusses inspiring students to learn about Classical Music in Second Life. David T Schwartz of the Music Academy Online talks about their new virtual world in Second Life. Between the Music Academy Online and Disney they have created a virtual world to inspire the exploration of Classical Music.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Utwig/60/80/36
I went to the Music Academy’s place in Second Life and was highly disappointed with what I found. They have a building for each era of classical music, which sounds like a good idea, but the architecture is off for some of the buildings. There were many pictures of artwork created in this time, which is great for students to know, but I found no useful information about the music. There were many places to buy things but I did not click on those. Some of the artwork had links to website, but they are not meant for middle school or high school students. The few I clicked on were doctoral papers on the era’s music. Also, there is no sound for any of the buildings. The last place I visited was this lounge, which was the teleporting center, and I found this to be very inappropriate for students. They offer you coffee, which is a nice gesture, but they also offer you vodka on the rocks and a vodka martini.
I would not use this site with my students. There is not enough relevant information on music history to warrant the exploration. This site is not as closely monitored as Quest Atlantis, so I was say it might be unsafe for students to explore. Also, I find it very hard to navigate this world.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Week 3 - Blog Posting #6 -Communities of Practice
Communities of Practice are very important in education. No one person can know the best way to teach everything. I am not sure what I would do without my fellow educators; I do know that I wouldn’t be half the teacher I am without them. I am the only general music teacher in my k – 8 school and my students attend a regional high school in another district. So the only interaction I have between other music educators are collogues from college and previous schools. Without sites like Facebook, it would be much harder to keep in touch. Whenever any of us find a website or new method of teaching a concept we always email everyone.
I do have a great community at school that I feel very involved with, and we do many cross-curricular activities. When I set up my curriculum, I asked all the teachers about units they teach and based my curriculum of that of the grade teachers. This made it actually easier for me. There is no written curriculum for music, just benchmarks set for fourth grade and eighth grade. So creating a whole k – 8 curriculum is a daunting task.
http://rsm.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/2/99
Deborah V. Blair a professor at Oakland University talks about communities of practice in novice music teachers in Research Studies in Music Education Journal. She states: “Mentoring new teachers is critical to music education, not only for purposes of retention and attrition, but also to provide the support they need to become reflective practitioners” I full-heartedly agree with Professor Blair. My first year teacher, my mentor was a fourth grade teacher and offered no real assistance to me. Though there is no other music teacher in my building, another specialist who teachers k – 8 would have been a better-suited mentor, or another k – 8 music teacher in my district.
http://pre2009.flexiblelearning.net.au/nw2003/presentations/Day2/Session2_1130_1715/Oxley/When%20Notes%20aren't%20enough_Dawn%20Bennett_1245-1215/Clari%20presentation%20backup_compressed.ppt
Inside music ensembles, a great community is built between its members. The above PowerPoint talks about the communities of practice in music education. Just like the pride athletes have for their chosen sports, instrumentalist and vocalists have a great sense of belonging to their ensemble.
I do have a great community at school that I feel very involved with, and we do many cross-curricular activities. When I set up my curriculum, I asked all the teachers about units they teach and based my curriculum of that of the grade teachers. This made it actually easier for me. There is no written curriculum for music, just benchmarks set for fourth grade and eighth grade. So creating a whole k – 8 curriculum is a daunting task.
http://rsm.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/2/99
Deborah V. Blair a professor at Oakland University talks about communities of practice in novice music teachers in Research Studies in Music Education Journal. She states: “Mentoring new teachers is critical to music education, not only for purposes of retention and attrition, but also to provide the support they need to become reflective practitioners” I full-heartedly agree with Professor Blair. My first year teacher, my mentor was a fourth grade teacher and offered no real assistance to me. Though there is no other music teacher in my building, another specialist who teachers k – 8 would have been a better-suited mentor, or another k – 8 music teacher in my district.
http://pre2009.flexiblelearning.net.au/nw2003/presentations/Day2/Session2_1130_1715/Oxley/When%20Notes%20aren't%20enough_Dawn%20Bennett_1245-1215/Clari%20presentation%20backup_compressed.ppt
Inside music ensembles, a great community is built between its members. The above PowerPoint talks about the communities of practice in music education. Just like the pride athletes have for their chosen sports, instrumentalist and vocalists have a great sense of belonging to their ensemble.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Week 3 - Blog Posting #5 -Social Media
I use social media constantly. I personally use different social media assets to keep in touch with friends, family, and colleagues. I find it incredible that I can sign onto a website and instantly know the most important things in hundreds of my friends lives. I still love talking on the phone, but I would be on the phone for hour and hours a day trying to keep up with everyone I am friends with on Facebook. If I only talked to each friend for five minutes, I would still be on the phone for 11 hours a day.
