I'm a Genius now

Hello fellow bloggers!

Sorry that it's taken me so long to write another blog post, but I have been super busy with teaching, tech-ing and more teaching! I'm a little behind, so there will be 2 blog posts this week about my experiences in becoming a genius.

So...Genius Hour.

It's tough being smart! In all seriousness though, looking up information for a project that you're passionate about is very challenging (but also very rewarding!).

So far for my research, I have devised a quick survey that I will hand out to some of my old school of music colleagues, and see how they feel about music (or see how music makes them feel...). I'm hoping to pool all of my data from this to create a general breakdown. If I'm feeling very creative, I might even collect key words and create a collage that highlights them! (Then again, we'll see how I feel after reading week....but my portfolio will still include some sort of creative way to express my message!)

Another thing that I am planning on doing this weekend is playing the piano and singing! (I actually have an upcoming performance for something tomorrow night, so I will be sure to take note of how I feel after it!) I'm also planning of looking at past recordings of me as I sing, and will make note of how I look versus how I felt while performing.

Until next post... here's a cheesy video of me singing on a hill in Austria. (The Sound of Music is my favourite movie, and I can definitely tell you that this was one of the most incredible singing experiences I have ever had in my life!)

https://youtu.be/e85z4fjTwAo

Genius Hour!

So...Genius Hour.

That time where everyone gets to be a GENIUS about something that they LOVE! For me, the thing I love is music. Where do I even begin? I have always been involved in music in one way or another. I started singing when I was three, started taking piano lessons at the age of five, and the rest is history. I recently completed my Bachelor of Music degree from Queen's University (CHA GHEILL!), and am now currently pursuing a career in teaching! (Both music and drama).

So...Genius Hour.

After spending many years studying music, and pretty much living at breathing it, I feel like I'm finally in a place where I can reflect on my past experiences, and draw information from them. My Genius Hour Question is "What are the benefits of playing a musical instrument?". I want to know!!! Why do people play music, or sing? Is it stress relief? Is it because their parents forced them to? Is it because they want to, and are passionate about it? And how does it benefit them? Mentally? Physically? Emotionally? Is it all of these questions? WHAT'S THE DEAL!?

For my project, I'm going to interview some of my old music colleagues, and see WHY they play and WHAT they get from playing instruments. I'm going to research WHAT benefits other people have documented on the playing of music. I'm also going to document my own feelings and experiences while I sing or play the piano. (In all honestly, it'll actually get me to practice. I've kind of been slacking off since graduation...)

So that's it! For now. I know I've got a ton of research ahead of me, but I'm looking forward to it. Like I mentioned before, music has always played such a prominent role in my life, that it only seems natural to research WHY.

Copyright...what is it?

A definition of copyright, or copyrighting is a right given by the person of origin to publish, copy, reproduce, or use their work. Though I may have understood this definition before writing this blog, I had no idea just what copyrighting entailed.

After looking up some images on Flikr and Google, I figured it would be easy enough to find and use certain ones I was looking for. Right? Wrong. Most of the images I wanted to use for this specific blog about copyright were indeed copyrighted, and I was not able to use them. 

New Plan: I used a filter on Google to help me find certain images of computers and technology that are public domain. I really was not expecting half of the images to disappear (Ok, maybe I was, but all of the "good" images I wanted to use, magically vanished. Go figure.) However, through the filter I was able to pick out images that could be changed or modified, based on the copyright rules given by the originator. (In the end, it all worked out!)

Copyrighting, and following copyright rules are extremely important! I know that I wouldn't like someone to use my own ideas and pass them off as their own without telling me! I'm all for sharing, but I'm also a fan of adhering to rules (and, well, the law).

There are so many different copyright laws, some of which include the Creative Commons ones (Attribution, Share-Alike, Non-Commercial, and No-Derivitive Works). Fortunately for educators alike, Creative Commons has helped them to collect and use multimedia (images, videos, URLS, etc.) in numerous different ways, and as teaching aids.

As a teacher, I would explain to my students "The Internet is your Oyster!....as long as you properly cite and give credit where credit is due." A long message to live by, I know, but it important for me to teach my students to give the originators credit. Not only will this help my students to take pride in their own work ("I don't want anyone to take my own thoughts"), but it would also encourage them to take the time to research, and even care about copyrighting rules. 

I want my students to learn that the value of hard work from the "unknown people of the Internet" does not go unnoticed or is under appreciated, and that their own work should be made with the same amount of effort and care.

Put, Phillipe. (2011, July 4). dora dora 2 [Online Image].
Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/34547181@N00/6023268510/in/photolist-abfPT5-8Vy1nk-fvT5PN-5b495D-3oxYh-bqVQtj-6WtbrL-e2QMHQ-8vBVTe-8vEXjo-bFrCvg-4m5ojv-8vEXd9-9iEkhF-8vBWaH-euR54b-6Wp8Nk-8vEXtU-8vEXmG-6Wtc4J-28rtGN-pyrM81-8GmvbX-6naKtj-6WpcBi-68mS5h-CH3be-6wnx18-8vEXbY-5bwe6M-8vEXpw-8vBVYn-sjCDK-jzmHbi-62Y6XP-7LRPcs-8vBVWt-5mP2XB-7QhLB-hcbzps-62Yv2h-99XWwh-5p2g39-e3ZzK-7DAUZj-8uVTTM-8vEXvJ-8JuV4H-5k2wrs-7Cj5Uu/

Tduk. (2007, October 12). Commodore Pet model 4016 [Online Image].
Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pet4016.png

Welcome to my Blog!

Hello and welcome to my blog! I'm very excited to be able to start blogging about teaching and technology, which are two subjects that are very dear to my heart. I can't wait to be able to merge the two, and learn how to incorporate both together. I will admit, I am new to blogging, but I hope to be able to find new ways to solve problems, make lesson plans, and coherently write about teaching and technology over the course of the next six weeks, and throughout the rest of my career.

And so, let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQLCZOG202k