Week 7: OneNote Review

            After reviewing the video and exploring Microsoft OneNote, I was impressed with the capabilities that the program had.  A few of my colleagues described using this program as an interactive notebook that allows more freedom for note taking than Microsoft Word or other Office products.  Hearing their descriptions of the software I wanted to try this out and see if I could use OneNote as a place for my students and myself to take memorable notes where we could have the freedom to draw in or type notes.  While the software has the capabilities of doing this, I realized this program was so much more.  For the disorganized teacher who is constantly on the go to multiple schools, this software had the capabilities to become a hub for resources that I could carry around with me instead of carrying multiple paper copies.  This feature stood out to me the most because I could organize my weekly lesson plans and activities into one central location that I could access anywhere on any device.  It also would allow me share these resources with my students where they could draw their own notes or do paperless assignments that I could keep track of.

            Microsoft OneNote is arranged to have one more folders that can be accessed at anytime without closing out a window.  In each folder, notes and resources can be divided into organized tabs similar to plastic tab dividers.  In each tab, multiple pages of notes can be created.  I chose lay my OneNote folder out to have tabs that would contain schedules, lesson plans, resources for each grade level, a place for notes.  Honestly, there is no wrong way to organize each folder.  While the folder I created became more of an administrative folder, I can create and share folders that can be accessed by students.   I can also create folders that could be available to certain grade levels.   One of the tabs I created was to see how this program could be used for note taking.  The drawing tools can be used for easy note taking, however I recommend this feature to only be used on a tablet as the drawing tool with a computer mouse would not be neat.  In some cases I wonder if this could be a comparable tool for a whiteboard at a student’s fingertips if it was on the student’s tablet.  Though there are many positives with OneNote, one of my last minute experiences was negative as I was unable to sign on to an older version of OneNote from one of my school computers unless I had a Microsoft account, whereas the newer versions I was able to log on using my school e-mail address.

            Even though my research on OneNote was brief where I was allowed to play around with the program, I would like to take more time to explore OneNote.  Though I have experienced other note taking software and applications, this one showed it could be useful for my organization.  If I were to use this software, I would like to progress into using it as an administrative tool where I can organize my own classroom resources.  My band will be going on a trip this year and I can see this tool as a hub to hold multiple resources such as itineraries, files of receipts, and parental releases.   Once I get use to the software, I would like to introduce this to my school district as a way for our school to have a way to do paperless notes and assignments. 

PLN Week 7: The Professional Learning Network- Creating New Professional Development Opportunities

            This week’s readings had me thinking about how social technology has changed for the professional learner.  Living in a state where it can take over an hour to travel from one town to the next and over three hours to travel to a major university with a music program can be a challenge when seeking quality music professional development.  Budget cutbacks have also become a constraint toward travel and in-house professional development does not always provide toward the music educators’ professional needs.  With these concerns, I started thinking about the personal learning network that we went through during this course.  Getting the chance to read blogs and many articles posted on Twitter gave me quality ideas that I believe will help me during my teaching career as well as I had a chance to give my ideas that may be beneficial to whoever read my posts.   The online personal learning network was something new to me.  However, I believe it to be beneficial in professional development.

            Bauer (2014) writes that professional development (PD) should meet the needs of a person’s interests.  He continues on in his writing saying that PD is a social process, whether informal or formal.  I believe the personal learning network is a unique way in providing both an informal and formal PD where we can reach out to our colleagues for professional advice or conduct an online PD seminar.  The use of Twitter and Facebook are perfect technological examples for the informal experience.  I do not see these social networks going beyond the informal stages.  However, as we connect to many of our colleagues on these two platforms, this is available at our fingertips daily.  On the other hand, I was intrigued when reading about the capabilities of Google+.  While it can be informal, features in Google+ such as Communities and Hangouts made me think of the possibilities of collaborative PD at the district and state level.  In Google+, users are able to create circles that allow those users to be sorted into categories of their interest such as general music, band, choral, and orchestra.  I think this goes well with many professional music associations being able to gear their professional toward specific music departments.   It is in those circles that music educators can receive quick and easy PD through becoming part of a community or hangout.  A community can be an everlasting PD experience as it similar to a message board.  This is nothing new to our professional field as many professional music associations have their own online message board containing many topics of interest.  Videos and other resources can be uploaded into the message board where users can respond at any time.  Hangouts however, allow for a more unique approach to PD.  Bauer writes that a Hangout can bring up to 10 members in a circle together to video chat.  Videos can also be archived for later viewing into YouTube.  I see Hangouts as a way for music educators in the district or state to have collaborative teams where they can create professional learning opportunities or invite academic clinicians including educators in that district or state to share a small PD forum.  While the user number for Hangouts is limited to a small number this is where the community message board can be used to continue sharing that archived video.  I can also see Hangouts as a collaborative approach that can be used for mentoring programs between veteran and new music educators.

            In the past seven weeks, I have written blogs on how technology can be used to benefit student learning.  This week, I was able to reflect upon my own learning and my own professional development needs.  In many ways I seek professional development whenever I have the opportunity.  In the past ten years my state music association’s professional development opportunities has greatly improved.  As a nine-year teacher, I now look for opportunities that I can show more involvement in.  I do not consider myself as a great speaker to contribute those services.  I do feel like I can help incorporate multiple PLN’s into our district and state associations where music educators in the state can have ongoing professional experiences from their own colleagues.

