New Student Podcasting iPad Studio is Amazing!
#edtech #ipaded #mlearning
It took some work this past summer, but I had our new and improved podcasting studio set up in our media center. My students will soon do episode 500 (on October 31) so it is great to have more professional equipment and a quicker work flow.
We used to record with Audacity and then go through about 10 steps to get each episode published to our podcast server so that iTunes could index it. Now we run the entire studio on iPads and it takes only one step.
Here are some photos…
Why My School Uses Atomic Learning #44
#edtech #atomiclearning
I am one of the lucky ones, I work in a school that is growing by leaps and bounds. Which is good for job security, but not so good for workload. Every year I am asked to teach more classes as our school expands, which means I have less and less time for doing my other jobs – like working one on one with teachers to help with their tech skills.
This has caused me to rely on Atomic Learning more this year than in the past. Instead of sitting down with a teacher for some training – like our upcoming move to Windows 7, now I send them a link to the Atomic Learning video(s). It works out better for both of us. Atomic Learning provides training that teacher can not only do on their own schedule, but also at their own pace. If they need to watch the video 10 times before they get it, then they can, without the worry of embarrassment. Which is a lot better than having me sitting next to them and checking my watch because I have to get back to my classroom.
- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary
Started iPad Rock Star Boot Camp Today
#edtech #ipaded #mlearning
Today was my first lesson in my new iPad Rock Star Boot Camp that I am doing with the 4th and 5th graders at my elementary school. The funny things is that I know nothing about music — just to prove that anyone can really rock the iPad if they know a few tricks. So here are the things that we covered today.
Introduction: I explained to my students that they did not need to know music theory — a collective smile grew across their faces. I then explained that they did not need to know how to play an instrument or even be able to sing, most of that we can fix with the iPad.
Step One: Find the right song. The right song is not necessarily your favorite song that you have been dying to record. I take the students to www.musicnotes.com and then we start to search for sheet music of their favorite songs. The sheet music pops up and I tell them how I always look for a song with just a few chords per bar (or measure). Remember, I know nothing about music theory, but there are some things I had to learn about. The fewer chords the better, one chord per bar is great. So after I shoot down of few of their songs I show them the song that we are going to be playing for the boot camp; The Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day, two chords per bar and most of the song uses the same four chords over and over again — perfect for young rockers and their iPads. I paid the $5.75 for the sheet music and ran off a copy for each student.
Step Two: Find what key the song is in. Lucky for me www.musicnotes.com shows on the sidebar the key that the original song was recorded in. I don’t know what the heck a song key is, I just know that I can’t play songs in GarageBand on the iPad without knowing it. Boulevard of Broken Dreams is in the key of F-minor.
Step Three: Break down the song into sections. I have a worksheet that allows us to break the song down from sheet music into individual sections and then we count how many bars are in each section. Sections are what GarageBand needs to make a song. For example Section A is the Intro and it is 4 bars, Section B is Verse 1 and is 14 bars. You will need this for the next step.
Step Four: Record the Sections of the Song. So I have them start up GarageBand on their iPads, then we start a new song, we then set the key to F-Minor, and then we had to edit one of the chords with the Chord Editor, so that it matched the original song. We kept the tempo and the time signature set at the default. I had them set the section length for Section A to 4 bars. We were using the Smart Acoustic Guitar. So after practicing a few times, they each put on their headphones and recorded the chords for the intro, and then on to making Section B: Verse 1. After about an hour we had the beginnings of a rock song.
Next week we will continue our recordings and get ready to add vocals. Stay tuned…
- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary School
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Read MorePart 3: Edtech Badges for Elementary Students
#edtech #edchat #mlearning
Here is my video update to my edtech badges program in my elementary students. Things seem to be changing every week, improving and getting better as I plan the program.
Read MoreReimagining the Classroom: Realizing the Impact of Mobile Devices
#edtech #edchat
My friends over at Atomic Learning just announced Atomic Mobilize …
Atomic Learning announces the launch of Atomic Mobilize, a repository of online professional development resources and planning tools focusing on helping educators realize the full potential mobile devices provide in the classroom.
Atomic Mobilize includes not only PD and planning tools, but also stories, examples and resources from fellow educators that illustrate how mobile devices can transform education and create highly personalized learning experiences for students. One story that is shared throughout the collection is that of Little Falls Community Schools in Minnesota, and their program known as Project REAL.
- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary School
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