Write songs with students in GarageBand. Integrate music into the common core with songwriting, music theory, and creativity. In this workshop, participants will compose music for a variety of cross-curricular purposes: video soundtracks, song parodies, song form, algebra (patterning), and original compositions.

• Develop a basic understanding of the GarageBand interface on iPad and Mac.
• Create & edit recording.
• Compose a song parody based on common core standards.
• Create an original musical composition utilizing GarageBand’s loops.
• Integrate music into various subject areas.

1. Introduction to GarageBand on Mac

• Loops
• Magic GarageBand
• Recording
• Tempo, Key, Time Signature

2. Introduction to GarageBand on iPad

• Smart Instruments
• Sampling

3. Add pre-recorded loops: hands-on

• Loop categories
• Repeat and automate loops

4. Record audio: hands-on

• builit-in microphone
• external microphones

5. Write a song parody based on common core standard

• examples for language arts
• examples for math

6. Cross-curricular ideas

• songs to study to
• song composition
• song form and algebra

7. Video soundtrack

• sync audio with video track
• edit video
• auto-tune and quantize
• matching tone of music with visuals

The purpose of this workshop is to give participants the skills necessary to create a professional or classroom website. The workshop will introduce participants to three website creation platforms, and will provide real-life examples of final sites.
The first half of the session will focus on basic skills, and introduce Google Sites, Weebly, and WordPress to participants. In the second half, participants will select a website creation platform and create their own website.

By owning your own website, you have control over every aspect. There is a low barrier to entry when using WordPress. Knowledge of HTML markup or MySQL databases is not necessary. By the end of the session, every participant will have their own .com website.

All participants will leave with a live educational website ready to be used. They will have skills, resources, and examples to continue developing their site.

1. Introduction to web design
2. Websites and the home-school connection

• Communicate with families
• Share student work: songs, videos, podcasts
• Parents can subscribe via RSS
• Daily/weekly reminders
• Share documents

3. Google Sites overview

• Creating the site
• Choose a theme
• Share
• Pages
• Editing a Page
• Layout of a Page
• Subpages
• Announcements/Blog style
• Insert Menu
• Image
• Form
• Document
• Calendar

4. Weebly overview: 10 minutes

• Navigation Bar
• Elements
• Paragraph with title
• Paragraph with picture
• Picture only
• Titles
• Multiple columns
• Design
• Theme options
• Design options
• Pages
• Add blog
• Add pages
• Create sub pages
• Password protecting
• Blog
• Features
• Posting
• Manage
• Comments
• Sidebar

5. WordPress overview: 10 minutes

• Posts
• Pages
• Media
• Appearance
• Themes
• Plugins
• Widgets
• Menus
• Advanced
• Permalinks
• Users
• Writing settings
• Uploading
• FTP
• HTML
• Podcasting

6. Examples created by presenters

• Student websites: mrseliskar.com, roadrunneracademy.weebly.com, roadrunnertimes.weebly.com, k5tunes.com,
• Professional websites: alicekeeler.com, jasonseliskar.com, billselak.com

7. Create websites in three groups

• Platform overview
• Page creation
• Post/blog creation
• Theme customization
• Platform resources

8. Publish websites

A video is created three times: when you write it, when you shoot it, and when you edit it. There are several formats that can be used to write a script for the classroom: a google doc, a dedicated app (ex: Storyboards), a google form, or a production organization document. Whichever format is used, emphasis should be placed on how it will be used in the classroom, and what the goal of the video is.

When recording, it is important to incorporate basic rules of composition, such as the rule of thirds, into your video. Being aware of the environment (basic concepts like lighting and room tone) makes it easier to edit. According to current best practices, teachers can rely on fair use and download videos using iCab Mobile to incorporate current events into their videos and lessons. Finally, in-camera tricks such as forced perspective will be explored to add a big-budget feel to videos.

iMovie contains movie trailer templates and themes that allow for quick, professional-looking videos. iMovie is a non-linear editor, so sequences can be filmed out of order. Participants will film and edit a short video collaboratively using YouTube’s mobile upload, and iCab Mobile’s video download feature. Projects in iMovie can easily add graphics and soundtracks to create a polished product.

iMovie projects can be published directly to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and CNN iReport. Use AirPlay to stream video to your HDTV using an Apple TV. Embed videos into classroom websites, or video channels on websites such as SchoolTube. Leverage teacher-created videos with the flipped classroom model to maximize class time.

