Technology+Ideas

Most of the time, when I tell my class that it's time to read something, it is followed by groans and moans. If I say to read silently, I know that unless I propose bribes to get them to read, the students will most likely zone out and stare at the page. Voicethread can make reading the material I want them to read more fun than usual. This activity can be done in pairs or alone. The reading selection should be short but informative. This Mozart example was only 4 short paragraphs. The students could find one picture per paragraph, and the picture should try and reflect what the paragraph is saying. For example, I located a picture of young Mozart in action for the second paragraph which discussed his late childhood accomplishments. I think this would be more fun and informative than just reading and discussing the information. Throwing candy at the students for getting a correct answer bothers me. This way, it is very interactive. After the students show their podcast on Voicethread, they can orally give a short summary on what they read. Each student or group can have a different composer or topic so it is not repetitive.

[|Mozart: Short Bio]

Animoto can be used to create a short video about a broad topic. Since the video can only be 30 seconds long, if the students are about to study for example, the instrument families, their video can just introduce what they will be learning. Some students can find different pictures of these instruments from different time periods, and they can also find the most current pictures.

[|Instrument Families]

This webquest is for 6-8 grade, and it gives a review on treble and bass clef, time signatures, note and rest lengths, how to count in each time signature, symbols, and expression markings. On the site for notation, there are some exercises to review the scales through a piano that will play if you click on the note desired. For my evaluation, the students will need to form a group of 4, and compose a 24 measure rhythm quartet in a simple time signature of their choice. Four of those measures will need to switch to a compound meter. This quartet will be performed on any percussion equipment available.

[|Reading and Composing Music]