La La La: Music in the Classroom

Another great resource for teachers is music. Like images, it can create a learning experience that is far more interesting and entertaining (and therefore memorable!) and ensures that your lesson appeals to musical learners (Gardner, 1975).

Most popular music however is subject to copyright laws and so appealing to 'cool' adolescents may be harder than initially thought. Websites do exist that contain downloadable royalty-free music but the music here is not exactly your Top 10 Hits of the season.

Still, they are useful if, for example, you would like to play background music in the classroom as a calming influence or to use when exploring concepts of emotion. I have heard, for example, of PE teachers using music in topics on sports psychology, getting students to play sports with different types of music playing (such as hard rock, classical or pop) and allowing them to discover how different music can make them feel (and thus play) differently. Music can also be added to power point displays, be played in isolation when analysing lyrics, or be used as a cue in the classroom to indicate when an activity will start and finish. Additionally music can be created by students, not only in a music class, but in any subject area as an active learning strategy, to assist in memorising and to make tasks more engaging. The video below is a good example of making a boring topic fun!!



As an aside, I couldn't help but include this video as another example of music engaging students. What better way to 'waken up' a boring topic than to put it to music? All you Sister Act II fans, enjoy! All of you who are not... you should be!



Always be aware, music has power, especially with children and adolescents. It can change moods, stimulate emotion, engage and entertain. Particularly in the world of adolescents, where (contrary to when I was at school, and I'm sure many others) music is a vital tool for focus, as well as for communication and image. I was once told a story demonstrating the reliance many students have on music. It began with a teacher, struggling to manage a class (haven't I heard this one before?). All of the students had iPods and desperately wanted to listen to them... all of the time! This teacher decided to harness the power of music, setting ground rules for the use of iPods in the classroom (i.e. not to be used when I am talking!). The students agreed to the rules and thoroughly enjoyed listening to their music whilst doing the tasks they were set. The teacher was amazed and fascinated to discover these students were in fact more focused and on-task whilst listening to their music. Free from distractions and feeling more positive, they also achieved more. Now isn't that worth trying?!

I have included the following YouTube video as a last example of how music can be used in the classroom. I think it is a great way of broaching a sensitive topic, bullying, in a way that is relevant and appealing to students.



References

Gardner, H. (1975). Multiple Intelligences.
Retrieved 12 March 2010 from http://www.howardgardner.com/MI/mi.html

The Albiene Christian University Adams Centre for Teaching Excellence. (2000). Why Use
Active Learning?
Retrieved 8 March 2010 from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Wikipedia: A New Age Encyclopedia

Wikipedia is here (well its been here a while actually!). An online encyclopedia based on the simple format of a Wiki website. Wikipedia has its foundations in knowledge sharing, a concept that educators love! Anyone from anywhere can share their knowledge on just about any field by creating and uploading articles to the site. This information is then freely accessible, downloadable and usable by the (Internet using) public. At the time of writing this post Wikipedia stated that there were 3,260,250 articles in English published on their site.

But how usable is this information? Is it accurate? Trustworthy? Wikipedia itself warns against taking the information on the site at face value. They state:

"Properly written articles cite the resources, and a reader should rely on the Wikipedia article as much, but no more, than the sources the article relies on. If an article doesn't cite a source, it may or may not be reliable."(cited in O'Neil, 2006)

There are no special qualifications needed to publish on Wikipedia, nor to edit someone else's article. The information is however continually updated, monitored and edited by both the public and Wikipedia staff and so they go on to suggest that,

"older articles tend to be more comprehensive and balanced, while newer articles more frequently contain significant misinformation, un-encyclopedic content, or vandalism. Users need to be aware of this to obtain valid information and avoid misinformation that has been recently added and not yet removed" (Wikipedia, n.d.)

They add that these articles should not be used for assignments or formal academic writing of any kind. So whats the use of it then?

Wikipedia firstly gives a starting point for research. For many, researching on the Internet is a scary prospect and is a task (and I'm sure many of you will agree) that can lead to A LOT of time wasting. Why not use Wikipedia to guide you (and your student's) research? Use it as a base, a jumping off point or a way to identify key words that you can explore further. (O'Neil, 2006)

Given the warnings about the reliability of information given on the site, this would also be a perfect place to teach critical literacy. Luke and Freebody's Four Resource Model (1990) for engaging in reading cites "Text Analyst" as a fundamental component of becoming literate. This set of skills involve the "critical analysis of texts... What kind of person produced this text? What are the origins of this text?" (Anstey & Bull, 2004). Teaching students to question the things that they read, particularly on the Internet, is vital in the knowledge economy where technology is the way of the future.

