Grage Band and the future of our teachers...

Yesterday in class I enjoyed playing with songs in Garage Band. Even though we spent quite a bit of time using it, it was entertaining and could be something to use in my classroom in the future. I was surprised to learn that you could take songs (midi files) from the internet, put them into Garage Band then change them to however you like! It was quite simple! I do not see myself as a composer yet but playing with songs is a neat way to get kids interested in music if they aren't interested already. The fact that there are instrument lessons within the program is cool as well. I've always wanted to learn how to play guitar and the piano but I never seem to have the time. If I ever get a mac I may be so inclined to listen to those lessons and maybe learn how to play those instruments!
The fate of the teachers in NYS and around the country seems dire but I am holding out hope that after December of this year when I'm done with my Masters I will find a job I like, where I want. This may be too much to ask but hey it could happen!

Presentations part 2

I enjoyed the second round of the presentations. They were well done and provided good information for the class. The going green in the classroom presentation will make me think about what I use in my (future) classroom even more then I may have before. It was very interesting to me to learn about the completely green school and how parents have moved there just so their children can attend the school. Going green doesn't have to be teacher led either. Students can be just as active in thinking of ways to go green within classrooms and even the school. They can even be the catalyst to make those green changes instead of leaving it to the teacher. Great job everyone!

Class Presentations (part 1)

The class presentations were great last week. I enjoyed how in depth each person went into their subject. That actually kind of worries me because I haven't presented yet and mine is definitely only 10-15 minutes (I thought that was our time frame).
Anyway, each presenter gave me helpful insight in using the educational technology that they spoke about. I found each presentation helpful and even though some ed. tech. takes a while to either learn how to use or keep updated on a daily basis it is well worth the effort. Today's world is changing at an alarming rate and by taking steps to move with it, we can better prepare our students for life outside the classroom.
Great job everyone!

Laptops and music

Last class we talked about a school in PA that used software within the laptops (which were given to each of its students) to track the said laptops if they were stolen. The webcams and audio devices can be turned on remotely by administrators if a laptop had been reported as stolen. In one case, a boy was reprimanded for his "inappropriate actions" INSIDE his own home. Maybe this was unintentional or a mistake but the webcam shouldn't have been activated in the first place seeing as the laptop was still in possession of the student it was given to. I don't think this method of laptop retreival would be effective at all and the fact the webcams can be turned on (possibly) inadvertantly is not ok. The student involved has every right to be upset and the school should rethink its procedures when it comes to being able to track stolen laptops.
The music portion of class was vry interesting to start. I had gotten the idea that the lower the megabytes (or whatever they are) the less quality there would be to the music but I didn't really care all that much. Honestly, I still don't. As long as I can hear the music I want to listen to and it doesn't sound awful I'm good. It was interesting to hear the radio stations and to see how low the megabytes they use really are. The quality was fine to me so it's interesting to see that they can accommodate their listeners without using too large a bandwidth (is that you'd call it?).

Fritz Chips

The end of the in class video dealing with Fritz chips was interesting to me because in one way I can understand companies trying to protect certain codes and software but on the other hand, couldn't monopolies happen if only one company is making a piece of technology and it's protected by a Fritz chip? It almost seems to me that a Fritz chip is a "super patent" if you will. On top of being protected on paper, the software/technology is protected internally. Interesting...
If only a few companies has the codes and technology then how will improvements be made? "Outsiders" often have different views and ideas so improvements may be made to better the technology in question so by protecting it so carefully, are companies limiting their growth potential?