It is really hard to find time to blog. I've found some fun apps, but just haven't written about them here. I have done a little on my classroom blog, so I think I will recycle a few of those posts here so you can see what we've been up to.
The iBand - I'm sure you've all seen the viral Christmas You Tube from North Point's iBand. Here is a post I wrote about the apps used in that video. One of these days I'm going to write a child-friendly arrangement for iPads, but again, time is an issue.
VidRhythm - This app is fun. I can't really see much educational value in it, but the kids love it. It makes a great motivator for those last couple of minutes of class if you've accomplished your learning objectives for the class period.
Dr. Seuss Band - I found this app earlier in the month, but I really haven't had a chance to play with it. It was one of the "New and Noteworthy" apps in the iTunes App Store, so I downloaded it to look at later. It's $0.99. I did find a review of it at Appadvice.com.
I'm doing some app research today, so if I find anything exciting, I'll try to post. I'm on the look-out for a good primary app that K/1 kids would be able to use independently when I check out the iPad lab for them. So far, I've only found apps that work in whole group situations with them. I'd love to hear suggestions if anyone out there has some.
I'm always open to hearing about how others are using iPads in the elementary music room. If you have something to share, please send me an email or comment on one of the blog posts.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Nutcracker Musical Storybook for iPad
I haven't posted in a long time. I have plenty of ideas for posts, but a real lack of time to do the writing. I'm sure you understand what I mean.
I don't have a good, kid-appropriate Nutcracker story book, so I went looking at iPad Apps. I found one I think will work for $2.99 (cheaper than buying a book) called The Nutcracker Musical Storybook. It has nice illustrations that are slightly animated. It plays excerpts of Tchaikovsky's music at the appropriate times in the story. The website for the app has a trailer that gives a good idea of what the app is like. It's not very interactive, more like a movie. It takes about 25 minutes to get through the whole thing, so I plan to break it into shorter bits for the kids. I like that the title screen has a Christmas Tree with numbered ornaments that are like bookmarks in the story so that you can do a little at a time and come back to that spot. There is no narration for this app, which I think is slightly odd, but I plan to read it to the kids anyway. You can choose to run the app as a movie or swipe to turn the pages as you would an ebook.
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| Title Screen of The Nutcracker Musical Storybook |
Sunday, October 2, 2011
The VGA Switch - iPad and Computer connected to same projector
I have an iPad 2 which can be connected to a projector. But my computer is connected to the projector all the time because I use the SMARTboard for every lesson. I wanted to be able to connect the iPad to the projector easily without having to unplug things all the time. I thought, "It would be really great if I could just flip a switch between the two." Well, guess what? Such a beast exists. It's called a VGA Switch Selector Box. There are quite a few to choose from and I went with cheap. I paid less than $9 for it. That may not have been the best choice, but I didn't want to spend a bunch of money to find out it wasn't going to do what I thought it would. This is the one I got. I also got a headphone splitter so that I can have the iPad and my computer hooked to my sound system at the same time.
The first time I plugged everything in and switched between the two, I was so excited. It worked great. I used it for my classes that very day. Then I came back the next day and was slightly disappointed. When I hooked it up the first time, my computer was already booted up and ready to go for the day. When I booted up my computer the next day with the VGA selector box already plugged into everything, it seriously messed up the resolution on my computer. I unplugged everything, plugged my computer back into the projector directly and rebooted. The resolution was fine again. I re-plugged everything into the VGA selector and it worked great for the rest of the day. So this means that I have to have everything unplugged before booting the computer for the day and then plug everything in. That's a big pain. It sort of defeats the purpose of why I bought the thing. However, it does make things quick during classes when I have it set up in advance.
I'm unsure if my problems could have been avoided by investing in one of the more expensive units. I'm still playing with it to see if I can make it work with fewer set-up steps. I use a Mac and you can set up a display control in your toolbar to quickly switch between resolutions. That's the next thing I'll try when I have time to play with all the different resolutions to find out what I need.
