technology to enhance learning
Click for a complete School Resume of professional development, workshops, assemblies, and technology.
in class:Chromebooks
Students in 5th grade music and drama used the Google Classroom app to locate assignments. They worked in class on watching videos, answering surveys, playing rhythm games, reflecting on performances, listening to audio prompts, taking quizzes, and writing monologues. This included the use of Google Forms, Google Docs, Chrome's research tools, mp3's, video, and other links. |
iMovie & iPhoto
I have created several iMovies for presentations at U of I, Chancellor's Academy, and school functions. I have also used iMovie in my teaching. 3rd Graders at King made iMovie PSAs using iPods from the Center for Education. |
Garage Band
Garage Band is a useful digital music making application. I have used Garage Band for studying sound waves with my students, composing in the music classroom, special projects at KAM WAM, and during Summer Splash. |
Digital and Online Music
I use iTunes for all of my music storage and organization. It is easy to make playlists and organize my music by grade level, title, etc. I have a district iPod and iPads which make it convenient. I can easily make CDs for substitutes who aren't comfortable with that technology using iTunes playlists and the CD burner. I have also purchased my own personal Spotify account that I use when I don't have something that has been purchased already. I am also familiar with SoundCloud, Amazon Music and others. Here you see students dancing to music from the iPod. |
MicPro
MicPro is a free microphone app for iPad. In teaching about sound and sound waves during music and arts infusion, students recorded various "found sounds" with MicPro. Students then had to listen and identify these sounds and write down their characteristics. This reinforced our study of sound = vibration. |
Google Slides and Powerpoint
Slides and Powerpoint are wonderful for creating presentations and streamlining a performance. This year at King School, students chose an African American that displayed desirable character traits. I recorded them singing "Man in the Mirror" using Garage Band, then assembled the list of the character traits into Slides. During our Black History Month Assembly, students stood up holding their own mirror that they constructed at the time when their person was displayed in the presentation. It was a powerful mixture of live performance and technology that gave a great message. Click for the Google Classroom presentation made in Slides. Presented in January and April, 2015.
Click for the Man in the Mirror Slides from Black History Month at King. Click for my Arts in Schools Presentation for King School. Presented to the Urbana Arts Commission, April 2015. |
YouTube, Online Search tools
I frequently show YouTube videos as examples of songs we are studying in music or clips from theatre pieces. During a first grade arts infusion lesson, we read the book "Little Melba and her Big Trombone." The story is of Melba Wilson, a girl who taught herself to play the trombone and became one of the greatest jazz trombone players of her time. During the book, students were asking questions about what the old radios were like and became interested in her music. I was able to quickly use search tools to find pictures of the old radios and play YouTube videos of Melba's work. It lead to even more discussion and instant feedback. Other YouTube videos included prep for our visit from the CU Symphony string quartet, examples of Stomp Dance, and Fairie Tale Theatre. |
iPads
Various apps allow students to self-direct their learning. I have also used them for recording video for assessment, taking photos, Class Dojo, and other organizational tools. Outreach
Class websites, Remind This year i maintained this website for keeping parents up to date on what I was doing in my classroom. I have also become familiar with Google Sites though some trial and error and the class I am taking this summer: Using Technology to Enhance Assessment. Click to see my ePortfolio here. Remind was an app I tried that can be used to send text messages to parents. It was very successful with one class, whose teacher uses a lot of technology and is a chromebook innovator. |
Classroom Management and Organization
Class Dojo, TeacherKit Dojo tracks mostly behavior, but TeacherKit also allows you to keep track of grades, schedules and reports in addition. I am starting to integrate this into my teaching and think it can be a valuable tool for teachers. Consilience Project
Together with dance and engineering departments at U of I, students took part in consilience, a program that explored sound/motion camera technology. Fifth Grade teachers at Wiley took students there and I worked with the facilitators to help create an interactive activity that included music from our musical and dance. |
Assemblies
Many of our school assemblies have been enhanced through the use of technology. Projectors, iMovies, Photos, Powerpoint/Slides presentations, and GarageBand with USB microphone used to record voice overs and songs are just some of the ways I have used technology for collaboration with other teachers and assemblies. Online Collaboration I have also participated in online courses and discussions using Blackboard and Moodle interfaces. TED was a teacher collaboration that took place each week for a semester, in which teachers from all over the globe presented about issues that we face in our countries. |
workshops and professional development
Google Classroom for Elementary Teachers at Fine Arts Professional Development Meeting April 2015
Google Classroom for Elementary Teachers at USD Winter Institute 2015
Presentation on KAM WAM at Chancellor's Academy 2013
College for Kids Video Making 2013
Infusing the Arts into Your Teaching 2012
Presentation on Collaboration at U of I Outreach 2011
Google Classroom for Elementary Teachers at USD Winter Institute 2015
Presentation on KAM WAM at Chancellor's Academy 2013
College for Kids Video Making 2013
Infusing the Arts into Your Teaching 2012
Presentation on Collaboration at U of I Outreach 2011