The best thing about Wikipedia is that it is a relatively safe environment to allows students to be self-guided in their learning. Because the information is collaboratively written articles are essentially quite neutral in view point, presenting up-to-the-minute information on relevant topics. It is interactive and multi-dimensional text, whereby students can follow links to get a rounded view of the topic. It is also visually appealing and includes many images to make learning more engaging, particularly for visual learners (Felder, 1991).

If using an Engagement Theory type learning experience (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999), this can be a good place for students to begin their research to get their projects underway. Alternatively, why not use Wikipedia as the actual 'authentic product' that is produced. Anyone can contribute, why not link this to the 'donate' phase.

For such a simple concept, knowledge sharing can open up a wealth of opportunities for learning to take place. Wikipedia most certainly has a place in the 21st century classroom.

References

Anstey, M. & Bull, G. (2004). The Literacy Labyrinth. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Felder, R. (1991). The Index of Learning Styles.
Retrieved 12 March 2010 from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html

Kearsley & Shneiderman, (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning.
Retrieved 1 March 2010 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Luke, A. & Freebody, P. (1999). Further Notes on The Four Resources Model. Reading Online.
Retrieved 2 March 2010, from http://http://www.readingonline.org/

O'Neil, C. (2006). Using Wikipedia in the Classroom: A Good Starting Point. Retrieved 19 April 2010 from http://www.edutopia.org/using-wikipedia-classroom

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Help/About.
Retrieved 10 April 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:About

You tube, I Tube, We all Cheer for You Tube: You Tube in 21st Century Education

As you can see from my previous postings, I am loving You Tube at the moment! I have never thought of You Tube from an educational perspective, hell when I was at school watching a video meant some old extremely boring documentary from the 60s that was dull, outdated and featured an indistinct American voice droning on in the background!

The future of education is however well and truly here! Kids LOVE You Tube! (given, they are usually looking up considerably less useful and informative things than what we will be showing them in class but still...). There are so many informative and relevant video's on this site (and others: see Teacher Tube)... and they're entertaining to boot! They can be used to introduce topics, present varying perspectives and can add a knew dimension to understanding.

Videos can be used in the classroom to present, introduce or develop topics more efficiently that a 'chalk n talk method'. They can also help to ensure that the information you are presenting appeals to visual as well as auditory learners (Gardner, 1975). Catering for the various learning styles in your class will mean lessons are more engaging and knowledge is more successfully attained and retained by your students, according to the Learning Pyramid.

But alas, I have restricted my comments to You Tube when in fact worthwhile videos can be accessed via many sites on the Internet. Under the scope of video's, we could also look at the various simulations and animations available for use in the classroom. These can often be used to present concepts that can sometimes be difficult to explain. As our lecturer, Scott Aldred (2010) has explained, they can offer "virtual experiences where the real thing is too expensive or difficult to provide for the students" and also have the flexibility of being accessible outside of the classroom. The simulated dissection at this site is particularly relevant to my science teaching areas and could be offered for students who were unable to attend a practical class, or for those who wish to revisit the learning at a later date. It may also be useful in situations where resources are limited.

Whilst this form of learning offers some opportunity for interaction, it will never be quite as engaging, interactive and memorable as actually having a student participate in an activity. It does however provide flexibility where time and resource limitations may be hurdles in implementing certain learning experiences.

The Explore Learning Site also provides some valuable tools for presenting concepts, specifically in maths and science, that have traditionally been difficult for students to grasp. The simulations in this site are called Gizmos and provide students with the opportunity to interact in order to discover what would happen when they change variables within the simulation.

Essentially, including video's and simulations within learning experiences can help to make learning student-centred and interactive and also appeals to various learning styles to support diversity within the classroom.

References

Gardner, H. (1975). Multiple Intelligences.
Retrieved 12 March 2010 from http://www.howardgardner.com/MI/mi.html

Responsible Kids Network. (n.d.). The Learning Pyramid.
Retrieved 8 March 2010 from http://www.responsible-kids.net/learningpyramid.html

What a nice Picnik!

I have just discovered Picnik, a free site for image manipulation which enables you to upload a photo and change it in any number of ways and then save it, either on your Flickr account or directly onto your computer, for use however you wish. Whilst it is not an ICT that I would necessarily use in the classroom, it is certainly one I could use for the classroom. It is an important 'tool' to have in a teacher's 'toolbox' as it allows us to take the images we wish to use and make them applicable and appropriate for use in a classroom situation. For example, making an image smaller or changing its shape may mean that it is a better fit within the Wiki, blog or web page that you are creating. The cropping feature may mean that you can make pictures more appropriate or relevant by cutting off parts of the photo. The colour and exposure can also be altered or you can simply use, and this is my favorite, 'auto-fix', a quick and easy automatic option to improve the image quality. Check out my travel pic below, before and after Picnik:

Here I have taken out the 'irrelevant' subjects in the picture (i.e. me and my husband!).

