Chor-US and UDL #Singon

In my chorus classroom I intentionally provide multiple means of representation. Everyone’s perception of music comes to them differently so allowing the music to play repetitively and also allowing the musical notation of the music to be seen on the interactive screen is essential in my classroom.

Also, in Chor-US class I am always integrating other languages and the importance of singing in them. This year alone as a choir we sang in Italian, Latin, Spanish, Japanese and of course English. The students were challenged at first but as they became confident in broadening their foreign language vocabulary they were proud of their accomplishments.

In Chor-us one of my objectives is to optimize access to tools and assistive technologies. This year an interactive smart board was added to my classroom. I use it every day and allow the students to offer alternative ways to use it. They have expressed to me that they learn best when the music is always shown on the board along with the paper music in their hands and also with them listening to other recordings of the same song as a class. This was strange to me but I complied to their request and in the end it paid off. One of my main goals was for my students to memorize their music for the concert, this was one of the reasons the students were able to achieve this result (UbD).

One thought about the UDL principals for me in my classroom, is as I understand the learning guidelines that are presented in the application of UDL, of the 180 days of school and working with young developing musicians. Honestly, I have incorporated all of the areas of learning and some more than others but, all of them have been touched in my classroom. My goal next year is to strategically plan to touch all three designs all 180 days of the school year.

Check out my NEW website

http://muhammr.wix.com/singon

REAL or FAkE? I have something to tell you to.

Real or Fake?
         In the first photo of the Cottingleyfaries taken in 1920, by two little girls in a garden that had people baffled to the question as to is this real! I thought hum, now in 1920, there are two little "girls" unsupervised, alone in a garden taking pictures with a camera, of "fairies". To me all kinds of red flags pop up. First little girls in the 1920's were not allowed to roam in gardens without adult supervision. Second what kind of camera took this almost clear black and white picture with up-close fairies. I grew up in the era of Polaroids cameras that produced a color sheet of a picture that came out of the camera BUT my mother had a camera that had a flash bulb on it an I have seen pictures that it produced, and they do not look like this picture. By the way my mother is 82, and my momma didn't raise no fool. This is sooooooo fake! No explanation needed.
          In the second photograph of a missile in the background of some buildings that appear to be in a downtown area. Really, people including children under the age of 5 know how to Photoshop and cut, paste and alter pictures. The missile is too close to the stone buildings not to cause some destruction to the buildings. It is just not logical to me.
         The hotel reviews do not have any typo's. They are to polite, and nice, they seem to be trying to get you to come to this hotel, like a computer wrote them. In the Jeffersonian quotes, the first quote is to simple for Jefferson to have written it. The third one is not complicated enough, not thought provoking enough and the vocabulary is too simple. The second quote maybe but maybe not the elephants kinda throw me.

LETS SEE WHAT I THINK I KNOW
          OK the pics are not real for their obvious reasons, did not take all that analysis for me. OK i will go for those explanations. Now, here is where I feel tricked. Of course I can go online and research the hotel reviews and the Jefferson quotes, that is no fun. But anyway I was correct on the quotes and incorrect on the hotel reviews.
       
REALITY VS. FAIRY TALES
          I believe in today's society people want to hold on to the idea of fantasy, so they do not have to deal with the certainty of reality. In the depths of peoples mind we all understand that there are no such things as fairies, if they were real they would be in a zoo for us all to see and in a pet store for us all to buy. People just love to entertain another reality to cope with the unhappiness of their lives. Well, let me lighten it up a bit. Take a look at this video and see how reality unfolds for both people involved. Maybe after they both confronted reality they may have been able to establish a real relationship.

FOUNTAIN DRINK ANYONE?

While enjoying my Spring Break 2016 in Destin, Florida, I said to myself, “Self, which one of these quests, could I do, that won’t destroy my flip-flop wearing, tan line having vibe? I scrolled down and saw one of my favorite words”create”. Create a video using a tool incorrectly. That is right down my alley, I am left handed, and I always use tools incorrectly.

