OneNote Review

Microsoft One Note - Tardy to the Party?

For the last assignment for Technology in Music Education at Kent State University, I have been asked to provide a brief review of Microsoft's OneNote. The videos and interactive tutorials on Microsoft's website are impressive and exciting. Students collaborating, an integrated workspace for assignments, classwork, learning tools, even collecting and returning homework assignments. It looks truly dazzling. I happily downloaded the app for my iPad and started exploring.

As a digital notebook, OneNote is serviceable. Typing is quick and easy and drawing, even with just a finger - not a stylus, was accurate and smooth. Adding links, photos, videos, audio is easy and seamless. The download was rather large however and I've had a couple of instances of glitchy performance - the keyboard appeared half off screen making me restart the app to get rid of it - and other bizarre performance issues that I chalked up to Microsoft's continuing feud with Apple. Without students signed into the system though, I couldn't imagine how I would use it in my classroom as I already have other programs that I happily use to fulfill the digital notebook role, and as a Google Classroom school, I don't see my IT department hopping on board with OneNote (no matter how enamored with Microsoft they may be.) Like the sadly underutilized Google+, collaborative software is only as powerful as the number of people willing to use it, and while Google couldn't conquer facebook for social networking, I don't see Microsoft toppling Google Docs domination in the collaborative workflow department.

For now, I imagine I'll stick with Google Classroom which allows me much of the classroom management and student collaboration aspects of OneNote, and penultimate for my digital notebook needs. While OneNote certainly looks slick, I can't see convincing everyone around me to make the switch - which is what would need to happen to truly use the program to its greatest effect.

I think my desk is under there... How technology can help productivity.

Productivity!

Aah, productivity... that dirty little buzz word that somehow always makes me feel inadequate. If only I were more efficient, if I just had a better color coding system, if I could just... find. that. darned. paper! (I KNOW I put it RIGHT HERE!!!)

I am not, by nature, the world's most organized or neatest person. My house is always a little out of control (especially with a toddler, an infant, and a puppy running about!) there are always piles of mail on most horizontal surfaces in my kitchen. I'm a bit of a messy-nessy and unfortunately, my husband isn't much better... so no one would confuse our house for Martha Stewart's.

Martha is not impressed

Not surprisingly, my desk at work is similarly in a bit of a shamble. In April when I found out on the day my Long Term Sub was supposed to start to shadow me for 2 weeks before April break that I would instead be having my son 3 weeks early (my poor sub didn't even get to shadow me for a day... we had a snow day that day!) my biggest concern was what an utter disaster my desk was! I had planned on cleaning it on the Friday before, but I rushed out for an emergency doctor's appointment and didn't get a chance. I never went back... oops! I always wish that my classroom, especially my desk, could be pinterest worthy... and someday maybe I'll get there. That day is not today.

Distinctly not pinterest worthy

The one thing that I am pretty successful at is using technology to help my digital life stay organized. I stopped taking notes at conference with paper and pencil a few years ago after switching to an iPad and Penultimate. I love that I can take snapshots of aspects of a presentation and write comments on/around it... I love the zoomed writing screen so I can fit more than 6 words on a page... I love the autoscroll so that I can just write in one place and have the ipad automatically move the writing window. I really love that I can easily send copies of my notes to colleagues! 

Another organizational win is through Google. While I'm an Apple girl through and through, I absolutely adore the Google suite of productivity tools. I wouldn't call myself a power user yet, but the level of organization capable through Google tools is astounding. My district just became a Google Classroom district and I look forward to digging into that software when I return from Maternity leave. Previously, I've used Google forms for students to submit concert reflections (no more struggling to read terrible handwriting, or having to lug a giant stack of papers home to grade!) and even set up a google form for my Drama Club parents to arrange carpools for pickups after rehearsal - just put in sections for names and contact information, schedule needs, and what section of town they lived in, then I gave the parents access to the resulting spreadsheet so they could coordinate their own ride sharing. I didn't have to deal with angry parents who felt they didn't have any way to get their kids home without the bus and parents were happy to be able to work together and help each other out.

