Technology Integration Plan

In Row 1 The Standards & Assessment is to access the students knowledge of the first five notes concert Bb,C,D,Eb, and F. The strategy is to remind them of the music staff/alphabet then focus on how their instruments play the first five notes. The purpose is to have them think critically, observe, absorb, comprehend, work alone and together to try to recall and make sense of what’s on the board. The Technology is used as references and guides to where the notes are on their instruments. In Row 2 The Standards & Assessment is identifying further, within some music, musical rhythm. The strategy is for the students to figure out what rhythmic value is being used throughout the exercises. The purpose is deciphering deciphering music concepts. The Technology is used as a reference; the essential elements book has all these pitches and rhythms defined either on the page the music they are learning or the page before. In Row 3 The Standards & Assessment refers to students creating an acronym so they will remember notes Bb,C,D,Eb, and F. The strategy is for creativity and innovation. This should help synthesis and collaboration skills. The Technology is used as a tool to demonstrate their acronym. In Row 4 The Standards & Assessment is for having students come up and decode where these notes are on the music staff. The strategy is students to come up and fill in the blank(with the acronym words) on the smart board and I check accordingly. The purpose is for synthesis of information. The Technology is used as tool to demonstrate. In Row 5 The Standards & Assessment is to identify and define this acronym of our new pitch and find them on the staff in out music as well begin looking at fingerings. The strategy is identifying and defining pitches and to look at our finger charts in essential elements 2000. The purpose is for students to begin transferring information onto their instruments. In Row 6 The Standards & Assessment is in regards to either a brave student or myself performing the music. The strategy is to have students try to perform. The purpose is analyzing their synthesis. The Technology is used as a medium for music In Row 7 The Standards & Assessment is to evaluate their fingering and note recognition. The strategy is to have students finger and say each pitch while I conduct. The purpose is class performance, note/fingering recognition. The Technology is used as visual aid. In Row 8 The Standards & Assessment is for students to perform now by blowing/actually playing their instruments. The strategy is performing. The purpose is to play the notes we have been working on. The Technology is used as a medium to perform and as a visual aid. In Row 9 The Standards & Assessment is to focus on the musicality of the students in terms of dynamics and articulation. The strategy is to demonstrate and have them demonstrate different dynamics and articulations. The purpose is musicality. The Technology is used to create music. In Row 10 The Standards & Assessment is after the students perform enough as a group I want students to perform alone. The strategy is to have students play by themselves or in a group of 2. The purpose is to create a safe environment and build confidence in students’ performance. The Technology is used for creating music and a visual aid. In Row 11 The Standards & Assessment is to identify and communicate to the students what is good and bad musically. The strategy is to observe, have them pick out what they did well and what needs improvement, they discuss it, I oversee. The purpose is to have them self evaluate, think critically about music, and communicate. In Row 12 The Standards & Assessment is have them categorize what needs improvement in musical terms. The strategy is to take what they described as needed improvement, put it into musical terms and have them think of how. The purpose is to have them self evaluate, think critically about music, and communicate. The Technology is used to play music and as a visual aid. In Row 13 The Standards & Assessment is to play again as a group and check if they indeed improved. The strategy is performance followed by guided analysis. The purpose is critical thinking, performance, and assessment. The Technology is used for creating music In Row 14 The Standards & Assessment is students perform independently. The strategy is performance. The purpose is to build confidence in performing and create music. The Technology is used for creating music and as a visual aid.

Technology Integration Plan (Google Spreadsheet)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkPFAWUgnkXOdDVjbDdLNmpwSFJOVUpCR29Tb0Jubnc#gid=0

GarageBand for Composition.

