OneNote Reflection

OneNote Reflection:

What I found very useful from OneNote, as a teacher, is their OneNote Class Notebook (Microsoft, 2016). This is where the teacher can put lessons, homework, and quizzes online for the students to work on. There is no cost and the teachers can work from home. In order for teachers to work with this at home, the district IT needs to put in the school password. This would be useful for my school because we do blizzard bags. If we use up our snow days, the students are required to work on homework from school. The issue is that they go to the district homepage and do all the assignments for each class. They have two weeks to finish or they fail. The teachers are mandated to put up work from the beginning of the year; even though the snow comes in the middle of the year and they have moved onto other lessons. This website would be most beneficial for the students so they can work on stuff they are learning about at the time and they can turn it in right away.  

 

References

Microsoft. (2016). OneNote. Retrieved from OneNote: http://www.onenote.com/#



Professional Development for music education

            Professional development seems farfetched for music teachers. For my school district, professional development days are usually for the core classes. Myself, along with my arts colleagues, are required to attend these meetings. I do see the point of them because they benefit my students and, in the case of classroom management, they improve my own teaching methods. Meetings about special education is helpful for my classroom. It would be nice if there were more professional development meetings about music and the arts. One thing that frustrates me about these meetings are when we are working on the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP) and an arts representative comes in and tries to help. The keyword being tries. Most of the time, this instructor is a core teacher and helps us with lessons we can use in our own classrooms about the core subjects. Most music teachers are performance based and cannot provide a language arts or a math lesson. It would be nice if they knew our standards and give us ideas on how to help keep our students interested in music and art. “Professional development needs to be relevant to a teacher’s personal interests and needs” (Bauer, 2014). Since we do not have that kind of option, I really enjoyed reading the book this week about other ways to do professional development. Having a personal learning network (PLN) has shown me to use other resources for the classroom. Before this class, I never was a fan of Twitter. My fear of it was how easy it can be for anyone to join; especially my students. I make it a priority to make my personal life private and I am able to do that in the privacy of my own home. From being in this class, Twitter has given me the chance to meet other professionals who have shared resources that have worked in their classrooms. Another idea that the book mentioned was the use of blogs and Google+. I was very skeptical of writing in a blog every week for this class because I am not an open person. From it, I have met wonderful teachers that gave me some great ideas to use in my classroom and I have also learned to improve my teaching from them. When this class is over, I plan on continuing with my blog and adding others in my circle through Google+. As long as everyone has the same goal, a blog would be a great way to meet other professionals.

This class has shown me many resources that I plan to use in my classroom. It has also shown ways to be organized. I learned about bookmarking in college and found it very easy when saving materials. This method is something I still use today because it keeps me prepared when I teach and helps me keep lessons in mind when I want to use them later. I mentioned this in one of my blogs before about Facebook. I knew two fourth grade teachers who made a page for their classroom. They and their students, and their parents, were the only ones allowed to be members. If anyone missed a day in class, the students were able to get their materials from this page. On the first page, you see the words “this is a safe environment”. They also wrote their intentions which were to keep the students on track; in case they missed anything from the day. Although Facebook is very public, it can be another resource that is able to keep the teachers organized if used in the correct way.

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music.

 

Responding to Music

            “A primary goal of music listening activities should be to develop lifelong music listeners” (Bauer 2014). This sentence is something that I aim for as a music teacher. My first year teaching sounded just like Elizabeth’s story at the beginning of chapter 5. Like all undergrads, I took classes to prepare for my future teaching career. My first year ended up being a wakeup call. I wanted to teach lessons about classical music, music theory, and music eras. I taught in a school district that had a new music teacher every year. These types of lessons were not effective and interesting to the students. I got advice from some of my colleagues who told me to teach about things the kids know and can relate to. I did some research and came up with lessons where the students can listen to their favorite music but also compare it with other styles they may not be familiar with. My goal was for the students to listen to the lyrics of the songs and identify what makes both of them similar. I continue to do this lesson today because of how successful it has been. At the beginning of it, I tell the students that the objective is to appreciate some of these music styles; no matter their opinion at the start of it.

