Sometimes things get stale. French fries. Bagels. Chips. Lesson delivery. And while there's not much we can do about those first three, sometimes simply changing the medium by which we deliver content can overturn participation rates for an entire class. Enter: QR Codes. I love throwing things into QR Codes. Any document, pdf, infographic, website, … Continue reading QR Code Scavenger Hunt For Active Listening {Editable Activity}
Scrambling for a fulfilling, content-rich 9/11 activity for kids today? Here, try this: 9/11 Commemoration Music Hyperdoc. Feeling risky? Just assign it in Google Classroom. All the content, videos, and assignment instructions are embedded in links throughout the document. Sometimes I totally prepare meaningful and insightful lessons that align in multi-dimensions to standards across curricula … Continue reading Last Minute 9/11 Commemorative Music Hyperdoc {Editable Resource – Ready to Assign!}
Most of you are probably preparing to begin the 2018-19 school year. Here in Mishawaka, Indiana, I'm well into my third week of classes and as such, I'm finally getting around to updating and distributing my class syllabus. I'M NOT LAZY, I SWEAR! I never start the year with a stack of paperwork and lists … Continue reading START STRONG – 7/8 General Music Syllabus {Editable Resource}
I love to give kids "Active Listening" days in music. In the 90s, the positive effect music has on the brain was popularized as the Mozart Effect when research indicated that listening to Mozart while completing simple tasks resulted in short-term improvements to spatial-temporal reasoning. Since then, music advocacy has seen a boost in importance and … Continue reading Active Listening with QR Codes {Editable Docs}
I love creating simple activities for students in Google Slides. Earlier this month I shared my Interactive Instrument Sort. I had originally created this sort in Google Drawings then later transferred the idea to Slides. I now keep a file full of one-slide activities that I pull from each year to create new, relevant hyperdocs … Continue reading Interactive Worksheets in Google Slides {Editable Note Naming Slide}
I love to use Screencastify and QR Codes to create blended learning experiences for kids as well as to provide a digital lesson board for students who miss class or need review. Learn more as I host a Tech Chat for School City of Mishawaka's Summer of Digital Learning! ENTER TO WIN A SCREENCASTIFY PREMIUM … Continue reading Tech Chat: Differentiate Using Screencastify & QR Codes {Screencastify Premium GIVEAWAY}
One of my favorite projects to assign my middle school general music classes is this Popular Music Through the Ages Hyperdoc. It's an extended listening assignment that has students listen to randomly selected top hits from different decades in history according to Billboard.com. The "random selection" comes in the form of a family/friend/school survey. Students … Continue reading Teach with Popular Music {Editable Pop-Music Hyperdoc}
Ed Tech is a major buzzword in public education right now and is it me, or is there less push for tech integration in fine arts classrooms? AND WHY?! The realm of digital tools for fine and performing arts is richly populated with incredible apps, programs, software, and even hardware with the potential to increase growth and … Continue reading Hyperdocs in the Music Room {Editable Instrument Hyperdoc}
One thing I really love about the Gsuite applications is that they can be used across all subject areas in countless ways to enhance understanding, especially for those of us who do not teach what are considered "core" classes. Using these apps throughout an entire school can bind us as teachers in a way that … Continue reading Interactive Worksheet: Instrument Sort {Editable Resource}
Sometimes the simplest apps can be used with great impact in the classroom. I think Google Drawings is one of those often overlooked tools. Whenever I need to make a poster, infographic, lesson plan, presentation, assignment, etc. I usually start with Google Drawings. A simple search online will come up with several tutorials for using … Continue reading Google Drawings in the Classroom
