Web 2.0 Tools

http://www.go2web20.net/app/?a=TubeRadio_fm

I choose to use ITubeRadio.fm is a web application that I would utilize in the classroom with my students.  I feel that this tool will be very useful for myself being a music teacher.  First, this tool would be useful for my in teaching music rhythm to my students.  I can utilize this tool as I can use current songs on the radio to show students how rhythms taught,  are utilized in by artist on the radio.  Therefore students will see why learning how to read and write rhythm is use to compose music that is heard on today on the radio.  Therefore, using Tube Radio to play demonstrations of rhythms on radio taught in class, gives students a s real life application on why one needs to learn how to read music rhythm.  

     Secondly using ITube Radio can teach students music genres can be combined to remix and make new version of an older song.  For example, Naz has a song out on the radio that my students listen to all the time.  However, in the background of the song I discovered that part of Beethoven's Fur Elise is used in Naz's song.  Therefore, I can use ITube Radio to play Naz's song, to show students how learning about classical music helped Naz create his HIp-Hop Song.  Again, using this web 2.0 tools creates another great real life application for why students need to learn about other musical styles besides rap or hip-hop music.

     Lastly, ITube Radio can be used to show how images can be used to convey the message of a song.  ITube Radio allows you to search songs by Discography Search.  This is another great way i can use ITube Radio with my students.  This feature can allow me to search musicians by their music videos.  I can use this to search music videos that I think demonstrate various musical elements.  For example I can search an artist how is a great player of a particular element of music, such as writing music with a positive message.  Naz has another song out entitled "I Can".  This would be a great music video I give students as a demonstration on how Hip-Hop music can be used to convey a positive message and still become famous and played on the radio.  Also, I can play a music video of to demonstrate how a message in the lyrics of the songs is reflected through the music video.  For example, below is a picture for example of Jimmy Hendrik performing his music video.  This could be used to describe how African Americans not only influenced Hip-Hop music but also Rock and Roll Music. 

Educational Uses for Blogs

      The idea of learning how to blog is something I have limited experience in using myself.  I feel that Blogs are a simple and fast way to share information to a wide range of people at one time.  Therefore, I feel that the first great educational use for blogging, is to convey and provide information from teacher to students.  Teachers can use blogging to provide information for resources for students to complete homework assignments, and post tutorials for students to learn how to utilize new types of technology tools.  This is important as students will be expected to be up to speed with technology, as the job market will demand our future students to utilize technology.  For example, teachers can provide links to self tutorials on their blog spot for students on how to use comic level or second life.

     Secondly, blogging can be a way for teachers to allow students to have discussions and collaborate with one another to complete an assignment.  For example, students can use blogging in literature class.  In literature class, students can help each other discover hidden meanings or main ideas of story lines by blogging to one another other on what they interpreted to be the main idea of a story.  

     Lastly, I think blogging can be used for students to post resources and websites that they found useful when helping them complete homework assignments or class projects.  For example, a students can blog on a great educational website they found when researching an answer to a homework assignment.  Thus, this would allow other students to discover a valuable tool to tape into when completing their assignment.

     To sum it up, I think the main use of blogging is to provide to ability for students to share, discuss and embark on more knowledge then the would be working in isolation. I think all my educational uses, I thought of for blogging, center around this main overarching theme.