I still need to unpack it all!

You can even make quizzes through Google that grade themselves. (Wish I had that when I was still giving quizzes! ) As much as I love Google Apps, I've only just scratched the surface of what they're capable of.

With so many options for amazing technology productivity tools it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, but if you try a few things and keep what works for you you might just be able to find a way to clear the clutter from your digital desk too!

When is technology not Technology?

When is technology (small "t") no longer Technology (capital "T")?

As I sat down to write this blog post I intended my topic to be about how the simplest and most transparent types of technology could sometimes be the most effective uses of technology in our classrooms. Using a stereo to play a song, or a DVD to show a film, or a simple graphics program to create a listening map are all sited by Bauer (2014) as ways to incorporate technology in regard to "Responding to Music" standards. But then I realized... I don't really, in my heart of hearts, truly consider any of that to be using technology. DVDs are being replaced by Blu-ray, a stereo is as essential in a classroom as paper and pencils, and even the most curmudgeonly of colleagues has at least a working knowledge of how to create decent looking documents using Word or Pages.

All this got me thinking... at what point does technology stop being technology? Even things that don't fall out of favor and usage (*coughcough* eight-tracks *coughcough* fax machines *coughcough* AOL *coughcough*) reach a point that even though they are used daily they just aren't thought of as technology - think landline telephones, the light bulb. A quick Google Images search of "Thomas Edison lightbulb" turns up a whole host of pictures of Edison with his greatest invention (side note.. most of which if recreated would look really silly today... ) but when you really think about it, would you list the light bulb when asked about technology that you know how to use?

Edison and his greatest invention

Johnson looking like a lunatic.

(double note... should I be worried that my husband didn't ask why I wanted him to take a picture of me holding a lightbulb? )

Even cell phones, which have become mini computers that we store in our pockets, started as technology that is laughable today.

Zack Morris - Have giant cell phone, will travel.

... and even I remember a time when anyone who called you while driving for some reason had to start the conversation with "I'm calling you from my car phone!"

Do I sound more important on this car phone?

So at what point does technology stop being technology? Who decides? And is it the same for everyone? Douglas Adams (of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame) said:

     1) everything that’s already in the world when you’re born is just normal;

     2) anything that gets invented between then and before you turn thirty is incredibly exciting and 

     creative and with any luck you can make a career out of it;

     3) anything that gets invented after you’re thirty is against the natural order of things and the 

     beginning of the end of civilisation as we know it until it’s been around for about ten years when it 

     gradually turns out to be alright really.

     Apply this list to movies, rock music, word processors and mobile phones to work out how old 

     you are. 

So by Adams' definition, what is or isn't technology can be vastly different depending on who is talking. In terms of educational technology, it means that what we as teachers consider to be technology will almost certainly not be the same as what our students consider to be technology. I saw this as an "Age Test" on social media and thought it was funny so I asked my students if they knew what the connection between the two objects was... and they didn't even know what the cassette was never mind how they went together. (sigh.) 

I guess the point is, technology (or Technology) is a moving target which means in order to give the best we can to our students we should focus on those things that help us do our job better, and those things that help our students connect with our material in the best way possible. Otherwise we're just calling from the carphone just to say that we're on the carphone.


References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and    responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

DNA/How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet. (1999). Douglasadams.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016, from http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/19990901-00-a.html

Project Based Learning! I... don't... do that.

PBL... ?

