How I Used... Spotify

"You see, war is not the answer/For only love can conquer hate..."

- Marvin Gaye

I could write a whole post on the discussion we had today in music class (snapshot: Soul music of the 1970's was a response to turbulent times. How are those times similar to what may be going on in the world today? Cue potentially turbulent discussion that the students navigated maturely and respectfully.)

To end our discussion, we listened to "What's Going On?" by Marvin Gaye - his response to what was going on in the world in the late '60s and early '70s.

I'm a huge fan of Spotify (and one of these days I'll spring for a Premium account). A new feature they've added is the Lyrics tool (lower right hand of the screen when you've downloaded the desktop version):

Click on this link, and your main screen will switch to album/artist artwork and the lyrics to the song playing. You can decide if you'd like one line at a time, but I opt for the scrolling option so students can read just before or just after if they'd prefer.

Reading Marvin Gaye's words from "What's Going On?" Was a timely and such an appropriate way to end today's discussion, and I was glad to use this tool for my students as they reflected on when music and culture intersect.

Searching with Google

Teaching research is hugely important for 21st Century Learners. We are beyond the point of teaching facts and figures - they can look those up anytime, anywhere. But how efficiently are they able to seek out those facts and figures? Are they using quality resources and double-checking their material? Are they able to synthesize ideas from different resources and sift out unnecessary information?

A huge shout-out goes to my school Library Media Specialist, Miss Rudenga, who does so much to teach our students the Big Six research skills. But we've found that even with lots of guidance, sometimes the world wide web is a little too "wide" for students learning to research. 

Enter Google Custom Search Engine!

This is a great tool for a topical search assignment - maybe you're doing a quick question to start off your class ("What song is #1 on the Billboard Country Music Charts this week?") or doing a large-scale research project ("History of Jazz Music"). This can allow your students to practice their independent research skills in a controlled environment. 

Let's take a look at how to set one up for your class...

1. Navigate to www.google.com/cse and click "New Search Engine."

2. Start by adding sites that your Custom Search Engine. These will be the sites that your search engine will use to gather results.

From the CSE site:
You can add any of the following:
Individual pages: www.example.com/page.html
Entire site: www.example.com*
Parts of Site: www.example.com/docs* or www.example.com/docs/
Entire Domain: *.example.com

3. Name your podcast and click "Create."
4. You have two options for sharing your CSE with your students:

• Embed HTML Code: If you're able to use HTML code for your website/school web host, click "Get Code," copy the code in the grey box, and then paste it in the appropriate place in your website editing page.
• Generate a URL to Share: Click on the "Public URL" which will take you to a stand-alone site. Copy the URL in the address bar which you can then e-mail, post, or otherwise share with your students.

5. On the next screen, click "Control Panel" to customize your search engine. If you look on the left side of your screen in "Control Panel," you will see options for still more features such as "Look and Feel" (display), which also includes how the search engine comes up on the screen. If you make changes, be sure to click "Update" at the very bottom of the page.

I'm sticking with the basics right now, but play around with the advanced options, using keywords to generate results for your CSE, etc...

Happy Searching!

Cool Tools

Thanks to the Google EduCast for these two cool tools!

If you ever need a random sample and don't have the materials needed, as long as you have the internet, you're good! Just go to your Google search bar (in any browser), and type in Roll a Dice or Flip a Coin.

This could be great for calling on students randomly, splitting students into groups, etc... 

And think about math class... no more worries about handing out and collecting all of those die!

Have Fun!

What's the Big Idea?

Over the last two years, there have been lots of changes in my school district and there's been lots of learning, both by teachers and students. Here are my six big ideas to keep in mind as you read my blog and approach your own implementation:

• Remember your Acceptable Use Policy and common sense
• “Lurk and Learn”
• Try one thing at a time and introduce one thing at a time
• Digital Native ≠ Digitally Literate
• Age and number of years teaching cannot be sources for excuses or expectations
• Be open to new ideas and changing plans

Kahoot It!

I'm not normally one for flash and jazz in an app or website, but I'll make an exception for Kahoot! 

I was introduced to this during our FIU summer sessions as a way to engage students, get them to collaborate, and review information at the same time. If you're familiar with pub trivia, you're familar with the format of Kahoot! games. In a nutshell, you (the teacher) create a multiple choice quiz, and when you play with a class, they answer timed questions, the faster they answer correctly, the more points they get, and the leaderboard updates with standings after each question. The only problem I noticed when playing with my homeroom was that they got a little overly competitive and one team got really upset when they weren't in the top 5 anymore! But I guess that's a good problem to have, when they're so into an activity that they want to be successful that badly... right?!

