Day 5: Thinking Outside the Box...

My 365 Blog Challenge:  Day 5/365

I am entering my 6th year of teaching and I am pushing myself more than ever to try new things in my classroom.  A summer of learning on Twitter has filled me with many new ideas and connections with other music teachers.  I would like to take advantage of these amazing resources.

This is my Outside the Box List.
1.  Use Skype to connect with other music classes.  Perform music for them and discuss what we are learning.
2.  Use a class Twitter account to share our learning with other classrooms and to follow along with their learning journey.
3.  Be a teacher leader and help lead the introduction of our new typing program.
4.  Use a website, Twitter and Facebook to connect with parents and to keep them up to date on what is going on in music class.
5.  Continue the use of digital portfolios and record class progress through different projects.
6.  Use Edmodo in my 5th grade Media Class.  Learn more about the apps available.
7.  Create a classroom atmosphere where students are performers and creators.
8.  Find a better grading system.  Letter grades are not the only way.
9.  Explore the possibility of using digital portfolios in choir and band lessons.
10.  Expose my students to more performances.
11.  Include parents in the musical education of their child.


Have you tried any of the things on my list? Any words of encouragement of advice?  What things are on your Outside the Box list?