bp15_2009103_Week 3 Media Asset

References:

Edu20.org. (2009). The free, easy way to teach and learn online. Retrieved on October 14, 2009, from http://www.edu20.org/

bp14_2009103_Week 3 Peer Comments

Original post by Elizabeth:

BP9_2009103_Digital_Storytelling

As anyone who has seen the history channel, or The Civil War by Ken Burns, you have experienced digital storytelling. It is almost like watching a picture book, but there are no words to the pictures, except what the narrator is sharing. It is a very interesting concept that is fairly easy to accomplish even with minor skills with a computer. Put together pictures, you know, those things that say 1000 words, and tell a story using the pictures to ensnare the audience. The benefit is that you can touch people on an emotional level, even if you have only a base knowledge of things like iMovie.

This is much more meaningful if you give this as an assignment for your students. They get to voice their learning in a better environment than just a plain old PowerPoint. Especially useful in Language Arts and Social Studies, there are many reasons to assign this as a project. There are actually ways to use this in a scientific sense, maybe as the start of a debate, an persuasive piece about why to fund stem cell research, or as an advertisement on why you should visit Cell City and the sites you'd see there.

This could also be assigned to explain a scientific theory; who came up with it, how they did the research on it, and why was it significant. Since I am moving on to genetics soon, this might be a way for them to explore and explain about Mendel and his explorations using pea plants. Though it is better if there are a lot of options as to what to story tell. This is because storytelling is a personal thing and to do it right, it is vital to be emotionally involved, or at least interested in the telling. This would make a better project and one that many would be interested in seeing and learning from.

My Comments:

Alicia Kalb said...

Hey Elizabeth,


I love the idea of digital storytelling, it has so many wonderful applications in education. Last month one of the media assets that I created for class involved digital storytelling. Students are constantly asked to write stories, but we live in a time where they should also be able to visually tell stories. In researching media literacy last week, I came upon a number of articles that stress the importance of educating students about media. Most significantly, teaching students how to interpret and analyze visual media. What better way to teach these elements than to have the students create their own projects.

Digital storytelling is the perfect medium for media literacy education.
I am not a science person at all, it was definitely not my favorite subject as a student, but if I had projects like you suggest I might have enjoyed it more. It's time for teachers to start thinking outside of the box.



I am sure that you have visited these sites, but if not you should check them out, they are great resources for digital storytelling. Edutopia.org and http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/index.html. They are amazing sites.

October 14, 2009 9:51 AM

Original post by Therese:

BP12_20093_Web2.0_Tools_Screentoaster

http://www.screentoaster.com

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Screenflow. It is such a great tool for creating tutorials—I think it’s my favorite tool I’ve learned about so far in this program.

The only problem is that I’ve been wanting to create tutorials for some of the software that we have at school, but I don’t own on my personal computer. For example, SmartMusic. I’ve been toying with the idea of purchasing this program for myself just so I can create tutorials using Screenflow. But I’ve not been that excited about spending the money. Then, I found Screentoaster.

Screentoaster is a free, online tool that allows you to capture your screen in real time. This is exactly what I need! I can use it to create tutorials for Smartmusic (without having to spend the money to purchase it for myself). I can also use it when I have time to create tutorials at school, instead of always having to do it from home on my Mac.

Screentoaster allows you to record all or part of your screen. Users also have the option to add audio and an embedded webcam to their videos. The easy to use toolbox allows addition of subtitles and editing of audio.

Videos created using Screentoaster can be downloaded for offline viewing (or further editing in other software), shared via e-mail, or uploaded to Youtube, social networking sites, blogs, or web pages. Vidoes created in Screentoaster are pretty high quality, but the file size is not too large.

In playing with Screentoaster, I noticed that the audio recording and screen recording aren’t always in sync. It’s easy to compensate for this, though, by moving the mouse after you speak.

For a free tool, I think that Screentoaster is very powerful. It seems very easy to use, and I plan on using it for creating and sharing tutorials, demos, and lectures (for my students AND my colleagues), when Screenflow is not available to me. Once I’ve used it more and have played with all of its features, I could even see having students use it to create their own tutorials and demos!