Garageband is a recording program. For many reason that you can read about in my post about video recording, using a recording to be a reflective as an almost unmatched educational tool. It is incredibly  useful. This program specifically  comes with a my mac product and is used many time for small scale recordings. If I ever get the privilege to teach in a public school I would really love to get my students to a place where they could compose their own compositions. I believe this and performing is the final frontier musicians get to, I mean the scale gets bigger as a musician does but this is the main idea. Garageband gives a chance to expose musicians to a variety of instruments, pre set recordings, and insight into the sight of a producer (a job created by music technology).  things like meter, tempo, key, volume levels, copy and paste, having sounds fit together, articulations and more all have a factor in this kind of music. Garageband can really meet a variety of NJCCS and is just a great way to get students to a place of independence with composing. Teaching towards composition in garageband gives students a final product they can take home and show their families, it can inspire music composition, appreciation, and listening. This program with its accompaniments or ability to record a students and their instrument has them able to create their own music. Their ideas wonderfully manipulated to create art. Garageband is a good medium for missions of composition.

Recording devices

A theme I have seen with my musical student peers is our agreement on using recordings for educational purposes. The use of video recording seems preferable. The reason being is video recording shows the physical aspect of playing a piece, anyone who has taking problems of performance will know, the physical is crucial. Posture indeed affect sound. Technique is key in any musician's field, this is only something you can reflect upon if you play in front of a mirror or you asses your recordings. The mirror is actually better but if you find yourself in a practice room without one, those Iphone are a handy tool.
Besides the physical aspect the aural is of course important. One should listen for dynamics and articulations, think of what message they are getting across what mood they set. Musicians should listen for mistakes as well as think of improvements, maybe bring out the bass a little more, use more staccato attacks or legato. How long was the piece, did you keep tempo the way the music describes? what can you add?
For a composer this tool is great. A composer can use his or hers mind's ear add melody lines from different instruments. Composers can wonder maybe a different key, a use of other simple or complex meters would add flavor, maybe more extensive or more simple chord use. Is this chord progression expressing my ideas the way i want ? Truly video recording allows for critical reflection which really can make musicians more aware of choice they once didn't even notice they were making, that goes for mistakes as well. reflecting really allows musicians to grow and having a documented video recording that helps one reflect in every way a musician can is just fantastic.

Music Lesson (Rhythm)

http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=f1fd4d44-c170-44a9-814e-a122289cbaa2

         This lesson is teaching rhythmic notation, or in other words symbols for how long a note is played. This contains the basic quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes, and whole notes. A whole note is 4 beats (counts), a dotted half is 3 beats (counts), a half is 2 beats (counts), a quarter is 1 beat (count) .These rhythmic notations representing how long a sound lasts within a piece of music also has a counterpart which represents how long silence should last in music. These are called rests and they follow similar mnemonics as their sounding counterpart: A whole note rest is 4 beats (counts), a dotted half note rest is 3 beats (counts), a half note rest is 2 beats (counts), a quarter note rest is 1 beat (count). After that is explained the lesson provides an exercise where the student can apply their knowledge and begin to compose!

      This lesson has no attachment to any song or piece of music which is bad and good. It leaves a lot of space for composition but also lacks a foundation, something earlier grade levels may need. An idea to give this lesson foundation is to give the students an example of music they are familiar with and then using what they have learned, compose a rhythm in that style. This gives context and an appreciation for a teachers students music.

Canvas Remix shakespeare and music

            The process of remixing the canvas was tedious at first it didn't really have any of the material from the first remix when I clicked the remix button at the top right. I don't know how to transfer a widget otherwise so I began taking my idea to incorporate Michelle Fernandes's awesome canvas on Shakespeare and compliment Shakespearian composing with the musical composing we did in my last canvas. I really love what I came up with. You will not believe how much musical lyrics have been written with inspiration from William Shakespeare. Michelle had done a compare and contrast, and reflected on the twelfth night. I have two songs titled "star crossed lovers" inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. We are to compare them and other music to Shakespeare’s lines and quotes to see how the musical composers incorporated Shakespeare. I wanted to broaden Michelle’s idea for Shakespeare just so I could use more quotes from different musicians that were already in songs. Students will see how they could use Shakespeare as inspiration in their compositions.

