Finishing Up!

I can't believe we're at the end of the semester already!  I've really learned a lot of interesting and useful things while taking this class.  Overall, my favorite modules have been those where I learned about blogs, Google docs and forms, and webquests.

I hadn't heard the term webquest before taking this course and when we reached that module I wasn't really sure what to expect.  In the end, the webquest was something that I found very fun to make and I think it's something that my students would really enjoy.  The gist of a webquest is that it provides students with an educational task, or quest.  By giving the students a gripping introduction, a thorough description of the task and process, a support system of resources, and a means of evaluation, teachers are able to send students on a trip that can be both challenging and rewarding.

I created a webquest that focused on the stories that music tells.  Sometimes we get so caught up in correct pitches, proper fingerings, and good technique that we forget to think about what the music is really saying.  My webquest is designed to expose students to program music (easy way to figure out what the "story" is) and music that is used to support a story (such as music used in commercials).  By guiding students through the process of setting up a blog, the students are able to create a place to share what they are learning as they go.  YouTube proved to be a fantastic resource for giving students examples to listen to.  Additionally, Noteflight provides students with a way to compose their own music in order to tell their own story, so I thought that it would be an exciting addition to the task.

I feel like I have come away from this class with a lot of great ideas and I am excited to experiment with them more over the summer so that I can start implementing them in my classes next year!