Final Reflections
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Prompt #1: Teaching Digital Natives Chapters 1-3
The model of instruction is very different fr…
Prompt #1: Teaching Digital Natives Chapters 1-3
The model of instruction is very different from traditional pedagogy (the traditional model of teachers speak and students listen). In Marc Prensky’s partnering pedagogy students are learners and teachers are guides. The teachers give students questions to be answered; the students are to search, make hypotheses, and find answers.
Partnering is different from a traditional learning approach because:
1.It creates an environment that integrates adult and children’s learning;
2.It is characterized by reciprocity and parity for teachers and students partners;
Prensky’s texts describes that partnering is giving students questions to research, explore, and find answers to, and then for the class to discuss and review. In the partnering pedagogy, technology’s role is to let each student personalize his or her learning process. This is very important process for students to learn in their own ways.
Students Roles in Partnering
Researcher
Technology User and Expert
Thinker and Sense Maker
World Changer
Self-Teacher
Teacher Roles in Partnering
Coach and Guide
Goal Setter and Questioner
Learning Designer
Context Provider
Rigor Provider and Quality Assurer
The side of partnering in which I feel less comfortable is the view in which we (teachers) must see our students as partners with different but equal skill sets than our own. Sometimes I have to remember to "let go" and let them show me and tell me. I suppose the best response from a teacher to a student who says, "I don't know what to do, is "I don't either".
In those cases, we will look up answers together and learn at the same time. Prensky really was on target when he mentioned that most students, no matter what their background, could do and thrive on basic partnering work. I can see this happening on a daily basis. When students are partnered up in the classroom, more learning/teaching will happen.
This analogy on verbs and nouns is brilliant. Verbs are the underlying learning whereas nouns are the tools students use to learn. Partnering to me means interacting and guiding students to learn individually and/or in groups.
Prompt #2: Web 2.0 Resources (NOUNS) Use in Technology Integrated Classroom Teaching Digital Natives Chapters 4-6.
This is a list of the technologies that will help students understand the different music topics that I cover in my class and that will also help me as a teacher to create materials for my classes.
Voice Thread
Finale
SmartNotebook
Podcast
Discovery Box
Time toast
Garage Band
Photo Peach
*Technologies that will fit better for partnering:
SmartNotebook: Interactive activities. Compositional activities.
Discovery Box: Student creation of different discovery boxes in different subjects.
Garage Band: Creation of sound tracks, compositions.
Photo Peach: Creation of slide shows with pictures and music.
Time toast: Creation of timelines.
Finale: Creation of music compositions.
Promtp #3 Developing the Digital Native Friendly Classroom
I feel comfortable with “sharing”. It enlightens and enriches students to see the different ideas and creations. A positive feedback from teachers or peers to a “non involved student’s creation” is a moment that changes a student’s life forever and opens a door for more class involvement. This school year I will work on my student’s to create a music video (including their own music composition) as a “sharing” activity (posting the videos on youtube or a blog/wikispace).
I also would like to share in a more regular basis with other teachers. I am using Skype to share what I do in my classes and to se what other teachers are doing in their classes. I am also using it as a tool for my students to see and interact with other students. This week I will have several Skype sessions with the “Eastern High School Band”. They will be playing for my fifth graders and then they will be answering questions from my students.
I feel comfortable with creating, as it is the main activity in my music classes. Different nouns can be use for creating of music (such as Finale, Aviary, Garage Band) or for creating audio and video (such as Animoto, Photo Peach, Voicethread).
For my class situation partnering should be gradual. My students are not use to have the freedom to choose and create, as it is not the teaching approach in their homerooms where they spend the majority of the time.
My first fear is to loss control of my class. I think partnering is a great but complex skill that requires a lot of practice and self discipline. Principals usually are not friendly of looking at a “creative - chaotic organized lesson”. Another concern is the inability that I may have to reach some of my special students that had no interest in anything whatsoever. I want to be able to reach them by giving them different nouns to explore and capture their attention.
Tools for my classroom
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... When using sound effects and music in your podcasts, it is important to consider copyright and…
...
When using sound effects and music in your podcasts, it is important to consider copyright and terms of use. Most podsafe music is licensed under Creative Commons, which allows educators and others to use music as long as they give attribution.
Curricular Integration Strategies
...
quick ideas:
Composer Podcasts:
Have students do a research on a composer. Let them find important facts about the life's composer, works and events in history.
Tools for my classroom
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... Upload your file to a class web site or other host sites.
When using sound effects and music …
...
Upload your file to a class web site or other host sites.
When using sound effects and music in your podcasts, it is important to consider copyright and terms of use. Most podsafe music is licensed under Creative Commons, which allows educators and others to use music as long as they give attribution. The first thingCurricular Integration Strategies
So now that you need to consider when creating your own podcast is the actual content within it. Because we are specifically addressing educational uses of podcasting. At LEPAS wenow what podcasts are celebrating a composer's life and works every week. I will let my 4th and 5th grade studentshow to create a podcast about a specific composerthem, how can you use them in your music classroom. I have already mentioned one use – for example: J. S. Bach. Have the J.S. Bach podcast. My suggestion would be to think of all of the assessments you already do with your students write a script that answers different biographical and music questions about Bach. Once they have createdthink of ways to adapt them. Here are some quick ideas:
Composer Podcasts:
Have students do a script that you approve, haveresearch on a composer. Let them consider what musical examples they might use to illustrate various aspects of Bach's musical life. Studentsfind important facts about the life's composer, works and events in history.
Students can download
...
files of Bach'sany composer's works legally
...
record it.
