Dr. Who Season 6

A NOISELESS, PATIENT SPIDER

 NOISELESS, patient spider,

I mark'd, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;

Mark'd how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,

It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;

Ever unreeling them--ever tirelessly speeding them.

 

And you, O my Soul, where you stand,

Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,

Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,--seeking the spheres, to connect them;

Till the bridge you will need, be form'd--till the ductile anchor hold;

Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.




by: Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

Twitter has just busted open for me

There are many things in the Web 2.0 world that are simply "cool".  The geek in me is attracted to websites that let me paint the screen like Jackson Pollock, or calculate my daily caloric intake, or send little messages out to the cyber world about what I'm doing at any given moment.  But it's really an exciting moment when I find a web application that truly makes my life simpler, more efficient and/or better in some way.  I've experienced this with Evernote about nine months ago.  And while I've been using it for well over a year, Twitter has now transformed from fun pastime to indispensable professional tool.

The difference? Hashtags. I've always sort of used them, but have never seen them in all their glory until recently.  For those of you who may be unfamiliar with all things Twitter, hashtags are keywords that are preceded in your post by a # (or hash) sign.  Searching for specific hashtags allows users who may not be following each other to follow all of the comments of a specific interest group.  Following hashtags bring you into contact with others who hold common passions.  When I started on Twitter, I followed people that I knew away from the computer.  Recently I've been following those whom I have never met, but share a love of Music Education.

Specific applications? Mondays from 5-6PM Pacific, search for the hashtag #MusEdChat.  Music Educators from all over the planet (primarily the US, but not entirely) begin a discussion on a predetermined topic (via web poll) with every post including #MusEdChat.  It is that simple.  The results are amazing.  I've never had such an interesting, relevant, collaborative discussion in my 11 years of teaching music.  I've always taught at small schools with either one or two music teachers.  The choir teacher at my school and I talk daily about a number of things - music related and not.  But the intensity and rich diversity of experiences, ideas, & perspectives found on #MusEdChat is unparalleled.  Even in the setting of a state or regional music educator's convention, you just don't get the steady free flow of ideas from so many contributers.  The basic mechanism of Twitter encourages this sort of collaboration.

So what?  Is this really useful or am I just geeking out?  I believe this is truly a turning point in communication between music educators (and others - there are Twitter groups for every subject of teachers out there!).  I plan to continue my participation in the weekly discussion.  I'm looking forward eagerly to the new Music Professional Learning Network (MPLN), created by Dr. Joseph Pisano, that is going public Monday, July 19th as another way to share ideas, methods, successes, failures, stories, and encouragement.

My suggestion for other teachers out there: Sign up for Twitter right now. Treat it as a professional tool - so your profile should reflect you as a teacher.  Start following people.  I'm @MrAhrens.  I'd be happy to follow you back if you follow me.  I would suggest reading Twitter using one of many clients.  These add functionality to the basic service.  I use HootSuite for day-to-day use and TweetGrid to take part in group discussions.  Do a search for hashtags that you may be interested in.  (#MusEdChat #EdChat #ElemChat, etc.)  Cybrary Man has put together a large list of educational hashtags here.  Play around, you'll get the hang of it soon enough.

I'm using Twitter to communicate with parents and band members, but I'm now thinking there is probably an even more effective way to share band communication.  Perhaps our own hashtag could be developed?  What about Twitter collaboration for all teachers at my high school?  Or school district?

Twitter was fun when it was me telling my wife that I was getting lettuce at the store.  Through the creativity of its users, it has become an incredible communication and professional development tool.  It's a great time to be a geek!

Artwork: "Autumn Rhythm" by Jackson Pollock

#MusEdChat Monday Discussion

I had an interesting day today.  Divided between deep cleaning of the garage in 90+ degree heat and looking into this new phenomenon in my life: the #MusEdChat discussion on Twitter and across various blogs and websites.

At 5PM I took part in the actual weekly chat of this group.  The topic was regarding the definition of a "Successful Music Teacher".  I need to find a way to archive the twitter feed so I can blog about what was said with clarity.  That may start next Monday.  It's kind of a crazy thing.  I'm not sure that I ever got my bearings.  If you've ever experienced a chat room - with the posts flying by very quickly - it was sort of like that.  Except that it was on Twitter and every post was relevant.  This made reading and digesting what was being said and responding in a timely manner difficult.  The frenetic pace was fun and definitely raised my heartrate a little.  This all aside, it was really fantastic to see so many music educators sharing in a way that showed their passion for their students, their art, and each other.  I'm excited to be a part of this.  I truly look forward with eager anticipation to the opening of the Music Professional Learning Network website on July 19th.  I'll be on the road to Utah that day, but will somehow find a way to register for the site.