"What do you notice is missing from the grade scale that you might be used to seeing?" I ask my General Music students on day 1 of class. They look at the "Welcome" sheet I've handed out with my classroom rules and basic rundown of what we'll be doing this term. "Participation - 30%, Classwork/Homework - 30%, Projects - 40%" They look back at me, eyes wide... "how much are tests?" they ask. "I don't do tests. No tests, no quizzes." I calmly reply. I love to watch their faces as they try to figure out if I'm kidding. Between tests and quizzes as assessments in other classes, and the bevvy of standardized assessments they take each year, these kids are tested to death and they've been conditioned to believe that the only way that they can "get" a grade in a class is by taking a test at the end of each unit. I respond to their chorus of "Seriously? Is this a trick? So what are we graded on?" by explaining to them that I stopped believing in tests in my classroom. For years I would give tests and quizzes, my first year I insisted that they study and memorize - all books and notebooks must be clear off their desks at test time. Students did pretty well, but by the time they left my room whatever they had been tested on was already gone - on the paper, out of their minds. So I switched to open-notes tests and told them at the beginning of the term that all tests and quizzes would be open notes so if they wrote it down, they would have all the answers. I hoped that if I could get them to focus on good note taking techniques they would retain more of the information for a longer-term. I told myself that I didn't need them to remember all this stuff, I just needed them to know how to find the information when they needed it. Grades were even better... and retention was still abysmal. Then finally it came to me... I didn't actually care if they could spit back the information to me at all! Their ability to name different time signatures, or list 4 bands of the British Invasion, or describe the parts of Sonata Form wasn't what I was really aiming for. What I really wanted was for them to be able to use that information in a new way. I started giving them projects so that they could demonstrate their learning, and their retention soared, by creating something new, they were understanding the information in a whole new way, a way that didn't fall out of their heads the moment they went on to their next class. I did away with the tests that weren't really telling me anything anyway so I could spend even more time on projects in my classroom.

I proudly told people that I had implemented Project Based Learning (PBL) in my classroom and felt proud of my cutting-edge-ness. My students were happy and learning more than ever, I was pleased with how smoothly my classroom was running and the ease of grading. Everything was going swimmingly! Then I read Bauer's (2014) description of PBL... and while I was hitting some of the points he described, I was definitely missing some others. I started digging deeper online about what PBL really is and it seems I have a ways more to go. While I'm having my students work on projects, it doesn't always cross the bridge into PBL. 

Far from being discouraged however, I am more excited about implementing a real PBL model in my classroom. Many of my current projects need just a few tweaks to really improve them and push them to true PBL. I have spoken several times on this blog about the importance of imparting 21st century skills to our students, and PBL can really help students learn how to collaboratively solve problems - a 21st century skill if I've ever heard one. I am more than willing to put in a little extra effort for such a huge payout!

References:
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and    responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Chromatic and SmartMusic

Two performance resources, Chromatik and SmartMusic

Despite the fact that I am fairly tech-savvy, I was only previously familiar with one of the two services I was tasked with reviewing this week. SmartMusic is a service I have been interested in for a couple of years now, and with which my colleague in the band room has recently taken the plunge. Chromatik was an unknown quantity.

When I began my investigation into Chromatik, I was first faced with an iPhone app that was glitchy (it froze my phone twice before I was able to really use it) and a bit difficult to navigate. After visiting the website on my laptop, I finally was able to figure out what the service really was, which appears to be essentially an online 'realbook'. A subscription service, a free version is offered, but limited to 3 songs per day (or in my case, only 1... another glitch, I assume) with ads that pop up quite frequently and require a longer and longer period of time before you are allowed to close them (referred to as a 'nag screen' in the days of shareware). I was quite frustrated when met with the page below when attempting to get into a second song today to get screenshots for this blog post. Somehow the system thought I had already reached my 3 song quota and there was no way around without paying for a subscription ($3.99 for a week, 9.99 for a month, or $99 for a year.) ("Chromatik - Explore Free Sheet Music Collections and Play More Music", 2016)

Frustrations aside, there is a reasonably impressive amount of music available. I was at first excited that it seemed the service was going to be something like a personal karaoke with real sheet music, but the video/audio tracks embedded in the sheet music pages are links to YouTube videos of full performances. For a vocalist, always singing along with another performer is not the most useful practice method and not one that I would suggest my students try. Also, speaking as a vocal teacher, the selection of vocal music is extremely pop oriented. There was no classical literature that I could find, and the limited Broadway/Disney musical selection provides just a melody line with no accompaniment making the music ill effective for actual performance. All in all, I do not see Chromatik being a service I will refer to again.

