This is a place for us to consider the importance of music in the EFL classroom.
Title:The use of music in the classroom
Objective/Overview of the lesson plan:Students should choose a song they really like and say how much they can learn through that song - grammar/vocabulary/idioms/pronunciation, etc.
Time Frame: One week
Level:High Intermediate and Advanced Students
Technological Resources/materials:
Students should have a try with Voicethread. They should go to http://voicethread.com, create an accountand tell a short story about the song they chose . An example about voicethread being used to tell a story can be seen here:
Finally each student should comment on at least two of their classmates stories using VoiceThread.
Learn how to embed videos, slideshows, anthing Web2.0 using the feature "Insert Plugin" on PBWiki.
Here you have a great tutorial on how to use Voicethread by Carla Arena :
Dear Gilmar, first I'd like to say it's been exciting for me to see your dedication and enthusiasm as we went along in this online endeavor. It makes it all worth it! Your final project reflects your understanding of students as co-creators of meaning and in charge of their learning process. Music is a fantastic topic, for students are really into it. Now, here are some questions just to help you think of some details in your lesson plan.
Where are the students going to post the songs they chose and how will they post it? Is it going to be a link where we can find the song? or are they going to use a playlist generators like some I mentioned at http://webtools4educators.blogspot.com/2008/10/music.html ?
Using Voicethread is perfect to enhance true communication among students and it also promotes the development of multiple literacies. Are they going to make each one of them a different voicethread? How about if you created one that would be the space for everyone to add stuff? Do you know that there's an invite option when you're creating the voicethread that students can just be collaborating on one single voicethread? So, if you create one and you invite them, then they will be able to add images and their own page to the voicethread. Don't you think this could make the process simpler and more time-wise?
So, why did you keep this tutorial to insert plugin in a wiki? I don't see any part in the lesson plan that you ask students to work on the wiki.
My final comment for you to refine your lesson. You mentioned the tasks, right? How about Assessment/Reflection and Extension?
Look, Gilmar, your lesson plan is excellent and full of wonderful ideas. My questioning here is just to make it THE PERFECT
Hi Carla...
Thank you for everything. As I've said before (many times) you've been really inspiring, to say the very least. I remember the folder I got from CTJ advertising this course said that by the end of the course our lives would never be the same as Educators and I could not agree more. You have made the difference and there is no way back. I'm also sure all my friends here have the same opinion.
About the lesson plan there are some details which are really not clear here. I talked about them with the students in class and showed them everything here. They were told to tell their stories about a song they liked for any reason and what they could learn from that using voicethread. My idea then was have them post their voicethread here on this wiki. I created a second page for them to post their names and the URL for the voicethreads. The thing is I did not know how to do it and told them I'd contact you or spend more time now over the weekend to figure it out. Having posted the stories here they are supposed to comment on at least two stories from their classmates. To sum up, I told them to take care of the Voicethread part at home using their PCs and next week we'd work on the posting here in the classroom or the Lab.
As for Assessment/Reflection/Extension - I'd really like to see how much they can produce/ how autonomous they can be (I can't help thinking about myself). In one of the groups I have some very quiet students (High Intermediate/Advanced!!!) so I really think this can be a great opportunity to HEAR from them and I really hope to have a group wiki page for us to keep in touch - maybe a blog would be better. I want to make better use of all the things we have learned and "free myself" from the email/MSN communication only (this is getting old fashioned, right?)
Teens certainly consider email old fashioned! What happens is that if you encourage to have this communication on a space in which everybody interacts, it's much easier for everybody and it takes a lot of the burden on the teacher in one-to-one communication. I don't know if you noticed in our course that first, yes, I'd keep sending individual emails and I'd answer participants by email. However, when I felt they were more confident with the tools and with each other, I encouraged all the questions to be addressed to the group in the forums, blogs, here on our class wiki. First because of what I said here in relation to the teacher, but also because it creates a sense of community and it shows learners that each one can contribute, not only the teacher pouring information. Also, when you interact in the big group, new perspectives emerge. And here lies the power of social media. It has made extremely easy to organize the masses without the control of the "expert".
It's really nice that you've asked some students to "pilot" your lesson plan to see what works, what doesn't and to make the necessary adjustments. One suggestion that would really make things easier is for you to create one voicethread and invite them as editors, as I mentioned before. Then, you can create a page here on your wiki and embed the code for the voicethread as you've done for your digital storytelling on week 5.
I'd love to see the changes you make and your reflection here.
