Example snapshots from
Microsoft’s Productivity Future Vision
On 02/19/2015,
in engagement / engaging students, ideas, music, teachers, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
Resources that private music teachers love — from musicteachershelper.com
305 music teachers shared their favorite music games and apps, method books, where they buy sheet music, and more!
New ‘Illuminating Piano’ works with iPad or Windows to light the way for aspiring pianists — from geekwire.com
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A different way to visualize rhythm – from ed.ted.com by John Varney
iPad helps boy with muscle atrophy disease stay in the high school band — from ipadinsight.com by Patrick Jordan
3 tips to turn students into music theory rockstars — from musicmattersblog.com by Kristin Jensen
Engaging learners with music — from hacklearningseries.com by Mark Barnes
NoteStars – A fun challenge for learning music notes on the piano! — from musicmattersblog.com
Addendums:
2/20/15:
- Kurt Nemes’ Classical Music Almanac — from musicalalmanac.wordpress.com
( A love affair with music)
Beethoven
Bach
Ravel
Mozart
Rossini
Brahms
Debussy
Stravinsky
Tchaikovsky
Rachmaninov
2/26/15
- Louisville Schoolchildren Rock Out to ‘Kashmir’ and Other Classic Led Zeppelin Songs on Percussion Instruments — from laughingsquid.com
2/27/15:
On 01/19/2015,
in A/V -- audio/visual, attention, communications, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, elearning, engagement / engaging students, Google, multimedia, new media literacies, online learning, online media,
by Daniel Christian
Five Minute Film Festival: Video Boot Camp — from edutopia.org by Bill Selak
Excerpt:
The rapid adoption of devices in the classroom has fundamentally changed the way we can create video. Every part of the creation process — writing, recording, editing, and distributing — is possible on the devices that can fit in our pocket. Vision is the most dominant of the five senses. Research shows that concepts are better remembered if they are taught visually. This is called the pictorial superiority effect, and it’s why video is such a powerful learning tool.
A video is created three times: when you write it, when you shoot it, and when you edit it. There are several formats that can be used to write a script for the classroom: a Google Doc, a dedicated app (ex: Storyboards), a Google Form, or a production organization document. Whichever format is used, emphasis should be placed on how it will be used in the classroom, and what the goal of the video is. When recording, it is important to incorporate basic rules of composition, such as the rule of thirds, into your video. Being aware of the environment (basic concepts like lighting and room tone) makes it easier to edit.
Curating content is another significant way to incorporate video into your classroom. If you don’t have the time or software to make a fancy video, odds are someone has already made it and shared it on YouTube. This Film Festival is equal parts curation and creation.
From DSC:
This is a nice collection of resources and tips to help you and your students further develop your new media literacy.
On 01/07/2015,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Daniel S. Christian, education, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, mobile learning, mobile technologies, Near Field Communication (NFC), real-world assignments, second screen apps, user experience (UX),
by Daniel Christian
A potential scenario
A teacher takes a group of students on a field trip to their city’s recycling center.
The city has installed sensors/beacons next to their bins. They’ve also made Wi-Fi available (but only during normal hours of operation).