Songs tell stories about the lives of the singers and performers. Every song we listen to in class, I ask the students to give me their opinion about the story of it and what the emotion is. Another lesson I do with students involves music from the Romantic era. We first go over who Beethoven was and they learn the background of his life. Then the students listen to a piece composed by him called Fur Elise. This piece is Beethoven’s version of a love letter; written to a woman named Elise. After the lesson, I have the students write what they think the words are in this instrumental piece as a letter format. They have to give me their opinion about what he would have said if this were a real letter. Some students have a hard time writing this because they have trouble picturing the words in the song. Many students only listen to one type of music genre. They have difficulty opening up to other kinds of music and hearing the meaning of the song. This lesson gives them the chance to open up to music they are not used to.

I am very familiar with Spotify. I use it constantly and enjoy that I can hear my favorite music for free. The only problem is that it is a free three day trial before they begin to air commercials and stop replaying your music. On the basic, you can still download your music for free but you have to pay in order to repeat music you want to hear consistently. You can share music on the basic plan; which would be a great teaching opportunity in class when discussing music genres. The only issue I see with this is sharing music that is not school appropriate. Some students also may be embarrassed to display their music with others as well.

Bauer (2014) discussed formalized listening which takes place in schools and is structured by the teacher. They make the decisions about what to listen to and how to listen to it. Many students have come to me and said they do not like music class because of the kind of music they hear. Besides my lessons with comparing music genres, I do a fun activity called favorite music Friday. If there is time available, the students have an opportunity to listen to their favorite music during class on Fridays and sit to talk with their friends. The guidelines for it are school appropriate songs must be played and they cannot ask who picked the song. I use myself as an example on how I would not like it if others heard my music because of judgement. If it does happen, then the activity is over and we do school work. The students have liked this because they listen to their music and they get some free time off. Some do not participate because of their songs not being appropriate but I give them the chance to listen to not only music they like, but songs their classmates like. I see many good vibes from this and I love seeing attitudes change due to the music they are listening to.

We encounter music in everyday life. How we perceive it is up to the person listening to it. Music teachers have a difficult job to get others to appreciate different types of music. Using connections is helpful as well as getting the students to see the story in the song. “Music educators strive to develop students’ abilities to listen to and describe music, analyze and evaluate it” (Bauer, 2014). As long as students see music as pure enjoyment, the music educator has done their job.

 

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music.

Responding to Music

            “A primary goal of music listening activities should be to develop lifelong music listeners” (Bauer 2014). This sentence is something that I aim for as a music teacher. My first year teaching sounded just like Elizabeth’s story at the beginning of chapter 5. Like all undergrads, I took classes to prepare for my future teaching career. My first year ended up being a wakeup call. I wanted to teach lessons about classical music, music theory, and music eras. I taught in a school district that had a new music teacher every year. These types of lessons were not effective and interesting to the students. I got advice from some of my colleagues who told me to teach about things the kids know and can relate to. I did some research and came up with lessons where the students can listen to their favorite music but also compare it with other styles they may not be familiar with. My goal was for the students to listen to the lyrics of the songs and identify what makes both of them similar. I continue to do this lesson today because of how successful it has been. At the beginning of it, I tell the students that the objective is to appreciate some of these music styles; no matter their opinion at the start of it.

Songs tell stories about the lives of the singers and performers. Every song we listen to in class, I ask the students to give me their opinion about the story of it and what the emotion is. Another lesson I do with students involves music from the Romantic era. We first go over who Beethoven was and they learn the background of his life. Then the students listen to a piece composed by him called Fur Elise. This piece is Beethoven’s version of a love letter; written to a woman named Elise. After the lesson, I have the students write what they think the words are in this instrumental piece as a letter format. They have to give me their opinion about what he would have said if this were a real letter. Some students have a hard time writing this because they have trouble picturing the words in the song. Many students only listen to one type of music genre. They have difficulty opening up to other kinds of music and hearing the meaning of the song. This lesson gives them the chance to open up to music they are not used to.

