Music Technology

Here's another FREE online tool for music composition:

www.noteflight.com

I created a little arrangement in about 5 minutes just to see how it works:
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/fabf0854241c9c6e676232e7ced304f892c1bd19

I'm still trying to figure out how to post a gadget of this piece in my Google site, but I am confident that it is possible.

The Noteflight people were demonstrating at the "Digital Arts" area at NECC.

Some cool resources from NECC

Open Source - Missing Link Session - Wiki http://www.k12opened.com/wiki/index.php/Necc2009A

Open Source Session - Open Educational Resources: Share, Remix, Learn http://www.k12opened.com/wiki/index.php/Necc2009B

K-12 Open Ed Wiki - http://www.k12opened.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

CoSN Open Ed lead by Steve Hargadon http://www.k12opentech.org/

Moodle Hand-outs
http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/uploads/NECC2009/KEY_43596739/McPherson_CapitalIdeaUserGuide09Reduced.pdf

ITouch Phone http://www.lesliefisher.com/

ISTE Vision - see Larry's video uner ISTEVISION - Contest and Events channels - Top Rated see PGCPS http://www.istevision.org/index.php

Jing

Iam sitting in a BYOL sessions for JING. I did not realize that it was a free version of Camtasia. It allows the user to creatthe a screen casts of their work on the screen with a voice over. Pretty cool.I have been using Camtasia but his is free so everyone including teachers can use this. These can be embedded into a website, wiki, PowerPoint etc. You can dowload it free at http://www.jingproject.com. There are short screen cast instructions on the website to walk you thought. Very easy, very FREE. Give it a try. You can also capture video.

Carmella

Keynote Debate

Well after a heated debate the final idea seemed to be that schools are not bad, just disorganized. Since our district doesn't have as many technology limitations as other districts , how could we build learning communities that could allow learning to continue past the school day?

I know from my position (MS Technology Integration Teacher) there is a level of frustration of only working my students for less than 25 hours out of a possible 1350 hours in the school year. It feels like just when solid learning is taking place, the students move on. I would love to build an online community that would encourage students to keep creating and sharing.

That brings a second question: What is the right tool? I have debated about creating a Ning, but there are many challenges with that tool and others.

I would love too see your comments on this post!

The Simple Ideas

It seemed like for many of us the Monday sessions really didn't cover a lot of new content. For me the simple ideas were the highlight of the day. Here were the simple ideas that I want to remember in the classrooom.

The 80/20 rule: this is a simple way to assess projects. 80% should be assessed on the content of the project and 20% on the use of the technology tool. I think sometimes I get so wrapped up in the tool that I don't emphasize the content enough. Plus this is easy for students to remember.

You have to inspect what you expect:technology integration is not going to happen by magic. If administration expects teachers to infuse technology then they are going to have inspect how teachers are using technology in the classroom. This idea could easily be applied to feedback for students.

We use video because it's upredictable.: When I heard this my immediate thought was teachers might avoid creating videos in the classroom because it is unpredictable. It does take a whole different style of classroom management to handle video production.

What were the simple ideas that stood out for you?

By the way here are the links that I thought were useful for the day.

Flash Drives

Don't forget!!!!

Pick Up Your Flash Drive

All registered, full conference attendees can pick up their commemorative 2GB conference flashdrive in the Exhibit Hall at the end of Aisle 600 during show hours. You will need to present the ticket included with your badge. (We registered before May 1st!)

Tammy Worcester

A few of us attended the 8:30 am session entitled "Tammy's Favorite Technology Tips, Tricks and Tools in Ballroom B. In the session, she shared some of the sites that she has visited often and some of the ones she would recommend for educational use. I always enjoy her presentations because she offers such practical information. I think that is why she was a hit at PUWT. Afterwards, Ronlyn, Joy and I got our picture taken by her fiance. Thank you Tammy for your continued presence in technology and education!

Here is the list of sites she shared:
http://www.tammyworcester.com/Tammys_Favorite_Tips,_Tricks,_%26_Tools/Web_Tools.html

She also presented at The Renaissance Hotel in the afternoon. This particular session was on Google tools. Although we already use quite a few of the tools, there were still juicy tidbits of information she shared. She also has a new book out entitled "Google Tools for Teaching and Learning". It's full of good information and tips.