Music Theory Podcasts:
Have students create podcasts about a certain aspect of music theory. Let them create a short podcast on the major scale. They can write a script that describes the structure of the scale, import images and videos that illustrate the structure, and they can sing the major scale as an audio example.
Folk Song Podcasts:
Have the students research a given folk song. They can then write a script that describes the history of the song. Have them locate a MIDI file online (www.contemplator.com), import it into GarageBand, add a vocal track and have them sing the lyrics along with the accompaniment.
Young Composer Podcasts
Podcasting is a great way to provide your students with a free form of getting their music on the iTunes Music Store. They can create and record their music using any notation or sequencing software. Simply convert their work to an MP3 and post it to the iTunes Music Store.
ProfCasting:
ProfCast is an affordable utility that allows you to record your lectures, along with a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation. ProfCast creates a vodcast of the presentation that can then be posted as a podcast that all of your students can download. This can be very beneficial to students who have difficulty taking notes during class. Many universities are now using this application to make their lectures available to their students. Visit www.profcast.com to find out more about this great utility.
http://www.poducateme.com/
http://orffsite.podomatic.com/
Tools for my classroom
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Standards
Link
summary of what it TIMETOAST!
Timetoast is
how it a timeline graphic that …
Standards
Link
summary of what itTIMETOAST!
Timetoast is
how it a timeline graphic that allow you to fill in dates and information that are compiled into an interactive timeline. Photos can be use
verbs: whatuploaded directly into Timetoast, and links to websites or videos can be included.
Timelines are great interdisciplinary tools. Timelines can function as excellent graphic organizers and study aids. But they are also a worthy end-product in and of themselves. Timelines can integrate music history, literature, writing, the visual arts, and geography—making them an ideal tool for interdepartmental collaboration.
Timetoast could be useful in a music appreciation/music history class to put composers on a timeline. This would serve as a visual representation for which composers came before/after other composers, etc.
Like in the example below I will ask my students to graphic a specific timeline in Music history or to graphic the life of a specific composer or important music figure.
What do you need to know to use this tool?: Basic computer skills are expectedneeded in order to complete
explanationoperate the tool. And since this tool allows you to upload images into your timeline you need a basic knowledge of projects
nounshow to upload those images from your computers hard drive, digital camera, or mobile device.
What resources do you need?: The site requires an email address in order to sign up for the free tool, as well as for log in purposes. The site also states that you need Adobe Flash in order to create and view the timelines.
http://www.timetoast.com
PODCASTING!
Podcasting is a contraction of the words iPod and broadcasting.
Podcasts, audio recordings published on the Internet and played on computers and portable devices, are becoming popular among all types of audiences, including K-12 teachers and students. Classrooms are both consumers and producers of this technology. As consumers, you’ll find a growing amount of high-quality free educational content for you and your students in podcasts.
Creating a podcast in the classroom can be a great way to incorporate writing across the curriculum. Narratives like personal stories, drama, history, and music all lend themselves well to audio presentations. Plus, students can be more motivated to create a podcast that could be heard across the world, rather than just within the classroom.
Classroom podcasts will take some time. Start small. Consider divisions of labor for student-created podcasts (writer, editor, voice actor). You will likely have to do the final production of the podcast and help with the equipment. Your students should use stage names and never give any personal information about themselves. Podcasts on web sites are publicly available.
You can find many examples of elementary class podcasts on the Education Podcast Network. You can find information about using and creating podcasts in the videos below.
Briefly, here are the main steps in recording and broadcasting a podcast:
Record the audio using recording software such as Audacity (free!) or Apple Computer’s GarageBand for a Mac. Students can also record via telephone for free at Gcast.com and Gabcast.com.
Edit using the recording software (Audacity or Garageband) to cut out anything you don’t want.
Add music and sound effects, make volume fades, and so forth. Free sound effects and samples are available at FindSounds and Sounddogs.
Compress the audio to an MP3 file. This makes your audio file smaller
Upload your file to a class web site or other host sites.
When using sound effects and music in your podcasts, it is important to consider copyright and terms of use. Most podsafe music is licensed under Creative Commons, which allows educators and others to use music as long as they give attribution.
The first thing you need to consider when creating your own podcast is the actual content within it. Because we are specifically addressing educational uses of podcasting. At LEPAS we are celebrating a composer's life and works every week. I will let my 4th and 5th grade students to create a podcast about a specific composer – for example: J. S. Bach. Have the students write a script that answers different biographical and music questions about Bach. Once they have created a script that you approve, have them consider what musical examples they might use to illustrate various aspects of Bach's musical life. Students can download MIDI files of Bach's works legally from websites such as the Classical Music Archives (www.classicalarchives.com). After they have carefully planned out their podcast, its time to record it.
http://www.poducateme.com/
http://orffsite.podomatic.com/
RESOURCES ABOUT PODCASTING
KidCast
A community of educators who are podcasting in K-12 schools. Books and workshops are available.
Education Podcast Network
Directory of podcasts produced by educators.
Listening to Themselves: Podcasting Takes Lessons Beyond the Classroom
An article from Edutopia.org describes podcasting in a fifth-grade classroom.
Tips for Podcast Fans
Apple’s iTunes site gives helpful tips on creating and subscribing to podcasts.
Podcast for Teachers
Professional development podcasts for teachers.
PodSafe Audio
PodSafe Music Network
PodSafe Music Network
Tools for my classroom
edited
Standards
Link
summary of what it is
how it can be use
verbs: what students are expected to co…
Standards
Link
summary of what it is
how it can be use
verbs: what students are expected to complete
explanation of projects
nouns
http://www.timetoast.com
http://www.poducateme.com/