Let me walk you through how to set up and play a Kahoot! quiz:

1. Visit getkahoot.com to set up your free account.

2. Play the intro Kahoot! to get a feel for how it works! You can do this with colleagues, with one of them acting as the teacher, or you can toggle between tabs in your browser - one of them being the teacher dashboard and one being the student screen. But this can be confusing. So use it as an excuse to get together with your colleagues and try it out together!

3. When you're ready to create your own Kahoot!, click on that button and set up your preferences for this quiz.

You will see there's the question text box, the optional image, indicator for whether its a question for points and a drop down box for timed questions (once all students answer, though, it does move on automatically.) You will then type  in our four multiple-choice answers and click the button below to change the right answer to "Correct."* I haven't yet figured out how to make it shuffle the answers each time, but maybe that's coming down the road.

*You can select more than one answer to be correct.

4. When your quiz is finished, you'll be able to access it by clicking on "Me" in the top left corner of your screen.  When you're ready to play, click the "Play" button to launch the quiz in your classroom.

5. Project the Game Pin screen and instruct students to join with the game pin. Or, as our instructor did in the summer FIU session, just project it and tell the kids to join the game. Let them figure it out and develop their problem-solving skills!

As I did it in my FIU session and later with my homeroom, this is a great format in which to have students pair up and collaborate on the quiz together using 1 device between the two of them. 

Each team will select a team nickname...

...which will then pop up on the Game Pin screen. Once all teams are ready, click "Start Now" and get ready, because it'll get rolling pretty quickly.

6. Each question will show on the screen for a few seconds before the choices even pop up. Once they do, the correct answer will have a corresponding shape which the students will use to make their choice.

Teacher/Projected Screen

Student Answer Screen

7. Once all groups have answered or the time is up, whichever comes first, the correct answer will be revealed along with how many teams selected which answer. (Formative assessment, anyone?!)

8. When the quiz is all over, you can crown the winning team! It will even give you options for exporting the quiz results and information. 

Get with some colleagues, try it out, and have some fun!

And for those of you from PJHS, check out the Student Handbook Kahoot! I put together for my homeroom. And you can edit it to suit your own group of students.

Happy Kahoot-ing!

Tech Review: AirServer

AirServer 5.0 with Recording
www.airserver.com
From the website:
"AirServer is the most advanced AirPlay receiver for Mac and PC. It allows you to receive AirPlay feeds, similar to an Apple TV, so you can stream content or mirror your display from your iOS devices or Macs running Mountain Lion or Mavericks."

In an hour of desperation at a recent conference, I discovered AirServer as a way to present what is on my iPad mirroring it on my MacAir. It turned out that while I had figured on an HDMI input on the conference center projector to AirPlay to my AppleTV, this was not the case. I frantically searched for an alternative, and AirServer met with raving reviews.

There are three types of licenses: Education ($7.99-$11.99), Personal ($14.99), and Business ($19.99). I am a known cheapskate when it comes to software and apps. If its free, I'll try it.  If its not, I probably won't give it a long look because I know a) its a slippery slope when it comes to buying and downloading programs and b) there are so many free resources out there, what's the point in paying?

However, there aren't many free ways to mirror a mobile device (iPad, iPhone) to a laptop. So if I'm going to pay for one, it had better be good!

With AirServer, I got more than I paid for. For the last few months, I've been asking colleagues, asking on Twitter about ways to record the screen of an iPad so that I can create tutorials for my students and screencast to my laptop. Think Jing, but for iPad. And wow was I happy to find that with the latest version of AirServer, a recorder is built into the window on my laptop! I can narrate as I go too, in order to explain what students are seeing in the video. 

The AirServer window on my laptop - I maximize the
window when projecting to my class.

Benefits

• Quickly and efficiently AirPlay to your laptop that is connected to a projector. Bypassing the AppleTV eliminates delays in audio and video that can sometimes trouble users during presentations
• Record presentations to share with students not in your class during that period or to distribute to your students as "How-To" videos and tutorials
• Students can follow what you do in real-time during class presentations
• Password-protect AirServer on your laptop so that students (or teachers who like to play practical jokes...) cannot AirPlay to your feed without permission

Drawbacks

• If you do not have a strong/reliable WiFi network that both your device and laptop are using, it can be difficult to keep them connected (not usually an issue with 1:1 schools)

Sample video for 8th Grade General Music:

I have not received any complimentary material or product from AirServer. I purchased this product myself and am writing this review of my own volition!

