Recently, I took a class about different web apps to use in the classroom. During that class, I discovered Quizizz, and was immediately excited about the possibilities! In this post, I'll write about how to use Quizizz, how to create a Quizizz, and how to find quizzes I've made on the platform! So what is Quizizz? Quizizz is a website that allows students to take quizzes. It is similar to Kahoot (which I wrote about in this blog post ) but you are allowed to give the quiz as homework, instead of having all students take it live. Additionally, the quiz doesn't have to be timed, and students can move onto the next question at their own pace instead of having to wait for all students to answer. Even better...students see a funny meme after they answer each question, like this one: How do students take Quizizz? I had students use iPads to take the quiz, but they can also use Chromebooks or smart phones. If you have limited technology in your room, you cou......

Happy 2018! I hope you've all enjoyed the holidays. I had a great time relaxing with my family! This year, my break is rather short, and I'm going back to school January 2. With the short break, I've had to do some reflection during break to make sure I was in the right mindset to go back! Here are a few ways I've reflected on my school year thus far: Where have they been? Now is a great time to look at my year plans and previous lesson plans to see where my students have been. Are they "on track" or did we get a bit behind? Which concepts have they learned so far? How is their understanding? Do they need more practice or are they ready to move on? What worked well? What didn't? A note here: don't feel guilty if your kids are behind. Almost every year, at least one of my grade levels gets behind. I look at my year plan and shake my head at where I thought they'd be and where they actually are. But the time they've spent is time well spent--they......

Are you looking for an app to both assess students AND communicate with parents? Check out SeeSaw ! I heard about SeeSaw a couple years ago and had it installed on my ipads, but it wasn’t until this past spring that I was finally able to check it out. SeeSaw is known for being a great advocacy tool, in that parents can see what’s going on in the music room! Whether you post a snapshot of a student’s completed worksheet, a video of him/her singing, or a video of the entire class performing, it can be a fabulous way to communicate with parents. Last year, at a technology workshop with my friend Andrea Halverson (whose technology blog can be found here ), I had the realization that I assess students through the app too! I tried this out last year and will detail below how I did it.   Please note that I have not yet connected parents to the app, but instead used it for my own assessment purposes. Here goes! I decided to try out composition with my second graders last year. Although the......

A few years ago, I discovered an amazing free app called Plickers, which allows you to quickly and easily assess your students with ONLY ONE device! Today, I thought I'd discuss tips for using the app. I just got done with an assessment for third grade recently, and realized there were some steps that make using the app much easier! Before using Plickers, you'll need to do the following: Decide what assessment you want to use  (anything with multiple choices works; see some suggestions at the end of this post) Get your students' class numbers from their classroom teachers (I would start with one grade level, and email that entire grade level for their class numbers) Enter the students' names by number into the site ( www.plickers.com ) Print out the cards on the Plickers site (you can laminate them for durability. I've heard some complain about the shiny quality for the cards making them harder to scan but I haven't noticed any problems) Create your assessment (......

A few years ago, I discovered an amazing free app called Plickers, which allows you to quickly and easily assess your students with ONLY ONE device! I wrote a blog post about Plickers here , but today, I thought I'd discuss tips for using the app. I just got done with an assessment for third grade recently, and realized there were some steps that make using the app much easier! Before using Plickers, you'll need to do the following: Decide what assessment you want to use  (anything with multiple choices works; see some suggestions at the end of this post) Get your students' class numbers from their classroom teachers (I would start with one grade level, and email that entire grade level for their class numbers) Enter the students' names by number into the site ( www.plickers.com ) Print out the cards on the Plickers site (you can laminate them for durability. I've heard some complain about the shiny quality for the cards making them harder to scan but I haven't ......

A few years ago, I discovered an amazing free app called Plickers, which allows you to quickly and easily assess your students with ONLY ONE device! I wrote a blog post about Plickers here , but today, I thought I'd discuss tips for using the app. I just got done with an assessment for third grade recently, and realized there were some steps that make using the app much easier! Before using Plickers, you'll need to do the following: Decide what assessment you want to use  (anything with multiple choices works; see some suggestions at the end of this post) Get your students' class numbers from their classroom teachers (I would start with one grade level, and email that entire grade level for their class numbers) Enter the students' names by number into the site ( www.plickers.com ) Print out the cards on the Plickers site (you can laminate them for durability. I've heard some complain about the shiny quality for the cards making them harder to scan but I haven't ......

"Data" seems to such a buzz word lately in the education world. How well are students achieving? How much they have grown from year to year? And how does this apply to the music room? I first really delved into data when I first wrote my SLO, or student learning objective, a few years ago. I had never tracked data in such a specific way, and I admit, it was a bit scary! Since then, I've grown to really appreciate the information data can give me, and how it can improve my teaching! So where to start with tracking data in your music room? Here are a few thoughts: #1: Start with games! Data-tracking doesn't mean you have to make your students take a pencil and paper test. Have them play a game to collect the information you need! Whether you play a solo singing game like "Come back home my little chicks" (notated in this blog post ) or play a rhythm identification game like this freebie , you can collect data in a fun, engaging way...and kids will have no idea......

"Data" seems to such a buzz word lately in the education world. How well are students achieving? How much they have grown from year to year? And how does this apply to the music room? I first really delved into data when I first wrote my SLO, or student learning objective, a few years ago. I had never tracked data in such a specific way, and I admit, it was a bit scary! Since then, I've grown to really appreciate the information data can give me, and how it can improve my teaching! So where to start with tracking data in your music room? Here are a few thoughts: #1: Start with games! Data-tracking doesn't mean you have to make your students take a pencil and paper test. Have them play a game to collect the information you need! Whether you play a solo singing game like "Come back home my little chicks" (notated in this blog post ) or play a rhythm identification game like this freebie , you can collect data in a fun, engaging way...and kids will have no idea......