Dropping Mentos into Coke Zero, diet Coke and regular Coke to make a soda fountain could be used as a party trick but, I would prefer that my soda comes out of a true soda fountain machine like the one in “Tom Thumb” a gas station in Florida.

Since we all know that TPACK is to remind us to use the right tool for the right job. Doing this video reminded me of a few ideas and phrases that I have heard while growing up like, “just because it’s shiny, don’t mean it is gold,” and “just because it’s in your size, does not mean you should wear it.” Really, everything thang ain’t for everybody.  

Just like TPACK, using the right tool for the right will not only make your students think you are cool because you know how to use Youtube and #twitter but, it will enhance the learning environment in your classroom, making your room a sweet spot.

So, when I return to my classroom I will be sure to be reminded to always include TPACK to not only to improve the learning in my class but to remember to Laugh, Love and #Singon.

Cookin' with TPACK

Hello again and lets cook with TPACK as I use real life experiences to explain what TPACK is and how it could be thought about. This is a video of my niece, Ahmani as she chooses utensils from the kitchen to complete a task that she has no idea about, thankfully she loves her Aunt Ronda, and is up for the challenge.She looks in her grandmother’s cabinet and pulls down a nice medium sized cereal bowl and a plate, and goes into the draw and pulls out her favorite butter knife.  She is equipped with her utensils, and next I ask her to reach into the hat and she pulls out number 4, to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.From looking at the utensils she has especially the knife, she is capable of completing this task. However, I asked her if there were other utensils she wished she had and she said a spoon, so she would not have to double dip the knife in the peanut butter and the jelly.  The bowl and the plate was not useful to her in this experience but just like in the classroom you may not use ALL of you tools but it is always good to have them in a tool belt ready to be used.Sometimes in the classroom, you may not have a SmartBoard to use or even access to a video camera, but all you may have is access to is your favorite tool, a butter knife, from your grandma’s kitchen. But if you are open minded to any task, even one as simple as making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, that one tool may be all you need to complete the task of TPACK in the classroom. #SINGON

 We become what we behold. We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us.” ― Marshall McLuhan

How is digital citizenship similar/ traditional citizenship in the world?

Well when it comes to citizenship, it is simple, always apply the golden rule, “Treat others how you would want to be treated, weather it is at a coffee shop or on the World Wide Web. If I am making my coffee and I spill some cream or raw sugar on the counter, I take a recycled napkin and wipe it up, so the next person can have a clean space to make their coffee.

Just like in point number, two in the Citizenship in the Digital age suggests, treat others courteously, and never bully, at the coffee shop and in the digital world. We all are responsible for making this world a better place to live in, thinking of others before yourself lays a footprint of car and concern for all citizens of the world. We must learn to share the planet. 

How can we apply traditional citizenship ideas to our work in helping students develop digital citizenship?

Point number five is my favorite, to actively pursue education and become a lifelong learner. Teaching young learners that the Internet is a TOOL and not a toy is very important. It is OK to enjoy gaming and other forms of communication on the Internet but, teaching them that at the touch of their fingers they have access to answers and ideas of the WORLD. Use the digital tools to enhance your learning and be smart enough to understand that using Internet tools to enhance and develop your learning is the wise road to take. 

As teachers we are responsible to promote and encourage digital citizenship, and I think one of the best ways is to demonstrate it with our students.  With all the technology you may have access to in your room showing students HOW to be digital citizens is important, something as simple as this video is a start to open up a conversation, related to point number eight. 

