I wanted to take a minute to share a journal that I found while doing research that I feel ties into this blog and how much we have  been talking about music and art therapies. The journal itself is the Music Educators Journal. The particular article that I think was most helpful and ties in best with this class is the article titled "Teaching Music to Children with Autism: Understanding and Perspective." The article is by Ryan and Amy Hourigan. I was able to find it by going to EBSCO and doing some searching around. Hope you enjoy reading this, I found it to be very interesting!

This is a really interesting presentation that I found, there is a really good explanation of Autism. She is also able to explain how art can help students with Autism. She gives some examples of how art therapy is used and examples of when art therapy has been used to help students on this spectrum. I found this to be an encouraging video with a lot of really good information. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4LHU8_IdeM


This next post in from Kibbles Rockin' Club house and its a sample video of the show. This show is an interactive series that is designed to help the development of children with Autism. Later in the show there is some Music added but I was not able to find that specific link. I thought I would share the link with everyone though because its another form of therapy that encourages children with Autism to grow.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXwDsUHHeSM

Some more fun and interesting stuff...

First a slide show that I found that perfectly depicts what I'm focusing on in this blog...

So, because Michelle is focusing primarily on special education I thought I would see if I could find ways that music and special education are used together. Turns out it is more common than you may think. The field of Music Therapy is one that is up and coming in the world of therapy, especially when working with autistic children or others with special needs. I found some interesting videos and a website that I thought would demonstrate how these two areas are related and work hand in hand with each other.

This next video has a website that you can visit as well. It has some really great testimonials and photos along with general information about what Jenn, the therapist, does with her patients. http://jamminjenn.com/JJMTC/Welcome.html

This has been a really fun project. I have enjoyed learning more about the ways that technology along with music can be integrated together to help students from all walks of life enjoy learning.

To start off, I feel like I should introduce myself, I am Michelle Jenkins and at about sophomore status at UAS. I attended and received my Associates Degree through Whatcom Community College and am now living in Juneau attending the campus here.  I am currently taking as many education classes as possible and getting the basics finished that did not transfer from Whatcom. Knowing that next year should be my senior year is frustrating, but I am taking it as the opportunity to gain more knowledge and experience in the teaching field that will help me become the well rounded teacher I hope to be.

Being from a home school family, and having a mother who has always been very involved in my education has had a huge influence on my decision to become a teacher. I was homeschooled until I was in the 8^th grade and then attended high school in the public school. From the time I was a junior in high school, I have been working in different classrooms that have been influenced by many different teachers. Working in these different classrooms has given me the opportunity to observe management techniques, classroom set ups, and many other helpful classroom lessons.

My part in this blog is going to be to introduce the special education aspect of education. I have been interested in the special education field for a couple years now after having the opportunity to work one on one with a young girl with autism during an education training program the last semester I had classes at Whatcom. This is what really showed me that I could and wanted to help children with special needs. I feel that it is very important that children with special needs be fully included in the classroom and that there are many ways that teachers and parents can bring music and art into the classroom. This and many other forms of art are helpful to students with special needs and I will be even more focused on autism as I bring information to this blog. Please feel free to post information or ask questions. J

Music, technology and learning all in one!

So, I was trying to think of something that I could put on here that would demonstrate how both music and technology could be integrated into an elementary class's curriculum. I tried finding video of an actual classroom using music in their math or science lessons but couldn't find anything I liked. Then I remembered something that I used when I was in school and maybe others of you have as well. School House Rock. Yeah, I loved it and I'm pretty sure it's one of the only reasons that I still know my parts of speech today. =-) So, I found a few of my favorites for yours and my viewing pleasure and reminiscence. Enjoy.

Science-Anatomy

English/Grammar-Adverbs

Science-Electricity

Math-Counting by 5's

English/Grammar-Interjections

I remember humming this song during a test when I was in 8th grade. I still know what an interjection is although if I have to tell you, you might get a song and dance along with it!



(Videos courtesy of www.youtube.com)

Introductions

Introductions:
First things first, I believe an introduction is in order! The authors of this blog are myself, Jessie Anderson, and fellow future teacher Michelle Jenkins. We are both students at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. This blog is a project for our English class and the purpose of it is to introduce or show the various ways that technology can be used in our field or has even improved the way teaching happens in a classroom.

To start off with I will tell you a little bit about myself. Again, my name is Jessie and I am student at UAS. This is my first year in Alaska but I'm in my Junior year of school. The light at the end of the tunnel is finally in sight and even getting a little brighter. I grew up in a small town and have always loved learning and always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I had many great examples of wonderful teachers throughout my elementary and high school years which only increased my desire to become a teacher and influence others as my teachers influenced me. I have been married for a little over a year and a half and am expecting our first baby in May and can't wait to be a mom.

Throughout my posts I will be focusing on how music and technology can be incorporated into the classroom along with some of the other arts (drama, dance, art, etc.). I believe that rather than the students being exposed to these areas only when they attend their once, maybe twice, a week music or art class, finding ways for them to experience it when they're learning math or science. This is crucial because it allows the children a different way to express themselves and oftentimes will help them to remember the things they learned better. I will be doing some research on this and presenting it here on the blog. Any comments or questions are more than welcome. Until next time.