SmartMusic on the other hand is a service that I have been itching to try for quite some time. With a fairly heavy presence at the Massachusetts Music Educator's Association All State Conferences every year, it is a hard service to ignore completely. My band colleague began working with an educator and practice room subscription this past year and it has revolutionized her workflow at grading time thanks to eliminating the need for many individual playing and scale tests. Students can now go into the practice room one at a time during regular rehearsal times and complete the assigned work which she can then grade at home. She has also integrated it into her warm-up routine and the students enjoy being able to see the real time feedback for right and wrong notes. 

I was looking forward to having an excuse to give it a try in terms of vocal music, but unfortunately did not receive a response to my request for a free educator trial in time for this assigned post. I look forward to hearing from them soon and diving in to see how I could use the program for my chorus classes. I am curious how long the free educator trial lasts, and if I would be able to try it with my students before spending my precious little budget money on the service. Educator subscriptions are $140/year, practice room subscriptions (which allow you to install the software on a machine in a practice room and have students log in through that terminal) are $99/year, and individual student subscriptions are $40/year ("SmartMusic For Educators- Music Education Software", 2016). I appreciate that students are able to purchase subscriptions on their own, so motivated students are able to use the tools at their own pace in the privacy of their own homes (or wherever they might be with iPad and mobile apps) for an affordable investment.

I hope this is the year I finally get to try SmartMusic with my students after hearing so many wonderful things about it!

References:

Chromatik - Explore Free Sheet Music Collections and Play More Music. (2016). Chromatik.com. Retrieved 31 July 2016, from https://www.chromatik.com/

SmartMusic For Educators- Music Education Software. (2016). SmartMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2016, from http://www.smartmusic.com/products/educators/

But... I hate to practice!

But... I hate to practice!

... And I'm not just quoting my students! Practicing has never been fun for me. Bauer (2014) speaks to the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators for students to practice. Not one to ever be motivated by stickers, or an "Atta girl!" or the lure of a classroom pizza party, my desire to do anything other than practice was far stronger than any extrinsic motivators my teachers could come up with. Bauer says, "When people have a high degree of self-efficacy - the belief that they can be successful and achieve at an activity - they are more likely to be intrinsically motivated" (p. 82). HA! I laugh in the face of your research, Mr, Bauer! I knew that I could do it, and I knew that practice would help make me better and I would still rather stare at a blank wall in a practice room than actually accomplish anything. So when my students tell me that they "just didn't have the time" to practice, I can't blame them! I vividly recall spending endless hours in college (where I was a voice major) in the practice rooms and never once opening my mouth to sing. Still, I knew that practice could improve my skills... I just didn't have any motivation to do it.

Enter technology to save the day once again! While I am apparently completely unmotivatable in the practice department, I am extremely competitive, even against just myself. Give me the ability to chart my progress in a concrete way and I'm golden... give me a way to compete against my friends - even better... and if you can somehow make it a game where I can earn points and compete against my friends - I'm sold! SmartMusic, while I have just begun to scratch the surface of its capabilities, seems to scratch that game-like, musically competitive sight singing itch I have and that I want my students to be able to experience. More on that later this weekend.

Other services, such as Sight Reading Factory, which creates unique sight reading exercises that are customizable to your needs (ability level, voicings, rhythmic components, ranges... etc.) will be excellent to use in the classroom where I am there to guide my students, but don't offer feedback like SmartMusic does, so may not be as useful to my students at home.

