MOREnet PD options

If you are a teacher in MO be sure to check out the MOREnet Training Schedule.  If you teach at a school that is a full MOREnet member you are able to attend the training for free.  If your school is not a full member there is a charge for the class.  I have taken the SMART Board part 1 and 2, Intro to Pod Casting, and the Google class and would suggest all off them! You can also take these classes for graduate credit at three different universities.  I received several graduate credits this way from Central Methodist University as a part of my Master of Education.  It is much cheaper and very time effective to completed classes this way.

Back to school!

Back to school time is almost here. Have you set your tech goals for the school year yet?  I plan on doing more with Google Docs/Google Calendar and helping my teachers use their SMART technology.  Also be on the look out for screen casts to help trouble shoot the day to day tech things we all get stuck on! I am getting excited!!!

CHROMEBOOK

Check this out from the Official Google Blog. Google worked with Samsung to make a new computer called a Chromebook....sounds cool...I would like to get my hands on one to see what it is like!

Do you what to be Google Certified?

Do you want to be a Google Certified Teacher?  I do!  The dates this time do not work out for me but maybe they will work out for you.  Check the blog post from The Wired Classroom Google Teacher Academy Taking Applications for all the info you will need!

Go Google!

So I was on of the hold outs that did "Go Google" until about 4 months ago.  I have to say my life is more stream line and I get more done because of the switch to using the Google Calendar and Google Docs.

Google Calendar is wonderful!  I gave my husband the ability to add events to the calendar and now we both know what is going on.  We also know when we need child care well in advance now and don't get stuck at the last minute looking for a sitter.

Google Docs had made a flash drive unnecessary!  I have all the work I have done no matter where I am.  Now that you can drag and drop MS Word docs in to Google docs it is even better.  I can move older docs in to Google with no problems.

The iGoogle page is a life saver to.  When I get to work every day log it and there is my calendar, to do list, news, and more. It has made getting things done much simple.

If you use Google leave a coment on how you have used Google to make your life simpler.

If you have not gone Google give it a try.

Technology in The Music Classroom

iTunes

When I finally got an old blue iMac in my vocal music classroom in 2009-2010, I was so excited!  I did not have much on it but it did have iTunes.  Not being a very good pianist, this was a life saver.  I used an audio in/out cable to hook the iMac up to my stereo so I had the sound that I would need. 

I used the Get America Singing series with my 6th and 7th grade general music classes, and I had purchased the CDs that went with them.  After putting all the songs on iTunes, I made a playlist for each class.  One student would get to be my assistant and run the iTunes for me.  I used this as an incentive for behavior and participation and it worked wonders.  I had kids singing that normally would not! 

We also did daily listenings and journal work in the 6th and 7th grade class as well.  I had a playlist with all of the works from all of the different CDs that I used.  I would often misplace the CD I needed and have to hunt for it...but not now!

I also had my wonderful accompanist record the accompaniments for all of the 8th Grade Choir Songs and then imported them to iTunes.  The 8th Grade Choir playlist let us run the songs "with the accompaniments" even though she could only come once every other week.  The kids that were taking solos to contest also had the accompaniments for their songs on a playlist.

The best part of iTunes was when I had a substitute the kids could still have class!  I had students in each class that knew what needed to be done. For 45 min of the 90 min block my kids would teach class.  If it was contest season, the remaining 45 min the students with solos got on with headphones and could listen to the accompaniments and "sing" in their head. It may not have been the best rehearsal but they still got to go over what they knew and the substitutes loved it.

Google Images 

If you have a projector or an interactive white board in your room, Google Images is the best! When we would talk about instruments, I would just project the image on the board.  It was so much better than the posters that I used when I taught K-5.  I had multiple images of the instruments and we could write "on them" as we talked about them. 

 We also could look up maps and talked about where composers lived.  Lots of times I could find a map of what the country looked like then and now. I also would show the kids images of what the composer looked like. 

Google Images would also come in handy when talking about the history of a song.  The one that I remember best is when we talked about the song Erie Canal. I was able to find maps and images of the canal being built and used.  The kids enjoyed it and I think remembered a lot more than in years when I did not have the projector. 