1. Writing

• How video will be used in the classroom
• Storyboard apps: Storyboards, Idea Boards, Index Card
• Google form example: http://bit.ly/Kxpdsv
• Production organization document: an all-in-one script/shot list as a Google Doc
  
• Brainstorming graphic organizer
• Cube Creator: Summarizing information is an important postreading and prewriting activity that helps students synthesize what they have learned.
• Mystery Cube planning sheet
• Educreations

2. Recording

• Rules of Composition
• Shooting to Edit
• Lighting basics and demonstration
• Microphone demo
• Room tone and sound tips
• Incorporating other videos–download YouTube videos
• Special effects: forced perspective, time effects

3. Editing

• Non-Linear editing
• Foley sounds, Sound effects, Soundtracks
• Graphics, custom titles
• Movie trailer and themes

4. Distributing

• Collaborative filming
• YouTube mobile uploading
• Display via AirPlay with Apple TV
• Streaming video
• Sharing: SchoolTube, YouTube

Right now I’m grading papers that my elementary students wrote about what they learned in music class. I used to give a multiple choice test, but these one-page essays tell me a lot about what these students have learned (which is helpful when giving grades). One student wrote,

We made a song in GarageBand. It’s called U.S. Presidents. We learned about what websites we should use and if we have to give credit and learned rhythm and tempo.

Awesome, right!? The 4th/5th music standards in California are pretty dry. Actually, most content standards are pretty dry. Our textbook does not sweeten them up much. So this year, I composed songs with my music students as a way to teach them about rhythm, tempo, melody, song form, etc. In past years, I composed short pieces of music with my students, but limited the lesson to one 40-minute class period. This year, we spent four class periods working on a song, from writing lyrics and melodies to adding instrumentation and choosing a song form (chorus/verse).

After reading through what my students wrote, it’s apparent that project-based learning helped students actually learn the material. Not only did they take ownership of this song, but the content stuck. They really do understand all that stuff–eighth notes, half rests, repeats, phrasing. And it wasn’t just a more effective way to teach, it was also more enjoyable (for them and for me!).

There’s a bigger lesson that I learned, though. By working on a project, there are so many other important things that I am able to teach. We decided to create a music video to accompany each song, so I (as the music teacher) explained creative commons, giving credit, and being respectful online. This seems like an eduawesome way to teach digital citizenship. As we created the video, I could talk with them about pacing, types of shots, and telling a story visually. Suddenly, all these artistic concepts melded into one project. I’m hoping that the Common Core is going to push us in this direction. Projects seem to be a perfect fit–narrower (less content) and deeper (projects). In this one project, each music class learned about composition, digital citizenship, video editing, and their own content area, which ranged from adding fractions to human body systems. This will definitely be a project that I will be repeating next year!

Network and network are polysemes–words with the same spelling and distinct but related meanings. (It’s a version of a homonym.) It’s curious to me that in the year 2013, these once-distant words have such similar meanings. I’ve blogged before about begin a connected educator. Heck, I even teach a course on it. It just occurred to me how important essential the internet is to my professional learning. I can’t imagine teaching without it.

The sense of community I feel as a teacher is profound. Twitter, Google+, and the internet in general are a significant part of that. At the Next Vista Awards last month, I met an eduawesome teacher.  We talked about video, ed tech, music, beer. But, he’s not on Twitter or Google+. So… I don’t even remember his name. Contrasting that with a conversation I had a year ago at ISTE. I met Corrine Okada, we connected on Twitter and Instagram, and we continue to collaborate and communicate.

We take the ability to communicate with anyone around the world instantly (and for free) for granted. We can connect with teachers globally like never before. ISTE recently announced award recipients (and I’m one  of them). Within a couple hours of an article being posted, educators from around the world were congratulating me. Again, we take communication like this for granted. If you stop and think about what’s actually happens, it’s amazing. Erin in Michigan and A.J. in Philly are congratulating me. It’s super stinking cool!

When I think of technology in the classroom, my first thought is always about what I can do in the classroom with tech. Thinking about students and tech is always second. I’m wondering how my students might respond to a prompt about their learning network. I think the answer would make me sad. I’ve never even asked my students how they use the internet to develop a personal learning space. I don’t think they’ve even thought it was an option. So, while I’m edustoked to have a supportive, robust learning network, I need to spend some time considering how I can support my students in developing their own learning space online.

After writing 14 original songs, a student asked if we could make a music video to go with the song. So, we made 14 music videos to accompany the album STEAM-Powered Songs. (All 14 videos will auto-play in the embedded playlist below.) This project was selected as a California Student Media Festival winner in the category of Elementary Fine Arts!

The Google Art Project “is an initiative to provide thousands of high quality, high resolution images from museums across the globe in one place, making art’s history, meaning and beauty available in ways never possible before.” Two creative ways to leverage this in the classroom: zoom reaaaaaallly far in, and “walk” through a museum (think Google Street View).

So, that’s the Google Art Project. Let’s talk Common Core. The Common Core was made for project-based learning. Here’s a description of Common Core for Math:

require students to experiment with tools and processes, apply abstract reasoning and critical thinking, and persevere in problem solving in complex mathematical tasks. Student must be able to combine skills and processes to solve multi-step processes, and solve word and modeling problems that may have many appropriate representations and approaches.

This project idea addresses the new Common Core Math standards and uses the Google Art Project. It can easily be scaffolded for grades 3-8, it aligns with the third and eighth grade standards, and fits developmentally well with fifth grade-ish.