Twitter for Beginners

Social media can inspire or intimidate. And based on conversations I've had with teachers dipping their toes into this resource, intimidation can quickly and easily lead to someone throwing their hands into the air and walking away. But it would be a shame for teachers to give up on a valuable resource because they feel pressure to dive in to a pool they know little about or if they haven't been taught to swim.

So here are a few pointers I would give to teachers looking into utilizing Twitter for professional purposes. If you have any questions, leave me a comment, or better yet, give me a shout-out in a tweet (@MrsEMusic)!

1. Keep your personal life personal
If you are going to distribute your Twitter handle (your username; my professional handle is @MrsEMusic), it is best to have one that is personal and one that is professional. Keeping your "worlds" separate can protect you and your personal privacy. Remember that it is not airtight and anyone can follow your personal Twitter handle if they find it. You can request that those users be blocked, but again, its not airtight.

2. Lurk & Learn
I can't take credit for this turn of phrase, nor can I remember where I first heard it. However, this has been a guiding principle for me while integrating technology into my teaching. If you're just starting out on Twitter, find a few people to follow based on recommendations from colleagues. (At the bottom of the post you will find a list of my own recommendations.) From there, watch what happens - observe how people tag one another, use hashtags, retweet, etc... Don't worry about doing it yourself yet. Follow links, look at pictures, and read the tweets, but just enjoy taking in the wide world of information.

3. Make Connections
Retweet - share to your followers something that you read, found interesting, and want to pass along
Hashtags - search for hashtags to find Tweets using that same label (#edtech and #musicedtech might be good places to start), and then use one of your own to join or start a conversation.

4. Expand your PLC! 
Ask questions, answer questions, pass along information, share helpful websites and resources. Connect with educators from around the world and join with them in growing and learning to continue developing in your profession!

5. People to Follow
Other teachers in your school
Apps, websites, and software brands you use in your classroom
Music industry professionals and companies

Educational Technology & Apps

@ICE_IL     @elemenous     @Web20Classroom
@TeachersApps     @friEdTechnology     @WFryer     @TechNinjaStacey
@TechNinjaTodd     @Classroom_Tech     @iPadSammy     @Socrative
@GoogleApps     @SlideShark     @TED_Ed     @CommonSenseEdu     @CommonSense     @edtechdigest     @HuffPostEdu     

Music Education & Technology
@MrsEMusic     @NAfME     @MusiciansApps     @MusicEdTech
@MusiciansWApps     @FinaleOfficial     @SibeliusBlog     @advance_musiced

      

Google Extensions for Teachers

Being a self-proclaimed Google-phile, I was excited to learn about Extensions for Google Chrome. My first question: What in the world is the difference between an App and an Extension? Think of an Extension as a small part of an app that makes it work that much harder and more efficiently for you. 

And a shout-out to my colleague Scott for showing us this huge aspect of Google's offerings at today's Institute Day!

If you're looking for a place to start, here are 7 Google Extensions to install in your Google Chrome browser*:

1. Save to Google Drive

If you're looking at a website, pdf, image, or video, use this extension to save it to your Google Drive. Then, click the link that pops up to go directly to the document.


2. goo.gl URL Shortener

To quickly shorten a URL to send out or to easily generate a QR code, navigate to the website and click on this extensions in your toolbar. You'll have the option to copy the shortened URL or generate a QR code that you can then print or project to your students to instantly use.


3. Print Friendly & PDF

Tired of printing websites with adds, links, and unnecessary page elements? This extension generates a .pdf that you can go through and delete elements or text you don't want students to see. From there, save the .pdf to post or distribute electronically.


4. Webpage Screenshot

Here's an extension that allows you to take screenshots of an entire webpage or just the content that is visible in a window. It will immediately open in a new tab - from there, you can save, annotate, edit, and share the screenshot from that tab.


5. EasyBib Tools

This is a powerful tool that will help students learn to properly cite and evaluate sources. While visiting a website, you can find out how to cite the information and instantly find out if the source is credible, questionable, or if it has not yet been evaluated.


6. E-Mail This Page

Without having to copy and paste the hyperlink, use this extension to quickly send a webpage. Take a moment to choose if you want Gmail or your default mail server to send the e-mail before getting started.


7. Docs Quickly

With one click, you can open a new Google Doc, Presentation, Spreadsheet, or Drawing without typing in the address or opening a new tab - it is a simple extension but it will surprise you how efficient this makes your workflow.










* You have to be browsing in Google Chrome and you should also be signed in to Chrome. In order to do this, click on the three bar icon in the top right corner of Chrome and go through the sign-in process to fully customize Google Chrome to your preferences!