Now Aladdin will be stuck in my head for the next few hours, but honestly, as a music teacher, I feel like songs in my head make up a quarter of my thought processes!
Welcome to my blog! It's starting as an assignment for a graduate class, but I hope to make it a more long term commitment to connect, organize, and maybe even put out some information others can find useful too (music or otherwise!).
For the past two years, the school district in which I teach has been moving 1:1 with iPads one grade level at a time. Two years ago, they distributed to the new 7th graders, then last year those students took their iPads to 8th grade and the newest bunch of 7th graders received iPads. Since the first 1:1 class will now be moving into 9th grade, we are jumping all in 1:1 7th-12th so that there is equal tech in all the high school classes.
It's been a crazy, exciting, terrifying, inspiring, and frustrating movement for teachers, students, admin, parents, and our amazing tech crew. 1:1 is a whole brave new world of learning that is exciting, but also new and terrifying in all the change it brings to the traditional learning environment. We are SO fortunate to have the opportunity to put these incredible learning tools in the hands of our students to allow for new forms of anywhere, all-the-time learning from not only our talented and dedicated faculty and staff, but from connections anywhere in the WORLD! However... education through technology is in such a stage of infancy that many members of our school community don't know how to teach and learn with them.
So... I decided to pursue my Masters degree in Educational Technology. (For anyone interested in an MET program or PD in ed tech, I highly recommend Wilson College/Eduspire for a vast, flexible program in ALL things ed tech!) This was a decision mostly for me because technology in the classroom really excites me, but also for my teaching colleagues who are a little wary about tossing all of their traditional education and methods to the wind, for my students, and for any parents who may be a little nervous about their children learning in a completely different way than they did.
My 1:1 Goals for the 2017-2018 School Year
- Be POSITIVE about the 1:1 switch:
It's an exciting thing, but people are scared of change.
Shedding a positive light on change makes it a little easier for everyone.
-Teach the device while teaching my material:
I am the music teacher, not the tech teacher,
but that doesn't mean that I can't include tech skills into my material!
-Be a model of technology use:
If students see me using my iPad for its proper and possible uses,
they will begin to model those behaviors. This also applies to digital citizenship, social media use,
as well as copyright and fair use policies
-Infuse learning with the technology
This is where I will find the most challenges. In my subject area, it is important that my students also learn through the human connection and express through examining emotion. My great challenge this year will be finding the balance.
I'm ready for it! This is an exciting time to be an educator and
I can't wait to see what our school can accomplish this year!
Stay tuned!
