Updates

This week I created a calendar to track my progress for my Genius Hour Project. I am marking down what activities I did on a specific day, rating its effectiveness on a scale from one to ten, and including notes about how it impacted my energy level or mood.

I had originally selected an Instagram challenge template on pinterest but I found it a little bit limiting so I'm going to just take snapshots of moments throughout the day that are reflective, fun, happy, or inspiring. 

I tweeted out to the twitterverse today to see how they practice mindfulness but I have yet to get any responses. I hope to glean from other people's experiences or resources. I have never done any research on mindfulness or participated in any mindfulness activities so I hope this project will also give me some incite into that practice.

My favourite resource from this week was the plickers activity! I would love to incorporate the use of plickers into the classroom in the future. I can still relate to kids who are afraid of giving the wrong answer! That's why I love collaboration, you get a chance to support your ideas after you hear from other what they thought, but more importantly you can learn from their perspective too! The plickers would be a great resource to include for activities where students would appreciate a level of anonymity. 

This week I want to read some articles on Mindfulness and tweak my project if need be. I leave you with a laugh, or what I hope will produce a laugh! #calvinandhobbesforever

Watterson, Bill. (2013, October 23). Calvin and Hobbes [Online Image]. Retrieved by http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2013/10/23

Not too much, not too little, just right

  
[Ted] (2012, April 3). Sherry Turkle: Connected , but alone? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/t7Xr3AsBEK4

 I loved this TED talk! I avoided getting a smart phone for a very long time because I was afraid of becoming addicted to it. I eventually gave in and hopped on the fancy phone bandwagon, but I've come to realize that I need to be careful with how much of myself I invest in my social image through Instagam or Facebook, or how much time I spend time comparing myself to strangers' seemingly perfect lives.

 My friends, family and husband and I do our best to be intentional with our together time. I don't want to sacrifice intentional, real conversation for mere threads of online meaningless connection!

I love true connection. That's probably why I love literature and stories, and conversation! It's the connecting with people, learning from them and sharing in the human experience that is so exciting in life.

Maybe we can't avoid becoming Digizens, but we should strive to be good ones!  Maybe unplugging once-in-a-while can't hurt though...

Respecting Art and Artists - The Creative Commons

For as long as the printed word has existed, the protection of a creator and their work has been a struggle. With the arrival of the "technology revolution," a new copyright struggle has been born! This has led to the formation of the Creative Commons that allows artists to specify exactly how the public or other artists can use or distribute their work.

As a future music educator, I will need to bear in mind the impact my example will have on my students when it comes to treatment, dissemination and use of musical examples, scores, or even worksheets. It is not respectful to the artist or their creation to simply appropriate a work for my own purposes, even if they are well meaning. Many of my friends are artists or musicians and I want children to remember that art and its creator are deserving of respect. It is generous of them to share their work through the Creative Commons and we should adhere to the guidelines they have created for their work.

I am of course fallible, I admit I was ignorant when it came to understanding all the nuances invovled in music copyright. I think it's safe to say my generation does not like to pay for music or movies or even TV. I was not aware of the many rules for copying a score! I am still learning.

Ribeiro, L. (2008, June 30). Children at School (Online Image). Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/ehBnRE

Lodder, J. (2014, June 17). One measure of "doctor gradus at parnassum" (Online Image). Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/o3wN4Z

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/11/david-byrne-internet-content-world

Hello world!

Hello and welcome to the home base for musings on my formal education training!

A bit about myself...  I studied music before entering teacher's college so I'm sure I will continually try to force music into every aspect of this new endeavor in order to keep the journey relevant to my own personal experience.


We Know Memes (2012, July 22). Hipster Beethoven (Online Image). Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2fpDb5b

 Sidenote: Remember when the # was an accidental?  #justasharp

I am excited for the challenges that await and have already loved all of the new education strategies we have encountered. Especially gamification! My inner nerd leapt for joy at the prospect of play having a major role in learning.

Now that I know about genius hours I'll be taking many a break throughout the next two years in order to recharge and continue to grow!

I leave you with a song. Because who doesn't like listening to new music?
[Andrew Judah] (2016, July 18). Andrew Judah - Hell? (Official Video) [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/7P_Vb0MYJ64