I am very familiar with Spotify. I use it constantly and enjoy that I can hear my favorite music for free. The only problem is that it is a free three day trial before they begin to air commercials and stop replaying your music. On the basic, you can still download your music for free but you have to pay in order to repeat music you want to hear consistently. You can share music on the basic plan; which would be a great teaching opportunity in class when discussing music genres. The only issue I see with this is sharing music that is not school appropriate. Some students also may be embarrassed to display their music with others as well.

Bauer (2014) discussed formalized listening which takes place in schools and is structured by the teacher. They make the decisions about what to listen to and how to listen to it. Many students have come to me and said they do not like music class because of the kind of music they hear. Besides my lessons with comparing music genres, I do a fun activity called favorite music Friday. If there is time available, the students have an opportunity to listen to their favorite music during class on Fridays and sit to talk with their friends. The guidelines for it are school appropriate songs must be played and they cannot ask who picked the song. I use myself as an example on how I would not like it if others heard my music because of judgement. If it does happen, then the activity is over and we do school work. The students have liked this because they listen to their music and they get some free time off. Some do not participate because of their songs not being appropriate but I give them the chance to listen to not only music they like, but songs their classmates like. I see many good vibes from this and I love seeing attitudes change due to the music they are listening to.

We encounter music in everyday life. How we perceive it is up to the person listening to it. Music teachers have a difficult job to get others to appreciate different types of music. Using connections is helpful as well as getting the students to see the story in the song. “Music educators strive to develop students’ abilities to listen to and describe music, analyze and evaluate it” (Bauer, 2014). As long as students see music as pure enjoyment, the music educator has done their job.

 

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music.

Assessment and Learning Outcomes

            In the world of education, assessment is important. In the state of Ohio, teachers are now evaluated within the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES). According to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), OTES is research based and builds on what educators know about the importance of ongoing assessment (Education, 2015). My principal observes my classroom twice a year and watches my lessons as well as identify if there is student growth between the two observations. My principal evaluates me on an approved vendor assessment. The reason for this is because I teach without state assessments. My district also has the art subjects, as well as the other subjects, displaying the learning objects for the students. We call them “I Can” statements. Technology for this process is used when the principals have to go online to write his feedback on the observation. The evaluator can give a rating of ineffective, developing, skilled, or accomplished (Education, 2015). He also goes over it with me as well as give me a copy of his notes. My scores have been high enough to receive both a skilled and accomplished and, because I have not put enough years at my school, I will still have to be observed. I hear and see many of my colleagues stress out over these observations. I always find them interesting because feedback is important in the education field. On the other hand, I know that if a teacher is constantly receiving a score of ineffective, it could mean the loss of their job. This evaluation system does not scare me because I know I am growing as a teacher every year. The methods are getting better because of the experience I am getting. I have so much joy when I teach; which is what is helping me think this way about this new system.

            I learned about backwards design more in my first years of teaching than in my undergrad. My principal taught me it is about starting with the learning outcome before the activity. The book really stressed this concept about backwards design. “The three stages of backwards design are:

1.)    “Identifying desired student learning results (learning outcomes)

2.)    Selecting the evidence that will be needed to determine whether students have learned (means of assessment)

3.)    Planning learning experiences (activities and instruction procedures)” (Bauer, 2014).

 The “I Can” statements we display at my school involves this method. I believe that it affects the students in a positive way because they can see what the lesson is for that day and can grab the appropriate materials for the class. Project Based Learning (PBL) is another concept that I like to use in my own classroom. Teaching at my charter school taught me about PBL and made me come up with my own lessons. Being a middle school music appreciation teacher, I like to do many project where the students are hands on and they are working with other people. My PBL projects include making instruments, composing, preforming, and improvising. It is a lot better than reading and writing and it keeps them interested in music.

References

Education, D. o. (2015). Ohio Department of Education. Retrieved from Educator Evaluation Overview: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Evaluation-System/Educator-Evaluation-Overview

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music.