Does social media have a place in education?
I really think it does. All my students talk about Facebook and MySpace and how much time they spend look at others pages. Why couldn’t a teacher have a page for their classroom? The site could have homework and tests posted to remind students. Teacher could also record their lessons and post videos so students could review information talked about in class.
It would also be great to have all my parents as followers on my twitter account. They would be notified about upcoming events and classroom plans. We would save paper by not having to send home notices and the parents would actually get everything.
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2009/09/08/is-this-the-future-of-music-education/
I found this YouTube video teaching students how to play Au Clair de la Lune. This just shows how students can learn numerous things with even being in a classroom.
In my middle school classes, I teach my students piano. With growing class sizes I feel I am becoming less effective. I have often thought of making videos that review each song. The students go at their own pace, so it is very difficult for me to show the whole class important tips for each song. I recently received two student computers in my class, so I plan to start recording these types of videos so the students can go to the computer and watch it before they start so they will not be making simple mistakes.
This last video is a fun explanation of social media. I hope you have thought of some great ideas of using social media in your classroom, I know I have.
Does social media have a place in education?
I really think it does. All my students talk about Facebook and MySpace and how much time they spend look at others pages. Why couldn’t a teacher have a page for their classroom? The site could have homework and tests posted to remind students. Teacher could also record their lessons and post videos so students could review information talked about in class.
It would also be great to have all my parents as followers on my twitter account. They would be notified about upcoming events and classroom plans. We would save paper by not having to send home notices and the parents would actually get everything.
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2009/09/08/is-this-the-future-of-music-education/
I found this YouTube video teaching students how to play Au Clair de la Lune. This just shows how students can learn numerous things with even being in a classroom.
In my middle school classes, I teach my students piano. With growing class sizes I feel I am becoming less effective. I have often thought of making videos that review each song. The students go at their own pace, so it is very difficult for me to show the whole class important tips for each song. I recently received two student computers in my class, so I plan to start recording these types of videos so the students can go to the computer and watch it before they start so they will not be making simple mistakes.
This last video is a fun explanation of social media. I hope you have thought of some great ideas of using social media in your classroom, I know I have.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Week 2 - Blog Posting #4 -21st Century Skills & Lifelong Learning
Lifelong Learners
In my previous post, I discussed the goals of my classroom and how I aim to have my students talk intelligently about music. I also hope to inspire them to become life-long patrons of the arts. I feel that this is my way of making them life-long learners. I hope that my students leave with an appreciation of music and a critical ear so they can listen to an array of music and judge its musicianship and virtuosity and not just its coolness.
21st Century Skills
This is not the first time I have heard the term 21st Century Skills. I have heard it said at a variety of conferences and workshops, talked about in the media and education journals, and even discussed in the teachers room, but not until this program have I asked myself: Am I teaching my students 21st Century Skills?
There are many skills I teach my students in the music classroom. I teach them to listen critically, to express themselves in a variety of ways, to read music, and to play music from the heart. I also teach them skills not necessarily pertaining to music: critical thinking, writing skills, deciphering information, teamwork, and responsibility. But do I teach 21st Century Skills?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yCB4i7GJuM
I have been developing new and exciting ideas to implement theses skills into my classroom. I found the following YouTube video that explains the 3 steps to implementing 21st Century Skills into the classroom. It suggests we transform our classrooms into a creative learning space. We teach students the skills of competition, cooperation, and collaboration. Also we introduce our student to their global peers and provide the opportunity for them to collaborate.
http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/tech/TIC/TIC_resources/Feb_2009/21st_Century_Skills_in_the_Music_Classroom.ppt
I also found this PowerPoint with explains the different ways to use 21st Century Skills in the music classroom. I have implemented many of her ideas but there were a few that stood out. She points out that our students have to be globally aware and in my middle school classes we learn about the music cultures of the world and in my elementary classes we study the winter holidays of the world. She says to use computers when having students compose music. Each year my students compose at least two songs, one by hand and the other on the computer. I have also found some web 2.0 tools I will be implementing as well: indaba music, playlist.com, and animoto. She suggests using YouTube videos in lessons. This year I have started having my students watch some videos of music ensembles instead of always just listening to them.