One of my favorite apps on my iPad cart is Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer. While it doesn't offer melodic options, the rhythmic options (and complexity) is nearly endless, challenging even the most accomplished of musicians. With instant feedback, practice and testing modes, on-demand generated examples so they never get stale, multiple attempts to hone your skills and prove accuracy over time... it's the real deal. I think that singers especially often disregard the importance of rhythmic accuracy, and this app is a real gem in terms of improving rhythmic reading. My students can work independently with the program which means they can be at whatever level is most appropriate for them at this moment without being embarrassed that they might struggle with something their friends might find easier.

For the typically motivated student, there are a whole host of technology assisted practice methods to make the job easier. From YouTube videos of performances of the works, to MIDI produced Music Minus One tracks. With all the supports available, I am looking forward to the fall for my next big step to be implementing home practice requirements for my choir students. Perhaps with a little technology aided practice (and motivation) my choir kids could go from this:

... to this:

References:

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and    responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Giving up

When Giving Up Gives More

When I started my job 5 years ago I had grand plans for my General Music students. I was going to make them musically literate. They would understand the basics of music theory and composition, they would have a fundamental grasp of music history and how the music they listen to relates to the grander scheme of what came before. They would know basic chord progressions and be able to write their own songs. 

... And then I started, and I tried to assess what they already knew. No, they didn't know chord progressions (they didn't even know what a chord was!), they didn't know basic musical forms, they didn't know a quarter note from an eighth note. I raged against the system and complained to my family and friends "I just don't understand what their last teacher DID with all his time! How do they not know this stuff already?" I spent that year getting by with my 8th graders, focusing on music history (from chant to rock and roll, spirituals, jazz, Broadway) and how the different time periods and genres related to each other and to what they listen to themselves. My 7th graders were my future though, and I hammered music literacy with them. By the end of each term they knew rhythmic values and how they related to each other, they understood how to write music on the staff, they could read, write, and play every major scale on the piano. Next year we could tackle chords and chord progressions... I was ecstatic. The next fall I was so excited to begin working with my now 8th graders, my musically literate students, I couldn't wait to see where we could go this year. We dove in and... they didn't know the difference between a quarter note and an eighth note. Their retention was basically zero. 

Now I understood that it wasn't that the lower school teacher wasn't teaching them this stuff, it was just so irrelevant to their lives that they were incapable of remembering it year to year. I began the task of trying to figure out how to enrich their lives with music in a way that they would remember for longer than the 10 weeks that I had them.

Then the iPad cart was wheeled into my room, and my teaching life changed. I knew step one was to get GarageBand on them. This was going to be my key. In Music Learning Today, William Bauer discusses the two main approaches to teaching composition - through traditional notation, and through graphic representation. While both of these can be assisted with technology, the depth of compositional ability that technology allows an essentially musically illiterate student is truly mind boggling. Just because a student doesn't have the ability to read or write music doesn't mean that they don't have musical ideas in their heads... the same way that it can't be assumed that someone who can not read or write english can't come up with beautiful poetry. The ability to put creative thoughts together is not strictly tied to the ability to read or write them. For my students, reading and writing music was a skill that they used exclusively within the confines of my classroom, and when outside my room that unused knowledge simply slipped away. GarageBand gave them an outlet for their musical creativity and many were excited to go home and download it on to their own devices at home. 

I gave up on trying to hammer music literacy into their heads. That first year, my 8th graders (who I had decided already to let go of, not wanting to waste my precious 10 weeks with them on something I felt they should already know) actually enjoyed my class... while the 7th graders (who I felt I was preparing for greatness in 8th grade) did not, I could see it on their faces as they walked in the room. They did not enjoy the work of learning the theory of music any more than I enjoyed teaching it. The next year, when I let go of the technical knowledge and instead focused on fostering their creativity, I loved my classes... and so did my students. 

By letting go, by giving up, I gave my students much more than I could have ever given them if I had kept hammering away at basic literacy. When students come back from the high school now and tell me how my class was their favorite, how they still use GarageBand at home to write music, that they use it in their class presentations or have started posting their work on YouTube... I know that what I have given them will last far beyond my short 10 weeks with them.

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and    responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.