Upon arriving, the city’s beacons sense that mobile devices are in its proximity — including one that’s been pre-registered as a K-12 teacher — and thus take the following steps:
- A request for permission to display content is received by each mobile device
- If approved, a video of the city’s mayor is sent to each of the students’ mobile devices, explaining what the city is trying to achieve with their recycling operations
- This video is followed up with a graphic that relays how many tons of recycling are processed each week/month/year — as well as other relevant information
- After that, a brief quiz hits the students’ devices, asking them a series of questions about what was hopefully learned from the trip
- Upon submission of the quiz, the National Audubon Society has arranged with the city to transmit gift certificates worth $5.00 to each device — with an option to accept the certificate or not — and sends an interesting item to the devices from one of their sites
Meanwhile, upon returning to school:
- Another quiz is sent to each student’s device, using the concept of spaced practice/repetition to again assess whether the learning objectives were reached re: that days’ field trip
- Once the student clicks on the submit button for the quiz:
- their score is registered in the system and an answer key appears
- simultaneously, a notification is sent to the child’s parent/guardian that says that Billy has completed the field trip to XYZ recycling center, and encouraging the parent/guardian to ask Billy some open ended questions (in fact, 2-3 are provided to help with the conversation later on). That email could also let the parents know when the center is open and if they have any special programs going on (like Christmas tree disposal and recycling for Christmas tree lights)
On 01/06/2015,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, attention, communications, communities of practice, convergence, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, digital storytelling, education, education technology, engagement / engaging students, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, Google, heutagogy, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, ideas, internet, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, lifelong learning, media/film, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, multimedia, new business models, online learning, online media, smart/connected TV, social learning / networks, telepresence, television, training / L&D, transmedia, trends, web-based collaboration, youth,
by Daniel Christian
YouTube’s Chief, Hitting a New ‘Play’ Button — from nytimes.com by Jonathan Mahler
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
At one point, the moderator asked Ms. Wojcicki if she thought cable television would still be around in 10 years. She paused for a moment before answering, with a bit of a sly smile, “Maybe.” The crowd laughed, even though just about everyone in the packed auditorium knew she was only half-joking.
If cable TV is gone in a decade, Ms. Wojcicki and the global digital video empire over which she presides will be one of the main causes. YouTube, founded in 2005 as a do-it-yourself platform for video hobbyists — its original motto was “Broadcast Yourself” — now produces more hit programming than any Hollywood studio.
Smosh, a pair of 20-something lip-syncing comedians, have roughly 30 million subscribers to their various YouTube channels. PewDiePie, a 24-year-old Swede who provides humorous commentary while he plays video games, has a following of similar size. The list goes on and on. For the sake of perspective, successful network television shows like “NCIS: New Orleans” or “The Big Bang Theory” average a little more than half that in weekly viewership. The 46-year-old Ms. Wojcicki — who will soon give birth to her fifth child — has quietly become one of the most powerful media executives in the world.
![The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV](http://danielschristian.com/learning-ecosystems/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/The-Living-Class-Room-Daniel-S-Christian-July-2012.jpg)
Also see:
- Smart TV Alliance serves 58 million TV sets — from broadbandtvnews.com by The Smart TV Alliance development platform is now compatible with one-third of the global smart TV market. App developers who use the Alliance’s common developer portal can reach 58 million smart TVs in a single, integrated process. The brands served include LG Electronics, Panasonic, TP Vision and Toshiba
- Roku-Connected Televisions And The Future Of The Smart TV Wars — from fastcompany.com by Chris Gayomali
At CES, Roku announced new partnerships that will cram its platform inside more televisions. Built-in is the new box.
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- Netflix Launches Smart TV Seal of Approval Program — from variety.com by Todd Spangler
Sony, LG, Sharp, Vizo and makers of Roku TVs are expected to be first certified under ‘Netflix Recommended TV’ program
Excerpt:
Netflix — in a smart bid to get its brand affixed onto smart TVs — has announced the “Netflix Recommended TV” certification program under which it will give the thumbs up to Internet-connected television sets that deliver the best possible video-streaming experience for its service.
From DSC:
As you can see, BBBBBIIIIIGGGGG players are getting into this game. And there will be BBBBBIIIIIGGGGG opportunities that open up via what occurs in our living rooms. Such affordances won’t be limited to the future of entertainment only.
