March 2013 - Elementary Edition
Technology and Music ~ Build Harmony
There are a variety of useful technology tools used in the elementary music program which assist teachers in developing students’ musical knowledge and skills. In addition to music websites, Smart Boards,and PowerPoint, the teachers use Garage Band to record various songs throughout the school year. In the 5th grade program, students write rap songs. They learn how to record, edit, and produce these songs using Garage Band. Young musicians in the making!Logic is another technology tool used to sequence music that is being taught in the classes. Musical samples for movement activities or songs are created as well. In order to meet the levels across the elementary program, the teachers use Finale which allows them to take any song and arrange it to meet the abilities of each grade level. In addition, when students are learning the recorder, they can read their warm-ups from the Smart Board and build musical literacy.
In the 3rd grade program,the teachers use Gordon’s “Primary Measures of Music Audiation” to test aural skills. The data that is collected is used as a music assessment. It provides information about the student’s tonal and rhythm skills. The data also helps to place students on an instrument for the following year and can be used to encourage students to join the chorus.
The instrumental program begins in 4thgrade. During band instruction, there are a variety of useful technology tools which assist the teachers in developing student skill sets. Using the program, Finale, the teachers can compose or arrange specific exercises and songs for the students to work on with playback technology. The band also uses Smart Music, an interactive practice program, which provides students immediate and constructive assessment on performance. It makes practice at home fun and exciting by providing tutorials, accompaniment and tempo options, and recording features. It truly brings the notes on the page to life!
Home/School Connection
- GarageBand: Make music anytime, anywhere…Turns your iOS device into a collection of touch instruments and full featured recording studio.
Art,Business, Physical Education, and World Language teachers at Sun Valley High School are using technology in creative ways to engage their students and to make their instruction more relevant to the “real” world. Some teachers in these departments are using Jing, a free download, to create video tutorials for students to watch at their own pace. And some have students utilizing PowerPoint’s audio files to create automated karaoke-like presentations that can be shared with all the students in the class. My Big Campus is widely used in all departments, but some teachers use it for project critiques. For example, students may be required to upload their final projects to the designated assignment wall where they are required to comment on their classmates’ work.
Art teachers at Sun Valley High School are using Photoshop for students to edit, manipulate, repair and blend photographic images. Students are also learning how to restore old photographs by using a variety of different techniques and tools in Photoshop; some are creating beautiful digital collages by blending several of their photographs onto one canvas. Students are also using Photoshop to re-create magazine covers, create car advertisements, and movie posters.
The Business Department at SVHS regularly uses My Big Campus for group discussions,paperless assignments, assessments, and easy access to additional resources to supplement lessons and to help students be college and career-ready. They also use web-base tutorials such as “IRS Online”. Rather than developing a budget worksheet or accounting journals and ledgers on paper, students build them in Excel, just as it is done in offices in the real world.
Physical Education teachers are using My Big Campus, Discovery Education, and other relevant websites to show students how nontraditional games and activities are played. Traditional PE activities are made more enjoyable because teachers have created playlists in iTunes for students to listen to during class. The high school PE department is exploring innovative ways to expand their use of technology – such as heart rate monitors, Dance Dance Revolution and Wii - to make the gym the “hot” place to be.
World Language teachers have access to technology resources that accompany their new textbook series, but they are also going multi-media. They are using VoiceThread, a multi-media slideshow application that allows students to provide commentary on pictures and videos. They can do so via voice, text, audio file or video. Group conversations can be held and can be viewed to practice speaking in the target language. This allows students to use the language in a variety of ways outside the classroom and also discuss the comments in class.
Home/School Connection ~
- Art Set: Like to draw and paint? This is a virtual art set right inside your iOS device.
- CNN Money: Keep up to date on the business world as well as view real time stock market information
- Nike+ Running: Great app for tracking your time and distance for walking/running as well as calories burned. Get others using the app as well and see who is in the lead!
- World Languages: There are a variety of apps to learn languages. Check out Learn Italian, Learn Spanish, and many more
