Aurasma

Mustache Maker File for Blog *Aurasma in my classroom perfectly demonstrates what my students are mastering at their own pace, but it’s more than that: it’s a game changer. Aurasma is a great way to bring to life student performances as well as student-created tutorials. I created Auras at the beginning of the year to introduce my students to famous, gifted musicians and performers; you can read about that project here.  Five months later, I have found a way to use Aurasma to simultaneously challenge my advanced students, help my struggling students, and creatively showcase their progress. I want to tell you how I am presently using  Aurasma in my classroom and how it has changed my teaching. Flipped: Students work from home From home, my 4th grade recorder students have been emailing me videos of recorder pieces they are trying to pass off in the Recorder Karate unit of study. The ability to interact with my students is possible because of the technology available in their home and because of  recorderkids.wikispaces.com that I created for my students. This flipping of the music class has opened a door to an entirely new level of learning. Individual Attention given to each student When I receive the emails, I listen and respond back that they have either passed the belt or I attach a “Recorder Repair” video to help fix a problem they are having with the piece. This running dialogue between teacher and student has completely changed the learning process AND the dynamics in my classroom. I want to shout it from the mountain top with my loudest voice, “What is happening in my music classroom is SO Flipping Amazing!” My students are totally engaged and for the first time, I have (at the time of this blog post) 27 out of 80 students already on Black belt.  I needed a creative way to connect the videos with the children and a way to match their hard work with a bit of fame: Aurasma! Aurasma: A Game Changer The  images on the Wall of Fame “Trigger” the playing of  a recorder video. What is so game-changing about using Aurasma in such a display as this, is how the iPad or smart phone can pass over each picture and almost instantly one can hear and see the student playing. This “slick” feature happens because the video or “Overlay” is stored in the cloud (my Dropbox) and it just plays. Unlike a QR code link, there is no load time with Aurasma. The recorder video magically appears in the air.  oooh -ahhh! Take a peek Every one of these Aurasma auras display the learning that is going on at home. How amazing it is to watch the children working in their own environment. Some children are in their school clothes and film right when they get home, while others are in their pj’s working late into the evening.  Some film from the bathrooms – complete with fogged up iPads, while others film from inside the car (I hope they weren’t sent to the sound proof car to practice!). Some film on the back porch, and others film in the kitchen with siblings all around.  How cool is that? While it is exciting to see the ease with which the gifted students excel, the most deep-in-my-heart touching thing to see is the tenacity of  those who really struggle with reading notes and making fingers move. Through each video, I can peek in and see their determination and pride when the belt is earned. What a privilege! As an end of the year gift, I’m going to create an Aurasma aura that starts with the student’s first belt level and fades into their highest level performance. That will be a nice treasure to share with family and friends, don’t you think?! Auras-mataz! The Aurasma Wall of Fame has been such a motivating part of this unit of study. When my students walk into the music room, they can’t wait to make sure that I’ve linked their latest and greatest performances. Yes, they receive belts and beads for each required piece, but the motivation is also intrinsic and refreshing. Try it yourself If you want to experience Aurasma, scan the QR code to download and/or join my channel: Hammond School. Once you “follow” my channel, you can scan any image and instantly view the Aura.  Try it on these images: Simple Aurasma Tutorial As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is an art to creating really good trigger images. Here is a free download of the Mustache Maker file  if you are interested in creating a similar board using SMART Notebook software.  To support the mustache/recorder karate theme, I’ve created a simple tutorial for creating Aurasma auras. If you want further details, look here.  “Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.” – Anatole France Flipping the music class, having an encouraging dialogue with each of my students via email, and creatively displaying their hard work with Aurasma, has turned a simple recorder unit into a student-led musical odyssey. How about you? Have you found a creative way to use Aurasma in your classroom yet? Tell us about it! *Aurasma has been closed down as of January 2024. All of the linked auras no longer work! bummer!! I have recreated them using EyeJack.  More later!