Flippin' Awesome Resources for Google!

Hello friends!

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to the Elementary Technology Conference in Galveston. It's the first non-music PD I've done in a while, but I love technology so I thought it would be worth it. AND.....I was right!  I learned so many cool things! I hope to be able to write a few posts about these applications and ways to use them in music class. Our district is super big on tech right now, and as of last year we are 1:1 on every campus. We are a Google district, and students have Chromebooks, so that is what I am here to share with you.

Have you heard of Flippity.net? Y'all. This is a fantastic FREE resource if you can make a spreadsheet. Seriously.

Flippity will take your Google Spreadsheet and turn it into SO. MANY. THINGS. Flashcards? Check. Random name picker? Got it. Jeopardy style game board? Yep. Memory game, Mad Libs, Bingo, Crossword, Word Search, Tournament Bracket, Yes, yes, and yes! 

So here's how it works. Each application has a demo,  instructions, and a template. To create your own, click on "Instructions". 

The instructions vary a little for each one, but it is based in a spreadsheet. 

Open the template, save a copy so you can edit, and create away. As you can see, the directions are pretty straightforward, step by step.  Some of them even give you a QR code to share the activity with your students! 

I'm thinking this could be great for review, sub plans, at home practice, and class use. So many possibilities! And did I mention that it's FREE? The teacher's favorite word! How will you use this amazing tool to make your life better or easier? Share it in the comments below!

Google Docs for the Classroom

This is the time of year when most teachers are organizing, with a capital "O".  We plan, design, arrange, rearrange, redesign, and do everything we can to make the new year start strong.  One of my favorite tools to use is Google Docs.

If you have not seen or heard about Google Docs, it is high time you learned! It is a great way to store and share documents with others, collaborate on projects, and create forms for your programs.  Best of all, it's FREE!  All you have to do is create a Google ID for yourself. 

My favorite features are:

1. SHARING - I can share documents with anyone, anywhere I want.  If I want to share something I made with music teachers across the state, they can access it here.  No more multiple emails to send large files or pictures. Many of the bloggers I follow share their work as a Google document, so I can download them easily.  Also, if you open a shared document from someone else, it will be automatically added to your own Googledocs library.

2.  FORMS - OMGoodness, this is the BEST!  I use this to have kids sign up for choir auditions every year.  You set up the form and share the link with whomever you wish.  They fill in the form, and you have a spreadsheet with everyone's information already entered. I also use it to collect student information, take orders for t-shirts, and anything else I can think of.  No more worrying about whether I wrote down the correct size, or trying to read messy handwriting!

(You could also use the forms to create a quiz that students can take on the computer.  Their answers will be put into the spreadsheet for easy grading. I haven't done it, but I think it could be useful.)

3.  ACCESSIBILITY - You can access your Google docs from any computer, any time.  Left your laptop at home?  That's okay.  If you have an internet connection, you can access your stuff and work on it.  You can even share it with a colleague and work on it together. 

As you can see, I am a bit of a fan of the GoogleDocs.  I encourage you to check it out.  Get a Google ID for yourself, if only to be able to check out other people's stuff!

For more information about using Google Docs in the classroom, check out THIS LINK.

Here's to a well-planned, well-organized school year!

Do You Prezi?

For the past few years I have been using more and more powerpoint shows to introduce and review concepts in my class. I'm always amazed at how focused the kids are on a big screen!  My projector is my most used classroom tool, so I'm always looking for new ways to use it.  Enter Prezi.  Have you seen this?  It's like powerpoint on steroids!  It adds movement to still slides.  I can't wait to use it more and create some introductions to composers for my classes.  AND, you can import your existing powerpoint so you don't have to completely start over!  Woohoo!

I'm just a novice right now, but here is a small portion of my first week presentation:

Keys to Musical Success   (BTW, I can't figure out how to embed the actual vid. Any experts out there? Leave me a note if you can help me figure it out!)

By the way, I totally stole borrowed the Keys from Cara at Miscellaneous Me.  I may change them a little to fit my school this year, but you still get the idea. 

FREE online music activites!

This week at our district music meeting, we shared ideas for using technology in the music classroom.  It was so much fun!  I love finding new ways to present materials to my students, and they get excited about technology.  I am blessed to have a projector, document camera, and ActivSlate in my room, and I try to use them whenever I can.  I would LOVE to have an interactive white board. I'm even thinking about applying for a grant to get one.  That's new territory for me, so we'll see....

With those resources in mind, here are some of my current favorite websites to use in my class:

The Blob Chorus - awesome ear training practice.  Each blob sings a pitch, then King Blob sings.  You click on the blob that sang the same note as King Blob.  If you're wrong, the blob you chose explodes! You can choose from 3 to 8 pitches in the set, so the challenge increases with your skills.  My kids LOVE this game!

The Music Interactive - these games are designed for interactive white boards, but you can use them with a mouse, too.  You have to download the games to your computer to play.  There are many free downloads to choose from.  My faves are Rhythm Blocks, Staff Wars, Speed Note, Rhythm Adding and Rhythm Dictation.

I use these games with the whole class, using the projector.  There are lots of ways for the students to participate:

1.  Show of hands:  everyone holds up fingers to show their answer choice; majority chooses answer. Works well with Blob Chorus.
2.  Give students answer cards to hold up.  Could be laminated/dry erase writing, numbered, or color coded.
3.  Divide the class into teams and let them take turns answering.  Award points for correct answers.
4.  In speed based games, teams could have an individual answer until they miss one, then the next team member steps in or play goes to the other team. (Staff Wars)

This is a great way to inject some new energy into your class this time of year.  I hope you have fun with these ideas!  And when you're just playing around, check out Quaver's Marvelous World of Music.  I haven't figured out how to make this work for a group setting yet, but it is on my list of links for kids to try!

Aunt Pearlie Sue leads the way...

February is Black History Month, so I like to use this time to explore the music that has evolved in America thanks to the African-American culture.  My favorite way to start this unit with my 3rd graders is with an interactive website lesson (points for using technology!).   We are fortunate to have a computer lab at my school, so this week my 3rd grade classes are meeting in the lab.  You could also do this with one computer and a projector, with the teacher leading the class through the material.

So, first go to www.knowitall.org/gullahmusic.  You should see a page like this:

See the lady on the left?  That's Aunt Pearlie-Sue.  She narrates this whole adventure, so make sure you have the sound turned on.  She has a pretty thick gullah accent, so the words are also printed on each page. When you move your cursor over the four circles, you can hear her laugh....the kids said it sounds like a chicken! LOL!  Anyway, start with the "Secret Code" section.  Aunt Pearlie Sue tells all about how the slaves used music to communicate and help guide others to the underground railroad.  There are even examples of some of the music to listen to. 

At the end of this section, we recap and I ask questions to make sure they were paying attention. Then we go on to explore the other three sections, which are about making music.  Click on different sounds to create your own arrangement, listen to children sing with Pearlie Sue, and compose your own blues verse (I use that one for a separate lesson the following week). 

As if that weren't enough, you can click on "The Journey" to follow the evolution of music from African drums all the way to Hip Hop, with examples of each along the way.  How cool is that? The kids are loving it!

Do you have a favorite lesson for Black History Month?  Please share!