            From my content I added musical composition, different styles of music and from her content I used compare and contrast, written composition, and of coarse Shakespeare. The students will be both reflectively writing about lyrics and shakespeare's writing. The website did not let me remix her page so I simply linked her page in a widget. I added her essential question to my remixed canvas and made sure that my unit could still answer that and meet her NJCCS and well as mine. I added some resources to her two widgets of resources. I put up two different music video's instead of the she's the man one and the twelfth night so that students could focus a little more on just Shakespeare’s overall writing and also to relate Shakespeare a little more toward the music side of the lesson. Since students will be reflecting on music and writing two very personal things, I wanted to leave that room to use whatever quote or music lyric related to Shakespeare they wanted, this way students will have a greater chance to choose a Shakespearean idea that is more relevant to their lives beyond the idea of one piece.

http://www.play.annenberginnovationlab.org/play2.0/challenge.php?idChallenge=2768&mode=view 

Podcasting and music technology take Lessons Beyond the Classroom

        I feel a strong confidence towards podcasting technology as the more utilitarian choice than the latter. Teachers can make it so Podcasting gives students a sense of responsibility. It can have students verbalize and communicate in a way where they are the instructor. They are can be in a place where they must and are probably more inclined to want know the content knowledge for the reasons:  It's with technology which is fun, I have to teach the class, I feel some pressure to sound knowledgeable In front of people,It's for school, I want to make a good impression on my peers. These are pressures similar to the ones we feel in the real world.

            Along with the wonderful knowledge of learning about recording programs like Audacity or Garageband and all the doors that can open for teachers and students, the students get to hear themselves! Students have probably never really heard themselves before, most people are surprised if they hear their messaging machine and respond with a " Is that what I sound like?". These kids are probably the same way, this would open their eyes, or rather their ears, to how they sound. They will be more interested about inflection, articulation, how their point is coming across etc, for the reason its themselves they are listening to. This generally will make people more interested and self conscious and aware.I think Podcasting is probably a little nerve wrecking for kids, but speaking fluently and in a manner where they are seemingly knowledgeable, confident, and content savvy to a certain extent about the topic is a crucial part of socializing and networking for their futures. This will help in relationship building, speech. Speaking well is a great social skill that help people gain confidence and opportunity. Podcasting and music savvy can help open many doors for students.

Wiki spaces

http://bbamusic.wikispaces.com/home This wiki is a great demonstration of how an educator(s) can create a wiki space to help give students information and material they can access whenever they have a connection. The ability to edit on the same page makes a lot of sense in that collaborating educators can edit pages accordingly, at their convenience. The access ability and convenience is really unparalleled. In this particular wiki, from burton Academy of music we can view the multiple uses of their wiki. They hold prime examples of good educational material. They have several sections of pages organized for students to work on technique, posture, practice techniques/tips, warm ups, even how to breathe. They have sections split up into vocal and instrumental. The concert dates and rehearsal dates for each section is on their from their last program. They have different online classes with materials or links to the materials needed. They have portfolios of their faculty and storage of all the music on the page and for their programs. Creating one of these wikispaces for myself or using this specific one would be wonderful in the future. It's multiple resources making it very tab worthy. The organization and collaboration this inspires is a wonder.

Unit Plan Canvas

I found the process of creating a canvas difficult, mostly because I'm not use to the way the page is set up. Once I got an idea of what icons were I slowly figured out how to apply them to the canvas. Each icon has it's own set up with headers, links, and uploads so it was a little confusing but I think after saving it and looking at how it lays in the canvas you can tell the idea gets across. I like having a lesson plan lay out like this. The terms they will be learning are the first thing they see mainly "C major scale" and "Tetrachord" just in case they forgot what the lesson is about or needed a refresher. The standard that meets 1.3.5.B.3 is right at the bottom along with the others. Canvas will be great for visual learners. I like that students can see the CCS that they meet by doing this lesson, also having the extra resources will definitely help students gain another perspective on the same idea's presented in class. If they missed how to use note flight the music composition software there is a tutorial video for them. If they forgot where the C major scale is on the piano, or the proper fingering for that scale there is also a video tutorial for that. There are even tips for composing from the link http://www.haydockmusic.com/composing_tips/writing_melodies.html If anything was missed in class there is a plethora of resources for the students to use and do their assignment. Link: http://www.play.annenberginnovationlab.org/play2.0/challenge.php?idChallenge=2366&mode=view#network6