Painting: Amy Sacksteder "In All Sincerity"

Viking Expansion

I'm sort of a tech geek. It's part of my being; I don't need to try real hard or anything. So I believe I have a total of 9 or 10 blogs somewhere out there on the internet. Most of them barely begun and then abandoned - not intentionally. They have simply become victims of my busy schedule as a high school band director coupled with my ever advancing need for change and newness. I have a great idea for a blog. It turns out to be somewhat one dimensional and I lose interest and start another. I'm still quite fond of each and every one and (for some silly reason) am somehow convinced that I'll end up showing them due attention once "I get some free time". (ha!) So, what is the latest thing, you may ask? Well you're staring at it. Viking Resurgence is not going away. I love this blog. Granted, it's primarily because I'm proud of my Scandinavian heritage, I love the graphic that I made for the header, and I love the quote by the Viking King Knut. The difference will be that I would like to include more entries regarding music education. I have my daily Twitter digest. That stays. I have the periodic poem / painting combo that may suit my momentary fancy. That stays. Ok, well it all stays. I'm just adding the music education stuff.

As a geek, I've been on Twitter for nearly a couple of years now. I enjoy it greatly, but certainly have not begun to harness all it can do for me. I use it to update my Facebook status. I use it to get quick messages to my students. Now I plan to use it more for collaboration. I've been aware of the #MusEdChat tag on Twitter for a while, but did not realize until very recently the large and supportive community of music educators that embody it. Wonderful! I did not realize there where weekly discussion groups. Fabulous! There are also, it seems, a large number of blogs and other websites of these individuals which can act as further support to the music educator (um, me). I would like to take part in these discussions actively. I would love to become a player in this ensemble (to reference @LindsayMorelli's blog.)

So I'll begin by documenting more of what I'm doing. My day to day operations. My successes and failures with discipline, administration, recruitment, oh - and teaching music to teenagers. Hopefully there will be more successes than failures. Hopefully lives will be effected for the good. Hopefully this active participation in #MusEdChat will assist me in being a better teacher. However the story unfolds, you'll read it here - under the Viking with the flag.

TweetNotes:

Follow Me!

• 12:34 is out & about w/ kid 4 while @tubamom & the other girls march in the Rancho Cordova parade. #fb #
• 13:46 Duck, Duck, Goose at In-N-Out. - moby.to/tkvxi2 #
• 15:49 Czech (Moravian) composer Leoš Janáček was born July 3, 1854. Here's the 1st mvmt "Allegretto" from his Sinfonietta bit.ly/cYrKQd #fb #
• 17:41 @HiBerke which opera? Any good pit stories? #
• 18:41 been practicing a lot of high horn stuff for the Independence Day Fireworks Concert tomorrow night. I may black-out. #DaddyTurnThatDown ! #fb #
• 19:16 RT @ColinTGraham: Here's another reason to keep arts programmes going: Classical #music moves the heart bit.ly/8XQLiR #musedchat #fb #
• 20:36 @stumpy6653 @tubachic Go to this website & follow all of these people. Great musEd resources! Look around. bit.ly/aX8RXx #musedchat #
• 20:45 RT @shaugland: Observation: the whole of human nature is contained in a diatonic scale. The universe must be hidden in th circle of 5ths #fb #
• 20:57 Great music phrase from one of my incoming freshmen: "Subdivide & Conquer!" This one's g oing up on the wall. #mused #musedchat #quotes #fb #
• 21:33 @gb1191 I think you will like this website: JamStudio bit.ly/dmzLNj Youtube help: bit.ly/cpsImU #musedchat #mused #

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TweetNotes:

Follow Me!

• 00:52 Looking for a better Twitter interface? Try Brizzly. Multiple accts. Inline photos/video. Saved searches. Intuitive. bit.ly/27xvJj #
• 07:48 Smog Test time. The Jeep certainly enjoys its emmissions. I do not expect compliance. #
• 16:04 just finished a bug safari with Kid 4. She explored through the yard with magnifying glass, tweezers, and observation jar. #fb #
• 21:26 @RickJamez twitpic.com/21y3er - That is a great picture and a good looking dog! #
• 21:30 @pianotyk e not a Dr/talk to your parents, but I drink 4-6oz Aloe Gel w/ grape juice every day 4 arthritis. Works great! bit.ly/91sN97 #

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TweetNotes:

Follow Me!

• 00:00 saw a few instances of ignorance masquerading as authority today. Is there a term for being confidently ignorant of your own ignorance? #
• 09:16 Summer Band in 45 minutes. You're all invited. #fb #
• 16:26 The Frog Princess - moby.to/ogj4ar #
• 16:44 @Birdiebot Amazingly no. Didn't "tire" this frog out. Was still hopping when we left. Sprinklers on the hill. She put him in a little pond. #
• 17:26 @dhlawrencexvii welcome back! #
• 17:29 Working on my high range. #horn #fb #
• 22:41 is using #Evernote to be productive... and eating potstickers (delicious frozen Ajinomoto brand from Sam's bit.ly/d9ngnz) #fb #
• 22:51 RT @ebertchicago: Siskel & Ebert play a video game. j.mp/c87BKj // Amazingly entertaining! Siskel was a real good guy. #fb #

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TweetNotes:

Follow Me!

• 00:00 RT @nancygandhi: Silence is so rare, it has become a presence, rather than an absence. I miss it, when I remember that it exists. #
• 07:52 I keep reading about everyone watching the eclipse last night. I thought I missed an astronomical event. #
• 11:56 So the talking point key phrase of the day is "Great Reccession". I've heard it 3 times this morning already. #creatingthenews #fb #
• 16:18 @Birdiebot We use their maps. Good stuff. #AAA #

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