This week I started using the piano app I installed on my phone called “Simply Piano.” The app is actually pretty cool, I just open it up and put it as close to my keyboard speaker as I can and then play away! The app guides you along introducing you to each of the notes one at a time and has you play them. The app is able to listen to you play and can help you along as you go. So far it has guided me through proper posture at the piano as well as the first five notes starting at middle C.
As for reading sheet music I do not believe I have made a lot of progress. I have played a couple songs so far using the app to guide me, but all of the songs have been songs that I already know. This means I have gone back to playing by ear. Which I guess does not have to be seen as a bad thing, but makes it hard to learn new songs by reading sheet music. This week I will be searching youtube to find more resources to help me with reading sheet music. Anyone have any tips or tricks to share with me?
This week I learned to play “Ode to Joy”, listen to it on my youtube channel here:
Can Twitter be used as a classroom tool? I have been exploring it a lot this week, as I am brand new to the platform. So far I have found it to be a great way to meet people in the same profession and make contacts for education. It is a great way to share information and ideas for the classroom and get support from other professionals.
Twitter is useful as a professional development tool, but it is appropriate to use as a classroom tool? When thinking about using it as a classroom tool I must say that I am not really a fan of this idea. I could maybe see using it with high school students as they will be getting close to entering the work force and may want to start professional networking, but not any younger than that. I believe that bringing social media into the classroom is adding another network for bullying. To me Twitter is no place for children and will not be a tool I will use in the classroom.
Tweet on SaskEdChat
Recently I participated in #SaskEdChat on Twitter. SaskEdChat is a group for teachers in Saskatchewan and during these chats people in the group come online and answer questions posted a moderator. These questions and answers are a great way to learn. I found it interesting to hear others opinions and points of view. I was also able to make more connections with other teachers.
Hi my name is Amber Doucette, here you will find posts about my learning journey through Introduction to Educational Technology and Media. I have just started my third year in the Elementary Education Pre K to 5 program at the University of Regina. I have a very basic knowledge of educational technology and took this class to further my learning on the subject. I believe technology can enrich the learning environment, when used properly.
I am fun loving and adventurous and my biggest adventure right now are my two children. I love spending time with them and helping them to explore their world. My personal interests include, photography, dance, crafting, traveling, and learning. I currently work as an Educational Assistant and love every minute of it. Everyday I’m in a new classroom with new students, and they are teaching me so much.
Growing up technology was pretty basic and was fairly new to the education world. I believe this and a lack of understanding differences is why inclusion was not a reality at the time. Because of this, inclusion has always been a big part of my education journey of becoming a teacher and I am excited to learn all about different educational technologies that can be utilized to make inclusion a reality. Things have changed a lot since I have been in school and I am excited by all of the possibilities. Children with diverse abilities are starting to be seen in mainstream classrooms and some of this has to do with assistive technologies used by students and educators.
I want to learn more about educational technology, which is why I took this course. There are so many different forms of technology to be taken advantage of within the classroom environment.
I have a bit of background knowledge in blogging from doing it in previous courses. I find it to be very informative as you are able to read others thoughts on the same subject which is a great way to expand your knowledge even further. I am looking forward to learning more about blogging and reading informative posts from my peers in this class.
I have recently started a twitter account and am excited to learn from other educators!
When thinking of an idea for my learning project, my mind instantly went to playing piano. I love music and being able to play my own music is something I have always loved doing, but for years have not had the time to actually sit down and do it. I even went as far as to download an app on my phone called “Simply Piano,” but have not even opened it. I have also bought sheet music that sits in my piano bench having never been played.
I have a bit of background knowledge of piano, as I took lessons as a child, it has been over twenty years since I have played, so at this point I am starting back at square one. Reading music was something I never really learned to do as I always played by ear, so this will also be a big part of my learning journey.
My plan for my project is to start simple with labeling the keys on my keyboard,
My Labeled Keyboard
(apparently I also need to dust it off) and then begin to learn the names of the notes on sheet music.
Once I get more comfortable with reading music, I will start to play simple songs and then work my way up to a more complicated song. I will start with the basics and work my way up to playing one of my favourite songs “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran. My end goal of this project is to be able to play music I enjoy and have something fun to do in my spare time.
Now that I have all of the materials I need organized and ready to go I can start working on my learning. My plan for this week is to open up my app and get to know my keyboard. I will use the app as my guide, and we will see where it goes from there!
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