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. [E-reader version] New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

PLN Week 6: Responding and Listening to Music Through Technology in the Band Room

This week’s readings helped remind me of the importance of how students respond to music that they listen to everyday.  It also reminded me about the importance of listening and how that plays within how we respond to music.   Music has played a prominent role in many functions such as emotional influence, entertainment, ceremonies, enjoyment, and religious worship.  I parallel this blog with current scenes that I have seen in television and movie entertainment.  As I told my wife this past week after watching a scene from Star Trek Beyond, music can use be a powerful weapon.  As the scene played out, I saw that while music is pleasurable to one character, not all characters responded to music the same way as it was seen as obnoxious noise.  On the other hand, I have seen the emotional response on television during the 2016 Rio Olympics as the gold medal winner’s national anthem is played.   I think these two illustrations go well with Hallam’s (2008) writing suggesting that “people respond to music in ways that are physiological, motor, intellectual, aesthetic, emotional, and mood based” (Bauer, 2014, p. 124).  Bauer summarizes this statement saying that people listen to music that they like, however, music can be seen as boring if too familiar, and unpleasant if not familiar at all.  This is much like many of our students we see in the classrooms.  Each student has a diverse taste in music and that music serves a different function to the student.  For example, the athlete may play loud music to pump themselves up before a game or a student may play relaxing music to help them study for a test.  However, much like the Star Trek scene, if a student is exposed to a different style of music they are unfamiliar with such as music played in the ensemble classroom, they may not react the same as they do their familiar.  As Bauer writes, it’s unpredictable.

To promote response in music, listening is an important factor that should be encouraged in the music classroom.  Last year I had the opportunity to hear a guest clinician at my state music convention speak on the importance of listening in the music classroom.  What changed my educational life and the way I now teach my band is her saying that music educators in the ensemble classroom are guilty of not promoting listening enough.  It stuck out to me that listening can change how a student responds to other types of music and can help students improve in their performance.  Both Hallam (2008) and Lehmann, Sloboda, & Woody’s (2007) study describes listening is an occurrence when “active attention involving focused cognition is provided to sounds” (p. 125).   When I think of listening, I think of ones who are actively engaged in the music whether it is their own type of music, music of their peers, or classroom music.  After last year’s clinic, I have been able to put this to the test with my performing group.  I had positive experiences hearing my students respond to the recordings of songs that we would be playing for our concert.  Students would ask and make predictions about why the music was written after hearing the song for the first and they would compare and contrast the styles of different recordings of the song.  Not only did this help them take ownership in how they wanted to perform the song, I believe the students were able to become more familiar and comfortable with a new style of music.

This week after using Spotify and reading how other online technologies can help promote active listening in students, I plan to use these programs to encourage students to listen to multiple ensemble pieces.  Spotify can be an excellent way to bring in new recordings to my classroom whether it is a song that they will play or other band and orchestral works the students should become familiar with.  Knowing what I can do with Spotify, I can create multiple playlists with many free songs.  I can encourage students to use the program for their own personal listening.  YouTube can also be another great tool for students to respond to their performance music with by listening to multiple recordings of different ensembles.  

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. [E-reader version] New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Week 5 PLN: Digital Portfolios and the Music Classroom

I went into this week’s readings thinking that my blog would continue the discussion of assessment through software such as Audacity and SmartMusic.  However, the more I read through chapter six, the more ideas I had that would help benefit my students as they progress throughout their education in the public schools and in college.   Digital portfolios stuck out as being an assessment tool that not only can be used in my music classes but through the entire school district. The portfolio is something that my school district requires our seniors to complete and present to administration before graduation.  It is also a tool that universities have used as an assessment piece and can also be beneficial towards job success.  In Mary Brown’s (2015) contribution to Education World online, she cites Helen Barrett, “Portfolios can serve multiple purposes.  They can support learning, play an assessment role, or support employment” (Brown, 2015).

Even though I am familiar with the digital portfolio through our school district, whether it is through the senior project or through the submission of teacher artifacts, I am intrigued about what a digital portfolio is and how it benefits towards student learning.  Brown writes that the portfolio should not be considered a digital scrapbook.  The portfolio, however, requires more critical role of reflection.  According to Bauer (2014), a portfolio is a method of collecting multiple artifacts that demonstrate student achievement covering many standards.  Bauer also cites Miller, Linn, & Gronlund’s 2013 research discussing the multiple benefits of a portfolio where students can reflect on strengths, and weaknesses, take responsibility in setting goals, and as a way to communicate with parents.   

The use of technology is an easy, clean way to organize a portfolio for a student to submit their work to.  While basic Microsoft Office software can be used to create a simple portfolio, a digital portfolio can be accessed anywhere through online wikis, blogs, and websites where the students can share.  In the music room, Bauer writes that students can submit audio or video recordings, scan in written work, link to other sites, and/or submit notate compositions.

As I read about portfolios, I would like to explore the portfolio more as a way for my students to demonstrate their learning throughout the year.  I can see this being used in multiple ways for my students to submit and review work that shows their musical progression in both comprehension and performances. When I first thought of a digital portfolio, I thought of the creation projects with Soundation, MuseScore, and Noteflight.  As I want my students to use creative software, a digital portfolio through Blogspot could be used for students to submit their work.   Bauer also writes that audio can also be placed into a digital portfolio.  I would like to see my students use this to submit audio recordings of their playing assessments as they can reflect throughout the year their progression.  As a student begins to work on their digital portfolio, this can used to help facilitate student-led parent conferences.  I agree with Miller, Linn, and Gronlund that the portfolio “provides a mechanisim for student-centered and student-directed conferences with parents”  (Bauer, 2014, p. 164). 

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. [E-reader version] New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Brown, M. (n.d.). Using technology: Electronic portfolios in the K-12 classroom. Retrieved August 05, 2016, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml