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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Tool #11

1. What are your favorite tools you now have in your personal technology toolbox? Briefly describe a particular activity that you will plan for your students using at least one of these new tools. - My favorites are Youtube, Facebook, Wallwisher, and Dropbox. I am definitely going to have my students put things in my dropbox and watch youtube videos for referencing music and watching recordings of other choirs!

2. How have you transformed your thinking about the learning that will take place in your classroom? How has your vision for your classroom changed? Are you going to need to make any changes to your classroom to accommodate the 21st Century learner? - I have been very "Technology-forward" for a WHILE, so my thinking hasn't really changed. I think that teachers maybe that have been teaching for a lONG time without using technology will have a harder time implementing this because they feel it's "not necessary" but I feel that we can enhance the learning experience my implementing these tools effectively.

 3. Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? - I didn't really expect to use any of the tools, but I fully intend to use dropbox and to use my iPad apps connected to my bluetooth and projector in my classroom. It's going to be fun!

Tool #10

1) My students need to understand that anything you say online is PERMANENT, and that even if you take it down, it's out there forever. They need to understand also, that cyberbullying is never ok, and it has lasting consequences. Students should contribute to the digital community in addition to just taking information from it. I thought Josh Ritchie had good thoughts on the other questions:

2)Atomic Learning is a great resource to ensure that we know how to use the technology and that the technology is used to ensure student success.

3)I would give good and bad examples of digital citizens. I would then do a short lesson on each Cyber-Bullying, Plagiarism, and finding and reporting quality information.

4)I could send parents to my blog. In the blog I could provide lessons or overviews using some of our new Web 2.0 tools.

Tool #9

1) Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective?
- When technology is incorporated into the lesson, it allows for more opportunities to connect to the students and speak their language. I think it can make school feel more "Fun" for them and keep their attention.

 2) Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers?
- Students need to be held accountable because in the "Real world" when the leave our school system, they will be held accountable, We need to teach them the real life application and that they are to be held responsible to equipment and opportunities they are given.

 3) Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
- There weren't ANY sites useful for music teachers....why?

 4) List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
- Audacity, Garage band, Chordbot, and Goodreader. These are apps that are mostly good for class use. I don't really see them used in "Stations"

 5) What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station.
- I really love the video and audio recording capabilities. That, to me, is the MOST useful thing for choir.

Tool #8

I have been using iPods, iPads, Macs, and an iPhone for at least 5 years and I LOVE these products. I am very excited to use the ipads because they can provide INSTANT feedback for my students to see and hear themselves sing. It will be great to hook it up to bluetooth and have it come out on our sound system to get a really great idea of how we're sounding and what we can improve. Students will be able to use the iPod touches for student-led sectionals and practice on their own. Other devices will only be used with teacher supervision, but they are all great tools for me to use in my choir classroom.

Tool #7

I collaborated with the Spring Woods HS director to come up with this:

-Students will be given the opportunity to participate in Eric Whitacre's virtual choir. 

-Content objective: the learner will learn a piece of choral music with online tutorials and while working with the videos of Eric Whitacre conducting. The learner will then record him/herself and upload the video to the appropriate site.

-Participants must complete their assignment before the deadline. All of the rules are outlined here: http://virtualchoir.ericwhitacre.com/

-Students will use internet, video recorders (iPad), and YouTube.

-Singers from around the world send in their recording of their part of this GREAT modern choral work. Then they get to see how it all works to blend and create a choir out of singers from all over the world!

Tool #6

These tools are pretty useful! I am excited to use the wallwisher tool to get notes to students very quickly!

Tool #5


Try our slideshow maker at Animoto.
Wordle: choir

These tools are interesting. I think animoto is probably the most useful tool for my classroom, but it's a stretch even. I feel that the video slideshow can be used to things that are the more "extra" parts of choir, like a senior slideshow at the final concert or at the choir banquet. I think iMovie is a better tool for me to use, even in that case.

Tool #4

Google Docs and Forms are a neat tool. I am not sure how docs can be used in my choir classroom because there is never really a situation where we will need to live edit a document. However, it is very interesting and something I may use in my personal life.

Google forms is something that I could possibly use with my students with regard to business such as choir trips, auditions, payments, and things of that nature. It's a good way for them to keep track of things and stay organized with what they need to do.

Tool #3

I didn't really learn anything new about copyright that I didn't already know. As a choir teacher, it's been very imperative to know the copyright laws. It's a really important thing to know, though.

Dropbox is SO GREAT! It's so helpful when I need to get files from my home/personal computer to my school computer, and vice versa. I can't wait to use this!



Tool #2

I find that creating a PLN is really great. It's helpful for those of us with less experience using technology, and less experience teaching as well, to use other people as guides to be successful. I enjoyed reading my coworkers' blogs and seeing the cool things they did. I hope that they will enjoy my blog as well!

I thought a really helpful one (for me) was www.sfmsbandtogether.blogspot.com. He clearly knows a lot about technology, and he is a music person, so it's helpful for me to see the types of things he does and apply them to my choir classroom.

Tool #1

Creating a blog was very easy. Over the years I have had many blogs, social networking sites, and websites that I've played with. I usually find that it's hard to keep them up, but hopefully this experience is different. I want to use this in my classroom effectively!