Take a moment and look at A Sunday on La Grande Jatte on the Google Art Project. (Don’t just look below–play with the image in the Google Art Project!)

We don’t know how many dots are in this painting. (Read: there is no correct answer.) Here are the steps I would go through with my class. You can do this in one class period, or stretch it out over a week.

1. Look at image.
2. Estimate how many dots there are in the entire painting (whole class).
3. Zoom in.
4. Zoom waaaay in.
5. Estimate how many dots there are in the zoomed-in section (whole class).
6. Break into teams of four. Devise a strategy for figuring out how many dots this painting has.
7. As a team, estimate how many dots there are in the entire painting.
8. Share your strategy and results with the class.
9. As a class, compare estimating strategies.
10. Round two: revise your strategy. Estimate again as a group.
11. Share your results again.
12. As a class, decide what your final answer is.

Collaborate with other classes. Merge this into a Mystery Skype conversation, or connect with other classes in the Flat Classroom Project. There are so many options for integrating art from the Google Art Project into math lessons. The DIY section of the site has other eduawesome lesson ideas. Finally, if you’re loving these ideas, join the Google Art Project Community over at Google+.

I’ve been blending my courses at both University of La Verne at at Azusa Pacific University for a while. At first, my videos were created from necessity. At ULV, we meet weekly for five hours. That’s a long time. My lectures were dense with information, and had little interaction. So, I flipped my courses whenever I had a long lecture–students watch my lecture at home and take notes, and then we spend more time in class on activities and discussion. This is a much better use of class time. Students appreciate the flexibility, and I appreciate more discussion and less lecturing.

At APU, summer courses have a strange schedule: we have five hour classes twice each week. Again, that’s a lot of class time. Born out of this impacted schedule, I flipped my class again. One of the meetings had lectures and activities online, and the other was entirely face-to-face. I already had a sequence for this course, so the flipped sessions ended up being arbitrary at first. Student feedback has slowly transformed this process.

As it turns out, blended learning already has a taxonomy. The Innosight Institute has published a whitepaper on blended learning trends and practices. They identify four blended learning models: Rotation model, Flex model, Self-Blend model, and Enriched/Virtual model. My attempts at blended learning fall into the Flex model. My videos can be used as enrichment or to reteach.

I didn’t know what I was doing when I began blending my courses. After reading the whitepaper, I realized that I need to support student learning in a blended environment. Next quarter, my APU students will join a Google+ Community, where they can connect, share resources and ideas, and support each other. The combination of my course website and a place for online discussions will hopefully make students feel more connected.

A significant component of a blended course is student control over path. I could definitely leverage some online video tools to allow for more student choice. My goal is to transform, rather than sustain, the traditional classroom model.

Hey Bill, do you think you’ll be able to join us in Dubai tonight?

My response: sure! I live in Los Angeles and don’t own a time machine, so I decided to join the Dubai cohort via Google Hangout. Thus began my experience in the Leading Edge Certification program. (Bonus points for using the word “thus.”)

If you’re not familiar with Leading Edge Certification, here’s the official explanation:

Leading Edge Certification (LEC) is a national certification program in educational technology and curriculum innovation. Created by an Alliance of nonprofits, universities and educational agencies, LEC is the first national certification program of its kind, and is platform and vendor neutral. There are five areas of certification offered by LEC: Online and Blended Teacher, Administrator, Digital Educator, Teacher Librarian, and Leading Educator.

Most of my classmates live in Dubai, which is arguably the perfect backdrop for a course on blended teaching. Despite living 8000 miles away, I feel surprisingly connected–weekly discussions, reflections, and activities definitely help create that connectedness.

I love that I’m learning to teach these skills in a forum where I’m experiencing these same skills. In other words, I’m learning how to teach online, and I’m learning it online. EduAwesome! On a larger scale, this is the same reason I love teaching teachers. I not only teach them, I also model how to teach them. I often stop mid-lesson to punctuate the point: “Do you see what I’m doing here? You can do this with your students!” It’s a subtle, but significant difference from teaching elementary students.

In the next eight weeks of the Online and Blended Teacher certification, we will be focusing on online learning, online pedagogy, building community, online accessibility, assessment and evaluation, policies, and online closure. As a teacher, I tend to spend most of my time teaching. It’s so important for us as teachers to continue to learn. I thought I had this area of professional development covered–I regularly attend conferences, and educators on Twitter are constantly teaching me things. Being enrolled in a formal program, however, is a whole other beast. Being responsible for weekly posts and being assessed on my work is stressful. It’s a good reminder for how my students feel when I assign a project or give an assessment. It’s intimidating, and I had forgotten what that felt like. Since this is an online course about teaching online courses, I’m looking forward to seeing how this experience is facilitated. I’m not as concerned with the content (aka web 2.0 tools) as much as how it’s delivered and how I’m engaged. As I continue through Leading Edge Certification, I’ll be blogging about new tools, and my experience in the program.