ututti

Ututti is a website that is perfect for organizing the many areas of being a music teacher. This is especially true for teaching band (marching band, pep band, or jazz band). They include, Student Management, inventory (mostly for instruments) , Financial Tools, Calendar, E-mail, Reports, public websites, Student accounts, assistant Accounts, and more. The management this web 2.0 provides makes it easy to have every aspect of your music ensembles organized for you and your students! Your students can access all this information as well but only you, or people you allow to, can alter the information set forth. You can give students consecutive reviews on how they are doing in class or band; this will help track progress. In the reports you can write down exactly what an individual or the ensemble as whole should work on send it directly to them or have it for all their viewing pleasure. Ututti will help you track your use of both the standards required by the state and nation along with the personal growth of your students. More features are uploading files, grading, web widgets, dashboard, security and support, and mobile app. having these we can put professional examples of music or excerpts and have students listen to a certain quality of music so they know what is the professional standard. Music Educators can give students an outline of their grades so they know what they will be graded on and to what extent. We can set a dashboard so students can congregate for assignments or just to socialize in a music educational web setting where we can monitor their discussions. The App feature is wonderful! These students can check, listen to anything on this app at any time so long as they have that app and a smart phone

Smart Music

This is a program that has been used a lot for homework. The Program is interactive the students get to listen to a back track, see their part and play along separately, use a metronome, and get pitches from this program. Smart Music has really taken off, in the back of Essential Elements 2000, there are CDroms with the music in the book. This book essential elements is a standard that most band or any music educator has used and still use.  The program records how a student performance was. It checks what notes were played incorrectly, what rhythm was off, and also what the student did instead. If a student is having some trouble with their part they can slow it down, listen to their part alone, or listen to the accompaniment and play along without their part. This program will even give yo fingerings for a note you forgot the fingering for, really these guys thought of everything. It is a great program used throughout the US and is a fun new way for music educators to get accurate quick results from their students. It give personal feedback on what the student needs help on as well as an overall average of how the students played. It gives students the chance to have an interactive experience outside of the classroom. It is fantastic way for students to learn music.

http://www.smartmusic.com/products/educators/

http://bcove.me/x2jnssl4

The Pedagogical Uses of Technology

I chose this lesson because it has students compose their own music. I believe that critical thinking and creativity truly happen when students are given the tools to create and the space to create in. As teachers it is quintessential to create a place for students to grow individually. This is a lesson where theory and composing are used to create a strong foundation for students understanding of music as a language. Technology is our medium. We as the collective class will be utilizing one of the three music software programs: Sibelius, Finale, or note flight. These three programs are all notation programs; note flight is the only free one but also is the one with the least amenities and is of a lower quality. It's integration of technology is critical for efficiency. Since our technology is a computer, a program, and hopefully midi keyboard students gain the NJCCS 1.3.5.B.3.in their lesson. For most world composers now a day's sharing collaborating and communicating music is done through the technologies we will be using in this lesson. Without this technology the efficiency of this lesson and of sharing music would suffer greatly. The standards could be met but it would not be as fulfilling of an experience without it. I believe the students will get a well rounded lesson out of this. They will enjoy that they get to create their own music. They will enjoy their genre discussion. Hopefully they will be able to use their theory knowledge on a keyboard, which would facilitate learning some basic piano knowledge. This is a really multifaceted lesson, it really hits the crucial points NJCCS, use of technology, and teaching to the whole child. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkPFAWUgnkXOdHJBWmNKejZYUjFnSF8yMVhxUUZjYXc&usp=drive_web#gid=0

