This is a link to a recording of the Mount Baker Jazz Band in Mount Vernon. I recorded this with the recording equipment I bought through this grant.
Front Burner - MBMS Jazz Band - Directed by Aaron Wagner
This is a fantastic way to allow students to self-asses and reflect on their own learning and performance.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Technology in the Music Room
One of the most important elements of this learning process (grant) for me has been the emphasis on taking small steps. Technology can be overwhelming as one of my partners shared in her posting about the NCCE conference, but we take it one small project at a time..."This week I'll learn how to import names into Easy Grade Pro, next week I hope to upload a video on the school website!" I've been trying to encourage my partners and colleagues with this mantra, "Let a small goal or project that you really need done drive you to learn something new." Then give yourself a pat on the back as you check it off your to-do list!
This video represents a small goal I had. One of the music teachers in our district put a file from iTunes (free) on the district's server for the rest of the music teachers. I was embarassed to admit that the shared drive intimidated me. I didn't know how to use it and often heard people say they had put things there for the purpose of sharing. Anyway, I became determined that I had to figure this out. It had huge potential to help my 6th grade guitar class. Well, as the stories often go, it wasn't difficult to learn how to download from the shared drive (with help from our help desk!) and this free video series from Dave Wish (Little Kids Rock) has improved my guitar class immensely! As you can see, ELL students greatly benefit from this clear, visual resource. Every student in my class has a chance to see how to make the chords and then gets to play along with a rockin' sound track. Dave is entertaining and cool and plays the guitar much better than I do!
One of the most important elements of this learning process (grant) for me has been the emphasis on taking small steps. Technology can be overwhelming as one of my partners shared in her posting about the NCCE conference, but we take it one small project at a time..."This week I'll learn how to import names into Easy Grade Pro, next week I hope to upload a video on the school website!" I've been trying to encourage my partners and colleagues with this mantra, "Let a small goal or project that you really need done drive you to learn something new." Then give yourself a pat on the back as you check it off your to-do list!
This video represents a small goal I had. One of the music teachers in our district put a file from iTunes (free) on the district's server for the rest of the music teachers. I was embarassed to admit that the shared drive intimidated me. I didn't know how to use it and often heard people say they had put things there for the purpose of sharing. Anyway, I became determined that I had to figure this out. It had huge potential to help my 6th grade guitar class. Well, as the stories often go, it wasn't difficult to learn how to download from the shared drive (with help from our help desk!) and this free video series from Dave Wish (Little Kids Rock) has improved my guitar class immensely! As you can see, ELL students greatly benefit from this clear, visual resource. Every student in my class has a chance to see how to make the chords and then gets to play along with a rockin' sound track. Dave is entertaining and cool and plays the guitar much better than I do!
Smartboards
The Smartboard!The Mount Vernon School District has placed a focus and priority on math for the past few years. It is encouraging to find so many resources for the smartboard that provide learning objects and lesson plans for math (and other subjects).
www.theteachersguide.com/InteractiveSitesMathSmartBoard.htm
Jeff has just received the final pieces of his Smartboard. He still needs some help, including Flash on his desktop. Our tech coach can get to that easily, but it's taken a lot of patience to get this far. Jeff is an outstanding first-year teacher and is already doing the research necessary to make the most of his smartboard. Jessica is also just getting started using her board. Both of these teachers have had 30-31 students in their classes all year. Jessica has 12 ELL students in her class. The board has great potential for these students, but also has been a challenge to approach with all the marking and meetings that multiply with larger classes. Jeff is open to new ideas and we have talked about all sorts of cutting edge stuff, such as using cell phones in the classroom. However, as a first year teacher with a large class it has been difficult to venture from the smartboard. During the time it took to install, we did a blogging project together and Jeff used my Flip camera for a project, but I didn't want to create projects that he really didn't have time for just because the smartboard was taking a long time to install completely.
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