Tech Scout 2.0!

What's a Tech Scout? It's the Professional Development strand that I'll be taking on this year - for round 2! I had so much fun diving into the world of Technology last year, but had so much information that I didn't know where to start. Now that I have adjusted and settled in to Davis, I'm excited to continue to grow as a Tech Scout!

I should preface this by saying that I've always had a desire to dive deeper into the world of Technology, but as a Music teacher, I was concerned that it would take away from the natural learning. With the creation of iBands and digital music, I worried that children would no longer learn the proper technique for playing a real instrument. Through the help of Stacy Brown, I've branched out of my comfort zone and explored many options that I would not have otherwise checked out! She encouraged me to start following other music teachers across the country, and to expand my own personal app database. Stacy helped me figure out a way to use app smashing and other tools to record, promote, and share the musical activities that I was already doing in class. You can check out Stacy's Tech Tips by clicking HERE. Shoutout to Stacy Brown for all her motivation, encouragement, and for customizing my Tech Scout 2.0 specifically for music!

I didn't want to waste any incorporating technology this year, because I feel like it's something that I should enjoy - and a tool that should make learning easier. That said, it's quite challenging to get started with a new tech challenge when you don't know how it will turn out! I tend to put off the task because I'm intimidated by the though of it, but the more I jump in, the easier it becomes. And the more opportunities I discover to incorporate techonology into the music room.

I learned about an app called "Nearpod" last year at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference and I've wanted to try it out since last November! I finally put together my first presentation during the first week of school, to introduce my ukulele unit to my 5th graders. I wasn't expecting it to be so difficult to put the presentation together, but now that I've done it - I can save it for my next music rotation. It had a few glitches, but nothing the students and I couldn't work through! Overall, it was an awesome experience for me - and I hope for them as well! You can check it out by clicking HERE!