Here's an example of a movie I made using Screentoaster:

References:

Screentoaster (2008-2009). Retrieved October 11, 2009 from http://www.screentoaster.com

My Comments:

Alicia Kalb said...

Hey Therese,


After reading your blog, I had no choice but to test our Screentoaster for myself. What a cool name, who wouldn't want to use it. I love Screenflow as well, but if it wasn't for this program I would have never purchased the software. Now I have a free option that I can use at school or on any other computer. 



I love how Screentoaster is compatible with all of the other Web 2.0 tools, that is a huge convenience. If audio/video syncing is the only issue I can live with that. Most of the time with Screenflow I end up importing it into iMovie to edit it anyway. I also usually use Garageband to create my voiceovers, so for a free program Screenflow is the way to go.



Also, and I feel like I'm repeating myself, but this is great for students to use because they can use it at home to work on projects. This is a great way for students to show their work or practice explaining how they came up with their final project. There are so many options to using this program, thanks for sharing.

October 14, 2009 10:15 AM

bp13_2009103_Web 2.0 Tools_uTutti

Web 2.0 Tools - uTutti

What’s better than having a personal assistant, how about a Web 2.0 tool? uTutti is a Web 2.0 tool designed specifically for music teachers. uTutti handles all of the administrative aspects of music education, from inventory, budgeting, fees, fundraisers, and contact information. It also incorporates group email, parent communication, and grades. Having an online assistance would be wonderfully helpful. Always having your contact information and information at your fingertips, would be an amazing timesaver and stress reliever. You could keep track of all of your instruments; model numbers, who are currently using them, condition. You could also keep a complete record of your music library online. Going through music for concerts can be a real hassle, but if you had all the information online it would go a lot smoother.

But here’s the catch – it’s not free. There is a free 30 day trial, but after that, it costs $175 per year. Due to hard economic times, many budgets are being cut, which would not leave a lot of money for programs such as this, when you could but new music or make instrument repairs. While it would be wonderful to have all your information in one spot, I wonder if it would be possible to keep the same records with a couple of free Web 2.0 tools. For student and parent contact information, you could easily use Google Docs to create a form and then import the information into a spreadsheet. Inventory of instruments and your music library could easily be created using a Google Doc spreadsheet. A quick search showed that there are many Web 2.0 to assist in budgeting and fundraising. So while it would be more convenient to have all these items in one place, for those with fiscal restraints the same effect can be secured with other Web 2.0 tools. In addition, using iGoogle could keep all these different tools together to make all your information available in one place. So the question to ask is whether or not it is worth paying a subscription for convenience.

References:

uTutti. (2009). Retrieved October 14, 2009, from https://www.ututti.com/

bp12_2009103_Web 2.0 Tools_Google Calendar

Web 2.0 Tools - Google Calendar

An important element of any band or orchestra programs is individual practice. But how can a teacher be sure a student is practicing? There are the obvious cases when a teacher can hear that a student isn’t practicing, but what about those students who slip through the cracks? Many teachers, especially elementary and middle school teachers, develop a practice log for their students to fill out. Why not use a Web 2.0 tool to do the same thing?

Using Google Calendar, teachers can create practice records for their students to use. Each student and parent can create a calendar that they can then share with the teacher. Each day they can record how many minutes they practiced. There is a certain element of the honor code that goes into effect when dealing with practice records. Usually teachers can tell if “Will” actually practiced 45 minutes in one day. In any event, at the end of the month students can print out their calendar and have their parents sign signifying that they witnessed the practicing.

Another way to use Google Calendar would be between all the music teachers in the district. Planning concerts and events can be a nightmare, but with Google Calendar, everyone has access to the information. Directors can put in their concert dates or competition dates to make sure that there is no overlap between events. If all the directors get together for a meeting, they can deliberate on which day they would like. With Google Calendar there is only one calendar that has to be dealt with, which makes it a million times easier to make changes or corrections. Once the year has been solidified, you can share the calendar by posting it on the music department website or sending it to parents and students. Each director can also use Google Calendar to keep track of their individual events for their students.

