Digitial Citizenship for Students (March 7)

Digital Citizenship for students is very important to prepare them for the real world. It is something that I myself am learning to do this very semester, while taking Instructional Technology.  As far as the concept of learning new things in the classroom, I think the student's responsilbility is to follow the teacher and pay attention as to what is the correct way of using technology. This is all they can do.  When just learning something, all someone can go off of is what the instructor says.  However, once the student has learned the jist of things, and know the basic concepts of rights and wrongs when using technology, the responsibility falls on them to use it correctly and appropriately.

Digital Citezenship for Teachers (March 21)

I would like to start off this blog by saying that I do not feel I was prepared at all for school in regards to the technology side of things.  I was never shown how to operate a computer, and although this sounds very sad to most of you, it is true. I wish that I would have been more prepared for things like Micosoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.  Having a wide span of knowledge in things like this definitely does you alot of favors for the real world, as well as for the college world.  In the meantime though, I am learning as much as I can in school about technology to prepare me for my career as a teacher.  It is overwhelming to think of the transition that I have seen in schools since I graduated from high school ten years ago. The grading system was basically all paper. The internet was still "fresh and new" in a way, and wasn't as much of a necessity as it is now. 

Digital citizenship is being able to teach students how to use technology approriately and accurately.  In this day in age, it is extremely important to know the "ins and outs" or technology. It is important to teach the concepts of etiquette, appropriate communication, and grammar.  This is a digital society that we live in; howeve,r just because technology makes things more convenient, it should not take away the value of profressionalism in our ways of communicating.  When we are conversing back and forth with employees, superiors, or potential employers, we must not forget that they play close attention to our wording of things and how we carry ourselves, even if it is over text.  This is something that I don't believe most people are told, and we as teachers should be the ones to teach and give examples of what is professional and appropriate, verses what is not.

There is one link that I most definitely will be sharing with my students on music theory, and it is one that has I have benifitted from:

http://www.musictheory.net/

The Importance of Checking the Validity of Internet Sources (February 28)

One of the main reasons it is so important to check the validity of internet sources is because there is so much information on the internet, that half the time, we do not know where it came from and who holds the authorship of the information provided.  If we have to write a research paper for an english class, we want to know that the information we are giving in our paper is absolutely accurate, otherwise, in a way, we are misrepresenting a topic and giving false material.  In the case of writing a biography on someone, it it imperative that the source we are using is legitimate.

There are certain ways you can know your internet source/author is valid. One of them is to check the domain names: "edu." or "gov. show authorship. Another indication is if there is an email address listed to "info" or "webmaster", which means a group or commitee are the authors, as opposed to one individual being the author. 

Usually when I am doing research, I make sure to use Google, and click on the first few links.  I can usually tell if a website looks "fishy" or not, just by the looks of it.

Copyrights-February 21

Just like we as teachers, expect students to maintain integrity and honesty on a test, (as well as completing their day to day assignments), we must also maintain the morality to refrain from violating copyright laws. Copyright laws can get tricky, because not too many people know ways around it or what the laws even mean. I am pursuing me career as a high school choir teacher and so a lot of the copyright laws that I will be giving attention or heed to is obviosuly in the area or music. I am planning on stumbling across areas of conflict and confusion as a I pick out music for a classroom.

There are “fair use” restrictions and “illegal use” restrictions when it comes to copyrights. Music publishers sell their choir music in individual copies so that can get more money. There are no exceptions in copying music, it is illegal and their could be a lawsuit for it. However, many choir teachers copy music anyway, without legal permission. This is considered stealing because they did not purchase it directly from the publisher and pay for every piece of individual music. As a teacher, it waill be very challenging to not be tempted to make copies of music so that I can use the money for other things. I have to resist the temptaion not only because its wrong, but because I also have to set an example for my students so that they know I have morals and I can set an example to them. I also have to take into serious consideration the fact that I could lose my job as a teacher by breaking copyright laws.

My Philosophy of Education (February 14)

 

My philosophy as a choral teacher is to teach each individual students how to be their absolute best, and that being their best is always a process, rather than something that is attained. What sort of message does this send to young people when you tell them to be their “best”? This sort of concept could come across as shallow if not specifically defined or communicated. My definition of “best” cannot be narrowed down into one sentence, but instead, can be illustrated through my everyday style of teaching and actions. Of course, every teacher wants their choir to sound better than most, and there will always be that spirit of competition with them, or least there should be. I can honestly say that I hope my choirs will be ranked in the top categories, and will be considered one of the best in the city. What choir teacher wouldn't want that? In any school, there is pride and spirit, and I believe there is nothing wrong with that. However, I strive to engrain in each of my students `what the true meaning of “best” is, which is much deeper than any trophy sitting on a shelf. While teaching young people to be their best is one of my main goals, other objectives that are strongly connected to that would be teaching the importance of integrity, commitment, trust, honesty and sincerity and teamwork. In order to get students to be their best on stage, they need to realize the importance of each one of these attributes. “Faking it until making it” will only get you so far with people. Being genuine with the use of all of these things is wuite necessary in order to succeed in rehearsal time as well as during performances on stage.

