Assignment 12- A Time for Reflection 3

Reflecting on the my own teaching practice, I feel that I am very excited about integrating technology into my music classroom. I feel that the School 2.0 Model is a window into the future and that someday everyone will be adapting to our changing technological world.

As a result of this class, I also plan to increase my use of technology in my classroom. My eyes have really been opened to the endless possibilities of technology. One thing I look forward to doing is incorporating del.icio.us into my newsletter. This will help parents to find websites for ordering music and reeds and provide another way to communicate information.

I also plan to continue my education and learn how to create my own website and correspond more effectively with parents and students through my knew found knowledge!

In closing, I loved this class! I loved learning about blogs, wikis, and the School 2.0 Model. I think that the impending leaders of tomorrow will benefit from all we can teach today!

Assignment 11- School 2.0 Model

Reflecting on the School 2.0 website I feel that QUEST has already begun to do this. Technology is constantly being used and I feel that it could easily be interwoven into the IB curriculum. I especially like the collaboration between administrators, teachers, parents and students.

I definitely would keep the wide open lines of communication. I like the fact that I could find out my students grades from home and continually assess their learning. I also love the empowerment that students will possess. They will be able to have online mentors, e-mail their homework to the teachers, and use online resources that will advance their educational experience. I think curriculum and implementation would have to be gradual and well planned. Parents would need to be committed and involved in the change .

I don’t know if I would necessarily change anything about the School 2.0, but I think that everyone in the district would have to be on board and dedicated to change. Change is sometimes hard but I think over time change will be inevitable. This year's kindergartners have been immersed in technology since they were born and introducing this new school vision would enrich their future education.

Assignment 10- Thoughts on Dr. Zhao's Podcasts

I found Dr. Zhao's Podcasts to be very interesting. He delves into the true nature of the, "digital world." I like how he comments about empowering teachers and administrators to learn from the world around them. He suggests visiting and learning from schools all around the world. I agree with the him. After visiting a school in Germany, I was amazed at the level at which the high school aged students were learning at. The students were engaged by their teachers in a book that I had studied in high school, too. The only difference was that they were learning and discussing the book in their second language of English! I remember feeling very impressed and I think Dr. Zhao has the right idea in that we need to learn how to immerse our students by studying and learning from schools all over the United States and throughout the world. Our ethnocentric view of learning has sometimes hinder our becoming a more "digital world" of education according to Dr. Zhao. I would love to take his advice and travel to learn more about enriching our students and meeting them in their "digital world."

Another topic that Dr. Zhao commented about was the fact that schools are blocking sites such as YouTube, live chats, and not allowing e-mails. He believed that we should not be scared to use these sites and instead use them to engage our students. I like his stance that we should use these sites to have the students gain information from all over the world. I think this could be useful and through monitoring students could learn a lot from others. I especially like to utilize using YouTube to play solos for my students.

The "Game Theory" is another topic that Dr. Zhao touched upon. I think that his idea of using games to teach online is great! I think students could become more engaged and immersed in the cultures of others.

Overall, I feel that Dr. Zhao is very convincing in the fact that educators today need to be aware that the school system is changing. Students need to continue to live in the "digital world" even when they are at school.

Assignment 9 Collaborative Projects

After listening to Kevin Honeycutt's presentation, I was ready to try all of his great ideas! At QUEST, I feel that we are already teaching through project-based learning and are adapting our teaching using technology. Students are constantly collaborating and working as problem solving teams. They have made movies, podcast/vodcasts, and are continual enriched in this new world of technology.

