Genius Hour Blog Post #2.

Helllllo again,

We are concluding Session 3 today and I feel like I have learned so much already from this class!  The high-paced learning environment is challenging at times, but I've learned that patience is key and if you don't understand something at first, don't panic!  Being exposed to foreign concepts and a variety of different programs in this class, it's difficult to take in so much information and understand how different systems work. Words like 'Powtoon, Genius Hour, Plickers' were brought to my attention throughout my time in this class, and even though these unknown words were frightening at first, there is no shortage of support and being immersed in this positive learning environment helps a lot!  Technology is time consuming and can be difficult and I'm grateful for this learning experience and the ability to remember to stay calm, ask questions, and stay motivated.


"Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents."
         -Ludwig van Beethoven


I wanted to share the above quote from a musical prodigy to start off my rant about my Genius Hour Project for the day. Throughout my reading of an article on "John Hopkins: School of Education", it pulls information from Chris Brewer's book called Music and Learning. He emphasizes that music is one of the joys of life, and it has the ability to be one of the joys of learning as well! Further, he goes into depth about the different WAYS music can be used in the classroom, and the more practical implications of this powerful tool. He says that there are 3 areas of teaching where integrating music can be highly effective:

• Learning Information
• Music can be used to help us remember learning experiences and information
• Music will activate students mentally, physically, and emotionally and create learning states which enhance understanding of learning material.
• Music stabilizes mental, physical and emotional rhythms to attain a state of deep concentration and focus in which large amounts of content information can be processed and learned.
• Attention, Attitude, and Atmosphere
• Certain music will create a positive learning atmosphere and help students to feel welcome to participate in the learning experience.
• Music can energize lagging attention levels or soothe and calm when necessary.
• Music is a powerful tool for understanding other cultures and bonding with one another.
• Personal Expression
• Creation of musical compositions offers a pathway to expressing personal feelings and beliefs in the language of musical sound.
• Background music is used to stimulate internal processing, to facilitate creativity, and encourage personal reflection.
• Writing songs related to content allows students to express how they feel about issues brought up in historic incidents, social studies topics or literature.

Still have a lot of research to do to answer my Genius Hour question, but I love what I am learning so far! Until next time..