The first time I plugged everything in and switched between the two, I was so excited. It worked great. I used it for my classes that very day. Then I came back the next day and was slightly disappointed. When I hooked it up the first time, my computer was already booted up and ready to go for the day. When I booted up my computer the next day with the VGA selector box already plugged into everything, it seriously messed up the resolution on my computer. I unplugged everything, plugged my computer back into the projector directly and rebooted. The resolution was fine again. I re-plugged everything into the VGA selector and it worked great for the rest of the day. So this means that I have to have everything unplugged before booting the computer for the day and then plug everything in. That's a big pain. It sort of defeats the purpose of why I bought the thing. However, it does make things quick during classes when I have it set up in advance.
I'm unsure if my problems could have been avoided by investing in one of the more expensive units. I'm still playing with it to see if I can make it work with fewer set-up steps. I use a Mac and you can set up a display control in your toolbar to quickly switch between resolutions. That's the next thing I'll try when I have time to play with all the different resolutions to find out what I need.
Planbook.com
I've had several post ideas floating around in my head for weeks, but I just haven't had time to post them. I don't know why this school year feels even busier than past years. I've been meaning to write this post for several weeks.
I'm using an online lesson plan site for my lesson plans this year. It's called Planbook.com. When I signed up last year, it was free. Now there is a $9.95 yearly charge. There is a 30-day trial period if you want to try it out first.
I'm impressed with the service because it even works with my completely messed up schedule. My 2nd and 3rd graders come for 50 minutes on a three day rotation. I see my K/1 kids for 25 minutes two times in a three day rotation (some classes on days 1 and 2, some on days 2 and 3, and some on days 1 and 3). I was amazed that I can make that work in Planbook. The only think I couldn't figure out was how to incorporate my 4th and 5th graders five day rotation. My solution to that is that I have two separate Planbook accounts.
Planbook even has music standards for most states so that you can mark which standards you are working on in each lesson. It has the ability to deal with snow days and classes missed for whatever other reason. It is really very flexible. I really like that I can access it from any computer that has internet access.
There are a lot of other features I haven't mentioned here, but I encourage you to check out the site. I am in a beta testing group for an iPad app as well. I'm unsure when the app will be available.
Here's a screen shot:
I'm using an online lesson plan site for my lesson plans this year. It's called Planbook.com. When I signed up last year, it was free. Now there is a $9.95 yearly charge. There is a 30-day trial period if you want to try it out first.
I'm impressed with the service because it even works with my completely messed up schedule. My 2nd and 3rd graders come for 50 minutes on a three day rotation. I see my K/1 kids for 25 minutes two times in a three day rotation (some classes on days 1 and 2, some on days 2 and 3, and some on days 1 and 3). I was amazed that I can make that work in Planbook. The only think I couldn't figure out was how to incorporate my 4th and 5th graders five day rotation. My solution to that is that I have two separate Planbook accounts.
Planbook even has music standards for most states so that you can mark which standards you are working on in each lesson. It has the ability to deal with snow days and classes missed for whatever other reason. It is really very flexible. I really like that I can access it from any computer that has internet access.
There are a lot of other features I haven't mentioned here, but I encourage you to check out the site. I am in a beta testing group for an iPad app as well. I'm unsure when the app will be available.
Here's a screen shot:
Isle of Tune iPad App soon available
Good news! The iPad version of Isle of Tune will be available on Oct. 6. The cost will be $2.99. I'm really looking forward to having my students use this app for composition. They will love it!
Here's a sneak peek from You Tube that was posted back in March.
Here's a sneak peek from You Tube that was posted back in March.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Staff Wars Version 2.2
Oh.My.Goodness. This is so cool. I just downloaded Staff Wars Version 2.2 and it is unbelievable! You have to play the correct note on your instrument in order to get the point. It listens to you! It's like the super simplified version of Smart Music. I can't wait to use this with my 4th and 5ths on recorder. I definitely still like Version 1.2, but the newest version adds a whole new dimension. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Staff Wars
My students really enjoy a free drill and practice game for note names called Staff Wars. I divide the class into teams and we play the game using the SMARTboard. It could also be used in a computer lab situation and since it's free, parents could download it at home for their children. You do need to create an account to be able to download the games though. There are other free games on the site, but I have not had time to explore them.
Update: I am using version 1.2 of Staff Wars with my students. I see there is now a newer version as well. I am not familiar with the new version, but hope to check it out soon and give you a report.
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