On 12/22/2014,
in attention, digital storytelling, engagement / engaging students, innovation, new media literacies, participation, psychology, story, storytelling, transmedia,
by Daniel Christian
Transmedia Literacy: Expanding the Media Literacy Frontier — from div46amplifier.com by Pamela Rutledge, PhD, MBA; Director, Media Psychology Research Center Adjunct Faculty, Fielding Graduate University
Excerpt:
Media literacy is an increasingly pressing issue for media psychologists and educators who strive to prepare people of all ages to function well in a media-rich, globally connected world. The ever-expanding integration of media technologies in our daily lives, from social media platforms to mobile apps, have challenged our understanding of just what it means to be literate in the 21st century (Hobbs & Jensen, 2009). The emerging trend of transmedia storytelling will continue to push the envelope even farther. Transmedia storytelling goes beyond the need to segment such skills as search and collaboration. It demands the ability to recognize, understand, and interact with narrative threads across multiple modalities, not just within them.
Transmedia storytelling is the design and distribution of a story that is coordinated across multiple media channels. Each channel offers unique content, using the strengths of each medium to its best advantage to build a larger, richer story. Transmedia storytelling is intentionally designed for participation, drawing the audience in as co-creators to expand and develop the narratives.
Transmedia storytelling may not seem particularly different or profound until you consider that all information is translated into narrative in our meaning-making brains. We embody the stories we tell. Stories are how we assign causality, consciously process sensory input and imagery, and create associations so we can commit experience to memory. Stories are how we make sense of our selves, our lives, and our futures in the world around us (Polkinghorne, 1988).
On 12/17/2014,
in attention, creativity, engagement / engaging students, graphics, multimedia, new media literacies, play, social media,
by Daniel Christian
Educators and trainers take note!
Take a moment to check out “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Word Crimes” video. Then take a moment to reflect about the elements that “Weird Al” and Jarrett Heather used in this piece…what comes to your mind?
For me — and regardless what you think of his music here — “Weird Al” and Jarrett have come up with a solid piece of pedagogy here. In fact, this could be a fun intro piece to several classes out there!
I say this because it’s a clever, fun way to introduce and discuss grammar. It illustrates some examples of the sorts of mistakes we make in our use of language and words, but it does so via the creative use of animation, music, video, social media, text, graphics and more! Folks (of all ages!) will find themselves learning while they’re having some fun. This playful use of multimedia gets your attention. In fact, for me, the elements in this piece provide a recipe for maximum engagement.
On 12/11/2014,
in Daniel S. Christian, education technology, engagement / engaging students, ideas, K-12 related, music, teachers, technologies for your home, tools,
by Daniel Christian
4 ways technology can make your music lessons sing — from thejournal.com by David Raths
New tech tools that give students control over their music also inspire them to create and innovate.
Excerpt:
Russell can send students audio recordings that they can play along with as they practice. His students can use a music-writing app such as Notion to make their own practice tracks and compose their own songs. “That is a complete redefinition of what you do with students,” he said. “It was inconceivable before they had these devices.”
Russell said he is also excited about a relatively new app called NotateMe, which allows him to write musical notation and convert it to digital notation. The app also allows you to take a picture of a score and convert it to digital music.
…
But now with tools such as NoteFlight, second- and third-graders can create wonderful melodic compositions and play them on their recorder,” she said.
…
Pirzer now uses her Epson BrightLink interactive projector in conjunction with Smart Notebook collaborative learning software and apps such as TonalEnergy Tuner, which lets users understand and improve every aspect of their sound.
How to find free music for videos — from mccoyproductions.net by Jason McCoy <– Jason’s posting includes 31 Amazing Sites With Free Creative Commons Music
Excerpt:
If you’re embarking on a video project, perhaps an explainer video, podcast, school project or video presentation, using the right production music can be the key to successfully drawing your viewers in; but finding the perfect song can seem a daunting task.
Of course you could commission a track to be composed especially for you, but that can run into tens of thousands of dollars.
Luckily, there are plenty of places available for you to find free music for your video project, but where can you get it from and how do you know if you have the legal right to use it for your project?
Music Notation on the iPad – NotateMe Rules! — from ipadmusiced.wordpress.com by Paul Shimmons
Excerpt:
I’ve just got to mention the fact that the NotateMe app combined with the PhotoScore plug-in is an absolutely astounding tool!