Music Tech Teacher

I was lucky enough to have a projector in my room that was hooked to a iBook.  The kids and I enjoyed doing was playing the games on musictechteacher.com On this page, Ms. Garrett, a instrumental music teacher at a public elementary school in Birmingham, Alabama, has several games and quizzes.  They are a fun way to get the kids to review.  We would break up in to teams and play as a class.  She also has lesson plans and worksheets available as well.  

National Public Radio

I know this is not the first place most music teachers would look for things to use in class.  Many times there are stories on NPR that work with what I am teaching.  When we would talk about the song MLK by U2 we listened to the story "Sanitation Workers Last Stand".  It had direct accounts of what Dr. Martin Luther King's last speech was like and the conditions the sanitation workers had to deal with.  This is first hand information that otherwise I would never be able to give the kids. There is also a great story about how life in New York City paralleled West Side Story when it opened on Broadway. Now with the music blog on NPR there are lots of resources you can use with your class. 

Youtube

I would have liked to use Youtube more than I did, but it was blocked at school.  I did download lots of things and then use them.  When we talked about organs there was a news report about the Wick's Organ Company in St. Louis that we would watch. In my 8th grade choir classes,we would watch other choirs perform and critique them.






Hilary Myers is in her first year as a 3rd-5th grade Technology Instructor in Missouri.  Prior to her current position, Hilary spent eight years in the general/vocal music classroom mostly at the middle school level.  Hilary is currently working on her Masters in Education and just completed her thesis Six Elements of an Effective Technology Professional Development Program. You can follow Hilary on her blog, Tips 4 Tech, or on Twitter @musictech02. 

Google Tutorials

On the Free Technology For Teachers page there is a link to Google Tutorials.  They are wonderful and FREE! They have also been updated so if you have not checked them out lately you should do so!

Google Apps in MO Schools

If you are a MORENet school in MO you can now get support on Google Apps For Education. Check out the announcement 

Google Map Maker

Google Map Maker is now open in the US.  You are able to add the places in your community.  The additions get added to Google Maps and Google Earth.  This could be a cool year-long project for a class and a good way for students to lean about their community. The Google Blog post will give you more information and a good video! 

KC Kansas gets the NEW Google Fiber Network

Kansans City, Kansas is the winner of the Google Fiber Network.  If you do a Google search about it you will get lots of links to the news media covering this event.  On the way home last night I was listening to All Things Considered on NPR.  During the interview they asked the question why do we need this?  They likened it to the switch from dial-up internet to broadband. We did not know how that was going to change the way we used technology and it has made a huge impact on how we live our lives and teach our students. You can read, and listen, to the full NPR story and check out the video below for more information. 

Google Custom Search for SMART Board

Need a SMART Notebook lesson?  Check out the Google Custom Search for SMART Notebook!  Use it just like any other Google search but it will search a pre-selected group of sights that have SMART Notebook lessons.

Blogging

When I first started this blog about a month ago I was not to sure about it. Truth is I love it now! I have been able to save time and get more information out to the people that I support.  There are lost of applications out there for free blog providers but I have been very happy with Google Blogger.  If you have a webpage  for your classroom think about adding a blog as a way to get information to the families of your students too.  It is much simpler to send out an extra quick reminder on your blog then on the web page. If you add a subscription provider, like Feed Burner, you followers can have your blog delivered to their email. Blogs are also nice for parents like me that tend to loose the notes home.  If the information was posted on the blog I could check the blog history and still have the information. Check out this quick, and very well made, video from Google about Blogger. Also check out the What's New With Blogger post from Blogger Buzz

Summer PD with MOREnet

For those of us that are part of MOREnet schools we need to remember that we can take advantage of FREE Technology Professional Development. All of the MOREnet trainers are SMART certified and they are working on their Google certification. 

This summer there is one section of the Google Tools and two sections of SMART Board 1 and 2 trainings. They are also offering SMART Response and Introduction to Podcasting. I have taken the SMART Board and the Podcasting classes and learned a lot. I am excited to be taking the Google Tools and SMART Response classes this summer and I know they will be helpful. The link to the calender for the trainings is below. Click on the event that you would like to take to get more information and to register.  The classes are located in Columbia MO. 

MOREnet Training and Events

 

Is the cloud safe?

This is just another reminder that you need to back files up even if they are on the cloud.  Last week 40,000 Gmail users had no emails in there account when they logged on.

Listen to the NPR story How To Keep Data From Disappearing In The Cloud.

Check out the Google Gmail Blog post from Feb 28.