So far my GAME plan has been very slow going. I don’t think that I have had enough time to really see any growth in the areas that I selected. This time of year is pretty difficult for a music teacher. On top of having to prepare for and assist with CRCT, I am also preparing for spring musical endeavors. This is not to imply that I have made no progress. On the contrary, I have been able to go to two different technology seminars and am preparing for a live webinar next week. Still there are many more things that I could be doing to grow if I weren’t so busy. Don’t get me wrong I understand that I must make time to grow. I’m just explaining where I am right now.
With the time that I have committed to growing I have been, gratefully, overwhelmed with the amount information that is available in these areas. The main source of this information is from a fellow teacher who specializes in technology. She has been able to give me many ideas that I am planning to implement in the classroom. I have also been able to collect several technology integrated music lessons from the internet.
Given that I am not as far along as I would like I think that I need to modify my GAME plan a little bit. The most obvious to me is that I need to set aside time for developing these new lessons. I do have a time slot in my day that could be better managed and I believe that it would make for the best time to accomplish some of the goals in my GAME plan.
After going to the technology seminars I have learned quite a bit. A few years ago I was considering purchasing the Yamaha Keyboard Lab, but was torn between it or a MIDI Lab. The first seminar that I went to was about the Yamaha Lab and based on what I discovered their, though the Yamaha Keyboard Lab is an amazing hardware tool for understanding music, it would not cater to project based lessons like a MIDI Lab would. The only question that I have now is how in the world I am going to get money to fund the purchase of an all inclusive MIDI Lab.
Jame I can completely relate to progressing very slow on my GAME plan. At the end of April is my annual spring art show. So from now until the end of April every little bit of planning and weekend time will be used to prepare and plan for the big day! In addition to these courses, I am not sure when I will find any time to focus on my plan. I also like your idea using a mentor to focus on ideas because the information on the web can be overwhelming. I think it is great that you have attended some technology seminars so far. My district offers classes (free of course) on technologies that can be used in our classroom. The only down side is that the majority of them do not start until summer time! Good luck with working on the game plan and preparing for your musicals!
ReplyDeleteJames, I hear you regarding time. I've been travelling for week the last three weeks and it's killing me. However it looks like you've made some good progress identifying where your plan strengths and weaknesses are. I also think it's a great idea to use the squishy (human) resources all around you. People who have used some tools can be great at giving you good advice and helping you get a leg up.
ReplyDeleteIt also sounds like you've done some good research into a specific tool you want to incorporate. If funding in the department is tight, you may want to talk to the school board and the community about the tool. You could prepare a presentation to show how it will help your students and improve the music program and possibly the board or people in the community will be interested in coming to your aid in the purchase.