Laurie said, "Here's a blog challenge back at you--what technology or software is most helpful in a music classroom? Those of us non-music teachers but techies would like to know."
Well, here goes, Laurie...
My kids use and LOVE "GarageBand." It is amazing the stuff they have learned about music while composing their own music. Form, musical keys, tempos, etc. have all been part of their experiential learning.
"Stationery Studio" is an amazing piece of writing software that actually has nothing to do with music. I have used it with second graders to create their own "Animal Rap Songs! Great experience for the kids. Rhyming and musical beats...it's all good. If you are a K-5 teacher, you MUST check out "Stationery Studio!"
A software program I have blogged a lot about (in part because I wrote some of the curriculum) is "Animation-Ish." I have several projects underway this year. High school kids will be animating musical terms that are in their music. Elementary kids will be using the program for several different projects.
I also plan on using Skype and inviting other classes from around the country to work with my students!
Best of all, I will have a Promethean board on FRIDAY!!!!!!! Class as we know it will change!
Showing posts with label Skype. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skype. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
What Do Future or New Teachers Need to Know about Technology
One of the fun things about teaching a class of undergraduates is to watch their excitement grow when thinking about their future classrooms. One of the challenges is, what do they NEED to know! How can I prepare them for an ever changing classroom and world. Expectations for teachers are always growing and seem to stifle the creativity of students and teachers alike. We are now sitting at Midterm of an eight week session, and I am looking at where we have been and where we are going.
The class is "Computers and Instructional Technology" and it is an undergraduate class for future teachers. So far this term, we have learned about learning theorists, software evaluation, CyberSafety, Assistive Technology, Blogs, and had countless conversations on what constitutes good classrooms. We created an educational video and used Web 2.0.
Here are some fundamentals for me --
1- I didn't 'teach' them Google Docs... I used Google Docs for part of a lesson, the students had to log on and complete a working definition of Constructivist and Behaviorist (which I think some of the blog commenters should perhaps take a refresher from). The students collaboratively came up a working definition and they "learned" how to use GoogleDocs in the process.
2- As has been documented several times, we brought in experts using Skype. In those experiences they learned from the best people in their field....and they also 'learned' Skype and the power of social networks because that is where I found my experts!
3- We evaluated software first using the rubric in the book and then through discussion and expert, Sylvia Martinez. The true power of this assignment came in an unexpected way! Because of a Twitter conversation, Dr. Gary Stager weighed in on my blog post which helped me to review my practice. When I had my students read all the comments, they also reviewed my practice. Honestly, have students reflect on practice is the BEST thing I think I can reinforce.
4- We made an educational movie. Did the students learn how to create professional video? No. What they did learn was the process of brainstorming (using Inspiration). They learned the importance of storyboarding as a means of organization and a MUST for students. Mostly I think they learned that creating visual representations is a very powerful learning tool.
5- Wednesday, my students learned the WebQuest strategy. They learned it by doing one I developed which asks if the Internet should be filtered. Then they are taught the six steps of a WebQuest through direct instruction. In my teaching career, the highest order of thinking skills have been developed through the WebQuest strategy and it is fun to share that.
6. Students created their own media for use in their classroom. It always interesting what students develop!
7- Still to come in the term is a "How to do PowerPoint well" component including a presentation from each student. The main criteria is that the students in the classroom must be engaged. We will try VoiceThread because it comes so highly recommended. We will develop lessons that incorporate technology. There is much more to come, that I won't mention.....
8- My biggest dream and struggle is that I want to create powerful teachers who effectively use technology to reach students. What I want most is to create a hunger for these future teachers to always reach for new strategies and tools to reach students. I want their classrooms to always be a place of discovery and creation! I have an undying passion for learning and I want to share that.
What do future teachers need to know to be successful?
The class is "Computers and Instructional Technology" and it is an undergraduate class for future teachers. So far this term, we have learned about learning theorists, software evaluation, CyberSafety, Assistive Technology, Blogs, and had countless conversations on what constitutes good classrooms. We created an educational video and used Web 2.0.
Here are some fundamentals for me --
1- I didn't 'teach' them Google Docs... I used Google Docs for part of a lesson, the students had to log on and complete a working definition of Constructivist and Behaviorist (which I think some of the blog commenters should perhaps take a refresher from). The students collaboratively came up a working definition and they "learned" how to use GoogleDocs in the process.
2- As has been documented several times, we brought in experts using Skype. In those experiences they learned from the best people in their field....and they also 'learned' Skype and the power of social networks because that is where I found my experts!
