Thing #12 - another tool - "30 Boxes"

I really like "30 Boxes"http://30boxes.com/welcome.php because I am a complete "calendar nerd"! I literally live moment by moment with a binder that has a personal calendar and a professional calendar side by side so that I can keep my life straight!! Although this system works for me I can see that using "30 Boxes" would be less cumbersome! The calendar is right there and very easy to put events on it.
In a fine arts organization we have MANY events throughout the school year and even during the summer (various "camps"/ private lessons, etc) and we could have students keep track of all of it using the "30 Boxes". This could also be used to communicate events and times of events to parents. I loved the different features such as the printing options, the ability to produce a list for a given day. I'm a LIST person all the way!! Another great feature is the ability to "share" your calendar with your "buddies" on facebook, your blog, etc. We could use this throughout our department to make sure we all know of scheduled events.
Would this increase collaboration?? Definitely" yes" in the sense that we all could know what is going on and not have to email back and forth!
Would this increase productivity?? Definitely" yes "because of the easy and quick features - it is definitely user friendly. Also, going to a "central" calendar that's easy to update and edit at any time would definitely be a time saver.

Thing # 11 - Creating images

I played around with making mosaics http://bighugelabs.com/mosaic.php and I decided it would be fun to put a photo mosaic of musical instruments on my blog, so here it is! The tools and steps were fairly easy after I had a little help from my son! (The one thing I couldn't figure out is how to move my image around to fit it on the page better. )
The first step was to search on Flickr for Creative Commons photos. Next, I saved them on my computer. After that, I chose the colors and layout that I wanted on my mosaic and then uploaded the photos. Then I added the word mosaic to play around a little more. This was much easier than the photo mosaic! www.imagechef.com/ic/word_mosaic/
This is a cool way to create an image and can be used in various ways in my classroom such as making programs for concerts, enhancing communication concerning upcoming events and activities, and making choir handbooks. I can even see us using these tools to make CD covers and folder covers. The possibilities are endless! It does take a lot of time, though, and I think a lot of our time of course, still needs to be spent on actually singing! (learning and rehearsing our music - a novel concept! Ha!). Perhaps, with some guidance, students could be instructed on how to do these projects and then could work on them on their own time, rather than during the class period. I think they would view it more as "fun" than "work" and the end result would be awesome! They are never afraid to explore and constantly are discovering new ideas that are "out of the box".
I'm sure as I continue to forge ahead in this class, I will begin thinking of more uses for these new tools (or at least "new to me" tools) and also become more comfortable in using them. Is it taking anyone else a long time to figure some of this stuff out, or is it just me??

Photo Credits:
1. Kokiriko Japanese Music Instrument, 2. Sounds of Music: instrument 1, 3. Music Box, 4. Instruments, 5. 283.TriolaMelodica, 6. Sounds of Music: instrument 2

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lensman82/207338945/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tstadler/2790643037/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/celesteh/350876014/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trackybirthday/3126207022/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/evymoon_quatrain_quotidien/51353001/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tstadler/2790651445/

Thing #10 - "Be A Star - Join Choir" Slide Show

I love this! This is an awesome tool for recruiting! I think there are so many uses for slide shows in a fine arts organization - we do so many extra things like shows, banquets, trips, competitions, etc. all of which are "memory makers".
I have to admit however, that this was probably my most difficult activity so far - especially figuring out how to
embed the slide show in the blog post. I think I'm becoming a little more confident and freer with "playing" in order to figure things out, though. And after all, that's what is needed - to be able to "figure stuff out"!!

Slide Show Photo Credits: 5 photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nsengimana/274748917/Cotter HS Show Choir by Alex Nsengimana
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcclaudel/2185114408/Westlake HS Choir by Marc Claudel
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimstrezz/3127447574/Dana Hills HS Jazz Choir by Kim Strezz
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nsengimana/272191323/in/photostream/Cotter HS Show Choir by Alex Nsengimana
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nsengimana/274748917/Cotter HS Show Choir by Alex Nsengimana

Thing #7a - My Introduction to Twitter

When my son told me a month or so ago that the latest web communication tool is "Twitter", I have to admit my first reaction was "Oh no, another new "thing" for me to get caught up on and start using!" This, like many of the other explorations that I am encountering in this class, is opening up a whole new way of thinking about my own learning and ultimately, teaching, as an educator. I do feel that it is hard to "keep up" with there being so many demands on my time, but these tools are helping me to see that it is "do - able" with a little bit of effort.
I found a very helpful posting, "Twitter 101", by Lucy Gray on Google Reader from the Infinite Thinking Machine( http://www.infinitethinking.org/2009/06/friday-5-twitter-101.html)
which includes a step by step process for incorporating twitter as a professional developmental tool.
I can see that unless used wisely, there could be many pointless and useless "tweets" going back and forth in cyberspace. But if researched correctly, there could be a wealth of "tweets" on helpful topics for use in teaching. How could this be used in a fine arts classroom?? I'm just starting to think on that one. Any ideas??
I'm anxious to learn more and to continue exploring the possibilities! I love learning from my own children ( even though it's quite humbling and at times they're a little impatient with me) and also from my students!

