A Lazy Blog Post

Dudes I just opened mine eyes, and lo! I have not updated this since the Clintons were in the Whitehouse... You would not believe how insane my life has become. Please don't abandon me!.

I am overwhelmed with setting fire to people wearing Crocs, driving from one end of the city to the other, just generally being the life of the party to the local soccer team, my day lasts forever from crawling out of bed at 6.30 to well after sun-down. I am totally exhausted. I wish you could be here to share it.

I hope you are having a good life think of me as I battle mine enemies. Honestly! Until my paycheck dawneth..

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I read about "The Lazy Bloggers Post Generator" on Kobus van Wyk's Blog.
Sure, this looks nothing like my normal posts, but it was great fun and will hopefully keep you reading until I finish a real blog post.

Brightest Stars

by Peter H. Reynolds Download your own inspirational card.

A New Planet!

Did you feel the shift? Yep, today was the seismic shift in the structure of my classroom. Day one of the new Promethean board!! 

The kids in third grade are just starting to learn the notes on the staff. Imagine the amazement when they walked in and saw the new whiteboard and then got to manipulate notes on it!!!!

It was a great day of learning with many more to follow.  

If you have a interactive whiteboard, what is your favorite activity? 

If you don't have one, what would you do on your first day???

An Ostrich - An Australian - and an Austrian Walk into Third Grade

My third grade students sing a song called, "The Alpine Song." It starts with the words, "Oh, an Austrian went yodeling on a mountain one day." For years the students would change the word "Austrian" for a word that they knew...a common thing in the elementary. So the kids would sing about the Australian, or worse, the Ostrich who went yodeling!

Then last year, I fired up the computer and we took a trip to Austria via Google Earth. I started in Traer, where I teach, and we flew virtually to Austria. I panned the screen down to look at the mountains and suddenly, they knew of Austria and the subject of the song was no longer a long-legged bird. For extra measure, I pulled up YouTube and included a video that showed an avalanche (also in the song).

The moral of the story is that there many tools at our disposal....We need to think of ways to use them in meaningful ways. There is great depth in the tools we have at our disposal.

My Blog Challenge--

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!

Lend a Hand! Blog Challenge!

If you are a regular reader, you have discovered that there has been a drought of blog posts from me lately.... That's because I am blog-blocked. Not sure I have anything interesting or exciting to say. Oddly, I can think of interesting blog posts I would like to see in someone else's blog.

Blog Challenge

Here is my idea, email or comment someone's blog with a post you would like to read. Try to keep it in genre of the person's blog. The person can choose to use your idea, ignore it, or answer the suggestion as a comment here..

I will throw down the gauntlet here... If you challenge someone, please comment a link to their blog so we can all see if they accept the challenge. This is all in good fun! I hope it leads to great conversations.

Since I regularly read these blogs and enjoy them, I shall start the ball rolling:

Diane Cordell - Journeys - Now that you are in your last year, what is the greatest lesson you have learned as an educator?

Peter H. Reynolds - The Stellar Cafe - When you are collaborating with another author, how do you decide which parts of the book to illustrate? Can you share a drawing as an example?

Karen Janowski - EdTech Solutions: Teaching Every Student- What is the first resource that every teacher who works with special learners should try?

Pat Hensley aka LoonyHiker - The Life of Loonyhiker- It has been one year since your retirement... Looking back, is there one happy teaching memory that rises to the top of the list?


Even if the don't respond... please add these blogs to your reader because they are very good!

Promethean Friday!!!

The first time I touched an Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) was at NECC Atlanta, 2007. From that first moment, I knew I wanted one in my classroom. It was a shiny new Promethean board and I immediately could see the 'draw' of it for kids (A little Monday pun). I immediately imagined the kids manipulating music notes and staves on that beauty!

I got to know Kathleen, from Promethean, who was a great champion of learning in general and Promethean boards. The most amazing thing to me was the curricular possibilities that were included with the software. Kathleen took some time out of the crazy-busy NECC to show me the application for music....The dreaming began!

For 2008 San Antonio NECC, I prepared FlipCharts for my friends at FableVision and ended up actually presenting at the Promethean booth, which was a thrill. So much activity and energy...

Now, like a dream come true, I will have a board in my room on Friday!!!! I can't wait. I have my first lessons in mind for Friday afternoon. The kids will be up at that new board and will be learning in a completely new way. This will be a very exciting week for me. Wait until you see the awesome animations my kids will create with this giant board!!!

Today I am very grateful for the great people I have met from Promethean: Kathleen, Alex, and Scott...and the Promethean gang that I have been emailing but don't know in person: Joelle and Jake (from Haddock). Of course, I also need to thank the FableVision gang for introducing me to this technology and these people!