DRUMS - Build your own classroom drum!

If you have ever been to the Ron Clark Academy, you have had the privilege of hearing the sounds and music making its way out of the school. It almost sounds like an amusement park! These sounds are not kids just going crazy. The sounds are made with precision, accuracy, engagement, excitement, and joy! One of the keys I found at the school was the implementation of the djembe drum. Most people are beyond confusion as to why you need a drum in your classroom. From personal experience and observation, implementing drums within the classroom delivers a bit of spunk and excitement. To me personally it keeps my students focused and it gets rid of that dead silence. When I first introduced the drum, the students were a bit skeptical but as time went by they all wanted a shot at it! Now this doesn't go without having a bit of rules in your class as to when they are allowed to hit the drum and when they aren't. For example: When a new topic is introduced or when we applaud someones efforts together by all means ... GO CRAZY! The issue is that most teachers can't afford that sexy $150 Celtic X8 Djembe that sounds great. Just this morning the coolest idea hit me during my morning shake. An empty jug of protein would suffice nicely! Just rip off the label, decorate, put holes in the bottom, hand it to a student, and you are set! Ask around your school to see if teachers or students drink protein (try the athletic department) and when they finish their jug off, ask if you can have it! Of course, tons of ideas are available that make this magic happen in your classroom! Hopefully this gets your creative juices flowing! ENJOY : )

Periscope - Live webcast with your students!

Periscope is a new app that is beginning to heat up across the world that I believe can be extremely useful in the classroom. Periscope is an app that allows you to live webcast to followers all over the globe as long as they have WiFi or cell phone service. Periscope connects with Twitter so you will have to have a Twitter account in order to access the functions of the app. As you are live webcasting followers can like what you are doing, saying, or where you are. They can even write comments that pop up instantly that you can answer! I believe this opens up tons of possibilities for educators mostly because the product allows you to reach out to almost anyone and of course because the product is absolutely free (most webcasting services unfortunately are not)! Even after you have finished webcasting, Periscope saves your video for viewing later if you would like! Here are some ways that I feel you can utilize this app in your own classroom:

1) Sharing ideas with teachers around the world

2) Setting up a phone/camera and having teachers around the world observe you

3) Reviewing a study guide/outline with students

4) Review session with students

5) Review session with parents

6) Makeup an assignment with students who were absent

7) Sharing visited locations and places with students

8) Scavenger Hunts


https://www.periscope.tv

If you have some of your own ideas, please share in the comment section below. Hope you enjoy!