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.

Multimedia and the Web (Readings Week 10)

This first artifact for this week focused on the different types of media that can be used on the Internet. I thought it was a great, descriptive tool that went into detail about how text, pictures, sound, and video are used on the web. The articles included a lot of information that will be helpful when I am creating my own website, especially when it tells what types of files everyone can access on the web. It would be sad to post a picture of the orchestra for the parents, only to find out that Tommy's parents couldn't see it!

The second article discussed sound files. It discussed the strengths and weaknesses of compressing files: while more people can access it faster, they will receive a lower quality sound file. As a musician, I will most likely someday have a website which includes audio files of myself. I will be able to pull up this article again, and look at the helpful tips it includes, such as posting both higher and lower resolution files. I really liked this article because I feel it addressed things that I might not have thought of, until it became a problem for me. I plan on referring to this article in the future, when I create a website for myself or my school program.

The Other 80%

The Other 80% is a site that came up on my PLN thanks to Dr. Bauer's delicious site. I think it is very important to include as many people as possible in creating music. Why should it only be instrumental or vocal musicians? There are probably many students who would love to create their own music. This website recognizes those possibilities, and promotes Non-Traditional Music programs. We are living in a time when these avenues are wide open. I believe that including non-instrumentalists/vocalists in music courses would be a popular idea with administrators and communities, and a great way to promote traditional music courses as well.

Ohio as a piano

This is a link from Dr. Bauer's delicious site, that shows a map of Ohio as a piano. How funny! I really wish I could load the site, because the buttons look interesting. Did anyone else get it to work? I want to see what happens!