My Dropbox folder! The green check means it has updated at Dropbox.com.
Dropbox.com is a free file storage site that allows you to access files you save there from any computer. I am using it since I primarily lesson plan at home where I am more comfortable (on the couch with a cup of tea!), but can now access my plans at school when I actually have a few minutes to do it during my planning time or if I want to print them at school.
If you use Dropbox, you don’t have to keep track of a flash drive and unlike with Google docs, you can work offline easily. If you download it to the computers you use, you can create a Dropbox folder and work offline, and whenever you are connected to the Internet, it will update to Dropbox.com. It is easy to use and a great way to back up files, since your documents will be saved to two computers and the internet.
I highly recommend using Dropbox if you lesson plan at home! It works with Macs (what I have at home) & PCs (what I have at school), and is easy to set up on both. If you decide to set up an account, please use this referral link (it will give me more storage space): https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTMzOTE2MDc5
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Sounds my Kindergarten students have created on their pretend “Woods Walk” (for vocal exploration):
I found out at parent-teacher conferences that one of my first grade students is a closet Journey fan, and that at any moment she might switch from playing “Twinkle Twinkle” to “Don’t Stop Believin’” on the xylophone (she has already practiced it at home). Please let this happen…
My fiance posted this story about his experience with our piano tuner, Rick Pearson, today. He left out the part where he forgot he scheduled it, didn’t recognize Rick approaching our building and feared a little for his life when he said his name, and also was in his pajamas for this whole experience, haha. Rick is a great person & an excellent tuner! My fiance is a little silly and also great. :)
The man works on our 1940’s piano for an hour. It sounds a lot better. When he is done, he calls me in to play it. I play it and ask a few questions. It’s old and makes some weird sounds that would require some extensive repair. Nothing major though.
After he asks me about my life. He eyes my saxophones and says, “Would you mind playing for me?”
So I get one out and play a few bars of Georgia on My Mind. I’m a classical musician mostly, but I can get around the changes for Georgia. He smiles.
After that we walk about my life and my fiancée. He packs up his gear and prepares to leave. I ask him for the total. He says, “I have been very blessed in my life. I am now in the business of giving back to people who are just starting. Your playing was a payment in return for my service.” Then, through my protests, he put on his shoes and left.
I wish I played better.
Student: “What are those in the black cases?”
Me: “They’re records. Have you seen a record player before?”
Another student: “No, those are something they used in the olden days.”
All of my students were born in the current millenium, so I wonder how many of them have seen cassette tapes before. I’ve mostly used my iPod, which is an amazing tool for elementary general music classes! But now they’re begging me to hear what a record sounds like…
Halloween provided ample opportunities for vocal exploration, including lots of ghost sounds, and expanding the movement vocabulary - a student added “waddle” last week during the pumpkin patch chant, hehe.
One first grade class created a game for our cat/mouse song, which lent itself to assessing tonal patterns. I used it with all of the first grades and it was so successful that they were asking me on Halloween parade day to play it.
We started Learning Sequence Activities, which I was nervous about, but the students are doing well as long as they know exactly how long they need to sit for. I am also starting to see how much more help they need exploring their singing voices.
My record keeping expanded to the point where one day, various clipboards and binders covered half of the table at the front of the room, and I ended up knocking three things in the garbage by mistake in one class. I have since organized it better, and I am getting more insight to my students’ various needs.
November will bring first grade informances, or informal performances, and much more vocal exploration! We are taking pretend “walks in the woods” starting next week, I can’t wait to see what animals and sounds they discover!