Assistive Technology - Ease of Access Center - Narrator

In order to get to the Narrator you will need to follow these steps:
1. Click "Start"
2. Click "Control Panel"
3. Click "Ease of Access"
4. Click "Ease of Access Center"
5. Click "Start Narrator"



This assistive technology tool is the narrator. The narrator will read aloud what is on-screen as you navigate using the keyboard. This can be a very useful tool for a person who has a visual impairment. It allows them to hear the words on the screen.

Assistive Technology - Ease of Access Center - On-Screen Keyboard

In order to get to the on-screen keyboard you will need to follow these steps:
1. Click "Start"
2. Click "Control Panel"
3. Click "Ease of Access"
4. Click "Ease of Access Center"
5. Click "Start On-Screen Keyboard"

The on-screen keyboard is a keyboard on the computer screen. The user can use the mouse and click on the letters and numbers of the on-screen keyboard in order to type. This may help people who have a disability that allows them limited movements of their fingers, hands, or arms. Moving the mouse over the on-screen keyboard requires smaller movements than typing on a regular keyboard does.

Assistive Technology - Ease of Access Center - Magnifier

In order to get to the Magnifier you will need to follow these steps:
1. Click "Start"
2. Click "Control Panel"
3. Click "Ease of Access"
4. Click "Ease of Access Center"
5. Click "Start Magnifier"

This assistive technology resource is called the "Magnifier". It adds a section at the top portion of the screen that magnifies the section of the screen that your mouse is on. This technology can help people who have visual impairments see or read words or pictures on the screen.

Audacity

I learned how to use Audacity by using the tutorial that I have embedded below.

Audacity Tutorial:



I had never used Audacity before and it is a neat program. I am able to record audio and edit audio in different ways by using Audacity. While using audacity I recorded myself singing "Summer Time" from Porgy and Bess. I was able to use the effects to do things like echo, invert, fade-in, change the tempo or speed, change the pitch, make my voice say "wah-wah," ect. I was also able to record another audio underneath that audio so that it can be on the same track. I am happy that I learned how to use this program. It is a neat program and could prove to be useful for me later in my teaching.

Online Music Education Communities

Music Kids' Korner
This online music community contains two concentration games. One is about music symbols and one is about composers. The most useful tool on this webpage is the interactive recorder fingering chart. Here you can see the fingering for any note on the recorder just by putting your mouse over the note on the piano. There is also the scale cruncher which is also interactive. You select a note and it will give you the notes to several different kinds of scales beginning with that note.

Free Kids Music
This website contains a variety on free kids' music that you are able to download. There are folk songs, music for movement, and other kinds of music for kids available on this site.

Free Guitar Videos
This website offers videos of free guitar lessons. On this website there is a collection of over 150 online free guitar lesson videos in a variety of difficulty levels and genres.

Blank Sheet Music
This website provides a template for printable staff paper. You are able to edit the template by changing the size, adding a clef, key signature, time signature, ect. in order to meet your own staff paper needs.

New York Philharmonic Kids
This is a website for kids made by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. It is an interactive website that has many games and activities for kids that teach them about music.

San Francisco Symphony Kids
This is a music website made for kids by the San Francisco Symphony. It is an interactive website with many games and activities that help to teach kids about music.

Smart Board Lessons
This website was created by teachers. It is an online list of shared resources for teachers. It contains Smart Board files that teachers have created to use with their classes.

Homemade Instruments
This website contains a list of homemade instruments that kids are able to make. The list of homemade instruments includes, plastic egg shakers, paper mache fruit shakers, jingle sticks, African tambourine, sand blocks, juice can shakers, jingle bracelets, and the quilting hoop drum.

Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access is a database system that gives people a place to put and organize a category of specific information. I experimented with the student database template within Microsoft Access. I found that I can organize a list of the students in my class.








If I click on a student name I can fill out more detailed information about my students including, address, phone number, grade level, student ID, ect. I can also include a photo of the student.








There is a tab in which I can include information about the students parents or guardians and include their contact information.








There is also a tab in which you can enter in emergency contact information. This includes a section for the name and number for an emergency contact as well as any medical information relevant to the student including physician name, number, and any allergies or medications that the student may be taking.










The student database may be a useful resource for teachers in organizing student information for a class or a school field trip. Microsoft Access also has other types of databases that include assets, contacts, issues, events, tasks, sales pipeline, faculty, marketing projects, projects, inventory, vehicle maintenance, nutrition, and many others. It is a good program to organize a database of information.

Station 4: everybody is a critic! You be the Judge (Music/Art)

Part I: About the Station

Title of module/Station: Station 4: everybody is a critic! You be the Judge (Music/Art)

Group Members: Sherrie, Josh, Christina

Description of Station: In our station we had to collaborate as music and art teachers to create a music/art assignment and a rubric to go along with it. We also needed to use Inspiredata in order to sum up the total scores for each art/music piece.

Description of What Our Group Did: Our group had some trouble at first. We didn't quite understand the assignment at first and were having disagreements on how it should be done. After we asked some questions about the assignment we created an assignment for both art and music. The students must create "Pop Art" that fits the criteria in the rubric and they must also find a song that best fits the "Pop Art" piece that they have created. They must be able to use appropriate musical terminology to explain why they picked a particular song and recognize the genre of music.

