Thing 9

YOU TUBE ROCKS!

Yes, we've already used it in our classroom. You definitely have to preview what you use, but there is such a VAST amount of resources available there. They have everything from musical performances to instructional videos to presentation resources, and in a format that kids love to watch. I use it often for myself as well, especially when searching for new composers, artists, and songs. This is an excellent medium for musicians and the applications are plenty.

I lost time and ended up surfing there for a loooooong while today. I checked out a bunch of videos for my class, but ended up leaving my comment on a post from Justin Unger - a new Christian artist. Some of his uploads showed what it was like to be in the recording studio, and I think that even that would make for something amazing for my students to see.

Thing 8

Once again, I found that both Image Generator and Big Huge Labs was easy to use. I made a calendar with Big Huge Labs, but the heading here was done with Image Generator. http://www.txt2pic.com/logo-maker/?allow=102306480&text=Musicians+Rock%21&texture=blobbed_green&texture2=&color=darkslategray&fontsize=40&font=Joy&moveh=&movew=&cartoon= I also spent some time playing around with mosaics of composers and instruments.

I imagine one possible application for my class would be to have my students make posters/flyers that advertise upcoming concerts. I would use the calendar application if I could figure out how to add events on the dates instead of just adding the photo. I'll have to play around with it some more to get around it well.

Thing 7

Uploading to Flickr was really easy. I usually use Snapfish to store my photos, but can see how the sharing application of Flickr would be more beneficial to the classroom setting. I envision using this site to share trip photos or photos taken throughout the year with only our band families. I could also see how kids could use this site if they were preparing a research project. Potential problems would include making sure that only our families had access to the students' pictures and also making sure that kids didn't use copyrighted materials in their presentations.

Thing 6

This was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was confused at first with all of the code that showed up instead of the photo when I tried to upload, but I figured it out quickly enough. I made the mistake of jumping right in before completely reading the instructions and was frustrated by the number of cool photos that were copyright protected. That advanced search feature certainly is a time-saver!
I like that you can choose who sees the photos that are uploaded. This would be a great way to share photos of a trip (such as our recent HS trip to Orlando) without worrying about predators and other creepy people seeing your students.
By the way...I chose this photo because it is my main instrument and because it reflects the beauty of the instrument as well as the art of music.

Thing 5

I used technorati to search for a blog that I wanted to read. I found a ton, but limited myself to just a few, and plan to search for more as time allows. I find that it is very easy to subscribe to a blog and to manage them in my reader. I think the harder thing for me will be to make time to find new blogs and to make time to read them all. Luckily, many blogs are short and to the point.

Thing 4

I am finally beginning to feel like this technology thing is do-able. I can follow my building principal, and am seeing some great ways to utilize this in my classroom! I found that it was pretty easy to subscribe to a blog using any of the methods. It seems that the hardest thing to do is find the blogs that you want to keep track of.

Thing 3

I found that there are an overwhelming number of blogs out there! Some were cool...others not so much. I did however, see a few great ways to use a blog for my classroom. I think that I would be able to start a blog right away that has my basic handouts, upcoming events, and maybe important reminders. I am particularly interested to see if I can utilize the download-able audacity recorder. I would LOVE to find a way for my students to record themselves and send it to me. What an interesting way to occasionally assess without taking class time! I would also like to learn more about adding links. There are some great instructional videos out there, as well as some really innovative videos of musical performances.

Things 1 and 2

I am a newbie in the vast new world of technology. Sure, I can text and email with the best of them, make a power point, and surf the web - I can even "go to the cloud" - but how can I make this all relevant to teaching my students? This is what I hope to gain from this "class".

Instrumental music is unique...students are constantly hands-on and the teacher is always making informal assessments and adjusting instruction "on-the-fly". We pretty much always have a handle on our students' individual progress because we can hear how they're doing every day. We are all active participants who create on a daily basis, so we're already accustomed to being both consumers and producers. How then, can I use all of these incredibly cool technological tools to engage my students even more? How can I take advantage of the skills they already possess to make better use of the time that I have with them? If they are master multiple-taskers, then I need to do a better job of tapping into that so they can be completely engaged the entire hour. I do not choose to be "The Teacher Who Fears Change", but I also want to be sure that I am not adding technology for technology's sake. It must be intentional and meaningful. I hope that this "class" will lead me toward the best ways to do this for my students.