Finale music notation software, the better choice

These are some very commonly used music notation programs. They are all similar in that they do the same thing, Notate music. So when picking between them it is important to know the small but important details that make all the difference. Finale will have the most options and least restrictions. Printing music, changing files to PDF's, sharing music, creating midi files, sharing midi files, range of instruments, amount of instruments allowed on one sheet, numerous short cuts, high quality sounding instruments, a good interpretation of dynamics/articulations. The reason Finale is the best of these programs is because it is the full package in that it gives you every feature that is available for these types of programs. Finale does this and goes above and beyond. It allows you to create whatever you can imagine no matter how many instruments or their range. It always is improving; it has been around for 20 years and is the leading software in the industry. Its only competitor who almost matches the variety that finale provides is Sibelius. Still the quality of Finale is a little better and Finale makes it possible to transfer all Sibelius files to Finale. Finale even offers Sibelius users Finale for the price of an upgrade. The reason why Finale is so confident in themselves is because they have better quality features than anyone else while maintaining the price low and competitive Finale does everything I mentioned above and more. It creates accompaniment for smartmusic a leading program that helps music educators. Finale actually comes with worksheets for students, even repertoire for music band or orchestra. Free finale notepad allows for collaborations without buying the whole program. This means you can collaborate with students or other musicians who do not have the program so long as you do. Finale allows you to create short cuts, an example is you can choose to switch the computer keys 5, 6 and 7 that are for quarter, half and whole notes, to keys 4,5 and 6. If you want the best of the best for writing any type of score without limitation, Finale is the best choice.

History of Technology in Music Education response

step 1: The technology that influenced education in music the most, during the historical time represented in the video history of educational technology, is the radio. In “1917, WHA begins broadcasting music education programs; and in 1920, the division of the U.S. Department of Commerce began licensing commercial and educational stations. This was the beginning of classroom broadcasting to enhance education.” Though this educational advance in technology was great for what was to be in music technology education, it had its down falls. “Lack of equipment, scheduling difficulties, poor reception, programs not related to curriculum, and teachers disinterest were common reasons for why education programs were not listened to in the classroom”. Though these broadcasts for music education were not used in a classroom, the fact that they existed showed that there was a demand/interest for it in our culture. This influenced music education in that students could have exposure of a device that was easily accessible for the first time. This makes it much easier for students to gather information and experience performances related to music. Most importantly, this can develop an appreciation and enjoyment for the arts of our culture. Radio still has great jazz and classical stations that are educational in means of repertoire and providing an information hub of what and where the musical culture is happening. Good examples of these are New York’s jazz station WBGO’s 88.3 FM, and New York’s classical station WQXR 105.9. The biggest critique of broadcasting in schools would be that the school boards and administrators should have consulted with the music teachers. This would give them the chance to know how the broadcasters could make good use of the broadcasting in relation to curriculum. step 2: Based on the reading of the two texts, “Shifting Perspectives” and “A Social History of Media and Technology in Schools”, the one technology I think has had the greatest impact (for better or worse) upon formalized schooling in music, between the years 1820 and 1990, is the television. In “A Social History of Media and Technology in Schools” we read “At first she was impressed. She liked the fact that the news anchors were well-spoken teenagers. And it was glitzy, like MTV, with fast-paced music and colorful graphics. But beyond the aesthetic, she was skeptical.” This was in regards to the channel one programming which was a 12 minute required current events broadcasted program. It was definitely a marking point for technological history and media history. It has positive traits within its ability to really grab the viewers’ attention, but the fact that the teachers weren’t allowed to really utilize and incorporate this technology to relate to their subject area made it seem more of a nuisance than a saving grace. According to Grace, “Essentially, we had no control over the programming and couldn’t really use it as part of the classroom curriculum.” Thus, we have a great milestone in technology in the late 1950’s, but again, the problem was the school boards and administration who didn’t really consult with the teachers on incorporating new technologies, ultimately making it so that the broadcasting could not reach its highest educational potential. The real problem is not whether machines think, but whether men do. -- BF skinner The worst part of this was the company, Whittle, who supplied the TV’s to the school. They demanded that students watch certain commercials which had no educational benefits within the subject they were studying. This meant that this company was driven to gain consumers out of students. Since students were basically forced by law to watch commercials, it became a fiasco. “Protestors of channel one argued that the two minutes of commercials were a violation of students’ civil rights”. It was a forced advertisement. “Empirical research also validated the assumption that students purchase specific products because of the ads they see on Channel One which were both manipulative and harmful to students”. Though this broadcast got students’ scores seven points higher on average, the moral sacrifice makes the broadcast not worth it. step 3: Step Five: catch phrase: Appreciation and enjoyment is educational motivation to learn beyond curriculum

