Ronald Atkinson – Education for the future

About Me

rmatkins Uncategorized September 21, 2016 0 Comment

My name is Ronald Atkinson. I am a music education student here at Kansas State University. Feel free to connect with me, anytime that you please. I am also a counselor, helping to serve the needs for improving college relationships, and relationships of all ages. If you look below at my links, there are a lot of ways you can find me and communicate with me with. I also would love to share my interest in the things that I find interesting, in hopes that you might like, and stuff that you can share. As a future educator, it’s also about how you can impact others as well. M

usic touches a lot of lives in our children where I’m from. You would be amazed on how creative the students are when it comes to producing, recording, and performing their own music. Whether it’s rap, R&B, musical theater, and much more. From watching my mother teach for so many years, and having to teach me, I can see how it can be frustrating. But it’s always best to show students their creative side. With the things that enhanced me such as my past, and values, I want to influence others on how they can further take a role in the music world. I’m not focusing on one specific area but rather on an overall perspective of music. For example, I started out on piano, and tuba…. Maybe I would like to direct and lead a choir or a symphony orchestra. Perhaps a Broadway music director, or other areas where needed. Another is to gain an interest for students to take learning seriously and broaden their aspects of a world culture view in music. I think one of the big factors of dealing with teaching is that you will often be criticized by whomever. Teaching can get very frustrating but I don’t see teaching as a job, I see it as a blessing, and a passion. It takes a lot of effort and dedication to wake up and going out to your job. Which is why I stuck with music from middle school to present time.

Celebrate Kansas Voices: A Brief History of Junction City High School.

rmatkins Projects July 6, 2015 0 Comment

Celebrate Kansas Voices was probably one of my favorite projects in class. As much pride as I have for the community, and this high school, I knew that it had a rich history that our new generation doesn’t fully know about. This project allowed me to dig deeper than my knowledge, and go beyond the history of our school, that was lost and recovered, using old books, photos, and background information. Junction City High School was a school that was considered “The finest in the state,” by the territorial governor, and the new superintended. I chose this school not only because of the history, but because I figured out that there’s many stories that are shared throughout the community. The more years we move forward, the more we lose people, stories, and little by little, traditions. It’s the new generation’s opportunity to add, and I would hope that this will be the start of something that can be left behind. Since video production is my specialty, I also loved this project for that reason. I have never done a documentary type video, but even though you don’t have to show yourself, you still have to rehearse what you’re speaking, and know when are the right times to say things. There were a few times I had to stop after I had messed up, but it’s always best to know that nothing is ever perfect the first time. By clicking here, this will explain all about ‘Celebrate Kansas Voices’, and will give you details on what a student, or teacher can do, to showcase historical stories from different parts of Kansas. This is great to learn about History within our state.

Apps in the Classroom: Art Authority

rmatkins App Reviews, Reflections, Uncategorized July 5, 2015July 5, 2015 0 Comment

Apps in the Classroom offers 18 different apps that are recommended for teachers. They are all grouped in subjects, but they’re all great for fun uses for the students. It’s a way for teachers to integrate the apps and activities that is modified. Art Authority is an App that I am exploring, and it allows a student to travel beyond the realm of visualizing art at a museum, Students have the opportunity to compare art based on location, subject, and explore through different time periods. There’s activities that range based on the age level; 5-11, 12-14, and 14-18, so in other words, it is great for both middle school students, and high school students. In each category of the ages, they all provide an objective. This app that is design for ages 5-11, talks about how to color, and what is necessary in need for coloring a visual representation. There are many different activities that come with this and allows it to be considered a favorite.

This App isn’t just about Art, but you can also incorporate literacy, for example, you can allow poetry to be mixed in with the art, as well as reading different styles. Below are different photos. As the grade level progresses, the activities get more mature, and once it gets to the middle and high school level, you actually do some hands on art. This would be a great activity to use in the classroom for historical purposes, but great to learn about things that are visual. It will be great to use this instead of going to the museum. This App may require an in App purchase.

Inspiring Lessons For The Classroom: Exploring Leadership

rmatkins App Reviews, Projects, Uncategorized July 5, 2015 0 Comment

Inspiring Lessons for the classroom offers unit resources that is great for educators to teach their students with. In this app, there are thirty different subjects and lessons to choose from. Here’s a great one that I have explored, and that is, Being the Change: Exploring Leadership and the work of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. This course is expected to last throughout a period of six weeks, and the instructor who is in charge is, Gayle Bethiaume. She is an educator with over 35 years of experience, and teaches across the United States, and even where she resides.

