11 Tools, Post #9

Here are my answers to the questions regarding the incorporation of classroom-based devices as tools for learning:

1)  Tying technology to the objective is important because it not only gives students multiple ways to respond to the objective in their own way, thus making learning more meaningful, but it also allows teachers to present the objective in more relevant terms to the student.  Many of our students are greatly tied to their mobile devices, so if we can use that to our advantage as educators, our students have a much better chance of retaining the information taught and actually understanding and using that information in other settings.

2)  Students need to be held accountable for the technology stations/centers to learn digital responsibility and to also learn how those devices can assist them in their learning.

3)  I really liked Thinkfinity as it lead me to the page created by The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.  After browsing their site, it has amazing music resources that I will definitely be using next year!  I also liked Learning Games for Kids as it also has some wonderful primary resources that would work well with my current classroom technology.  Both of these resources are accessible and useful with the MacBooks and iPod touches, and students can easily be held accountable for what they learn through these sites as stations through assessment activities.

4)  A few apps I like for the iPod touch are Composer of the Day, FingerPiano Lite, and Interval Ear Training.  The composer app center could have students creating parallels between the composer and the current day; the piano app can help students solidify knowledge of sharps and flats as well as some basic intervals; and the Interval Ear Trainer can assist students with learning to sightread vocally and really understand the distance between the different solfege syllables they learn in class.

5)  The students can use the iPod touch and MacBooks in other ways at stations by using them as music listening devices and research tools.