THE SCENARIO –
I’ve got a contra-alto clarinet player and I really want her to play lower notes then what is written on the Baritone Sax part.
Automatic Music Generator Jukedeck Wins Le Web Startup Competition — from techcrunch.com by Mike Butcher
Excerpt:
London-based JukeDeck has received a small seed funding round for its platform which literally composes original music based on a user’s settings, giving video creators, games developers and other users a simple way of sourcing music. This might be based on the actions inside a video or a game, without any human intervention. The idea is that it’s “responsive music software”. It doesn’t use loops, but writes the music note by note, as a composer would.
This means it can, say its makers, create an unlimited amount of unique, copyright-free music, and users can choose the music’s style and what should happen in the music at various points. The first market will be for user-generated videos. The idea here is not to compete with human composers but to produce machine-made music that is listenable and eventually malleable by real musicians.
From DSC:
Then there’s an idea I had about being able to hear whichever parts you want to hear as you practice a piece of music. Don’t have a piano? No problem. You can’t play the piano even if you do have access to one? No problem. Want to hear just the tenor and alto parts? No problem. Want to hear just your bass part? No problem. Want to hear all parts together? No problem. Jump to measure 121? No problem. Publishers of music could provide music recorded in parts and let you select which part(s) you want to play and hear.
Addendum on 12/15/14:
- Great News From SymphonyPro — from ipadmusiced.wordpress.com
On 11/24/2014,
in business, corporate universities / corporate training, economics, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, student-related, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
Financial planning gets virtual reality — from by Michael Liedtke
Also see:
This teacher taught his class a powerful lesson about privilege — from buzzfeed.com by Nathan Pyle
With a recycling bin and some scrap paper.
Nathan W. Pyle / Via buzzfeed.com
From DSC:
This teacher taught an important lesson using materials already in the room; a great idea/approach/illustration here.
Looking at the recent piece entitled, “The Faces of American Debt,” such financial training would be very helpful — for individuals in their financial planning, and for us in higher ed to see the very real implications of the high cost of college.
On 11/19/2014,
in assessment, attention, creativity, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, participation, pedagogy,
by Daniel Christian
MindShift Guide to Digital Games and Learning
Excerpt:
How can games unlock a rich world of learning? This is the big question at the heart of the growing games and learning movement that’s gaining momentum in education. The MindShift Guide to Digital Games and Learning [PDF] explains key ideas in game-based learning, pedagogy, implementation, and assessment. This guide makes sense of the available research and provides suggestions for practical use.
The MindShift Guide to Digital Games and Learning started as a series of blog posts written by Jordan Shapiro with support from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and the Games and Learning Publishing Council. We’ve brought together what we felt would be the most relevant highlights of Jordan’s reporting to create a dynamic, in-depth guide that answers many of the most pressing questions that educators, parents, and life-long learners have raised around using digital games for learning. While we had educators in mind when developing this guide, any lifelong learner can use it to develop a sense of how to navigate the games space in an informed and meaningful way.
Also see Karl Kapp’s course out on Lynda.com:
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On 11/14/2014,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Apple, Canada, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, game-changing environment, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, immersion, innovation, interactivity, machine-to-machine communications, Near Field Communication (NFC), training / L&D, trends, ubiquitous learning, user experience (UX),
by Daniel Christian
Also, from the press release (emphasis DSC):
- Signul, the World’s First Complete Consumer iBeacon Solution, Unveils IFTTT Integration
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwired – Oct. 28, 2014) – IoT Design Shop, the Internet of Things innovation centre at Finger Food Studios, today announced that it is actively developing an IFTTT Channel for Signul, the world’s first personal consumer iBeacon solution. IFTTT is an online service that allows users to create tasks that combine different Internet-based services from one platform.
Signul is a complete package of hardware and an easy-to-use App. By integrating with IFTTT, Signul users will be able to easily initiate automation in other IFTTT Channels. For example, Signul will turn on your lights as you pull into your garage or turn on your home’s air conditioner or heater when you leave work.
