I feel as though a lot of people have blogged about using Twitter for their PLN, and although I knew that it would probably an important component of my PLN, I wasn't necessarily sure of how I would incorporate it. I think that although some people would argue that Twitter and other social networking sites don't have a place in education, I think its use( in the proper way) would only help students feel more connected and engaged because it is something that many of them use frequently.
Not only could a teacher use Twitter to connect with his/her students in a number of ways(posting links for homework, etc), teachers could use Twitter to connect with other educators both on a local level and on a national and even global level as well. By searching for certain hashtags, such as #musiceducation, educators can use Twitter as a forum of sorts, connecting through mutual topics, questions, and concerns they might have.
Also, there are numerous national Music Education organizations that use Twitter, which is even another way to help educators connect on a broader level. I've already followed NAFME and the American Choral Directors Association, and I think this is a wonderful way to keep up with the activities of national organizations, and other members of these respective groups.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
PLN: Google Forms
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFdKc09LV2RfLXlITkc1UDNTRGE5eGc6MQ
Here I have the link of my Google Form that I created. It has a few questions that pertain to us at future music educators, and I thought it would be interesting to see the ratio of instrumentalists to vocalists in the classroom, and also what level students ideally wanted to teach, because that's something we haven't really talked about a lot yet.
I think the system of using Google Documents/Forms etc is a great and efficient way to be able to gather and share information with your students and fellow teachers. I remember that on the first day of Foundations, Dr. Bond had us fill out a Google form with information about ourselves, and I'm sure that helped her to learn a little more about us. Not only that, but I think using Google forms allows the creator to keep all the information in one place, to make it easier to look at everyone's different responses. I'm excited to see how we will use Google Documents/Forms in this class as we progress with learning about other forms of technology!
Here I have the link of my Google Form that I created. It has a few questions that pertain to us at future music educators, and I thought it would be interesting to see the ratio of instrumentalists to vocalists in the classroom, and also what level students ideally wanted to teach, because that's something we haven't really talked about a lot yet.
I think the system of using Google Documents/Forms etc is a great and efficient way to be able to gather and share information with your students and fellow teachers. I remember that on the first day of Foundations, Dr. Bond had us fill out a Google form with information about ourselves, and I'm sure that helped her to learn a little more about us. Not only that, but I think using Google forms allows the creator to keep all the information in one place, to make it easier to look at everyone's different responses. I'm excited to see how we will use Google Documents/Forms in this class as we progress with learning about other forms of technology!
Friday, September 14, 2012
PLN:Diigo
To be honest, I was at first rather confused by Diigo. I didn't understand its purpose or how exactly it could be beneficial to us as future educators. However, by the time I finished all the tutorials, I was really intrigued by the concept. To me, it's essentially just another form of social networking, but one that can really be productive, especially when sharing ideas, goals, and philosophies. By being able to connect with our classmates, we can share interesting ideas we have found, and at the same time can bookmark them for ourselves so we can look back on them if need be. Although I am still getting the hang of how to use Diigo, I think it will be a very beneficial resource to us this semester, and even when we become teachers to connect and share with our fellow employees.
Music Ed Readings- Week of September 14
I thoroughly enjoyed both readings this week. The first, from the Music Educators Journal, explained to the reader how to build a Personal Learning Network, and discussed the possible components of that network. One thing that was very intriguing to me was the concept of Wikis. When I initially saw the title of that section, I thought that it was only referencing the website Wikipedia. It surprised me to know that there were many different Wikis, even in the realm of Music Education, that could be beneficial.
I found the second reading, by Bauer, to be very informative. Although at first I thought the article was a tad dry, Bauer's use of multiple facts definitely captured my interest. Although I wish it weren't true, it didn't necessarily surprise me that music teachers don't really utilize technology in the classroom. In my school, we used Sibelius in Music Theory, but that was about it. I think that classes could have been a little more varied and interesting had more technology been integrated. I although that it was very interesting that the author noted that it is not how much or how often technology is integrated into the classroom, but specifically for what purpose it is used and how it is used to enhance learning. Using a smart board and just teaching a regular lesson doesn't necessarily utilize technology to the fullest extent, but perhaps using a technical musical program on said smart board or explaining to students how to use this program is a better use of technology.
I found the second reading, by Bauer, to be very informative. Although at first I thought the article was a tad dry, Bauer's use of multiple facts definitely captured my interest. Although I wish it weren't true, it didn't necessarily surprise me that music teachers don't really utilize technology in the classroom. In my school, we used Sibelius in Music Theory, but that was about it. I think that classes could have been a little more varied and interesting had more technology been integrated. I although that it was very interesting that the author noted that it is not how much or how often technology is integrated into the classroom, but specifically for what purpose it is used and how it is used to enhance learning. Using a smart board and just teaching a regular lesson doesn't necessarily utilize technology to the fullest extent, but perhaps using a technical musical program on said smart board or explaining to students how to use this program is a better use of technology.
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