We begin with knowing who Alfred Nobel is, and how students can get a sense of what is the Nobel Peace Prize. It allows students to keep track of a journal with their work, which in this case, is called Peace Journals.

Leadership development is a key to gain knowledge about the Nobel Peace Prize, and recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. There is a post that lists the four rules for engaged leadership. Things like these, and other items presented in this course, will show itself as a team building activity.

Throughout this course, there is also selection located at the bottom called “Materials” that has more books, handouts, and other information regarding the subject. All that is required is downloading them, and you’ll able to receive. If you go to the App store, you will need to download the U App, and click on For Educators, and you will see the thirty lessons that is created. The App may look very complex, but once you fool around with it, it will become very easy to follow through. It’s a lot of material to cover, but it’s great material used for a middle school and high school student. I would hope that this course will be great to learn about being a leader, versus trying to win a prize.

One Best Thing: Self-Publishing

rmatkins App Reviews, Uncategorized July 5, 2015July 5, 2015 0 Comment

One Best Thing, are free iBooks that is available for students, teachers, and future educators. It offers different advice on how to incorporate different strategies and technological resources in the classroom. The one that I was reading, offered tips on how to publish student books through the iPad. Jane Amanda Ross offers different examples of students learning something about their personal life, and their culture. I find that this is very useful to students in Elementary school because, students will always have an opportunity to showcase their works of writing. Rather than have stories shown at a school function, or for their resourceful benefits, publishing students work is an opportunity to showcase the world, and other educators what they do.

This is a great way to educate students on a lesson of what publishing is all about. We are in the digital age in which authors are self-publishing stories through online sources such as, Amazon, Kindle, and eBook. It’s a great way of teaching students on what it takes to become an Author, publisher, and an illustrator. This iBook, along with other iBooks, contain so much great material that can always be incorporated into the classroom. I love the fact that Apple is making things for teaching resources, available for many educators.

Digital Story Telling

rmatkins App Reviews, Projects, Uncategorized July 5, 2015July 5, 2015 0 Comment

Adobe Slate is a unique App that offers students and educators, create stories that our easy to read, and great to share to with other people. In this App, I used Adobe Slate, and created a story about how musicals are put together. Though I didn’t get truly specific, I made sure to point out the specific factors and how it’s formed. Instead of telling a story, you can also inform people about some facts, or even show historical pictures along with information or a question. Compared to the other App, Adobe Voice, you do not have to record your voice, but I do think that this is an easier product because it’s simple, it’s not hard to find things, and it’s very easy to navigate around the app. This is App is free, but it also may require some in-App purchases, which means that some components in the app may require a purchase.

Below is my video of How A Show is Formed.

How a Show is Formed

Justin McLachlan: Writing Dialogue.

rmatkins Uncategorized July 3, 2015 0 Comment

Justin McLachlan is from a small town south of Pittsburg, and spent his life in San Diego, Morgantown, West Virginia, and is currently in Washington D.C. where he also received his bachelor’s degree from Taylor University in mass communications. What makes Justin unique, is that he’s in fact a write, actor, and director. Justin is also the creator of EOS 10, a science fiction radio play and podcast series.

I came upon his blog when I was searching on Pinterest for great creative writing ideas to use in my classroom. I noticed that there was a great written post called, 5 Reasons Your Dialogue Isn’t Authentic. It wasn’t too long, but it was short, sweet, and to the point. So is it hard to write authentic dialogue? Absolutely. When writing a story, it’s almost like writing an essay, and at times, we want to sound formal, but what Justin points out for those who are writing scripts and stories, is that you have to write how you would say it in person. A tip that he suggested, is to say it out loud, rephrase, and rewrite it.

This is one of many blogs that is found on Justin’s website. It’s great to use it for English students, drama students, and film students. These posts are something that I would recommend to my students, and have them learn from what he says.

