engag
teach 21st-century learners
technology
collaborate
This PAGE One column features technology-in-the-classroom advice from tech-savvy Georgia educators.
Technology in the Classroom:
Using Music as the Heartbeat of Instruction By Nick Zomer, Life Science Teacher at Mill Creek Middle School (Cherokee)
M
Nick Zomer, a seventh-grade life science teacher at Mill Creek Middle School in Woodstock, loves to experiment with technology, especially BYOT/BYLD. He holds a master’s degree in Education in Technology Integration in the Classroom from Walden University. Zomer, a graduate of PAGE Teacher Academy, serves on the PAGE Board of Directors.
26 PAGE ONE
y school district recently adopted a Bring Your Learning Device initiative. I embraced it quickly in my classroom, but right away, my students asked if they could listen to their personal music via their devices while they worked. I was hesitant. Would their music be appropriate for school? After hearing the same concerns from my colleagues, I decided to do a little field test: I allowed students to listen to their music while working on independent assignments. Almost immediately, I observed something unseen in my middle school classroom: silent working with intense focus. Students who were normally off task and disruptive began to pay attention to their assigned task. While the occasional student would forget where he or she was and begin to sing along to their music, the vast majority were working harder than I had seen in quite some time. This stunning observation made me realize just how connected students today are to music. Music is the backbone of their lives. For many students, music is more than just something to entertain them for a few minutes or hours. It is their sense of identity and an expression of their emotions and attitudes. Unlike in past genera-
tions, students today have a seemingly endless catalog of music at their fingertips. A HOOK INTO LEARNING
The experience led me to understand that I could use music to help hook my students into learning; I just had to use it as a part of my delivery. Because I’m not vocally gifted, and therefore singing for my students was out of the question, I searched for science-related songs. The results were plentiful. Current and former popular groups have released numerous albums of educational songs, and I found a wealth of rewritten songs waiting to be streamed into the classroom. Since then, music has been the heartbeat of the instruction in my classroom. Each lesson or unit has a theme song — and the best part is that I do not have to sing! Video sharing sites, such as YouTube, are ripe with musical choices for the classroom. Teachers, students and classes have already uploaded to the site thousands of songs and videos on a wide range of topics. Some of the songs are highly creative and interesting; others fall short. My students love the work of Mr. Parr (youtube. com/parrmr). The musician-educator rewrites
Current and former popular groups have released numerous educational songs. I found a wealth of rewritten songs waiting to be streamed into the classroom.
May/June 2015