References:

Google Calendar. (2009). Retrieved on October 14, 2009, from http://www.google.com/calendar

bp11_20091014_Web 2.0 Tool_Edu20.org

Edu20.org

One of the things that I noticed last year about being a young teacher in a technological world was how many requests that I would get to be Facebook friends with me students. Because I use the same technology that my students use, Facebook, instant messaging, my students would find me online. I also found that my students, especially my female students, would come to me for advice and just to talk. Having once been a middle school girl myself, I know how important it is for them to have a trusted adult that they can talk to. Thus, I decided to look for an educational social networking site. There were many that I came across during my search, but none of them contained the aspects that I was looking for. However I did find a tool even better, Edu20.org, which was provided to us in our assignment this week. Edu20.org has everything that I was looking for and more.

Edu20.org allows users to create an online school. I could really see this tool used in an online college class, but I think that it has elements that can work great in public schools as well. There are so many tools incorporated into this site from messaging, chat, wikis, blogs, widgets, groups and multimedia to creating assignments, rubrics, and calendars, just to name a few. I could see using this in the classroom to create groups for each of my classes or bands. I could post new music or videos that I find that I want students to explore. Having a discussion board, would allow students to talk to each other and with me about music.

Each student could also create a blog, which his or her classmates and myself could comment on. Edu20.org also allows students to create a digital portfolio of their work. The best part of Edu20.org is the element of control over who sees your profile. This makes Edu20.org a safer place for students to be on, than say Facebook or MySpace.

As with all other social networking sites, parent permission would be imperative. I would encourage parents to also join the network and join the parent group, so that they were aware of what was going on in the classroom. Even if I only use a couple of the features of the site, it would definitely be worth it, having a safe and constructive place that my students could communicate with each other and me.

References:

Edu20.org. (2009). The free, easy way to teach and learn online. Retrieved on October 14, 2009, from http://www.edu20.org/

bp10_2009102_Week 2 Media Asset

References:

Noteflight. (2009). Online music notation. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from http://www.noteflight.com

bp9_2009102_Flickr

Lesson Plans Involving Flickr

I found a lesson online involving using pictures on Flickr to tell a story. The lesson was aimed at second grade students and centered around wildlife animals. The teacher would upload photos of the animals onto Flickr and then project them on the screen for the students to see. The students are then asked to write a story based on the animals that they see. After allowing students the time to write, they can share their stories with the class (Woerner, 2009).

I could see using a similar idea in my music classroom. I believe that analyzing music is important for a well-balanced musician, which is why I required daily journal entries. It is also important to make connections between the arts, which is where I see a lesson plan involving Flickr fitting in nicely. I would create a series of images on Flickr and then play different music examples and ask the students to write how the tone of the picture changes. The same picture can have two very different meanings depending on the music and the context that it is shown in. The mood of the piece can have a drastic effect on the photo. A woman staring out at the sunset over the ocean could be a very calming peaceful picture, but pair it with music that is in D minor and Andante and the mood of the picture changes to sadness or longing. Another lesson could include displaying a picture and asking students to compose their own piece of music to describe the picture. The reverse could also be done by playing a piece of music and having the students find a picture on Flickr, or take a picture and post it to Flickr, that embodies the musical piece. The possibilities are endless.

References:

Woerner, R. (2009). Example of Flickr at the elementary level. Retrieved October 11, 2009, from http://wiki.itap.purdue.edu/display/ INSITE/Example+of+Flickr+at+the+ Elementary+Level

bp8_2009102_Week 2 Peer Comments

Original post by Therese:

As a part of my Action Research project, I’ve created a classroom website where I’m adding resources for students—including instructional videos.

After round one of video “quiz tips,” (which I’m really pleased with, so far, by the way) which I spent HOURS on, I thought to myself, “Why not have students do some of this work?”