Look, I am the one to thank YOU for such dedication, motivation and hard work. You're an inspiration. It's just great to see you moving forward, daring, changing. Life will never be the same, for sure!
You don't have permission to comment on this page.
Webtools4BrazilianEducators- FINAL PROJECT
Comments (4)
Carla Arena said
at 1:13 pm on Nov 13, 2008
Dear Gilmar, first I'd like to say it's been exciting for me to see your dedication and enthusiasm as we went along in this online endeavor. It makes it all worth it! Your final project reflects your understanding of students as co-creators of meaning and in charge of their learning process. Music is a fantastic topic, for students are really into it. Now, here are some questions just to help you think of some details in your lesson plan.
Where are the students going to post the songs they chose and how will they post it? Is it going to be a link where we can find the song? or are they going to use a playlist generators like some I mentioned at http://webtools4educators.blogspot.com/2008/10/music.html ?
Using Voicethread is perfect to enhance true communication among students and it also promotes the development of multiple literacies. Are they going to make each one of them a different voicethread? How about if you created one that would be the space for everyone to add stuff? Do you know that there's an invite option when you're creating the voicethread that students can just be collaborating on one single voicethread? So, if you create one and you invite them, then they will be able to add images and their own page to the voicethread. Don't you think this could make the process simpler and more time-wise?
So, why did you keep this tutorial to insert plugin in a wiki? I don't see any part in the lesson plan that you ask students to work on the wiki.
My final comment for you to refine your lesson. You mentioned the tasks, right? How about Assessment/Reflection and Extension?
Look, Gilmar, your lesson plan is excellent and full of wonderful ideas. My questioning here is just to make it THE PERFECT
Carla Arena said
at 1:15 pm on Nov 13, 2008
THE PERFECT ONE! I wanted to say. My fingers were too fast and they hit the "enter" key before I could finish!
gilmar.mattos said
at 11:34 pm on Nov 13, 2008
Hi Carla...
Thank you for everything. As I've said before (many times) you've been really inspiring, to say the very least. I remember the folder I got from CTJ advertising this course said that by the end of the course our lives would never be the same as Educators and I could not agree more. You have made the difference and there is no way back. I'm also sure all my friends here have the same opinion.
About the lesson plan there are some details which are really not clear here. I talked about them with the students in class and showed them everything here. They were told to tell their stories about a song they liked for any reason and what they could learn from that using voicethread. My idea then was have them post their voicethread here on this wiki. I created a second page for them to post their names and the URL for the voicethreads. The thing is I did not know how to do it and told them I'd contact you or spend more time now over the weekend to figure it out. Having posted the stories here they are supposed to comment on at least two stories from their classmates. To sum up, I told them to take care of the Voicethread part at home using their PCs and next week we'd work on the posting here in the classroom or the Lab.
As for Assessment/Reflection/Extension - I'd really like to see how much they can produce/ how autonomous they can be (I can't help thinking about myself). In one of the groups I have some very quiet students (High Intermediate/Advanced!!!) so I really think this can be a great opportunity to HEAR from them and I really hope to have a group wiki page for us to keep in touch - maybe a blog would be better. I want to make better use of all the things we have learned and "free myself" from the email/MSN communication only (this is getting old fashioned, right?)
Once again THANK YOU!
Carla Arena said
at 1:18 pm on Nov 14, 2008
Dear Gilmar,
Teens certainly consider email old fashioned! What happens is that if you encourage to have this communication on a space in which everybody interacts, it's much easier for everybody and it takes a lot of the burden on the teacher in one-to-one communication. I don't know if you noticed in our course that first, yes, I'd keep sending individual emails and I'd answer participants by email. However, when I felt they were more confident with the tools and with each other, I encouraged all the questions to be addressed to the group in the forums, blogs, here on our class wiki. First because of what I said here in relation to the teacher, but also because it creates a sense of community and it shows learners that each one can contribute, not only the teacher pouring information. Also, when you interact in the big group, new perspectives emerge. And here lies the power of social media. It has made extremely easy to organize the masses without the control of the "expert".
It's really nice that you've asked some students to "pilot" your lesson plan to see what works, what doesn't and to make the necessary adjustments. One suggestion that would really make things easier is for you to create one voicethread and invite them as editors, as I mentioned before. Then, you can create a page here on your wiki and embed the code for the voicethread as you've done for your digital storytelling on week 5.
I'd love to see the changes you make and your reflection here.
Look, I am the one to thank YOU for such dedication, motivation and hard work. You're an inspiration. It's just great to see you moving forward, daring, changing. Life will never be the same, for sure!
You don't have permission to comment on this page.