I hope my students become lifelong patrons of the arts and are able to function and adapt in the ever changing 21st century.
In my previous post, I discussed the goals of my classroom and how I aim to have my students talk intelligently about music. I also hope to inspire them to become life-long patrons of the arts. I feel that this is my way of making them life-long learners. I hope that my students leave with an appreciation of music and a critical ear so they can listen to an array of music and judge its musicianship and virtuosity and not just its coolness.
21st Century Skills
This is not the first time I have heard the term 21st Century Skills. I have heard it said at a variety of conferences and workshops, talked about in the media and education journals, and even discussed in the teachers room, but not until this program have I asked myself: Am I teaching my students 21st Century Skills?
There are many skills I teach my students in the music classroom. I teach them to listen critically, to express themselves in a variety of ways, to read music, and to play music from the heart. I also teach them skills not necessarily pertaining to music: critical thinking, writing skills, deciphering information, teamwork, and responsibility. But do I teach 21st Century Skills?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yCB4i7GJuM
I have been developing new and exciting ideas to implement theses skills into my classroom. I found the following YouTube video that explains the 3 steps to implementing 21st Century Skills into the classroom. It suggests we transform our classrooms into a creative learning space. We teach students the skills of competition, cooperation, and collaboration. Also we introduce our student to their global peers and provide the opportunity for them to collaborate.
http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/tech/TIC/TIC_resources/Feb_2009/21st_Century_Skills_in_the_Music_Classroom.ppt
I also found this PowerPoint with explains the different ways to use 21st Century Skills in the music classroom. I have implemented many of her ideas but there were a few that stood out. She points out that our students have to be globally aware and in my middle school classes we learn about the music cultures of the world and in my elementary classes we study the winter holidays of the world. She says to use computers when having students compose music. Each year my students compose at least two songs, one by hand and the other on the computer. I have also found some web 2.0 tools I will be implementing as well: indaba music, playlist.com, and animoto. She suggests using YouTube videos in lessons. This year I have started having my students watch some videos of music ensembles instead of always just listening to them.
I hope my students become lifelong patrons of the arts and are able to function and adapt in the ever changing 21st century.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Week 2 - Blog Posting #3 - Media Literacy
Media Literacy
The meaning of the term literacy has changed recently, but also the way you improve your literacy or learn about literacy has been greatly altered. No longer do you have to just read novels and write term papers to improve you literacy. You can Skype, instant message, blog, research online, create an RSS feed, or be involved with an online game to advance your own literacy.
http://sites.google.com/site/teamgeckofullsail/
In our last course, my group created a website (listed above) discussing how MMORPGs or Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games help develop literacy. The site discusses the uses of MMORPGs in the classroom and their pros and cons. It was decided that we would focus on Quest Atlantis and its uses in the classroom. There are numerous tutorials on how to navigate through QA and to register for an account.
The purpose of our website was to inform educators about MMORPGs. When I first started reading, I was unaware what MMORPGs were and how to use them educationally. The textbook for that class, Multimedia for Learning, states that: “There are a variety of negative perceptions of games among educators. Some believe that learning of a content area should be motivating by itself and should not require games. Others believe that learning is serious work and should not be demeaned with games. Some worry about the effect of games on classroom environment and the opinions of parent who hear that their children are playing games in school. Most important, adult and professional educators believe that games are only for children and simply are not appropriate for adults.” My group and I feel that the reason MMORPGs are not used or valued is that most educators do not know what they are, including myself. After complete the research and the website, I have come to a new understanding with this technology. I have not found a place for it in my curriculum, but know that it’s a great resource for others.
There are many ways to help students increase their literacy in the classroom. My course is not called literacy, but in many ways every teacher teaches about literacy. I teach general music and my students use literacy to learn and share their knowledge. It is important to teach our students to talk intelligently about an array of topics. This is the idea I have based my entire middle school curriculum around. I expect my students to be able to listen to a piece of music and evaluate it. They should be able to decipher the characteristics of the piece of music and make connections with other experiences they have had. They should also be able to share that information with the world.
