Newborns Cognition

While perusing my Google Reader, I came across this blog post that discusses a recent study of newborns cries. In the study, newborns cries follow the direction of their parents speech. Basically, in Germany and France, newborns cry differently because of the variation in languages.

The author of this blog took this one step further and applied it to musical learning. I am not sure that I completely believe what this author says, because it is just his own assertions. Despite the fact that he is a professor, there needs to be more research to support what he is saying.

Selling Lessons Plans (PLN)

Today, I was browsing the New York Times and happened to see this article. It discusses teachers who are selling lesson plans online. If music technology class has taught me anything, it is that sharing materials and ideas can be so simple today. I wondered about educators who feel they must purchase lesson plans online, and whether or not they are aware of how they can communicate with colleagues in other schools. For music teachers, this is especially pertinent because there is probably only one specialist or so per school. Purchasing lesson plans is an easy way to find materials, however, I believe that in order to teach a great lesson, you must be invested in the creation of it.

Assistive Technology in Music

When I first began reading this article, I was reminded of one of my private students, who has a mild form of autism. He keeps a notebook to remind him of things he needs to remember to do. This simple form of an assistive technology helps him manage his life.

Watching the video demonstrating SoundBeam was incredible. Ari's piece was great! It amazes me that he could create very personal music, just by moving his wheelchair. I assume he spent a lot of time creating the orchestral background sounds. He seemed very proud to be able to perform using the SoundBeam, and it was great to watch.

Looking through Apple's website, it was great to see the span of assistive technology available. Since Apple is such a large company, I think it is important that they set the standard for including these types of things on their products. Sometimes, it only takes a simple solution to open up new avenue's for a person.

Photography Software (Readings Week 12)

This week we explored GIMP software, and read an article relating to digital photography. Of all the programs we have used so far, GIMP was the most difficult for me to relate to. I had no idea what options are available to me. Even now, I still am not totally sure, because the Atomic Learning videos would tell you how to alter the image, but not demonstrate what it does every time. The article gave a lot of great basic information, however, it did not explain when to apply it. I am sure when I need it, I will realize it and refer back to these resources.

I was very happy to look through the Copyright and Fair Use website, as it clarified a lot of points for me. As a performer, these issues have arisen before, and although my questions have been answered by my teacher, once I leave school I will need to find out that information on my own. This information also applies to me as an educator, and what occurs in concerts, etc. The area of copyright law makes me wonder how it will change with the digital age, even beyond where we are now. With GoogleBooks (attempting to) adding all books online, for example, how will copyright pertain to that? What about music databases? Can they be made public? This website will be an interesting one to track as things evolve.

Bringing People Together Through Music

Today I was looking through my Google Reader, and a post by the Music Teachers Blog caught my eye. The post includes video advertisements, one of which is a mass karaoke session in Traflgar Square. After watching the videos, I researched the event which actually was promoted beforehand using YouTube. The company handed out microphones, and had a special guest singer joining the crowd. An interesting form of advertisement, and of course they feature smiling faces and people using their mobile devices (since that is what the company sells).

One thing that came to mind while watching this occurred at my brother's college graduation, where everyone joined in singing songs during an evening event. It was so much fun, and it is one of the most lasting memories of that weekend. At that moment, all of the families and students were connected through music, even though people came from many different places.

My point with this blog is to ask questions: How many of you have found yourself in a large group of people, singing/dancing/etc. unexpectedly? How did it make you feel? Should we as educators try to create these types of meaningful experiences for students, even outside of music class?

Avoiding Snail Mail (PLN)

This week on my PLN I saw an article that I found really helpful. It is from musictechtips blog, and it discusses how to avoid sending audio and video files through email. The author suggests using a file sharing website rather than emailing large files, and I found that to be a really great suggestion. As a musician, I may someday have to send sample audio to prospective clients (e.g., for a wedding). This would be a simple way to get that to them without having to email cumbersome files.

Avoid Snail Mail

Technology and Learning (Readings Week 11)

The article about "How People Learn" was very interesting in how it recommends integrating technology, and why. One of the points was that learning can be collaborative and interactive with peers and colleagues, which helps people learn. I believe that technology can be effective for this purpose, however, I feel that face to face interaction is very important. For younger students especially, being involved with others in person not only helps them learn, but can teach important life skills such as compromising. I believe that the ideas the author presented can be used, but I hope that students will interact in the classroom as well. It would be a great way to connect with professionals on a regular basis.

I found the article on Digital Natives/Immigrants to be very interesting, because it is something I experience at home. My mother is an educator, and took a music technology course over the summer (with Dr. Bauer). At night, she would have homework to do, and sometimes she would ask me questions. To me, the answer sometimes seems obvious and natural, but to her, she had no idea where to find what she was looking for. I think that the article has a great point that we need to extend our curriculum further in regards to technology. For our students, it is a very practical idea. In the music world, there are many programs that can be used to create music. This is the future, and as educators we incorporate technology into our classrooms.

I like the WebQuest artifact, as it clearly defines what that is. I really like WebQuests, mostly because they are a fun way for students to navigate the web while the educator has control over the content. I think that WebQuests are going to be seen more and more in classrooms. It can even be incorporated as a workstation or pull out if only one/a few computers are available.