“Our goal is to help people simplify and automate their digital lives and integrating with IFTTT dramatically expands the potential of Signul. Based on the simple premise of ‘IF This Then That’, IFTTT is quickly becoming the leading web-based automation service. And with our own Channel, users can easily use Signul to connect with some of the most popular Internet of Things devices in the marketplace,” said Trent Shumay, CTO of Finger Food Studios.
From DSC:
This is the same concept that I was trying to get at my “What if we were to combine “If This Then That” with iBeacons/sensors?” blog posting. This concept has enormous potential for learning at all levels — K-12, higher ed, and in the corporate/business world. It gets at the intersection/blending of the physical world with the digital world. Where you are and what you are near will allow you to automatically bring up relevant resources.
One can see this concept being played out in things like campus tours, in setting up and running chemistry or physics experiments, in touring art galleries, and more. And if it’s implemented with a level of intrigue and digital storytelling baked into it, this could be a very powerful way to engage our students (as well as employees)! In fact, such a concept has implications for ubiquitous, lifelong learning.
On 11/11/2014,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, interactivity, interface design, media/film, transmedia, trends, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, wearables,
by Daniel Christian
Oculus Connect Videos and Presentations Online — from oculus.com
Excerpt:
All the keynotes, panels, and developer sessions from Connect are now available to watch online. The slides from each session are also available for download from the Connect site under the “Schedule” section. Complete list of the keynotes, panels, and developer sessions from Connect:
Keynotes:
- Brendan Iribe and Nate Mitchell — Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe and VP of Product Nate Mitchell officially open Connect with their Keynote discussing Oculus, the Gear VR, and the newest prototype: Crescent Bay.
- Michael Abrash — Oculus Chief Scientist Michael Abrash discusses perception in virtual reality, the future of VR, and what that means for developers.
- John Carmack — Oculus CTO John Carmack discusses the Gear VR and shares development stories at Oculus Connect.
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Keynote Panel:
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Developer Sessions:
- Introduction to Audio in VR – Video and Presentation
- Getting Started with Gear VR – Video and Presentation
- Mastering the Oculus SDK – Video and Presentation
- Integrating the Oculus Rift into Unreal Engine 4 – Video and Presentation
- Film and Storytelling in VR – Video and Presentation
- Learning from Lucky’s Tale – Video and Presentation
- The Human Visual System and the Rift – Video and Presentation
- The Value of VR for Professional Applications – Video and Presentation
- Developing VR Experiences with the Oculus Rift – Video and Presentation
- Elevating Your VR – Video and Presentation
- Building the First Rift Development Kit – Video and Presentation
- 360-degree Filmmaking in VR – Video and Presentation
Related items:
- The “Oculus Platform” Marketplace For Virtual Reality App Launches This Fall — from techcrunch.com by Josh Constine
- Oculus Reveals Its New “Crescent Bay” Prototype With 360-Degree Head Tracking And Headphones — from techcrunch.com by Josh Constine
On 10/22/2014,
in A/V -- audio/visual, Augmented Reality (AR), education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, future, Google, innovation, love of learning, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
Google leads $542 million funding of mysterious augmented reality firm Magic Leap — from theverge.com by Jacob Kastrenakes and Ben Popper
Excerpt:
Google is leading a huge $542 million round of funding for the secretive startup Magic Leap, which is said to be working on augmented reality glasses that can create digital objects that appear to exist in the world around you. Though little is known about what Magic Leap is working on, Google is placing a big bet on it: in addition to the funding, Android and Chrome leader Sundar Pichai will join Magic Leap’s board, as will Google’s corporate development vice-president Don Harrison. The funding is also coming directly from Google itself — not from an investment arm like Google Ventures — all suggesting this is a strategic move to align the two companies and eventually partner when the tech is more mature down the road.
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Magic Leap also says that it may “positively transform the process of education.”
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Also see:
