FCC13 Global Project Design

FCC10: Giving Learners Choice

Make Music: Jam, Incredibox & Ambient Mixer

Incredibox is aptly named and highly addictive. Add up to seven human 'beatboxers' and allocate them a riff to produce. The best way to learn about it is to give it a go here but make sure you haven't left anything on the stove before you do. Alternatively, you could watch the fruits of someone else's labour and click on the video below.

Jam with Chrome: Start by choosing an instrument from a range of string, brass and drums before inviting up to 4 friends to do the same for a jamming session. The video below explains more.

And finally, there's Ambient Mixer where you can combine and edit professionally produced sounds to create your own soundtracks.

Integration:

• With these four tools (along with Soundation), there's no longer a need to worry about finding copy-free music for projects; allow learners to create their own
• Create ambient music to change the mood and pace of parts of your lessons
• Use as part of a dramatic production; another way to allow learners to contribute with their own creativity
• Use produced pieces as inspiration for free writing or discussion

Concept to Classroom: A Series of Workshops

Professional learning programs which demand that all teachers sit in a designated space at a fixed time and listen to a day of lectures (or if you're slightly more fortunate - participate in workshops) from externally-hired 'experts' is pretty much the norm in many schools. How this is justified given the massive drive toward personalisation in learning is something of a mystery, but the wealth of material available online to support personal professional learning goals means that we can set the direction of our learning and use these tools to support us.

The screenshot below shows the options for workshops offered by one such source - ThirteenEd.

"The site features a series of FREE, self-paced workshops covering a wide variety of hot topics in education. Some of the workshops are based in theory, some are based in methodology - but all of the workshops include plenty of tips and strategies for making classrooms work."

All the courses have been designed by recognised experts, and the site provides justification for each course being accredited by your school's PL director. Having received positive feedback from a colleague on their 'Inquiry Based Learning' module, I feel justified in recommending it as a source for exploring chosen aspects of education. And anything that helps us escape that lecture hall model can only be good, right?

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"Concept to Classroom: Course Menu." Concept to Classroom: Course Menu. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2012. <http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/>.

Couros, Dr A. "Open Thinking." #etmooc: Let'€™s Get Started! N.p., 04 Sept. 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2012. <http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/2167>.

Siebel, Cindy. "Technology for Learning." 4 Steps to Personalized Professional Development. N.p., 12 Apr. 2009. Web. 03 Nov. 2012. <http://blog.tech4learning.ca/2009/04/4-steps-to-personalized-professional-development/>.

FCCT: Empower Digital Citizenship Action