Tool #4 Moving up to the clouds

For your Tool #4 post in your blog:

1. Create at least one document in Google Docs and share it with a few others on your campus or within your department. It could a team member, a department colleague, or another teacher with whom you plan a collaboration. Ask that person to comment or chat and real-time edit the document with you.
2. Create one form in Google Docs and send it via email to at least two other people and ask them to respond.
3. Briefly discuss how you can use the tools in Google Apps with your team or department. How can you incorporate Google Apps as a tool in your classroom? Which tools are you excited about using with students?

I have been able to send  google documents to other teachers and music directors. I found this to be a very useful and quick way to communicate with others.
Google docs would be a great way to reduce paperwork in the classroom. Also students would be able to get feedback much more quickly. The Goggle forms could really streamline communication between team members and departments. Sharing documents could also make interdisciplinary teaching much more easy to implement in the classroom.

Tool #3 Find Online video and image resources!

For your Tool #3 Assignment:

1. Visit several of the video hosting/streaming sites mentioned above. Share with your readers which sites you found most useful for your content and why.
2. Using any of the video resources mentioned above, find and select two videos that may be useful resources in your classroom. Embed them in your blog. If they do not have embed capabilities, hot link them to your blog.
3. Articulate what you learned about copyright and fair use. What was new to you?
4. Login to your Picasa Web Album through Google Apps - don't download Picasa, just click on the Web Albums link. Search for a few pictures. After searching, look at the filters on the left. Use the Creative Commons or remix filter to find images that you can reuse and remix. How could you use this in your classroom?

 I searched youtube video, google and found many helpful resources, string orcherstras performances and theory lessons for different instruments and activities which it would be great for orchestra students to watch.

Copyright laws state that you can not publish to the general public, only to a secure site and only for educational purposes.

Here are some links to websites that would be use for the orchestra students:

http://www.theoryinabox.org/portal.php

http://www.co-bw.com/DMS_music_theory%20_ear_training_tools.htm

http://www.miller-mccune.com/news/middle-school-music-lessons-enhance-algebra-skills-17009/

What’s Orchestra all about?

You will learn to play incredibly well.   Everyone will want to hear you play.  Your concerts will be fantastic.   Your first concert will be our annual Haunt-cert!  The auditorium will be packed and everyone will be amazed!  You will get to win trophies as a group and you will even get to win a medal!!  Playing a stringed instrument is a phenomenal mental and physical challenge.   You will be SO proud of yourself and the group with which you perform.

You won’t believe all the music you’ll get to play!  Everyone talks about how much they like to listen to different kinds of music but it is 100 times more fun to get to play it! The middle school beginning orchestra offers such a fantastic opportunity to experiment - to try an instrument - to see what talents lay hidden.  You may never have this opportunity again.  You will get to play and love some of the greatest music ever written!

Tool # 1

Intermediate Orchestra
Warm Up
Scale G major
Music Selection

Tool # 2

1. Visit at least 5 blogs of fellow educators and comment to one of their posts - other teachers on your campus who are also blogging as part of the 11 Tools, a few of the resources listed above or fellow educators who might teach the same content as you (by "googling" your content area + the word blog)! You'd be amazed at the number of educators out there who are sharing their ideas and classroom experiences! Or, Visit 3 blogs and expand your PLN differently by signing up for a Diigo account or Google Reader and following the bookmarks/websites of 2 other Diigo members or websites.
2. After completing the above, share you thoughts about building and participating in an online community and participating in a PLN. What points stood out to you from the commenting advice? Were you able to apply any of the advice in your comments? How did you feel about sharing your thoughts publicly? Was it different than when you're sharing your successes/challenges with your teammate?
3. Share the url or name of a website or social network that you plan to visit in the future. What does that site have to offer?

I'm excited that other orchestra diretors, teachers and I are able to collaborate through our blogs. We are working and making our cross-curricular planning so much easier. I feel like the networking within my own and other campus will be interesting!

I like the idea of asking questions or soliciting comments to increase the number of comments on your blog. I would like to hear some of your ideas on how to encourage students to make unique comments without parroting comments that have already been made.

I actually prefer sharing ideas through a digital medium for our music selection and repertor as well as instrumentat technical development.

Advanced orchestra
1.Scale
2. Warm up
3. Region etude
4. Music selection


 String Orchestra Bartok