Our inspiration came from this poem:
“Where I'm From” by George Ella Lyon
I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening,
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush
the Dutch elm
whose long-gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.
I'm from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I'm from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from Perk up! and Pipe down!
I'm from He restoreth my soul
with a cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.
I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger,
the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures,
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments--
snapped before I budded --
leaf-fall from the family tree.
Here is a little sample of my work:
I am From... - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
I also learned to use a program called Google MyMaps where you can create a virtual tour of any place using Google maps. In Google maps I discovered a wonderful resource it is a map that is called Smithsonian Folkways Lesson Plans. It is a map that contains hundreds of lesson plans from all over the world!
Next year, I will be in an elementary music position and I look forward to integrating technology into all of my music classes. I particularly resonated with the discussion about the "flipped classroom," because the use technology, in appropriate situations, is an important part of teaching more effectively so that we can spend more time on the important stuff; playing music!