Off-Topic

Here's a neat picture that I thought I'd put out here today, just because it's a beautiful day.
I hope you enjoy it!

Thing 15 Reflection

I've explored programs similar to Google Docs before, but with limited success. This site seems to work much better and is easier to manage than the others. I uploaded my resume, but did not share it. I may consider that in the future....

This program would be very helpful for compiling information for newsletters, lists, etc. Managing the lists of students/parents/staff for sharing would be a bit time consuming at first but could be quite manageable after that.

Google Docs Link

This link will take you there!

Thing 14 Reflection

Podcasting continues to look very appealing, and I can see uses in the music department. Since I teach performance classes (choirs, etc.) I could see using podcasts to make rehearsal tools available to the kids, as well as recordings of concerts, etc.

I can also see other applications that would be very helpful for other subject areas and I really believe "the sky's the limit" in how helpful it could be.

Downfalls? If my classes were not performance based I could see usage quite regularly. If I had a music technology, or composition class we could use podcasting to produce student works (both musical and non-musical). I could envision the class preparing and working with all areas of the school district in creating podcasts for grades K-12, and even for administrative purposes. A program of this scale would require a bigger investment of time and money, both of which are in short supply in our district and my schedule. Ideally the district would have someone on staff to work in this area, perhaps our IT person (who is also short on time). Getting the needed upgrades to our system would require another investment.

I will probably purchase a microphone and download the audacity program and play around with the podcasts during summer break and see what I can do from home and/or with the pcs that we have at school.

Thing 13 Reflection

Gosh, there are tons of podcasts out there in cyberspace...which ones to subscribe to or not? This will be task for summer break, for sure.

I decided to use my bloglines account to subscribe to the podcast "MusicTech for ME"; the ME stands for Music Education. I think it will just be easier to keep track of everything on one account instead to sorting through several accounts/programs for my feeds. (Gee, I'm sounding so techno-geeky!) I'll keep exploring through several feeds and see if there are others that pique my interest. You can look for them in my "Links" section of the blog.

Thing 12 Reflection - Podcasts

I really find podcasts very interesting. I learned some new things about them in this segment, such as: you don't need an iPod to listen to them, and the different types of casts available.

I believe I would find the professional development podcasts very useful, as well as some general ones that could also be very entertaining. If I have podcasts set up for my classes I'm sure those would rank high in my list of "favorites" too.

I could see using podcasts in the choir arena by recording rehearsal sections for the kids to listen to, recording songs or entire concerts for sharing with families and friends. The kids could also produce segments on lessons they learn in music theory and the like.

What wasn't shared in this Thing (but I'm sure will be covered on the future ones) is how to create the podcasts, equipment needed, etc. Like always the 23 Things leaders bait us with these gadgets only to move us forward into the next Thing! (It's almost like they're trying to teach us something new all the time....how useful is that!!!)

Thing 11 Reflection

I was right....creating my own wiki was next on the list of things to do. (I are smart, I are a teacher!) BTW, that's a line from a very bad joke, so no comments on the grammar, please!

After viewing some of the wikis out there in cyberspace, I can see that it will take more than a moment or two to create a wiki that is visually appealing as well as useful. I may spend a bit of time on this one.

The benefits can be wonderful: sharing information with students and families. I started a file on our upcoming choir banquet and we'll see how many parents and students will actually get on there and add their names and make reservations. I may add to this post in the future...stay tuned!

Oh...I DID publish a link to the choir wiki page in the left hand column of the blog.

Thing 10 Reflection

The wikis that I visited seemed very information and nicely set up, so I presume that it wouldn't be any more difficult in setting up than my blog. The benefits seem endless, and very helpful and informative. The only drawback I can figure is the amount of time it might take to moderate and update a sight, but I believe the benefits would outweigh any downfalls.

I'll probably set one up (or is that Thing 11?), and see how it goes! My students' parents won't know what hit them next fall!!