 In the classroom developing a relationship with students where they understand digital citizenship is important not only to you as their teacher but important to everyone on the planet. The small steps young learners make to promote digital citizenship within themselves encourages others to follow them, and one student taking the time to be aware of his or her actions online, lead to citizenship all over the world. Let's sing together, "Let their be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.", starting with a kid as president.

grooooW WITH ME

     PLN's (personal learning network) is not a thing, it is an idea. The question is how do you get this idea started, and keep it going? A PLN can be as simple as having a cup of coffee with a college and sharing ideas or it could be as expanded as Skyping with a teacher in Alaska about an upcoming collaboration, and sharing that on a VLOG.  
     For me all of this sounds overwhelming but I plan to take it in small bites. First I want to i.d. my overall goal is to connect with other, what I like to call "Urban Music Educators" and create a network where we can discuss common concerns in the classroom and how we can move forward together to solve each others problems creatively. 
     Writing this BLOG is a good step, but joining teacherlinx is an even better one. The screen shot thing is not cooperating with me so, http://teacherlinx.com/#/regsuccess.  The next idea to get started is the join Twitter and watch Twits and hashtags, and selectively follow educators who have similar teaching lifestyles as I do. This graphic of how to grow your PLN really helped me get a better understanding about the process.  

     I plan to sustain my PLN by weeding out followers on Twitter until I have a compatible group of educators with similar educational interests. With the group of Urban Music Teachers, creating a collaborative and creative group using Twitter, Skype, and Podcasts I intend to harvest results from the group to use in my classroom and share with others. This cycle should be re-visited at least 3-4 times a year to create a new crop of PLN's and ideas. 

  

TPACK vs. SAMR: Started from the bottom, NOW WE HERE!

Since becoming a new teacher this year I have heard enamored with more acronyms that I can shake a stick at, come to the PD, sign the IEP and make sure you sign up for AESOP. Well, since I am burning the candle at both ends, being in grad school at Lenoir Rhyne my technology class is adding even more acronyms to the educational tool bag, introducing SAMR and TPACK.
I tend to follow the KISS acronym of Keep it Simple Stupid and I will try to honor this concept by telling you that SAMR sums up how technology can be used in the classroom.
1. SUBSTITUTE- use technology (tech) like a calculator to do the same task. ex. You could write out 2+2 or you could pull out a calculator and do the same thing, not altering how you got the result of 4.
2. AUGMENT- you still substitute but use tech like a tablet with a stylus where students can see 2+2 on the screen but they can also draw pictures of a face and count them, but they are still getting the same answer, with a little bit of tech help. 
3. MODIFY- tech that allows for significant redesign. The student takes the tablet and uploads to the world for help in figuring out how 2+2 =4. The technology they use to upload their math problem to the world has drastically redesigned how the students are learning. 
4. REDEFINE- tech that is used for the creation of NEW text. The student uses multiple ways to understand that 2+2 is 4 but uses data collected from alternate sources from various and alternate forms data that creates transforms and enhances learning. 

If my KISS is still unclear, take at what some students put together. Nice Job!

OK! Now, lets move on to TPACK. TPACK covers 3 types of knowledge, Tech, Content and Pedagogical, and how they work TOGETHER to increase student motivation toward learning.
The TECH is what is used to enhance the HOW, or the PEDAGOGY of the CONTENT that the teacher is an expert in.(we hope). Where these areas intersect is where TPACK is occurring.

If my KISS is still foggy check out this video.

I prefer TPACK because it wins the KISS award. The simplicity of the pretty circles overlapping in the video did a wonderful job of explaining what TPACK is and how it occurs. The only concern I have is that although a teacher is expected to have the same amount of knowledge of all 3 areas, it would be unfair to suggest that a teacher who is stronger on one area of knowledge vs. the other could not build with what they have to improve 1 or 2 knowledge areas, maybe even by using technology. For example if a teacher is a strong pianist and classroom manager, but is reluctant to use her fingers on anything else but ivory she may slowly begin to integrate some technology into her classroom that allows her to play a midi keyboard to visually teach piano and encourage learning. Allowing teachers to start from the bottom gives them a sense of accomplishment, even teachers need to experience SUCCESS.

It's nothing wrong with starting from the bottom. A little traveling music and encouragement.