Mangione Revisited

It was so nice to Louis back on campus this week! He is truly gifted as a presenter but the thing I like most about his delivery is that his suggestions are ultimately practical and can be implemented immediately in class. TO the right you will notice a playlist that I created for classroom use. I believe all of these songs fit the criteria that Louis laid down for us:

1. The kids don't know it.
2. Consistent dynamics.
3. Beats per minute somewhere around the same as the heartbeat.

You will notice the the Como "Round and Round" song is first on the list for use in Louis's "maypole" technique. Let me know if you are an expert and think you know some songs that belong on the list.

Remember, Louis said be careful with music during tests or quizzes - use only foreign or instrumental music in this situation.

Music in the classroom!

When Louis Mangione was here he really hammered the fact that our 21st century students are different. One of the differences he highlighted had to do with music. He made a very valid point about music changing the dynamic of your classroom. This post is to introduce you to music - web 2.0 style. The music engine of choice (today) is http://www.playlist.com/. Playlist allows you to create multiple playlists that are to be streamed directly from the playlist.com website. The part of playlist that sets it apart from the others is that you are in charge of picking each and every song on your playlist - in the classroom that translates into having complete control over the content you are playing. He recommended music that is right around the beats per minute of our hearts. See what you think about my little playlist over on the right...and create one of your own!

What is web 2.0?

I had a conversation with a teacher from ACS (where Craig Fisher is the Head of School) at the TCEA conference in Austin. She asked, "how much does it cost, where can I get it, and what does it do?" Well, that is a pretty ridiculous question to someone like me that is really interested in the range of available web 2.0 apps (applications). I realized that is the first hurdle for teachers - what is web 2.0? She went on to say things like, "Do I get it from my internet provider?, I just now am able to work the web 1.0 and now they expect me to learn a new internet?" Web 2.0 is not a new, updated version of the internet - well, maybe in a sense. When we first started "surfing" (that term is old school now) - we were forced to view information that only the programmers could have delivered to us. You had to be a computer professional to create a web page, or take a primer in html to create something that other people could view. We were strictly consumers, we would shop online, get directions, check show times, and purchase cheaper plane tickets. Now, with the advancement of web 2.0 applications - we become providers, we sell, we make maps for others, we are our own travel agents, and write for all the world to see. Anyone can and millions do, create content for others. In short, web 2.0 is the user-created web. Check out this video - it captures the essence of the web 2.0...and has been viewed almost 8 million times on youtube.

Custom Search Engine with Google

Here is another good tool that would be classified as a web 2.0 tool - basically because the interface is very intuitive and you don't need to be a programmer to make this work. Have you ever been frustrated with students doing research in class because of the lack of depth they glean from the websites they choose? If so, wouldn't it help if you could pick the sites they are choosing to do their research from? Google Custom Search Engines can help you with that. Basically, you pick the sites they can search from. All you do is provide the students with the link to the search engine that you have created and their search results will come exculsively from the sites that you choose! Again, here is a youtube video that walks you through setting up your own search engine:

One thing to consider, the url that is created for your search engine is huge...you can cut it down to a few characters by using another free web 2.0 app like www.tinyurl.com. Here is a short clip on how it works:

Sorry, the music is brutal!

Save a YouTube video with ZamZar

As an administrator, I am a bit scared of youtube. For every 1,000 great educational videos, there are 10,000 that are not good for kids to see. Search and find the video that you want to use - then follow the steps in this video:

Grant, we could have used this method when we wanted to show a youtube video without a strong internet signal in the gym! As a teacher, you can also embed the resulting file into a powerpoint to show that you really know what you are doing! It can take an hour to get the video back, so (as always) plan ahead.

Google Forms - Create an online quiz!

Best thing about it...it is graded for you and instantly gives you graphs and charts about your responses - oh, and it is free! Kristi, you will be all about this once you see what it can do. Here is another tutorial to show you how it works:

Test your kids on it first, make one that is about their favorite color - or something inconsequential, just so you know th potential kinks. Comment with the kinks!

blogger

www.blogger.com
This is Google's blogging program. Here is a quick video tutorial that will show you how to get started immediately with a new blogspot account:

Feel free to comment on ways that you think this technology can be used in the classroom.