A similar cropping strategy could be used to zoom in on a picture to make it more relevant to a topic being taught, in this example, the first photo could be used in reference to the Egyptian ruins, and the second in reference to the traditional dress of Egyptians.

Including images in resources and when teaching ensures that visual learners (Felder, 1991) are catered for in the classroom. Education Queensland's The Learning Place suggests that "if you are using strategies which cater for children's learning styles, you are promoting effective teaching and learning approaches in your classroom" (The Learning Place, n.d.). They also suggest making "handouts (that are) visually appealing." The Learning Pyramid also suggests that audio-visual learning leads to a higher retention rate than simply lecturing or reading alone. Thus, using visual resources when teaching not not only promotes better learning but also adds interest and variation. Picnik in this way is a very important tool in making images more usable in the classroom.

References

Felder, R. (1991). The Index of Learning Styles.
Retrieved 12 March 2010 from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html

The Learning Place. (n.d.) Learning Styles. Retrieved 17.04.10 from http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=45767

Responsible Kids Network. (n.d.). The Learning Pyramid.
Retrieved 8 March 2010 from http://www.responsible-kids.net/learningpyramid.html

Creativity Break Through

I've finally done it! After many weeks of enviously looking on as other students come up with idea upon idea for engaging kids in the classroom and being totally and utterly unable to come up with an original, even remotely interesting idea of my own, I've done it!

One of the assessments we must all undertake is developing a learning experience in Mahara (refer to previous post). This calls for an idea, not just any idea, a fantastic idea that would encompass the concepts of Kearsley and Shneiderman's Engagement Theory. The two basic components of this theory are using ICT's and using a 'real-world' scenario or problem to make learning relevant and enjoyable. The ICT's part is, well, not easy but manageable. I am discovering quite quickly how to apply the ICT's that we've learnt to a classroom situation. But the idea... the big idea... the 'real-life' scenario, well that's another story! I have sat staring blankly at an empty word document for hours waiting for something to come to me.

But finally, the light bulb came on....

The inspiration: CSI! Yes, CSI, the TV series on Crime Scene Investigation.
Image courtesy of Brick at http://www.csiguide.com/wallpaper.aspx

The scene: One of the teachers, Mr 'X' has been found unconscious in the science lab by the lab tech Mrs 'A' with a broken beaker on the ground. Mr 'X' recalls hearing footsteps behind him as he entered the room and then...nothing. There are signs of a struggle with hair and blood on the beaker. There is also a hand smear on the door handle and dirty footprints strewn across the room. Mrs 'Y' states that she heard a loud crash at about 2 pm. Mrs 'P's' diary is found under the desk. Who attacked Mr 'X'????

Within the scenario, I can incorporate literacy and numeracy and it could also be applied to a plethora of other subjects including English, maths and film and TV. They can learn how to collect, analyse and make conclusions from data... and so much more.

Its nice to have broken through the creativity barrier, at least for now. Nothing better than feeling excited about getting students excited... might just mean that teaching is for me after all.

Billy Madison teaches us about Dimension 1: Attitudes and Perceptions

Marzano and Pickering (1997) give "Respond positively to students' incorrect responses or lack of response" as a key strategy in establishing a classroom environment where students feel accepted by their teachers and peers, a component of Dimension 1 in the Dimensions of Learning. I thought I'd post this to give us all a good look at what NOT to do when giving feedback!!



Similarly, this next video links with Dimension 1, but rather with the component of "Experiencing a Sense of Comfort and Order" within the classroom environment. Here, Marzano and Pickering (1997) warn teachers to be aware of bullying and encourage a swift and deliberate response to such behaviour, in order to enhance the comfort and safety (and therefore learning) of students in the classroom. "Make sure that your students know that you are looking out for their safety and well-being. Be certain that they understand that you will take action on their behalf", adding that "It is difficult to learn when you feel physically or psychologically unsafe."



Please note: The behaviour management techniques of belittling and physical force are perhaps not the best example but you get the point!

References
Marzano & Pickering, 1997. Dimensions of Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Learning in the Digital Age: What will our students LOOK like???

Just a video to make us all stop and think, times have changed and so have our learners... and so must we change as teachers.