I can’t really facilitate a lot of media asset creation with my whole class yet. We are generally speaking, too big to all go to the computer lab. The equipment is not really there for every student to create a video. And, furthermore, I am not really willing to give up that much rehearsal time, yet. But, I’m thinking that I should start an extra-curricular “technology committee” of interested students. They can help me come up with ideas for useful resources on our web page, and then help me create them.

Since I’m not really willing to turn my personal Mac over to these students, and since they might want to do some of this work from home anyway, I need to find some tools that will allow them to create and edit movies.

http://www.masher.com seems like a great fit.

With this free tool, users can

• · Upload movies, photos, and pictures.
• · Add text, effects, and skins to the movie.
• · Share their videos via e-mail or embed them into a website or blog.

Masher is very easy to use. You simply upload the music, videos, or music you want to use, and then drag files into the timeline. (Masher also offers a collection of video clips from the BBC’s Motion Gallery, images, a music library, an effect library, and video player skins that users can include in their videos.)

This tool can be used to make informative and fun videos, and possibly even digital stories. One thing that I would like to use it for is to have students create picture slide shows that go along with musical listening examples that we use in class.

One drawback that I see to this program is the lack of voiceover capabilities. It seems though, that this can be fairly easily overcome by creating recordings with other software and then uploading them.

Here's an example of a video I created in Masher:

References:
Masher. (2009). Retrieved October 7, 2009 from http://www.masher.com

My response:

1 comments:

Alicia Kalb said...

Therese,
I was also looking at Video Web 2.0 tools and found a couple, but decided to look into JayCut. After reviewing it I think I picked the wrong tool, but Masher looks awesome. I will definitely need to investigate this one. I love all the little effects that it can add. Middle school kids would love that.

I love your idea of having students create slideshows to listening examples. Think of all the music standards you could hit with that one :)

Thanks for sharing this Web 2.0 tool, I will certainly be taking a look at it.

October 9, 2009 11:43 AM

bp7_2009102_Web 2.0 Tools JayCut

Web 2.0 Tools - JayCut

While I am a complete Mac advocate, not all schools are fortunate enough to have Macs in their schools. Last year I was able to use Macs and iMovie in my classroom to teach video editing, but I might not be as lucky in my next school to have those luxuries. Thus, I searched for a video editing Web 2.0 tool and what I found was called JayCut (http://jaycut.com). You can upload pictures, videos, and music and create a movie all online.

This program is great for students to use both in the classroom and at home. The best part about using Web 2.0 video editing sites is that students can continue the work they did at school at home. The biggest problem that I had last year was that some students were unable to complete their projects within the time constraints of our class. With a Web 2.0 tool, time is no longer a hindrance in completely their project. Students can upload their photos from their home computers and then work on their projects during class. They can also have the option of working on their projects at home, if they are either overachievers or if they need extra time.

I really love the idea of a Web 2.0 tool for video editing, but I am not sure if I am completely sold on JayCut. It is relatively easy to use, but there are certain elements that are a bit confusing. It also does not have nearly as many extra features that programs like iMovie and Windows Movie Maker contain. This is really the bare minimum for video editing. It would be great for small little projects, but if I was teaching the mechanics of editing, I do not think I would use this program. Also, there is a risk factor because it is online. Although you can set your videos to private, students can still view other peoples, which many parents might not like. I am going to continue searching for another Web 2.0 video tool.

In any event, here is an example of a movie I put together on JayCut:

References:

JayCut. (2009). Online video editing. Retrieved October 9, 2009, from http://jaycut.com

bp6_2009102_Web 2.0 Tools Lala

Web 2.0 Tools - Lala

When I was researching music Web 2.0 tools, I wanted to find a tool that would allow me to take the music that I have on my computer and have a copy online. A big part of music education for me is having my students listen to music. Often I would use my iPod during class to have my students listen, but in the event that I cannot hook up my iPod to a speaker system, I need a way to listen to with my students. The Web 2.0 tool that I found that meets this need is called Lala (http://www.lala.com). Not only does it allow users to listen to complete tracks and albums before purchase, but it allows you to upload you entire music collection and play it from anywhere in the world. There is also the social aspect of the site, which allows you to listen to friends’ playlists and discover new music.

