Genius Hour 

Today I picked my genius hour question. The question I chose was "How can I learn to play the ukulele in order to best implement music in my placement and future classroom?". I chose this question because I think being able to play a musical instrument is a good tool for teachers to have. I wanted to learn the ukulele so that I could facilitate sing alongs in my classroom. I also hope to one day teach my students how to play the ukulele. I think the arts are very important so I think it is important to provide our students with experiences in music, drama, dance and visual arts.  I wanted to choose a genius hour question that would be beneficial to me as a future educator. 

     Tam Tam. (2005, April 1). Ukulele [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2jVNgts

My goals for my genius hour are to learn how to tune a ukulele. I also want to learn how to play chords and transition quickly between chords. Finally throughout this genius hour project I want to learn how to play at least 5 different songs on the ukulele. 

My experiences so far include borrowing a ukulele, tuner and pick. I have also done some research about the songs that I would like to learn how to play. I will choose songs that will be appealing to different age groups. My next steps are to learn how to play chords. I will watch videos and also find diagrams to explain the chords. I am very excited to share with you my experiences of learning to play the ukulele. 

Copyright 

Throughout my university experiences I have learned a lot about copyright. I have learned that basic copy right means that you cannot copy, distribute and adapt digital media found online (Figg, 2013). Teachers are role models and must demonstrate proper copy right to their students (Noel & Snel, 2016). As a future educator I want to demonstrate to my students the importance of copy right by leading through example. I want to always make sure I am using materials, such as photos from Flickr which you are able to use. I will also always reference any pictures or materials that I found online, or that I created myself.

           

            As a future educator I must also know my responsibilities.My goal is to be aware of what materials I can and cannot use online. For example teachers cannot show videos to the class without having public performance rights. However; you can show Youtube vides if it has a creative common license (Figg, 2013). This is a form of licence that allows for distribution of videos. As well teachers cannot distribute copies of materials to students, unless a payment has been made to the creator of the document (Figg, 2013).

            I have also learned the importance of original thought (Noel & Snel, 2016). As a future educator I want to teach my students how to be informed on an issue, but to also have their own ideas to contribute to their work. I think it is important that students have experience researching an issue, citing where they got their information, and critically reflecting on this information to express their own thoughts on a topic.I think the most important thing to teach my students is to properly respect copy right laws and be professional online. 

Wikimedia Commons. (2011, February, 15). Walden Computers
[Online Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1MpXj5d

            I have learned that there are ways to find materials online that do not break copyright laws. When using Flickr it is important to use images under “Creative Commons”. When using Google images you can select tools, then usage rights, then labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification. Therefore I have learned that it is not enough to cite an image, you need to confirm that the copyright allows you to use that image, even if you cite it. Therefore as a teacher I will show my students that there are ways to find images that you are able to use based on copyright.

San José Library. (2008, September 8). Children Using The Library Computer

[Online Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2k8LGDW

References 

Figg,C. ( 2013.) Copyright for Tech-Enchanced Teaching. Retrieved from http://www.handy4class.com/tpack-teacher-game/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Copyright-2013c1.pdf

Noel, W. & Snel, J. Some Key Questions & Answers For Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/291/Copyright_Matters.pdf

Welcome to my genius hour blog! My name is Miss Boese and I am a concurrent education student at Brock University. I am in primary junior and I have a teachable in Dramatic Arts. This blog is a part of our technology course and will be about learning a new skill. I will be sharing my progress here. Thank you for visiting my blog!