Description of What I did: I was in charge of the music part of the assignment. I created the ideas for the musical aspects of the assignment and came up with the criteria for the evaluation of the music part of the assignment. I put together a brief layout of the rubric before all of the details were put into place.


Part II: Your Work

Inspiredata Screen Shot:






Link to Rubric:
Rubric

What is the most influential criteria for evaluating art/music?

The most influential criteria for evaluating art and music would depend on what you are evaluating. If you are evaluating what makes a good sound in an ensemble piece you might listen to the tone quality of the players, you might listen to the blend of the players, or you might listen for dynamics, musicality, or the correct notes. However there might be a whole different set of criteria for a composer. Evaluating a composition might include criteria such as composing in the correct range for a specific instrument or voice type, musical creativity, ect. I think that it is important to have an idea of proper tone quality and musicality in order to effectively evaluate music.

What element is the least important?

The least important influential criteria in evaluating music or music performances is liking or disliking a type of music and not having a reason for it. It is important to have specific criteria and reasons for evaluating music in a certain way.

How might you re-conceptualize the rubric so that it allows you to evaluate art/music properly?

I am happy with how the rubric allows me to evaluate the music knowledge of the students. I would change the rubric in accordance to the assignment and what the students are doing. However, I am happy with the music part of the rubric at this point. That would be the section of the rubric that I would evaluate since I am the music teacher.

Part III: What did you think?

What did you like about this activity, if you were the the student? What About if you were the teacher?

Teacher: I like that it allows my students to be able to create a specific type of art and match it with a song that they think matches it. It allows them to meet some state art standards while also meeting some state music standards. It also allows my students to be creative in designing their "Pop Art" piece and also in selecting music for their artwork.

Student: I like that I get to create my own artwork and even pick music that I think goes with my artwork. It allows me creativity in making my artwork and also creativity in selecting my music.

What did you not like about this activity, if you were the student? What about if you were the teacher?

Teacher: One thing that I didn't like about this activity is that it would be difficult to coordinate this activity between the art teacher and the music teacher. Each teacher must have already taught certain skills and concepts to their students before they can collaborate on this activity together. It is also difficult to agree on the criteria as a group since they both teach different subjects.

Student: I don't like how I am only limited to five colors in my artwork. I like to use a lot of color in my artworks and I am not used to having to use just five colors. I am also having trouble finding a song that I think matches my artwork. Maybe I can ask for help.

What were the most interesting and/or surprising parts of this activity?

I think that this is a neat concept, but it is hard to agree on what exactly the assignment for the students should contain. It surprised me that we had a little trouble at first agreeing on an assignment for our "students." Finally, we came to an agreement and all was well. Collaborating with other teachers is a challenge because everyone has their own ideas and methods of teaching that may or may not match your own personal method of teaching. The key is working together toward a common goal and making compromises along the way.

I was also surprised about the rubric. For some reason I thought that what we created in the Inspiredata was the rubric, but the rubric was different. I was frustrated because the rubric document wasn't working correctly at first, but there will sometimes be difficulties when using technology. We just need to be ready for that.

Garage Band - Content Exploration

Garage band is a type of music software program. This is a reference tool. It can teach it's users how to play the guitar or piano. It provides interactive video based lessons that teach the basic fundamentals and can teach you songs. It provides the first lesson and you are able to download more lessons off of the internet if you would like. Once you have learned a song it provides a complete backup band for you to practice with. You can also record, mix, and create arrangements of music. Garage Band can be a good tool for teachers to create accompaniments for their students. It can also be a good tool for students to learn how to play an instrument on their own or to learn how to mix and record their own music.

Music Book Accompaniments - Apple Learning Interchange

Through the Apple Learning Interchange I have found a section on using a program called "Garage Band." This particular "learning interchange" is called Music Book Accompaniments. It gives on ideas for ways in which you can use Garage Band in order to create instrumental accompaniments that students can use during their individual practice sessions at home. It also provides instructions ans suggestions for how to create these accompaniments.

I think that this is a great idea. I am always looking for more sources to use in the classroom whether they are technology based or not. I have heard of the program Garage Band before, but I have never had a chance to use it. I would like to test it at some point and see if it is something that I want to use in my classroom instruction.

SFS - Effective

http://www.sfskids.org/templates/splash.asp

The San Fransisco Symphony website is a very effective learning tool for kids. It helps to improve the effectiveness of student learning by providing students with a "music lab" with a variety of musical learning and musical reinforcement activities for the young music student. Students can work in the "music lab" at their own pace learning about the basics of music, tempo, rhythm, pitch, harmony, symbols, instrumentation, and composition.

DSO Kids - Enhancement

http://www.dsokids.com/listen/instrumentlist.aspx

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra website has a section of the sight that is devoted to musical instruments, their instrument families, and their sounds. All of the musical instruments on this website are organized by instrument families. Once you click on an instrument it shows you a picture of the instrument and has 1-3 links that lead to music and sounds played to that instrument. This enhances student learning by allowing them the opportunity that they would not normally have for them to visually see the instrument as well as allowing them to hear how the instrument sounds in different situations (solo and in an orchestra). Here is what the page would look like if I clicked on the Harp:

There is a picture, description, and sounds of the harp.