Teacher Workshop 2/16/17

Access to Noteflight and Soundtrap can happen on a website, blog, through Twitter, Facebook, etc.


Noteflight assignment embedded in Blog or Website



Noteflight Hyperlink- Could be sent to Students via email or hosted on a site


Soundtrap Hyperlink- Could be sent to Students via email or hosted on a site

Using Blogs to create digital student portfolios

1:1 technology allows for interesting opportunities to create pathways, catalogue, assess and even participate in student work. One possible manner for engaging students in documenting their progress is through blogging. Blogging or web logs have been around for quite awhile. They can be powerful tools in education. Teachers can use them to post class content, host group discussions, and communicate with parents and the school community. Students can use blogs to respond to prompts, self-reflection, post sample work, etc. So many opportunities are available for both teachers and students, it certainly seems worthy of a look.

Student portfolios are a great way to monitor progress and allow both student and teacher access to evidence of achievement. Additionally, portfolios created through blogging allow for interaction between student and teacher for feedback purposes.

There are numerous blogging platforms but this post will focus on Blogger. Blogger is a Google application and, considering our school's affiliation with Google, it makes sense to start there. I have been using Blogger for a couple of years and like the ease of use, customization options, opportunities to embed Google apps (such as YouTube) and access to other forms of social media.

You can create blogs on your iPad, laptop or desktop computer. You can add posts in each of these formats as well. You can edit quickly on the iPad using the Blogger App. 

Creating a Blog in Blogger:

1. Go to the the URL blogger.com
2. Sign in to your Google account
3. Create a new Blog
4. Name your blog so that it reflects what your blog is about
5. explore some of the customizable options to make your blog more visually appealing and in a layout that suits your needs.
6. Start blogging

With my students, I request they share the URL for their newly created blog via email or through whatever means is convenient. 

Once you have the student blog URL you can use an RSS reader to monitor student blog posts. An RSS reader can simplify the process of keeping track of multiple blogs in one easy location. I am currently using a reader called Feedly and it seems to do the job quite well. Whenever a student updates their blog, Feedly will show the latest posts. You can manage your student's blogs and organize them by class or content.

Getting Started with Blogger

A web log or "blog" is a great tool in education for introducing content, sharing workflow, disseminating information, facilitating classroom discussion and/or feedback, etc. In fact the list of applications is generally limited only by self-imposed limits you make for yourself.

I use a blog (in this case Blogger) for all of the above mentioned applications. Everything I am doing with it is modeled on someone else's use. Their use has been re-appropriated, repackaged and reused for my own purposes.

I was a big fan of School Fusion and made heavy use of most of the functions of our school website, but found when we switched to 1:1 tech at the high school, the site was lacking compatibility with the student iPads. I made the switch to blogger and have not looked back.

While technically a "blog"site, I use Blogger in the same manner in which you might use a web-site. I post most of my classroom content, calendars, videos, audio-clips, links, etc. The advantage is the archival aspect of the blog. All my content, announcements, assignments, etc. are managed and archived within the blog for easy access, and reference.

Our goals today:

• Blogger overview
• Access Blogger
• View sample uses of Blogger
• Create our own "blog" post
• Play with some features
• 
  

Presentation Feedback Form

Chromatik an interesting app for making and sharing music

I have started experimenting with a new cloud-based application called Chromatik. This application allows us to share written music, recordings, and comment on the music and performances. My challenge to band students is as follows...

• Download this free app
• Register yourself with Chromatic
• Join the playlist I have set up (Band Exercise #1) using Join Code- K3L0M5NT
• Record yourself playing any 4 scales from the exercise pages
• Share your best take with me

As you begin sharing your scales with me, I will comment on your shared recording by letting you know in what order I have received it. If you have any questions or comments, please use the comment forum below the post.

The first 20 band students to submit a shared recording will win a special prize!!!*

*legal disclaimer- prize with 3 exclamations points should not be construed as a prize of any major significance, i.e. this will not make you independently wealthy

Welcome to Sibelius 7: The Music Notation Software at GHS

All of our 5 music workstations (2 practice rooms, ensemble room, band room and chorus room) utilize Sibelius 7. All of the band and pep music you play through your iPad comes via Sibelius. This software is industry standard for music notation. Professional composers in all styles and with varying needs utilize Sibelius to compose some of today's most recognizable music. I am including 2 videos to help introduce you to Sibelius 7 and urge you to take some time to play and learn about this incredibly powerful tool.

Creating a YouTube account for student or teacher use

YouTube can offer many opportunities for both students and teachers to share ideas, concepts, projects, lessons, and reinforcement in an easy to use, connected environment.

Videos created and uploaded to YouTube can be embedded in websites, blog posts, and linked in emails.

Every student and teacher has a YouTube account that is linked to your school gmail/google account.

You can control the privacy settings to allow your videos to be seen by the world or a handful of people you have carefully selected.

The following information is from Google:

"If you already have a Google Account, then adding YouTube is very simple. Visit http://www.youtube.com, click Sign in in the top-right corner, and enter your Google Account login information. That’s it!

Using your Google Account, you can log into YouTube and access many features without setting up a Channel. Once logged in with your Google Account, you can like videos, subscribe to channels, and flag videos using just your Google Account. You can also add videos to Watch Later.

While you're logged in, YouTube will keep track of your viewing history, and use videos you’ve watched, videos you’ve liked, and your subscriptions to recommend other videos for you to enjoy.

If you'd like to upload your own video content, comment on your favorite videos, or create playlists, you'll need to create a Channel first."

Creating a Channel

Click here to upgrade to a YouTube Channel

In order to perform certain actions on YouTube (such as uploading, commenting, or creating playlists), you'll need to create a YouTube Channel.

Our goals today:

• Make sure we can sign into our YouTube account
• Create a YouTube channel
• Upload a video to our YouTube channel

The next step(s)

• Share our video
• Embed video
• Link video
• Subscribe to other channels

Thank You