In my statement above I said that my students should be able to talk intelligently, I did not mean specifically about to talk verbally. Students should be able to share information in a variety of avenues. Below I found a slide show that discusses the many different types of literacy in the 21st century and how to use them in the classroom.
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
The meaning of the term literacy has changed recently, but also the way you improve your literacy or learn about literacy has been greatly altered. No longer do you have to just read novels and write term papers to improve you literacy. You can Skype, instant message, blog, research online, create an RSS feed, or be involved with an online game to advance your own literacy.
http://sites.google.com/site/teamgeckofullsail/
In our last course, my group created a website (listed above) discussing how MMORPGs or Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games help develop literacy. The site discusses the uses of MMORPGs in the classroom and their pros and cons. It was decided that we would focus on Quest Atlantis and its uses in the classroom. There are numerous tutorials on how to navigate through QA and to register for an account.
The purpose of our website was to inform educators about MMORPGs. When I first started reading, I was unaware what MMORPGs were and how to use them educationally. The textbook for that class, Multimedia for Learning, states that: “There are a variety of negative perceptions of games among educators. Some believe that learning of a content area should be motivating by itself and should not require games. Others believe that learning is serious work and should not be demeaned with games. Some worry about the effect of games on classroom environment and the opinions of parent who hear that their children are playing games in school. Most important, adult and professional educators believe that games are only for children and simply are not appropriate for adults.” My group and I feel that the reason MMORPGs are not used or valued is that most educators do not know what they are, including myself. After complete the research and the website, I have come to a new understanding with this technology. I have not found a place for it in my curriculum, but know that it’s a great resource for others.
There are many ways to help students increase their literacy in the classroom. My course is not called literacy, but in many ways every teacher teaches about literacy. I teach general music and my students use literacy to learn and share their knowledge. It is important to teach our students to talk intelligently about an array of topics. This is the idea I have based my entire middle school curriculum around. I expect my students to be able to listen to a piece of music and evaluate it. They should be able to decipher the characteristics of the piece of music and make connections with other experiences they have had. They should also be able to share that information with the world.
In my statement above I said that my students should be able to talk intelligently, I did not mean specifically about to talk verbally. Students should be able to share information in a variety of avenues. Below I found a slide show that discusses the many different types of literacy in the 21st century and how to use them in the classroom.
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Information Literacy: the 21st Century Skills
View more presentations from PLAI STRLC.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Week 1 - Blog Posting #2 - Learning 2.0
Learning 2.0
Andrew (2007). Web 2.0 and learning music. Retrieved September 10, 2009, from Classroom 2.0 Web site: http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749: Topic:84428?id=649749%3ATopic%3A84428&page=2#comments
Lombardozzi, Catherine (2009). Learning 2.0. Retrieved September 10, 2009, from Learning Journal Web site: http://learningjournal.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/learning-20/
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Week 1 - Blog Posting #1 - Web 2.0
Web 2.0: the Renaissance of the World Wide Web.
In my classes I teach my students about the Renaissance Period. We discuss how that period was a rebirth of culture for Europeans. There were new and excited prospects in the field of Art, Science, Literature, Music, and Theatre. These art forms were no longer for royalty and those with money; culture was for the common person. We saw the works of William Shakespeare, Leonardo daVinci, Galileo Galilee, Sir Isaac Newton, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, and Claudio Monteverdi. These prestigious names were not the only ones making great strides. There were also musicians playing on the streets for the enjoyment of the experience.
During this Renaissance of the World Wide Web, we are the musicians playing on the streets; those who blog and network for our own enjoyment. The web is no longer a place to just find information; we can now share documents and edit projects with no boarders or limitations. Technology is no longer for Stephen Wozniak, Steven Jobs, or Bill Gates, but for a grandson to show off the video of his baseball game to his grandmother a thousand miles away, a group of international business men to communicate without leaving the office, or a bride to view all the photos of her wedding from various guests.
References
Raphael, S. (2008). Web 2.0 Tools. Associapedia, Retrieved from http://www.asaecenter.org
Thursday, September 3, 2009
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