[callout]This post is written by Misty Griffin, a middle school English Language Arts and Reading teacher for Irving Independent School District in Irving, Texas. She is dedicated to increasing student voice and engagement for all students. She can be found on Twitter by following @MistyGriffinAMS. [/callout]

Start singing “Conjunction junction,” and you’ll likely hear someone continue singing, “what’s your function?”

Many of us remember singing along to Schoolhouse Rock, Sesame Street, and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. The use of music as a learning tool is nothing new, but now, there’s a social media community and app that takes this idea beyond the classroom walls and can make learning more engaging!

Allihoopa is a social media network that allows users to easily collaborate, create, and share music tracks and songs with a worldwide audience. The tutorial video below along with the Quick guide to becoming an Allihooper show you just how easy it is to get started creating with Allihoopa. *The Allihoopa app is available for iOS devices on the iTunes store.

Music lovers of all ambitions, skills, and levels have provided over one million user-generated pieces for the Allihoopa community, according to Allihoopa marketing coordinator René Hasoon. So, you can imagine the impact this tool could have on students and classrooms. It is a perfect resource to help encourage students to express their thoughts and reflections in a creative and engaging way!

Here are just a few ideas for using Allihoopa in the classroom:

1. Teachers can create songs to teach facts for student memory or to announce upcoming events. Have you ever noticed how students never forget the lyrics to their favorite songs? Teachers can use this to their advantage by creating catchy tunes that cause important lessons and content to stick in the minds of their students OR to cause important classroom event information to stick in the minds of the parents!

 

2. Students can create (or select) a poem and turn it into a song by choosing one of the Allihoopa tunes to use as background music for their poem. They can then perform their creation in class or post it on Flipgrid to receive feedback from their peers.

 

3. Students can create a theme song for an image, book, or non-fiction article they have reviewed. When finished, they can explain, compare, and contrast their own creations with the musical creations of their fellow classmates.

 

4. Students can create a “yearbook playlist” compiled of Allihoopa creations that represent their experiences throughout the current or previous school year.  This could also provide a great opportunity for non-traditional lessons on “mood” and “tone”.

 

5. Students can create songs that tell what they have been learning in class. These musical masterpieces can then be a fun presentation for parents during school Open House events or during parent conferences.

 

6. Students can create Public Service Announcement songs about bullying, being kind, digital citizenship, and other topics that are important to them. They can present their PSA creations on school announcements or use them in social skills lessons for their peers.

The possibilities are endless and amplification of student voice is guaranteed!  Check out a couple of my own creations by following this link… https://allihoopa.com/MistyGriffinAMS.

So, why should you start using Allihoopa in your classes tomorrow?

• Allihoopa encourages collaboration!
• Allihoopa can inspire projects with high Depth of Knowledge levels!
• Allihoopa allows students to share their voices world-wide!

It’s important to note that like many other social media outlets, there are age restrictions. You must be 18+ to create an Allihoopa account, so teachers must create an account for students to use under the teacher’s supervision.

Here’s a link to get started using the tool http://allihoopa.com/getstarted. The best way to begin enjoying Allihoopa is to just dive in and have fun!

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