In high school, I was very involved in different choirs and musical productions. I really loved my choir teacher but I didn't realize until now that he never really taught us much about ourselves as individuals, and how to incorporate that into our music. Music brings out our emotions and it can change our mood. There is something about music that goes down into the depths of us, almost like a sixth sense. Music is also very personal. As a teacher, I hope that I can get the point across to not only my students, but to faculty and audience as well that music is about anything and everything and it is the common language for any person. It is an art. And it is a way that people can express themselves when nothing else allows you to.

So why should music be in the school curriculum? One of the biggest things that stood out to me in the text was the the fact that singing music requires whole brain learning. If this doesnt end the debate for why music is edcuational, I don't know what will. Music covers the entire learning process and demands us to operate all our ways of thinking. I also appreciated the point of music imploring cooperative learning. Besides athletics or other classes where group projects may occur; it is the only subject that requires the help and cooperation of every student in order to work in the right way. Without everyone's contribution of their best effort, a musical piece can become a disaster. There are so many different aspects of music. For example, sight singing, learning to play an instrument, transposing, composition, singing, conducting, and music theory as a whole is its own type of science. I know for a fact that most people think music is just sounds coming out of an instrument, and its just as far as a click of the radio. But music is not just noise being made or something for mere entertainment. It is a subject that most people would find shocking if they knew the depth of it. I would bet that if you described just the basics of music theory to a high school principal in a job interview, he would respect you all the more for the amount of knowledge it asks of you. When I become a teacher, I will want to incorporate all these diferent types of musical knowledge into my choirs, and be intentional in putting that into my curriculum. The more expanded a student is, the easier it is for them to work with all types of musicians that come into the classroom whether it be a guest performer or a new member with no vocal experience, having something new to bring to the table.

All in all, I what I strive for as a choral teacher is for my curriculum to be much more than a calendar filled with things to do, but for the one chance I get to pour into my students lives, and motivate them to take what they already have and develop into their fullest potential.

Technology in Education is Important (January 31)

Technology in education is important, because with all the advances being made, it is impossible to survive without it.  Everything revolves around technology and electricity.  Teachnology in schools has become vital, and something that we as teachers will need in the classroom. We need it for the grading system, we need it for planning, and we are encouraged to use it in plenty of aspects of our actual lessons and invite the students to use it as well. If we are not somewhat familiar with how to operate a handy little gadget, or the newest machine, it could slow down our teaching in the classroom.  It is also important to teach technology in the classroom, due to the fact that it is our job as teachers to prepare our students for the real world ...and yes, you guessed it: the real world is made up of.....TECHNOLOGY!!!!  :)  My experiences in teaching technology in education are slim to none. I am very challenged in this area, which is why this class will be good for me!  Basically the only experience I have with technology is browsing the internet and using Microsoft Word to write papers for school. I also have made powerpoints and have run powerpoint for church.  I suppose this places me in the category of "average" when it comes to competence/experience with technology.  I realize that this world is always changing, and at a fast pace. Sometimes I get stressed when thinking about how behind I am with the newest little gadgets or computers that are out on the market.  I am going to try and be more intentional in surrounding myself around people who are knowledgeable in this area and who posess plenty of the newest items, so that I may learn from them.  I was also told by my teacher I am interning with that is more important to invest money (from the school budget) in buying nice soound equipment for the classroom, rather than wasting it on music; and that is just the thing, he believes buying music is a waster of money. (Keep in mind I am majoring in music education, so I plan on teaching high school choir eventually.)  The reason he believes this is so important is, he expressed that you can always borrow music from different sources, or that music is always free in someway or another, you just have to know how and where to get your hands on it.  Just the fact that he placed so much importance on technology, made me understand there must be some real truth to it, because he is very experienced and knowledgeable in what he does, and one of the most competitive choir teachers out there. I will continue to strive on incorporating the importance and relevance of technology into all my classes and practice using it in certain ways that will prepare me for my career.

Why I want to be a teacher (January 24)

Hello my name is Ali and I am 28 years old.  I love singing more than anything in the entire world. (Next to Jesus of course.)  After I graduated from high school, I was convinced that my destiny was to be on broadway and to live life on the stage in lights.  I was a new believer then, and was just entering into the whole mindset of giving every area of my life to Him, that concept was foreign to me, haha.  Slowly but surely, my heart was really starting to lean more towards music in the area of worship. I started getting really involved in worship teams and eventually took an internship at Trinity Church (which is now Lifegate Church) for one year with the worship department. During that time, I was already working towards a music degree and decided to not finish it because didnt think it would benefit me in the area of worhip. I was so naive. I started working fulltime after I quit school and it got real old real fast. I started praying about where my life was going, and after going through the ringer of about 30 different jobs that I HATED, I felt God was leading me back to Grace University to get my degree in music, but this time, in education.  I have always known that music is my calling, but never in a million years would have thought that I would go into teaching, and honestly never had ANY desire to teach in my life.  I have always had a special love for youth, and high school was my favorite time in life, so it only makes sense that I pursue the career of being a high school choir teacher.  I am the happiest now then I have been in awhile.  I am finally where I want to be and don't take my education for granted. I cannot wait to be a huge influence in young people's lives and to make music my career and get paid for it!