History of Technology in Music Education

 http://www.otrcat.com/your-story-parade-texas-school-of-the-air-p-49512.html

  "The radio is the way to go, from music deprivation to music education"

What amp and guitar to buy for jazz band

The Technology in my content area is vast and many. Music technology has different programs and smaller technologies like pedalboards, midi interfaces, and amplification devices of all sorts just for one instrument. My instrument is the electric guitar, because my content area is music and we focus on performance, the variable of quality is dependent not only on skill but the quality of equipment one has. For jazz guitars we need amps to be heard in a band where there are woodwind brass instruments and usually a drum set! There are two different kinds of amps, tube and solid state. The difference is what kind of parts each is made of. I personally enjoy tube amps more because they have a higher range of low and high frequencies. Solid state has less range of frequency out put but it doesn’t need to be warmed up for 1 min or 2 like a tube amp. Watts is a factor as well depending on how many watts an amp has that is how powerful it is. Something that has 50 watts cannot put out nearly as much sound as something with 150 watts. Depending on where your performance is a guitarist will generally want to get a 50-100 watt amp. 100 watt amps are the most popular for playing venues anywhere because a 100 watt amp can have the same sound and volume as any watt amp under it, so the higher the wattage the more different kinds of wattage amps you have at your disposal. For school jazz band depending on the drum set 100 watts is also a good wattage to get, either way its better to be safe than sorry. The guitar is also very important, depending on the wood, the pickups, and build (one piece or 3 piece) the guitar tone and timbre will come out differently through an amp. Anyone can get a decent guitar for about $150, but depending on what student is really looking for, a good guitar with quality wood and build can go from $500- over $5000. A serious musician or an aspiring student who want to go to college level should invest in a guitar that is worth at least $1500, so they have an instrument that can really put out the sounds only a high quality guitar can. For acoustic guitars that do not plug in it is common for people to use a PA system, which can also be used for singing and speech. A PA (Portable Amplification) system is a great investment for any music teacher because generally has more that one channel which plugs in microphones, and any instrument that uses quarter inch cables, which is most electric instruments. Since many instruments do not have the volume capacity to compete with the drum set necessary in jazz band, or percussion for orchestra or big band, having a microphone up to the quieter instruments will level out the playing field. When buying these items it is important not to forget certain other small purchases like XLR wire for the PA to microphone, stands for microphones, and quarter inch cables for guitar to an amp or any electric instrument to amp or PA.

