Blog Bling Reflection

I can see using a classroom blog as an additional form of communication with students and parents. It would be another resource for finding class happenings, information on upcoming fieldtrips, and a choir concert/rehearsal calendar. I could even share audio or video clips from our concerts and of other choirs performing. A blog's possibilities are endless when it comes to being an effective forum for collaboration and discussion, and this project made me think of a few specific ways I could use it for that purpose.

First, I could have a reflection forum where students discuss what they hear from the audio/video clips. I'd have them listen specifically for what elements of performance the choir needs to improve upon and give suggestions for improvement. Secondly, I allow each grade to give input and pick out one piece for the spring choir concert. This process has traditionally involved a big in-class discussion, but I think a blog would be an interesting alternative or supplement to this activity. Students could openly share their ideas and we could even take the vote online once we've narrowed down their choices. In the past, a pitfall of doing this activity has been that the majority of suggested songs are not arranged for a choir to sing, eliminating them right away. However, I could link the website I order music from to the blog and show students how to search for their selections. Students would be required to actively search out a piece's availability before they suggest it. The music website often has audio clips of the choir arrangements, so the students could listen first to determine if it's a quality arrangement or not. Not only would this save me a lot of time, it would give my students a more active role in the process of picking out music.

Right now Google Blogger would be the best option for me to implement a blog in my classroom simply because I have some experience with it. Nonetheless, I must admit I was intrigued by the many other blog options out there. As far as I could tell, they all seemed pretty user-friendly. My favorite looking blogs came from Weebly. I like the idea of having a built in photo editor...seems like a nice feature! The 'drag and drop' technique for blog layout appears to be easier and offer more flexibility than I experienced in Blogger. I also like the Facebook look of Edumodo and think the kids would connect with it. The 'alerts' feature is especially appealing because I currently send text message reminders to my choirs that meet outside the school day through a website (Remind101). It has been an awesome way to communicate about upcoming music rehearsals, but it'd be more efficient to have the alerts sent from my blog. I also think the gradebook feature on Edumodo looks neat and offers a further centralized system.

It Was Fate...

I happened to be watching Good Morning America three summers ago when I saw the PS22 chorus perform the video of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" posted below. PS22 stands for Public School 22 from Staten Island, New York. Made up of mostly 5th graders, the choir has quickly become the "best known elementary chorus on the planet" according to New York magazine. They're a YouTube sensation with tons videos to choose from (and over 46,000,000 hits!).  They've since performed at the 2011 Academy Awards & the White House!

And wouldn't you know it?! I was excited to find they also have a blog on Google! I encourage you to check it out if you want to learn more about this amazing choir: http://ps22chorus.blogspot.com/

I'm always looking for videos to show my choir students of other choirs performing. I've shown this clip to all my students over the past few years and they've loved it!! I especially like to use this clip when talking about the concept of 'Stage Presence.' Having stage presence means a choir's presentation of a song conveys the message/emotion of the piece via facial expressions, confidence and appropriate posture/movement. As you can see from the video clip, the students' facial expressions and emotional involvement are unparalleled. It never fails to bring a smile to my face!

This video's great motivation for my middle schoolers too... if they see that 5th graders can accomplish good stage presence, they know they can do it too. PS22 Chorus and this video is a great tool in teaching such a difficult concept. I say difficult because middle schoolers aren't willing to try something when there's a chance they might look 'uncool' or feel awkward. This video makes it look cool.

First Post

What motivated you to become one of our campers?
I'm really interested in learning more about technology and ways to implement it in the classroom. Technology advances so quickly and it seems hard to find the time to keep up. Summer is the perfect time to dive in and learn more!

What do you hope to learn about in Summer Camp 2.0?

 Each summer camp topic is new and uncharted territory for me.  I want to become more comfortable navigating these technology applications and I know integrating them will enhance the learning experience for my students. I hope to find a few camp topics I can put to use in my classroom come fall. I can't wait to sound like a computer geek by the end of the summer!

What is one cool thing you're hoping to do this summer?
Aside from becoming an unofficial "Geek Squad" member, I'm excited to do a lot of house projects this summer. It might not sound like a lot of fun, but it's a creative outlet for me to paint & decorate away! Speaking of diving right in, I've decided I will not survive the summer without a trip to Noah's Ark!