Noteflight - Week 2

 So after many errors, I finally finished my transcription of "A Bicycle Built for Two" on Noteflight. And I suppose that's the key to this - many errors! While I'm glad control+z erased any mistakes, and I finally figured out how to type "k" to get the chord symbols in easily, learning the shortcuts were not as easy as MuseScore. It was also frustrating that I couldn't use my Midi keyboard - which I LOVE - to enter the notes - so I was constantly having to fix octaves. If I were to become a regular user of this program, I would have to upgrade to the Noteflight Crescendo version.

In fact, I feel like a lot of my issues would be solved by the Crescendo version.

However, I do think the feature of being able to share a score with colleagues / classmates  / students would hold many of the same advantages as Google Docs - anyone can edit it from anywhere. And the added benefit to everything being on a cloud, so I could access it from any computer, anywhere.

So perhaps if I needed a program like this (in elementary general music, many of Noteflight's desired features aren't necessary), and I had the Crescendo version, this would be an excellent program. But for my uses? Not worth the effort! I much preferred MuseScore!

 (If my embedded version of my score doesn't work, here's the link... http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/5d7f46b45b55a73e486ea550b0f79e89cb99b9e9)

Week 2 - Technology and Creativity

I may have a new motto when thinking about technology in my music classroom, and it stems from the quote from David Kelly's TEDTalk:

          "It would be really great if you didn't let people divide the world into the creatives and the non creatives like it's some God given thing. And to have people realize that they're naturally creative... those natural people should let their ideas fly." (p. 50)

In the first year of teaching at a new Arts and Technology magnet school, we have been searching for ways for students to integrate the arts into the district's curriculum. The idea is that if the students are more engaged through creative expression, they will achieve in their academics.

I have discovered that I have two groups of music students:
  - students who actively participate in music activities (instrumental music, chorus, the spring musical, or even in general music)
  - students who don't engage in music activities

These students could be considered the 'creatives' and 'non-creatives'... but I need to learn how to teach ALL of my students to bring out their natural creativity. I know they have it in them. How do I know? A few of my fifth-grade (former) 'non-creatives' were in their classroom, and were given an activity by their substitute to either write a story, poem, or rap about spring. These students not only wrote a rap, but improvised by drumming on the tables and beat-boxing. I'd like to think it correlated with the world drumming unit we were doing in general music - but it wasn't. These are students who are almost always skeptical about any musical activity that I offer, yet in their free time, they were being musically creative. And apparently, it was AWESOME.

That is just one example of their creativity. Technology is going to be a great way for me to reach those (former) 'non-creatives' and give them an outlet to express themselves. I mentioned somewhere in this class how I am excited to incorporate GarageBand with my fifth grade students. The unit has now spiraled into an integrated unit where they will be writing songs/chants about the branches of the U.S. Government (a dry subject?) with GarageBand accompaniment. A few of the (former) 'non-creatives' have told me how excited they are to begin to use GarageBand. HOORAY for technology!

I apologize for being long-winded - but I LOVE that quote. And I am going to use technology to reach all of my students.

What else did I learn this week?
  - the function of MIDI cables (I have a set of antiquated Yamaha MIE-1 keyboards that I've plugged black and gray cords in for years, not knowing their function)
  - how easy MuseScore is - and I already have plans to use it to write warm-ups for my beginning band students!
  - and combining both of those things - I LOVE my new MIDI keyboard!
  - that I need to advocate for a music technology lab in my magnet school for my students, similar to the students we saw in the video from the lecture - SO cool! SO exciting!

Week 1 - Technology native ... but not in the classroom!

Just like many of you, this is my first time writing a blog. My husband wrote a very successful one, but I've never considered myself to be much of a writer. I'm much more of a reader!

Before the readings, I have always considered myself a digital native. I know my way around a computer, and have often come to the aid of more veteran teachers who need assistance. I can zip around the web easily, and regularly visit education websites such as TeachersPayTeachers and Education Closet. I can set up, plug in, and easily teach myself how to use any piece of technology. And yes, I'm as addicted to Facebook as the rest of the world.

Prior to this year, my technology use in the classroom has been for my purposes - Microsoft Word, Excel, & Publisher; Google apps such as Drive; searching for resources to use in my classroom. Technology use for my students was my CD player and occasional YouTube or Music Express videos. 

This year, however, I began teaching at a new Arts and Technology elementary magnet school, where a wealth of technology was offered to me. I have a smartboard, a Mac desktop, a MacBook Pro, iPad, and access to MacBook and iPad carts for my students' use. While I have successfully integrated my SmartBoard into daily classes, I am at a loss at how to use the rest with my music students. We have been given the technology with little or no training on ways to actually use it in our classroom. In fact any training has been geared more for the classroom teachers, with few uses in the music room.

So imagine my excitement when this class came up! I am really hoping that this class will help me combine my technical knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and content knowledge to achieve 'TPACK' - and be able to use the technology available to me to help my students learn.  I am very much looking forward to learning how to integrate and use technology with my students. 

I'm already enjoying some of the websites mentioned in Bauer's Your Personal Learning Network : Professional Development on Demand article - I have already found a use for the "Classics for Kids" NPR podcasts! I want to use some of them in our music integration unit in biographies! 

Next week, I am planning on starting a basic unit with my fifth graders in GarageBand - again, something I don't have a lot of experience with, and I am very nervous about!