Final Project update/expansion

I am to the point with my final project where I just need to add children...and that's not happening on July 28. 

I decided that it was time to tackle another MAJOR problem in my tech world - organizing my lesson materials so that I can access them whenever I need to, where ever I need to on whatever laptop or computer or tablet is in front of me.  That is a pretty major job considering the number of moving parts in my lessons, but I am willing to eat the elephant one bite at a time until it is done.

I started by backing up my external hard drive (my life support) to the server.  It took three full days, but now I can rest easier knowing that my files are in more than one location.

I then decided to start with my September lessons and update them for this coming school year. I started a media file folder for each PowerPoint and linked the sound and video files right to that folder. My hope is that by setting things up this way I can easily transfer from one computer to another without having to re-link all of the media files.  I'm not done yet.  It's taking longer than I thought, but I am also doing a pretty major revamp of my first grade lessons, so that is taking a good chunk of time. 

At this point I have enough space in Dropbox to save the files there.  I am thinking that I will use Dropbox as my go between for the files I am using currently in my classroom and then back up to the server and my external hard drive when that month's worth of lessons is ready to be archived.  Or maybe I'll just bite the bullet and buy more storage space...time will tell. 

Does this sound like the best way to eat this elephant?  Any ideas for upgrades?

Curation Tools

I have been a huge fan of Pinterest both personally and professionally for a long time.  I like Pinterest for a lot of reasons, but one of the reasons is that it leads me places that I wouldn't have thought to Google myself.  I love checking out what other people have pinned.  I feel like following other music teachers saves me the time in searching myself and also sparks other ideas that I may not have thought up myself.

Exploring Twitter has been interesting for me this week.  I never thought Twitter would be something I would find useful in my professional life.  I haven't found a ton using hashtag searching, but I think there is real potential for keeping in touch with parents through quick Twitter updates that are linked to my blog.

I also starting exploring Diigo yesterday.  I am finding it to be a useful place to store bookmarks that have previously been machine bound on my computer.

I think the problem with all the curation tools is going to be using the right tool for the right job and not having too many organization systems going.

Final Project Idea

• How will student demonstrations of learning be more innovative in my classroom?
• How will I as a teacher move toward more choices for students to demonstrate learning?
• How can I share or celebrate my students’ work?
• How do I balance learning the tool and using the tool for learning?

For my final project I am focusing on developing a composition-based activity for the end of the first grade unity and variety unit.  The goal of the unit is for students to identify ways that composers use musical elements (specifically form and expressive qualities) to create music that has enough commonalities to create expectation in the listeners, but enough differences to keep it interesting.  I hope to have the students be able to choose their tools (traditional instrument, voice or tech based) for showing what they know in their songs.

FINAL PROJECT PLAN

Tools

Choice of:

     -pitched and non-pitched classroom percussion instruments

     -Yellofier on iPad

     -voice

 

 Task Guidelines

Working with one or two other composers...

1.  Create a musical idea that you can remember and play again.

2.  Decide how many times your idea can repeat before it starts to get boring.

3.  Decide how you will develop your idea to keep your music interesting.  Some choices are:

        - create a whole new section of music (form)  

                    Will you go back to your first idea?

                    How will you (and your audience) know when your song is done?

        - change something about your idea (tempo, dynamics, instrumentation, etc.)

                    How many times will you repeat your idea?  How will it continue to change?

                    How will you (and your audience) know when your song is done? 

4.  Practice performing your song.  When you are ready it will be recorded and shared with the class and on our music class blog.

EdCafe Takeaway

Geoffrey Canada: There's an Educational Cliff we are Walking Off Right Now

The conundrum in education is that we all know that what we do is not the most effective or efficient way to get to our end goal, yet most are too scared to try something new for fearing of failing an entire generation of children.  The irony is that we are already failing many students by keeping things the same.

I like to think that here in Yarmouth, and at Rowe School in particular, we do a pretty good job of ensuring that kids don't fall through the cracks.  We drag some students along from beginning to end, reminding them every step of the way that they can do this and that we won't let them fail.  I wonder, though, if we are truly doing them any favors.  I look at some children and know that they will have a difficult time in school, but will be a success in life.  That's not fair.  Our job should be, and ultimately is, to find the best way for each child to learn.  For some of our students that will look very much like our classrooms look today.  For others the path may look very different.

I think the big takeaway for me is always looking at my classroom through the eyes of the students.  What choices can I give them to make learning their own?  How can I structure my classroom to give children support when then need it and let them take off with their own interests?  How can I move learning beyond the walls of my classroom?  The answer in all of this is choice-letting go of some control and knowing that the students are the most powerful factors in determining the best course for their education. 

Teens Talk: Think for Yourself reflection

Public schools are killing creativity.  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

This statement is the bane of my existence.  It is why I teach what I teach.  Children come to school creative beings.  It is our job as educators to foster that creativity and to encourage them to be creative problem solvers.

Creativity is messy.  It is loud and chaotic and doesn't fit well into the time constrained world of education.  But it is also beautiful.  And it is what makes humans human.  It is worth the time and we, as adults, need to be willing to give up some control and let children explore their world and create their own solutions.  Then we need to step back and not try to fix it.  There are many solutions to a well-created problem.

Rant complete.

Rita Pierson - Build Relationships with Your Students reflection

Wow! What a speaker!!

Rita Pierson's speech makes me appreciate even more teaching at and having my child attend Rowe School even more.  I believe that we, as a school, work hard to build and maintain relationships with all children and try to find and focus on the positives in even the most difficult few.  At Rowe School we use the Responsive Classroom approach to learning, which holds social learning at the same level as academic learning.  We spend time fostering relationships and social skills between children and between adults.  The result, from my vantage point, is a community that celebrates with each other the good and supports each other through the not so good.

At our inservice day in March we hosted Andy Dousis, an educational consultant who has done years of work with the Responsive Classroom method.  He talked a lot about working with the "dynamic dozen" and how we, as teachers, need to focus on what we can change about our lessons, behavior, words, etc., to make school a successful place for those tricky children.  He had us read an article he wrote, called "What Teaching Matthew Taught Me" and that little article has been rolling around in my head during every difficult moment since.  The article is linked below:

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/responsiveclassroom/responsiveclassroom015.shtml

It is true that all learning, academic or otherwise, is about understanding and navigating relationships.  It is important to remember, especially with children whom my relationship may be fragile.