Maine Arts Education Assessment Webinar

I was very honored to be a guest in a webinar today that was sponsored by the Maine Department of Education.

An Elementary Discussion: How in the World Can I Possibly Do This?

Addressing the unique needs of elementary arts educators

There was very insightful discussion and questions. The transcript of the webinar will be available soon at: http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/vpa/assessment.html#webinars

There are many great resources listed on this webinar. My own links can be accessed from my website at: http://www.vinehallcomputing.com/education.htm

What does a 21st Century Music Classroom look like?

Not much different from any other music classroom. Except for the rolling metal cart with the laptop, LCD projector, iPod docking station that doubles as an amplifier, with a microphone and other sound inputs and a document reader. These tools help the 21st Century skills teacher use pdf files, mp3 files, YouTube, wikis and GarageBand in every day applications. The iPad connected to the TV is helpful, as well.

The rhythm sticks still get a lot of use, as do the guitars, Orff instruments and maracas. But, student learning is enhanced when we can go to Google Earth and look at where something is in live-time and see the topography of a country or location as we study a song.

Stay tuned for more tools from my “Every day 21st Century” classroom!

MMEA 2011 All State Conference Sessions

Thanks to those that attended my workshops at the MMEA All State Conference at USM in Gorham, Maine on Thursday and Friday. The two workshops that I presented are available for you to download and use as you need them. Please remember to link back to my blog should you use them and find them helpful! Feel free to share them with others as well.

Any questions can be directed to me at bbpackales@aol.com.

Wikis-Blogs-GoogleDocs_May 2011

Using MIDI in the Classroom – Maine Workshop

NCMEA 2011 Conference Presenters Needed!

I’m searching for presenters for the upcoming NCMEA Conference in November 2011. I am looking for best practices by teachers from all levels K-College.

Some ideas are:

• Innovative uses of interactive whiteboards
• Uses of the iPad
• Uses of the iPod Touch
• Best practices at every level using technology
• Vendors with great new products
• Lesson plan sharing sessions

Know anyone? Are you able to present yourself? The deadline is March 25, 2011 HOWEVER – I will gladly accept proposals as late as April 25th. Please download a session proposal form, or email me with your ideas! Tech Conference Session Proposal Application

Virtual Worlds

I have spent the last 5 weeks exploring Second Life as my avatar Davina DaTeacher. Led by Lucas Gillespie of LearnNC.org and the COLT online certification program, my classmates and I explored Second Life. At first I was very hesitant and unsure of why this was important to education. I had spent time in Second Life before and wandered around aimlessly. I chose to take this class, because I always like to have someone prove me wrong!

Lucas DID prove me wrong! His expert guidance gently led us through exploring NASA learning islands, to building fascinating shapes, to meeting docents at ISTE Island. We changed outfits, learned how to interact in the space, and fly. Yes, I said fly. It is a most convenient way to get around.

Schools, businesses and Universities are using Virtual World technology to teach classes, collaborate with others around the world, and develop new ways to assess and educate. The possibilities are truly endless.

My concern was with using Second Life in my day-to-day existence as an elementary school teacher. I have been guided, however, to Reaction Grid which is suitable for younger students. I will spend some time this week exploring Reaction Grid and hope for positive outcomes to share with my Technology students at school. Stay tuned!

Teachers as Professionals

I am fortunate that my principal treats her staff as professionals. I have been very blessed to have several principals throughout my career that were in this same category. Staff members are expected to do what needs to be done, provide quality education, integrate technology into daily teaching and continue professional development with very little intervention. I feel valued and respected in my job.

So why aren’t there more principals like this? My principal makes it look easy. But I’m sure that there are many facets to developing a good leader that allows for autonomy while nurturing growth.

Our educational system needs reform. Of that there is no doubt. The Boston Globe article “Learning from Finland” has valid information to share. Not pitting school against school. Not relying on standardized tests. Providing state funded education for teachers to encourage the best and the brightest. Should we be listening?

GarageBand Session Presented Today

I will be presenting a GarageBand Session today at 2 PM in BCC North Main Hall C.

This session is not listed in the NCMEA Conference booklet. Please pass the word!

2010 NCMEA Conference

This weekend I will be presenting at the NC Music Educators Conference in Winston-Salem, NC. Please take the survey if you were an attendee at the conference.

The NCMEA 2010 sessions are available for download here:

MIDI in the Elementary Classroom Click here to take the MIDI session survey

Download the pdf version of my MIDI Workshop_c

Wikis, Blogs and Google Docs Click here to take Wiki, Blog and Google Docs survey

Download the pdf version of Wikis-Blogs-GoogleDocs

Garageband in the Elementary Classroom Click here to take the GarageBand session survey

Download the pdf version of GargageBand ’10 in the Elem Class

Portable Productivity – A Case Study

Thinking about using technology in your classroom but not sure where to start? This article is a case study in using an iPod in the music classroom. The Maine Music Educators Association publication, The Bulletin is available as an online magazine at:  http://tinyurl.com/y8usvwf

Technology is no longer the wave of the future. Technology is now. Dramatic changes have come about in how we access, store and disseminate information. Education needs to make the same types of dramatic changes in order to compete in a global market. Over 150 million iPods have been sold worldwide as of March 2008 (Gaba, 2008) Bridge Ratings, LLC predicts that by 2009 approximately 250 million MP3 players will be in use. (Bridge Ratings, 2007).

Download workshop sessions

Looking for workshop sessions on Assessment, Podcasting, Google Earth or GarageBand?

More information and ideas can be found at:

Visit: http://www.vinehallcomputing.com/education.htm