Besides having students listen to and analyze music, I would also use this tool for daily journal assignments. In my music tech class, I asked the students to complete a daily journal. I would play a piece of music and they had to answer the question on the board. Towards the end of the semester I would have the students create a journal entry for the class. Unfortunately it was more trouble than it was worth, because it was such a hassle having each student bring in a song. Some students brought in their iPods, which technically broke school rules, many told me which song they wanted to play, which meant that I had to find it, and some used online radio tools to play their music, but it only played a portion of the song. If I would have known about Lala last year, life would have been much easier. Each student could create their own account and upload their music to the platform. Then all they would have to do would be to log in to play their assignment. We could also use this program to save their own compositions that they created in class.

References:
Lala. (2009). Listen for free on lala. Retrieved October 9, 2009, from http://www.lala.com

bp5_2009102_Web 2.0 Tools Noteflight

Web 2.0 Tool #1 - Noteflight

The first Web 2.0 tool that I investigated is called Noteflight (http://www.noteflight.com). The program is basically a free online version of Finale. Noteflight allows users to create their own compositions and then share them with users if they choose. While Noteflight does not have all of the bells of whistles that Finale has, it has everything that a beginning composer would need, all absolutely free. You can save a copy of your piece and edit it anywhere that you have Internet access. You can also print your composition when you are finished. Noteflight also allows users to export the file as a midi or wav file. There are two options for midi export, the first allows users to transport the file into another music writing program such as Finale and the second saves the files as musical performance track, to be played in iTunes. Midi files can also be imported into Garageband to finalize the final performance version. Composers can also publish their scores to their websites. The only flaw that I have noticed so far is that you cannot use a midi keyboard to record your ideas. All the notes have to be entered manually, but there are keyboard shortcuts that make it easy to compose.

I wish I would have known about this tool last year, because I would have used it in my Music Technology class.. My students used Garageband to compose their music, but I would have loved to teach music notation with them. Finale can be very expensive software to purchase and while I love using it and it’s a wonderful tool, it’s not financially ideal to have many versions for students. Because Noteflight is a Web 2.0 tool that’s Internet based, students do not need to use the same computer each class in order to continue their work. Also, students can work on their compositions from home. With other composition software, students would need to have the software at home to work on their projects, but not with Noteflight. The first step would be to teach the students about the basics of notation and then have them work on Noteflight to compose within specific guidelines of the project. For instance, one project focused on ABA form and composing using Noteflight would have enhanced the idea of form for the students more so that only using Garageband. After the compositions were complete, I would have asked the students to export the files and import them into Garageband as the second part of their project. Once in Garageband students could arrange tracks, add loops or beats, and finalize their composition. The online collaboration aspect of Noteflight allows for students to work together and create group compositions. This is a wonderful Web 2.0 tool that I will definitely start using in my classroom.

References:
Noteflight. (2009). Online music notation. Retrieved October 7, 2009, from http://www.noteflight.com

iGoogle AR/CBL Page

Here is my iGoogle AR/CBL Page

iGoogle ETC Page

Here is my iGoogle ETC Page

iGoogle WGO/Home Page

Here is my iGoogle WGO Home Page

bp4_2009102_Social Bookmarking

Educational Uses of Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking can be an excellent tool for personal use, but it caters even better to educational and group usage. Social bookmarking allows for the convenience of having all of your favorite sites available at any time and also allows for online collaboration.

Let us investigate the educational values of using social bookmarking in the classroom. Schrum and Solomon (2007), write "The term 'personal computer' has no meaning in K-12 unless students are assigned or buy their own computing device ... If they bookmark sites they want to remember on one computer, there's no way to access that information from another" (p. 57). Students rarely have access to the same computer while at school, which makes bookmarking favorites the traditional way impossible. With social bookmarking students will always have access to their favorite sites no matter which computer they are using during class. Some social bookmarking applications allow students can organize each of their bookmarks into groups, which they could use for each of their classes. This flexibility and organization alone makes using social bookmarking in the classroom an excellent tool, however there are even more wonderful ways to use social bookmarking.

