Blended Learning in the Music Classroom: An Introduction to Our Professional Learning

As we begin to look towards the next school year, we are always looking to try something new, improve our teaching, and improve the quality of instruction in the music classroom. Over the past year, I have been researching and looking for ways to implement a Blended Classroom into the music education classroom in Coppell ISD.

During our 5 elementary music meetings this next school year, I would like to introduce a new style of professional development that can truly impact our personal learning and implementation of new concepts in our classrooms. Instead of a "one and done" or "sit and get" system, we will be practicing the "go and show" model described here. I will be available for support and modeling during and after each session, but my goal is ultimately foster collaboration among all of us. This will hopefully enable me to adapt each session to meet your wants and needs.

A basic outline of my professional learning plan for implementing the first part of our blended classroom, using SeeSaw to create beginning ePortfolios is below.

Outline:

Big Harry Audacious Goal (BHAG): Design and implement an alternative professional learning model based on the 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development that will foster a growth mindset while allowing for more collaboration among the music specialists in my district.

Instructional Design of PL will be a 3 Column Table

Professional Learning Components: (5 Principles)

Specific Content:

• Online Documentation and Assessment in the Elementary Music Classroom, using SeeSaw journals and activities

• This is phase 1 of creating a blended classroom

Duration

• Face-to-face sessions at each elementary music meeting throughout the school year.

• 5 sessions total. Each session is limited to 10-15 minutes due to other material and events we are required to discuss during the meetings.

Ongoing Support

• Coaching through implementation stages

• Digital Learning Coaches

• Peer Coaches

• Peer Collaboration

• Discussions: virtual and/or face-to-face

• What works for you?

• What doesn’t work?

• Helpful hints and advice

• Schoology: (if needed)

• Online Courses

• Tutorials

• Google Team Drive

• Share documents and resources

• Tutorials

• Social Media

• Twitter

• Facebook Groups

• SeeSaw in the Music Classroom

• North Texas Music Educators

Active Learning Environments

• Face-to-Face Workshops – hands on, create personal ePorfolios

• Live Modeling – experts demonstrate successful ePortfolios

• Ideally, educators can visit and observe other classrooms that are implementing ePortfolios with their learners

• Online Professional Learning courses for creating ePortfolios

Modeling

• Expert demonstration of mobile learning applications and practices

• Faculty allowed to observe other faculty implementation and practices

• Peer presentations/showcase

How will I foster collaboration?

• Have educators share their experiences with ePortfolios

• Set up a Team Drive in google for educators to share resources and ideas.

• Set up a course/group in Schoology for elementary music teachers.

Who will lead what components?

• Elementary Music Educators and I will lead most PL efforts

• Planning form implementation

• Hands on workshops

• Modeling

• Sharing ideas and resources

• Digital Learning Coaches

• Technology specific professional learning and support

Audience and their needs?

• Elementary Music Colleagues, Digital Learning Coaches and Administration

• Understanding of 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development

• Elementary Music Teachers

• Training and ongoing support for implementing ePortfolios

• Effective professional learning designed to meet their needs

• Self Directed Learning

• After each session, teachers will fill out a google form that will guide the work in the next session.

Timeline/Schedule

Spring 2018

1. Present 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development to music colleagues and administration

Summer 2018

2. Develop effective professional learning sessions that use the 5 Principles.

Fall 2018 – Spring 2019

3. Present professional learning sessions to elementary music faculty (only 10 people)

• Session 1 Outline: https://sicemb.wixsite.com/techymusic/project

4. Set up a discussion board for our PLC in our Schoology course.

5. Encourage faculty to share/discuss their successes and failures with faculty through our discussion board.

6. Get feedback for improving professional learning sessions.

Resources:

• Gulamhussaein’s 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development

• My 5 Principles presentation

• Fink’s Self-directed guide to Designing Courses for Significant learning including design phase worksheets

• Teacher Computers & iPads

• Schoology

• SeeSaw

• Google Suite

• Survey for feedback

• Facebook

• SeeSaw for Music Educators