What I've learned!

This course has helped me branch out and try using technology such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts.  On my own, I may never have tried each one of these and understood their uses for my classroom.  It was a real learning experience for me.  These tools help me make my classroom more learner centered.   I have already begun placing the responsibility and power of learning on my students’ shoulders.  This is something I have struggled with in the past.  I have been the type of teacher to spoon feed my students.  I have learned all kinds of strategies to change this perspective by using these tools. This summer I will continue developing these skills and ideas so that when I begin my fall classes, I will have blogs and wikis in place for the students to get involved.

My first goal will be to institute a classroom blog that my students will use to critique music, share ideas for better performances and learn from each other.  I will develop each step for this during the summer and introduce it to the classes in the fall.  I will probably have one blog a week for them to respond to and help each other.  My second goal is to get my students involved in making podcasts and linking up with other music students to learn new music and teach others.

To successfully face rigorous higher education coursework, career challenges and a globally competitive workforce, U.S. schools must align classroom environments with real world environments…
                                                                                    -Partnership for the 21st Century

   With this one statement, you can see the importance of having this type of site.  Many of our schools have been striving to prepare our students for the work world, but lack of resources knowledge and understanding has limited our progress.  After spending time on the website Partnership for the 21st Century, I found it full of helpful information.  They break down the students’ outcomes including the 4Cs skills – critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity – core subjects, technology and life skills.  I was very impressed with the resources for educators.  They had great tools to develop your own schools and classrooms 21st century skills.  I also liked the information for parents and the community.  Each area helped make the goals and importance of these skills understandable and clear.  I found it interesting that my state wasn’t on the list of states participating.  I will recommend this site to others. 

Blogs in the Classroom

I am new to using blogs, but after reading and watching what others have done with them I am excited to try.  I teach high school choir, piano, percussion, and theatre.  After we sing through a piece of music that we have been working on, I have my students reflect on what went well and what needed work.  I would like to take this a step further.  I want to try reflecting together immediately after we sing.  We will make a list of broad areas for improvement together.  Then I will choose 1 or more areas to discuss on my blog.  Each student will need to respond with their own insights.  I would be looking for specific things for example:  how to improve blend within the group, what techniques might we use to get a better tone, etc.  Like any class, there are those few students who are always willing to tell you what the answers are, but this way all the students will have a chance to help the class improve their performance.  This also places the problem solving responsibility on the students' shoulders, so it is not just me telling them what to do.