Music as a form of civic expression

My students have art three times a week. And each day as my students create their works of art, the classroom is filled with music. There are certain limitations to the music they may play in class, but nonetheless, I always am surprised by the songs they choose. Most of the music speaks to freedom and civic issues. One song that my students play over and over and over again is Black Eyed Peas’ “Where’s the Love?” Have you really listened to the lyrics? The first time I truly listened --I mean the drop everything and listen type of listening-- I realized the extent to which this song encourages us to be productive, responsible members within our society.

Music is indeed a powerful form of expression. But what do we do with the music to which we listen? Do we only groove to it? Does it give us that emotional high or burst of inspiration that we need to make it through the next hour or the day? That's cool, but do we really consider that to which we listen, and do we use the positive message to impact our society?

So, “Where is the love?” We listen to this song everyday. Now, let it play out in our every action, every day.

Are you kidding me?

When did being a responsible, helpful neighbor become a crime? I know that in our classroom, our little corner of the world, we are striving to be productive citizens. We are learning it is not only right to help each other, but also our civic duty—it’s the American way. Or, it used to be.

So, I am wondering to what extent is this article a good or bad example of what happens when our freedom, rights, and responsibilities conflict with the law? How can an incident this like either encourage or discourage you from exercising your civic duties?

Happy Thinking . . .

Knowledge Arts

During the past two months, I have spent much time contemplating the following: What do I want my students to know? Why? And, how can I teach my students the art of learning? Sometimes I feel that we give our students too much information and do not allow our students to discover, create, communicate, and act on the knowledge. Sounds crazy, no? That’s what Tevye, the main character in Fiddler on the Roof, would say! But just as Tevye did, we too can hold on to traditional practices and still embrace change. I tend to agree with David Perkins, who writes, “Schools need to spend less time exposing students to large volumes of knowledge, and more time teaching them the knowledge arts.” And, I believe that Globaloria helps educators teach students the knowledge arts and provides a platform for students to learn how to learn.

My students have not always been successful in a traditional school setting, but they have a desire to learn, and in our alternative one room school setting, they flourish. I believe the “MyGLife” platform will allow my students to express themselves, through blogs, wikis, and their game design, as they share their perception of the world, learn about their rights and responsibilities, understand the conflicts that surface when their perceptions, rights, and responsibilities merge, and engage in problem solving as they flesh out how they will be knowledgeable, responsible, productive members of society.

Perkins continues to say, “The knowledge arts include communicating strategically, insightfully, and effectively; thinking critically and creatively; and putting school knowledge to work out in what educators sometimes humbly call the “real world.” The knowledge arts bundle together deep reading, compelling writing, strong problem solving and decision making, and the strategic and spirited self management of learning itself, within and across the disciplines. We need to put the knowledge arts on the table—to celebrate them.” In doing so, we will help our students learn about learning and become strong communicators of their knowledge.

Homework: The Blogroll

"One learns by doing a thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try." ~ Sophocles

And, I tried it! I choose to follow the two blogs Dangerously Irrelevant & Education Week: Blogs because they are on Rachel’s blogroll, so I know that they are reputable. In addition, because I am very passionate about teaching and interested in integrating technology in to my classroom instruction, I feel that these blogs will be extremely helpful. Technology, if used correctly, is an excellent tool that will enhance my students’ education, opening the doors of their “world” or at least widening their windows!

Hopefully, as my students read blogs and learn to blog, they will begin or continue the process of being reflective writers, lighting a fire in their knowledge and in their desire to become productive, responsible citizens, for as Yeats affirmed, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

Globaloria-ing (Day One)

I believe it was Vincent Van Gogh who said, "I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.” So, what made me think of this quote, and why use a quotation from a well known artist?

Two things hold true: (1) As much as I consider myself technology literate, Wikis and blogs are new to me, and that’s what we learned to do today at my first Globaloria training . I have decided that I will continue to wiki and blog until I learn to do them because I simply will not accept mediocrity. In addition to game design, Wikis and blogs are essential components of Globaloria. (2) I’d like to think of creating games, wikis, and blogs as an artist would think of drawing, painting, or sculpting works of art. Is it even “right” to use this analogy? I think so, if we are purposeful in our creation, precise and creative in our presentation, and . . .. Just to be clear, I am not comparing artwork to a game, for I have not thought it through completely, but I believe the approaches can be similar.

I definitely enjoyed learning more about Globaloria, and I am thankful to be a part of this dynamic program. I cannot wait to keep learning, for I know that I will grow as an educator, and my students will benefit greatly.