3- We evaluated software first using the rubric in the book and then through discussion and expert, Sylvia Martinez. The true power of this assignment came in an unexpected way! Because of a Twitter conversation, Dr. Gary Stager weighed in on my blog post which helped me to review my practice. When I had my students read all the comments, they also reviewed my practice. Honestly, have students reflect on practice is the BEST thing I think I can reinforce.
4- We made an educational movie. Did the students learn how to create professional video? No. What they did learn was the process of brainstorming (using Inspiration). They learned the importance of storyboarding as a means of organization and a MUST for students. Mostly I think they learned that creating visual representations is a very powerful learning tool.
5- Wednesday, my students learned the WebQuest strategy. They learned it by doing one I developed which asks if the Internet should be filtered. Then they are taught the six steps of a WebQuest through direct instruction. In my teaching career, the highest order of thinking skills have been developed through the WebQuest strategy and it is fun to share that.
6. Students created their own media for use in their classroom. It always interesting what students develop!
7- Still to come in the term is a "How to do PowerPoint well" component including a presentation from each student. The main criteria is that the students in the classroom must be engaged. We will try VoiceThread because it comes so highly recommended. We will develop lessons that incorporate technology. There is much more to come, that I won't mention.....
8- My biggest dream and struggle is that I want to create powerful teachers who effectively use technology to reach students. What I want most is to create a hunger for these future teachers to always reach for new strategies and tools to reach students. I want their classrooms to always be a place of discovery and creation! I have an undying passion for learning and I want to share that.
What do future teachers need to know to be successful?
Friday, June 13, 2008
Web 2.0
(Graphic courtesy of Spell with Flickr)
If you checked out the comments from yesterday, you know that my theme was Web 2.0! I asked people on Twitter to comment with their favorite Web 2.0 Application. I will give a short recap before I turn you on to some of my favorites.
DStall commented on Twitter and how she uses it as a way to keep up with professional reading. I will be honest and say I thought Twitter was odd until I started following some people and learned about a lot of excellent resources (like the header above!) Thanks, D!
Jason Everett, my fellow FableVision Ambassador, commented on his experiences blogging. He mentioned the "conversations" that blogs bring, and that is a recurring theme in blogging. I certainly have enjoyed my few weeks and the great comments that people leave...Many that offer suggestions or encouragement. Like the post you are reading now, based on comments! Thanks, Jason.
Marilyn commented on Diigo, Twitter, and del.icio.us. I have not had much experience with Diigo, but need to work more at figuring it out. Del.icio.us is an amazing tool that I use all the time. With my college class, I told them my name (tjshay) and told them they could follow me forever and find the latest in cool websites. Thanks, Marilyn.
Murcha commented on blogging and shared a site of one of her grade 6 students. Murcha also shared Skype. I first heard about Skype from Peter H. Reynolds, but I didn't know anyone else who had it, so I never used it. Now, with my new Twitter friends, I will have plenty of people to talk to! Check out her blog here!
Elaine Plybon commented on Twitter! Please check out her website!
UPDATE:
Nadine N also answered the call and wrote about del.icio.us and wikispaces. She loves the collaborative nature of the Wikispaces. She said, "My colleagues and I have been using google docs to post collaborative work and create "living documents" out of curriculum maps."
Jamie ...pointed out Animoto and said by uploading pictures and choosing music (either from their site or your own), you can have the site generate a video for you. The end product is very professional looking. She posted a couple of the videos I've made here and here.
If the links didn't transfer correctly, go to her website by clicking her name, there are examples there.
She also recommends RSS and blogs as the most important.She wrote, " RSS has changed the way I work, the way I research, the way I interact with the internet. I must agree with everything Jason Everett said earlier! Blogs and blogging have changed my professional growth, changed my learning community."
Second Update:
The great Diane Cordell from Journey's Blog, has sent in some suggestions: "Animoto is fun and educators can get a free account for longer videos (over 30 seconds)." She recommends the use of Flickr and Picnik and has upgraded to Pro (paid) accounts on both because of the features.
"When I feel the shopping urge, I sometimes head over to Zazzle and design custom items. So far I have 2 T-shirts and a tote with my blog logo, a button with my Twitter name, and -arriving soon- new business cards." Diane is also a great Twitter user and gets a lot of tools to try on Google Reader.
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I thought I would share some fun ones I have found. You might need to know that I am a practical joker at heart and have used several of these sites for a non-educational reason. I can see using them in school also.
The Newspaper Generator
Says-it.com Many templates to choose from!
Be Funky Change pictures into cartoons!
More to come!!
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