Teaching Creative Writing

rmatkins Reflections June 29, 2015 0 Comment

The Guardian is a blogpost for many teachers, and is also a Pulitzer prize website. In this blog, english teacher, Alan Gillespie, shares his advice on teaching creative writing. First, he talks about how there isn’t a set of rules for writing, and that they can write whatever they would like. However, just because he encourages his students to write whatever they like, and that all good stories do not have to have an attention-grabber opening, turning point, and a twisted ending, he still offers his advice on writing. He informs us readers that all students should have at least two sets of rules for writing, and that is, “show, don’t tell” and “all adverbs must die.” What’s important is a way to expand what the character does in the story, versus saying what they are doing, almost as if we’re in the character’s shoes. He also goes in depth about characterization, and that Homer Simpson is a model on what makes them unique. How is the character feeling, what’s their goals, and how do they react to various situations. As a teacher, tell a student jot down some notes and details about a character, and how they can write a dialogue and story about them. This sort of writing style, will produce a complex style of writing.

Gillespie, also goes in detail how video clips can play a role of a student to write, be inspired, and find motivations. How to write, how to redraft, and how they can learn from other writers and teachers. Last, he goes into talking about the Narrative distance, and how a reader’s experience, is to get close to a character’s thoughts we also would see what goes on in the story, the atmosphere, and the supporting characters. It’s a way that we extend what’s going on in the moment, and who’s voice we’re reading the story in. Last, he goes into advice that the best way for students to learn, and continue their writing, are writing from story prompts. This is where we would see them write non-stop, and agree to stay within the parameters of the guidelines of the prompt, all by writing for five minutes. Usually, it’s great to have the students figure out how to go on, and how to think about what is coming next when they are stumped on something.

These are great tips to teach to high school students, and I also would like to mention that reading is also a great tool to learn how to write, and even get creative ideas. It’s guidelines to make a student’s story sound better, and it’s great to have your students be free, as it allows them to go in depth. I would also like to point out that there are various other resources from this blog, that other teachers can get information, and post about.

Music Apps for Tech Edge: Reflection

rmatkins App Reviews, Projects, Reflections June 22, 2015 0 Comment

The first episode from Tech Edge, iPads in the classroom, that I had observed was, Music Apps. Tech Edge introduces certain apps for preschoolers, and elementary students. Duck Duck Moose is an Application where students learn about notes, rhythm, pitch, and instruments. Students would be able to tap on the animals, they will continue to dance to the music. Another activity of the app, is clicking the birds to play a melody, as they continue to fly. Simon says, is another game that students will be able to listen to what the ‘planets’ are singing, and they have to match. Cookie Coo is another app where it’s like a guitar hero for preschoolers. They are able to pick an instrument, select a character, and tap the instrument so it will match the beats. As they continue, it will pick up in tempo. This application will be great for students who want to have fun with music. Would I recommend this app for my students? Yes I would, but I would rather have this offered for my private studio young age students, so they can have fun with music at a young age.

I also have had the opportunity to watch episode 15 called Music Engagement. These apps are for students who doesn’t think that music is fun, but they can become engaged with it, without learning all of your basic music theory. The first app is called “Glee.” It’s an app that plays popular music, and it will allow you to sing to the lyrics, similar to a Karaoke game. Tap Tap Revenge will play popular songs that are free, and it’s also like a garage band game. Virtuoso is a piano app that allows you to read a keyboard, and also practice. This will also give you a wider range of all eighty-eight keys.

The third video is called Teaching music. This app, Music Tutor, is for students who actually study music, further their knowledge on music theory, and who wants to improve on their sight-reading. I think all of these apps are great for learning. I also think that these apps are for anyone who would love to use these, even if you don’t have knowledge in music, just like the hosts had mentioned.

Basic Music Theory Pt. 1

rmatkins App Reviews, Projects June 21, 2015June 21, 2015 0 Comment

Show Me, is a great app that allowed me to teach a short lesson while recording the screen, and my voice at the same time. As a teacher, if I had some students miss a class, I can always make a tutorial video of what the lesson was about, and allow them to have access of the topics covered in class. It’s a great way to give a “How-to” lesson for parents, if they would like to further their knowledge, and help with their child’s homework. Since the App isn’t recording you at all, I can script out my words, and also pre-make my slides, so all I have to do is speak what’s necessary, and write what is needed, without trying to avoid the fluff. In this video above, though it isn’t ‘perfect’, I pointed out the beginning topics of music theory, as if I was teaching an elementary class. This video points out the basic symbols that are used in seeing music for the first time, and even the note names, in which every child will know and understand, if repeating the letters. This app also connects to its website that can allow you to publish your videos, and will make them shareable and viewable to other educators. This app is free in the store, but the full version will cost $2.99.

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