The social part of social bookmarking comes into play as users can share their bookmarks with others. Bookmarks can be tagged and then shared with other users. Not only do you have access to all of the sites you have found but you also have access to sites that thousands of other users have found, "thus you benefit from the research of others, while having a far more dynamic and helpful system of organization" (Jackson, 2009). Many educators might be skeptical that this would not be safe for students because it is online, but there are social bookmarking sites that allow for private storage or sharing within a certain group of people.

Another wonderful aspect of social bookmarking is collaboration. "Many bookmarking sites allow teachers to review and comment on resources the students have bookmarked. This collaboration feature is the strength of social bookmarking as it permits both teachers and students to collaborate with web resources" (Bell, 2008). Students can comment on each others' links, but more importantly teachers can comment on their students links. Teachers can give students feedback as they search for project sources and also give them other sites to look at.

Teachers can also use social bookmarking to prepare for classes. "Use del.icio.us to store applicable sites for colleagues or to preselect sites for student projects" (Thompson, 2008). For younger students, having the sites for them to explore saves time and ensures that they are using reliable information. Teachers can also create a group of sites for each class that they teach, or for each different lesson that they can easily pull up at anytime. Just as students can share sites with each other, teachers can also collaborate with other educators and share information.

Social bookmarking is a wonderful educational tool that both teachers and students can use in the classroom.

References

Bell, A. (2008). Educational uses of social bookmarks. Message posted

to http://annamaebell.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/educational-

uses-of-social-bookmarks/

Jackson, L. (2009). Sites to see: social bookmarking. Retrieved

October 6, 2009, from http://www.education-world.com/

a_tech/sites/sites080.shtml

Schrum, L. & Solomon, G. (2007). Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools.

Washington D. C.: ISTE.

Thompson, J. (2008). Don't be afraid to explore Web 2.0. Phi Delta

Kappan, 89(10), 711-778.

bp3_2009101_Anti-Teaching

In his article “Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis of Significance,” Michael Wesch discusses many of the problems that are occurring in our current system of education. As with many of the articles that we have read in previous classes, the system of education in the United States is still based in the Industrial Age instead of the Information Age. Teachers and schools need to start implementing the technologies that students are using on a consistent basis outside of school. Sitting in nice neat rows of desks listening to lectures on the Ancient Greeks is not the way to reach to today’s students. As Wesch states, “The most significant problem with education today is the problem of significance itself” (p. 5), and I would have to agree with his statement. If teachers cannot relate to their students and draw them into the lessons by showing the relationship to the real world, students will tune out. Teachers need to make the shift from “traditional” teaching ideas to new, creative means of teaching. Looking at Multiple Intelligences and Brain-Based learning, it is easy to see why teachers need to make the switch since it is impossible to teach every student in the lecture type model of education.

Are virtual learning environments the answer? I do not know if I would say that virtual learning environments are the only answer to the current educational problems we are facing. I agree that we need to use Web 2.0 tools and add personal responsibility to our students, but I think that most K-12 students still need guidance from teachers. Students, especially elementary and middle school aged students do not have enough personal accountability to strictly learn through CMS or PLEs. While they are a great tool and work wonderfully for collegiate students, younger students need more guidance. I think that K-12 public schools need to look at a combination of PLEs and the traditional approach to teaching. Although many teachers will agree that teaching to test is archaic, they will also agree that to an extent it will not go away. What teachers can control is how they teach the information that will appear on the test. I realize that not all schools have the ability to have computers in the classrooms and some families cannot afford to have a computer, but in an ideal world, I would like to see schools using more technology and having more computers in the classroom. Book reports, essays, and tests are not the only ways that teachers can assess student learning. The same factors can be assessed using digital storytelling, podcasts, comics, and blogs. Teachers need to use the technology available, and that students are already using, to enhance learning. When students are excited about learning, they learn more. Allowing students freedom to explore their own learning potential will only increase retention. Teachers need to bring back significance into education, and the way to do that is to use new tools that address multiple intelligences and brain-based learning and knowing your students. While technology is not the only way to save education, it is a step in the right direction to teaching beyond the test.