Thing #9 - Exploring Flickr

There are so many uses and possibilities for this in a fine arts classroom. We are constantly "making memories" and building a sense of community as an extra curriculur class. Because we are more than just a "class" - in fact a "family" of a sort - we can use this in numerous ways to enhance the fine arts experience. A few that have come to me right away are creating slide shows to be used in recruiting, organizing pictures from our trips and competitions, making slide shows for Banquets, Spring Shows, and Talent Shows to name just a few. I would love to hear of other ways and ideas from more experienced photographers and other fine arts teachers!
I've decided that my topic will be "Why Fine Arts?" and because,specifically in a choir setting, students have a sense of belonging,importance, and are able to express themselves in ways that they may not be able to in other classes, Flickr can be another way of illustrating and collaboratively organizing those experiences as this photo shows,by photographer Kim Strezz.http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimstrezz/3127447574/. Lots of fun and expression going on here!

Thing #8 - Creative Commons

This concept is something that I have wondered about as I OFTEN include (or have thought about including but been afraid to break copyright laws) video and audio clips in my fine arts classroom.
It is a whole new way (as is all of this) of thinking about what belongs to a composer, performer, anyone in the music business, etc. as their own work and what they are allowing to be "shared".
As with anything NEW, I think we need to be careful to clarify in our own minds first, and then clearly communicate to our students what is legal and what is not. How do we do this and not get bogged down in it??? Or how do we coauthor with someone we've never met?? This kind of collaboration on the web blows my mind, and at the same time, is exciting to me.
I am glad for some initial clarification and knowledge of this new way of looking at copyrights --
the whole premise of CC ("please come in") invites and instigates a revolutionary system of sharing one's creativity, talent, and work, which is something that in my field of fine arts we are continually striving to do!

Thing #7 - importance of commenting

As I have been digging through all of these blogs I find that I have been "sucked" in by the different subject matter, but more importantly, the personal aspect to the posts and comments. It's like I've been sitting in on roundtable discussions and have been able to go down each of the "rabbit trails" with all of the participants in the discussions. Without commenting from the readers of the blogs, this would not be possible. It would merely be a "lecture" or an "essay" written by the blogger.
I think with practice I can learn to "invite" comments when I post a comment on my blog. This will definitely take some practice and experience because we are so conditioned to communicate in a more factual, opinionated way when we're writing. I think that's the key for me... to view blogging as if I'm actually talking, but yet I'm WRITING the words that I'm speaking instead of actually "voicing" them!
I want to become more comfortable with this and not afraid to share some about myself in a meaningful way which would draw attention to what I have to say.

Thing #5 - RSS

I read an article by Hannah Feldman entitled, "Don't Save The World". She made some interesting remarks about the current trend for High School and College students to travel to the far ends of the earth on mission trips, humanitarian causes of all types, and basically, attemp to "save the world". She, on the other hand, prefers to stay at home and knit! Her bottom line is that students should not feel pressure to accomplish things during their summer vacations other than what they desire to do. And that, possibly, might be simply reading, knitting, or working at Habitat for Humanity right in their own community. These honest reflections and summaries made by a junior in high school can be found at http://students2oh.org/

Thing #4 - Comments on blog posts

I really enjoyed reading these blogs, and not only learned about blogging in general, but also felt that I stretched my brain in thinking through many of our traditional educational practices and the whole learning process that we as teachers attempt to foster each day in our classrooms.
I especially enjoyed "A Rationale for Educational Blogging" since this medium is relatively new for me and I need to think out of my box quite a bit! Speaking of that, one major observation in all of these blogs is that to truly implement blogging in a productive way requires quite a "shift" from most of our structures and systems. For example, there is so much freedom and letting go of inhibitions to share the thoughts and ideas that students have in response to what is taught by the teacher, without fear of being interrupted, being"cut off" by someone more articulate, or receiving a bad grade for wrong spelling, grammar, etc. This could really help those students who perhaps have "shut down" and are not engaged in classroom activities and discussions.
Another observation I had is that most of the comments were positive and few expressed disagreement with the postings.

Thing # 2 - Initial Thoughts on Web 2.0

Wow! I've learned so much already! I feel like I've been exposed to more things in these few exercises and activities than I have in a whole year of normal living!
There are many ways that I can see these things aiding my profession, mostly in how I relate to and interact directly with students and parents in the whole realm of communicating and teaching.
It is so important to be able to "speak the language" so that students are willing to listen to what we are trying to teach them. It is really impossible to impact them without communicating with them in the way that they communicate with each other. I do feel, though that no matter how advanced the technology is, or how much a teacher uses it to effectively improve teaching/learning, nothing can replace the individual connection between teacher and student.
In a fast paced world, however, we as educators can certainly be more efficient with instruction time and aid in communication by utilizing the web 2.0 tools!

Thing #1 - Reflections on Lifelong Learning

The most challenging aspect for me in being a lifelong learning in regards to technology is to let go of my inhibitions and HAVE FUN exploring and to "play" (habit 7 1/2). That's one of the reasons I'm taking this class!
The easiest thing for me is to keep the end goal in sight(Habit #1) - - that of becoming more competent and better able to navigate through any technological challenge - because I am usually very goal oriented and do have the desire to improve in this area!
The most important "habit" is also my most challenging - # 6 - to use technology to my advantage. I'm CONFIDENT that this class will help me to do that.