Technology Autobiography

The three communication technologies that have been the most influential throughout my life are my laptop, electric guitar and different recording programs. I know these don't seem like communicative technologies, but really without them I could not communicate all of my musical idea's to my colleagues and friends. These three are constants in my life. Since I moved into a new town when I was 14 when I started Playing the electric guitar I was hooked. It was the first electronic to change my life-- socially, emotionally, and economically. I learned music from just using my ear and the Internet. As time went on I bought a few programs, downloaded videos of my guitar heroes, learned theory and technique tips all on YouTube. I could not record or have acquired the knowledge I needed to do what I do without the three technologies I listed. I would say the way these three communication technologies affect me the most is by being a resource to facilitate communication for my written compositions and recorded idea's. The recorded idea's start on the guitar, which is recorded onto my computer through recording programs and then placed on several media networks. This helps me get my music out, which has been my life since I picked up that guitar at 14. I teach guitar at two different studios and I still use the same websites from when I was 14 to communicate the music/assignments to my students. When I find scales and charts searching the web that pertains to what we are learning I just got a fun addition to my students lessons. I would say the negatives of these technologies are ideas and musical thought can be so easily communicated through technologies that there becomes less of a need for physically collaborating with musicians. Knowing that 80% of communication is body language there is probably a lot communication lost due to the lack of physically working together. The experience is not the same and I believe that it may change the direction or outcome of the music. Considering YouTube literally has lessons on almost everything guitar, learning it through the web is how I gained my basic understanding of the instrument and music itself. One has to go into learning anything with questions. Once I could narrow down the question to what I needed to know, I would then do research and eventually learn what I had once not understood. So the laptop impacted the way I learned new information by literally giving me the information I sought. From there it was up to me to understand then utilize it, which I did. This new information goes into actually playing the guitar and recording the ideas I come up with in an efficient way. As I listen back to what I create I come up with new questions, thereby leading to more research, more answers and a better understanding of my art. It all comes full circle when one is in a specific practice. The more you know the better. With finding answers online one just has to ask the right question to get the right answer. Where one gets the information is also crucial. You don't want to get an article on techniques you know, you want them on the techniques you don't, then maybe one on how it is best incorporated. The youth in this video seem to be very connected with their devices. The one student I could relate to the most was the student who, used "trial and error" to figure out making music. I understand this approach because when I got started using garage band and note flight, different music software’s, trial and error is the way I learned as well. One student says technology makes you a better learner because of the way you think. He said you have these resources and want this outcome... “How do I do this?” He is right; technology aligned with a goal can be the tool you needed to reach a success. One student simply used her phone to document photos that she could upload for a school assignment later. That’s great! I have done the same I just used a picture for a music website of mine instead. I would say the only real difference between how I use my technology opposed to how the youth use theirs is my technology is content specific. In other words these students do get a higher level of thinking out of technology, or an easier way of getting an assignment done, but that can be within any social or academic subject area. Mine is for music related content.

“Social Media Find Place in Classroom”

“Social Media Find Place in Classroom”, by Greg Toppo, is an article addresses the issue of using social media within the classroom. Although both sides have a valid argument, I find myself right in the middle of the controversy. On the one hand, I don’t find it appropriate for teachers, faculty, and even the principal to be friends with their students on any social media page, especially in middle school and high school; once the students are in college, that’s a different story. But, I think there needs to be that boundary between the students’ lives and the teachers’ lives. Especially so because much can be misconstrued between posts and pictures in which either party could find inappropriate. On the other hand, I think that these teachers and faculty are really onto something in regards to educating their students. In the article, I learned that some teachers want to teach their students the rules and regulations of the Internet in order for them to be safer and more educated on the matter. Also, by educating the students, they will not only be more aware of what they are putting out there, but they will also develop different techniques to promote themselves for the future, whether that is for external or internal reasons. Overall, I think there needs to be a middle ground because it will allow for the students to be more engaged within the classroom as well as keeping the appropriate relationships among teachers and students. 

Technology priority "Great Tech Expectations"

    Technology is being taught in most schools in this era, and rightfully so. But what do future citizens and students really need to know...
        Students need to know how to log into accounts. Students need to know how to type at a decent level. They will need it for future education since it is such standard in society. Lastly how to browse/do research on the internet well, using and citing good sources.
     In schools basic knowledge of writing, and being able to get to Word Microsoft, powerpoint, are necessary. In college the thing we do most often is write papers, a lot of the other work is a variation of that,  powerpoint is actually a good example. On that same notes this blog...

There are some things that I experienced in college that i believe would be extremely beneficial for younger students to learn in a technology class like:
1.Complete graphic organizers using software like Kidspiration
2.Create basic presentations using tools like PowerPoint
3.Cite sources
4.Know how to configure privacy settings
5.Collaborate with peers on digital projects
        The first because, really who couldn't use a little more organization. The second ,power point, is second to word microsoft Word in most education setting in programs most used. Cite sources ,like power point, is somethings that is consistent in an education and moral in civilization. Knowing privacy setting would be a great thing to teach since we live in an age of social media networks and cyber bullying, having privacy could save a persons life. Collaborate with peers on digital projects, I think this is  great democratic lesson, but mostly because it draws from multiple students working on a common goal, it develops community and interpersonal skills something we don't see enough in schools.