Week 10: Gamifying Education

In class this week, we talked about gamifying education. Gamification is a motivational technique for students to learn in fun ways. As a future teacher, I can utilize this technique to help motivate my students to learn music related things. I can't wait to use this when I start teaching!

Week 9: Audio Equipment for the Classroom

In class this week, we learned about sound systems, and basically how to use them. We discussed how to plug instruments, like a piano and/or a microphone, into a mixer, making the sound of the instrument to project louder. In addition, we talked about how to adjust the volume of each device to make the quality of the sound better. Our assignment for the week was to make a list of equipment that we felt would be beneficial to have in our classroom; my list is attached below. However, I understand that there is NO WAY that I will be requesting to purchase all six of these items at the same time. Because I will be on a budget, there will be certain items that I will have to purchase at a later date. Having this list gives me a better idea of what I will need in the classroom, and, hopefully, these things will be available to me.

Week 8: Copyright Laws

This week in our technology class, we discussed the various copyright laws in existence. A copyright is "a set of exclusive rights granted by law to the author for protection of their work." Usually, a copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years after the author's death. Copyrights allow the author to reproduce, publish, sell, and prepare works. There are a few categories in which copyrights fall under: public domain and fair use. Public domain is when a work may be freely used in public; fair use is a legal defense in which the author of a work may sue someone for stealing their work.
Before this class, I had a brief understanding of copyright, but now that I've heard the specific terms for each category of copyright, I have a better understanding of copyright! This is definitely something I need to know as a future music educator!

Week 7: Composing a Song

In class last week, we discussed elementary students composing songs. Professor Riley would give the students a topic, and each group of elementary students must work together to compose a piece based on that topic. With a project like this, the students are separated into groups, and work together to make up the lyrics to the song, as well as the music. To demonstrate this process, our class was assigned to make up a song about winter using Garage Band. This was a lot of fun, and is a great way to be creative.