bp2_2009101_Google Reader

The Following are the feeds that I have chosen to add to my Google Reader for educational purposes:

MENC – The National Association for Music Education

MENC is a music educator’s best friend when it comes to new developments in music education, National Standards, lesson plans, and anything related to music education. I am constantly checking MENC for updates and the RSS feed will constantly keep me up-to-date so that I don’t need to check the website. As a professional member of MENC it is important that I subscribe to this feed.

USSBA Marching Band Network

The United States Scholastic Band Association is one of the main marching circuits that High School Bands compete in. This feed will keep me up to date with the marching band world, which I currently teach in. Since the band I work with competes in USSBA, it is important that I know the show schedules, rules, scores and new events.

SmartMusic – SmartMusic Blog

SmartMusic is a program that I use with my students both in group lessons and in private lessons, which is why I added this blog to my reader. SmartMusic is always adding new repertoire and now I will be alerted to new music, without having to check the website. This feed will also give me articles and tips by professionals who are developing the program further.

MusTech.Net: Music Education, Music Technology, & Education

Another subject that I taught last year was music technology and since it holds a high level of interest for me I added this site to my reader. The articles will keep me up-to-date with new technology that I can use in the music classroom and videos that I can share with my students.

The North American Saxophone Alliance

As a member of NASA, it’s important that I keep up to date with what is going on in the saxophone world. NASA holds contests, creates publications, and has resources available for all saxophonists. As a private lesson teacher for saxophonists, this feed will give me information that I can pass on to my students.

Selmer Musical Instruments

As a band director, it’s important to offer students a variety of options for instrument purchases. Selmer is a well-known and respect instrument manufacturer. This feed will allow me to keep up with new instrument models and other Selmer products.

Welcome to the North Penn Music Program

I currently work with both the North Penn Marching Knights and the North Penn Jazz Band, so it’s important that I know what is going on with the music program.

BP1_2009101_Getting Started with Blogger

Educational Uses for Blogs

I believe that there are many educational uses for blogs in today’s schools. Students today are already using Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs, so why not use them in the classroom. Calvery et al. (2008), states “although there is little research on the effectiveness of blogs with developmental students, it is logical to use a medium that is familiar and comfortable to the millennial generation” (p. 35). Blogs allow students to use their critical thinking skills and writing skills. Having students respond to open ended questions online, which require research and original thoughts can be as beneficial as writing in the classroom. Although blogs are an online, it is important for teachers to emphasize proper writing style and grammar and not using web lingo. Another wonderful aspect of using blogs in the classroom is that students can collaborate with each other and offer constructive feedback to each other.

Not only can blogs help students with their writing skills, but blogs can also help students with reading. According to Hong (2008), “Readers are no longer passive recipients of the information from the web but become creators of the content by either posting entries on the blog or making comments on the entries posted by others ” (p. 37). With blogs, students have more responsibility with their reading. Teachers need to teach their students how to decipher reliable information on the Internet and how to respond in a professional manner.

Blogs are wonderful tools that teachers can implement into the classroom in a variety of ways. Hong (2008) writes, “As a powerful toll that enhances communication, foster critical thinking, and encourages collaborative learning, blogs have great potential in education” (p. 37). For all of these reasons and more, teachers should start investigating using blogs in their teaching practices.

References

Caverly, D., Nicholson, S., Battle, J., & Atkins, C. (2008). Techtalk: web 2.0, blogs, and developmental education. Journal of Developmental Education, 32(1), 34-35. http://search.ebscohost.com

Hong, W. (2008). Exploring educational use of blogs in U.S. education. Online Submission http://search.ebscohost.com