Saturday, April 28, 2012
Blog Reflection 13
Friday was our last class of the semester. We were fortunate to have Mrs. Riley come to speak to us about SMART Board technology. She began by showing us the basic features of a SMART Board and the SMART software. Mrs. Riley showed us how to use images already in the gallery of the program and also how to add images into the program. After she showed us the basic functions of the SMART Board, Mrs. Riley explained to us how SMART software can be used to create lessons. She showed us a few games that she had made herself. I find it extremely useful to be able to edit the games that are preexisting in the SMART software to make games that are relevant to the subject you are teaching.
I sincerely hope that the classroom I find myself teaching in has a SMART Board. Each time I learn more about the technology I think of more and more uses for it in my lessons. I hope that in the coming years I continue to learn more about how the software and its seemingly infinite uses. I only hope we could have spent a bit more time on this in our class.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Blog Reflection 12
This week in class we began by discussing how videos can be used in the classroom because some people expressed that they didn't feel it was necessary. We viewed some online video channels of different music educators. The next thing we talked about were podcasts. Podcasts are video or audio from a specific group or person that others can subscribe to. We were then assigned a project to do an interview and make it a podcast on podomatic.
I think that podcasts are an avenue that can be used execute the idea that I presented in last week's blog post. Last week I expressed that it may be useful to make videos interviewing students about what they are learning so that their parents can view them. The best way to show them to parents is to have them subscribe to your podcast. This makes it easier for parents to see what is going on in their children's lives at school. This idea isn't limited to the music classroom. I do feel that it is most useful for the music classroom, though, because the credibility of music classes is questioned more often than that of other academic classes.
I think that podcasts are an avenue that can be used execute the idea that I presented in last week's blog post. Last week I expressed that it may be useful to make videos interviewing students about what they are learning so that their parents can view them. The best way to show them to parents is to have them subscribe to your podcast. This makes it easier for parents to see what is going on in their children's lives at school. This idea isn't limited to the music classroom. I do feel that it is most useful for the music classroom, though, because the credibility of music classes is questioned more often than that of other academic classes.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Blog Reflection 11
Friday's class was devoted to video recording and editing. The program that we focused on using was iMovie. Professor Riley recorded a short interview with a student for material to use to demonstrate how to use iMovie. We learned about b-roll, which is footage that is shown while audio from another video is being played. Professor Riley went through the process of editing the video that he had taped in class so that we understood what to do for our own assignment.
After class I began thinking of practical applications for filming videos in a classroom. I came up with a couple of options. First, I thought it could be used as a way to inform parents of what has been going on in the class. The students would be interviewed about what they have been learning and the video could be posted online for their parents to see. Another idea that I had was music videos. There are many opportunities for composition in a middle school classroom, and it would be even more exciting for the students if they were able to add their own video.
I did think, though, that it may have been a little more useful to cover at least some of Windows Movie Maker. I do understand that our computers in the lab are Macs and do not have this program. That being said, I feel that more classrooms are equipped with PCs than Macs and it may have been worthwhile to cover the use of a different program.
After class I began thinking of practical applications for filming videos in a classroom. I came up with a couple of options. First, I thought it could be used as a way to inform parents of what has been going on in the class. The students would be interviewed about what they have been learning and the video could be posted online for their parents to see. Another idea that I had was music videos. There are many opportunities for composition in a middle school classroom, and it would be even more exciting for the students if they were able to add their own video.
I did think, though, that it may have been a little more useful to cover at least some of Windows Movie Maker. I do understand that our computers in the lab are Macs and do not have this program. That being said, I feel that more classrooms are equipped with PCs than Macs and it may have been worthwhile to cover the use of a different program.
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