Being an instrumental music teacher, I feel that I too can use technology in my classroom. Keven Honeycutt's ideas are great, but it is hard to put them into the band room without a little creative thinking. One project that I have tried in the past and would like to continue to focus on is preparing for a collaborative concert with the High School. I have tried this in the past and would like to continue to develop and work as a team this year. Students at QUEST would select a piece of music that they would like to play. They would begin practicing it and would also send it to the high school musicians. The high school musicians would also practice and make a recording of themselves playing the music. I have tried this with tapes/cds but I am thinking that this year I should try to have them make a podcast or vodcast. Students in the QUEST Band would then work in their own small lesson groups or sections to create their own, "problem solving team." The small teams would then come together during the QUEST Band rehearsal. We would listen/watch the playing of the piece made by the high school musicians and begin rehearsal as a large, "collaborative team." Once the elementary band has learned to play the music they would then come together at the High School. Students would team up with students at another location in order to "complete" and collaborate with the "other team" to the perform the final project, a successful concert.

Reflecting on this project, I feel that Kevin Honeycutt's presentation can be put to wonderful use, you just have to be resourceful in creating the project!

Assignment 8- A Time for Reflection 2

I like Del.icio.us! It is a great way for me to collaborate with other music teachers. I like how we can share with others and copy them to share with our students. I also like the fact that it can be used by teachers all over the world. This allows me to find new sites that I may not have been using. I plan on using del.icio.us in the future to save all of the sites I use in my classroom. I have already started to tag music store websites. I am also planning on tagging websites that will focus on music advocacy and new advances in music technology. I feel this will be a great resource for me when I am researching a topic or when parents ask about different Internet sources.

Wikis as a Classroom Tool

After exploring and reading about wikis I feel that I have a better understanding about wikis. I feel that in many classrooms wikis could be a useful tool in posting and sharing knowledge. I like the fact that anyone can contribute to a wiki. I also like the fact that work can be shared with others, including parents. The home/school connection can easily be established. This empowers the students to add what they have learned and gives them a way to broaden their knowledge. It also allows them to collaborate both at school and at home. It is an easy way to change and revise their work.

I like the comment made in the video about using wikis as, "a portal for learning." Students in the classroom can really come together and build their ideas. My overall impression of wikis is that they are a positive resource to be used in the classroom!

Free Online Video Resources for Teachers and Students

After listening to the podcast by Wesley Fryer, I liked the ideas that he has brought forth with using video sharing for teachers. I liked the comment about, "blending learning opportunities with face to face interactions in order to create richer educational opportunities." The online video resources all seem to provide another alternative to enrich our students. I also liked the fact that students could feel empowered in their learning. In the podcast, it was mentioned that students could learn in their home environment and not feel the pressure of feeling, "stupid." As a teacher and a parent, I like the resources provided in video sharing, in order to provide information at home that may not be remember from class. It also provides another way to review the material along with the text.

Next Vista seemed to be relevant and provided educational content that could be pertinent and helpful to many teachers. I think it would be easy to use and the five minute videos would provide a quick resource to many students. The "Global Views" helped students to make connections and feel empathy for learners all over the world. Their personal stories would help students to learn and understand other cultures and world events.

Although I liked Next Vista I don't feel like I could use it in my classroom, yet. There were very few videos that were pertinent to my curriculum. I think in the future with the addition of more videos it could be an excellent resource.

YouTube, Clip Blast, and TeacherTube could be used in my classroom! Many solos and concert performances are able for viewing on these sites and could be used to show my students different performers all over the world. In my curriculum, students need to listen to recordings of solos they are playing. There are many good performances of solos my students are playing.

The negative of these sites is the other content that may come up in finding the pertinent videos. Some videos are inappropriate and these sites are often blocked by schools. I feel though, that these could be excellent resources for my classroom, if monitored and used properly.

Lesson 4- A Time for Reflection

WOW! I really have enjoyed learning about blogging! I was new to this and I have already gained a ton of knowledge. I think there are many benefits to classroom blogging. I think a strong benefit of blogging is the sharing of work and ideas. Everyone can see the hard work you are doing and reflect on the progress that others have made. Being an instrumental music teacher, I feel I can still use blogs in my classroom. I feel that I can use them as a tool to work with the parents and to have students share their thoughts about their education. We can use it to communicate ways of improving instruction, sharing new pieces, and providing links to other educational sites.