Mashup Project Reflection #2

Mashup

While I’m familiar with all Apple products, I’ve only really been able to use Garageband. And while Garageband and Logic are similar, their functionality is completely different. So while I know a lot of common terminology and basic functions of digital audio works platforms, Logic is so much more in depth with it’s vast selection of options and buttons. We eventually figured out the issues we had with external platforms such as microphones and pads, thus we had a “finished” project, or successful at the least. As for resources to fix the issue, I’ve posted them in the Diigo.

Mashup Project Reflection #1

• What constitutes a mashup?

A mashup is basically a combination of similar media, in this case music, with different musical qualities and ideas that are all “mashed  up” into one piece of work. The music should sound somewhat uniform and combined in a way that makes sense, typically. A great example of this is an artist named DJ Earworm, and he basically takes all of the most popular pop music throughout the year and combines them in a way that makes a bunch of songs, one big song.

• What is the difference between a mashup and a medley?

A medley is different from a mashup in which medleys are usually a “mashup” of similar medias, with similar qualities and ideas as well. A good example of this would be an orchestral arrangement of Beatles music, or a medley of Beatles music all combined into one piece.

 

Pocket – Vignette

Vignette 5: There’s this new app that I found called Pocket. I like it because it helps students gather a “pocket” of information for use now, later, to share, or just to organize. It also functions as an RSS to be notified when sites you are subscribed to release new information. So I’m having my students use Pocket to search for information relative to the history of musical ensembles and why they are the way they are today. I believe that having an understanding of the background and function of an ensemble will help kids understand what their place is in an ensemble so they may contribute and unify musically accordingly for good performance technique. I’ve done some research myself with the actual app in order to have information ready and good practice with the specks should students get stuck or lost in their findings. Things may get in the way such as not being able to find a setting or being confused about some aspect of the app that may inhibit a student’s use of Pocket. So, I’m here to help.

TPACK

Below is a pretty good representation of each kind of teacher knowledge there is for the classroom. It also shows you combinations of the kinds of knowledge there are, and their limitations together. It is based off of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A new framework for teacher knowledge.

My own interpretation:

• Technological Knowledge – having clear knowledge on how to use technologies such as computers, softwares, and electronic equipment in the classroom, and how to help others use these technologies for their educational gain. EX: keeping up with technology itself and being able to guide students in using that new technology
• Pedagogical Knowledge – having clear knowledge in how to teach basically, which involves techniques in the passing of knowledge, appropriate feedback, grading, and teacher-student communication. EX: using a method such as asking open-ended questions to stimulate inquiry and discussion from students, (going further: doing the former in a way that doesn’t lead to student disengagement) 
• Content Knowledge – having clear knowledge in a particular area of study or topic EX: getting a doctoral degree in chemistry 

Vignette 4: I’m having a lesson for my students to learn the concept of motives in music. What I’ll do is create a well developed Power Point. The slides themselves will be set up to be relative and flow idealistically to one another. My use of audio and visuals will make it more interesting and imbedding for the students. All of the information in the presentation will contain clear ideas, and if there is confusion I’ll of course be there to answer and questions for students. The way I will illustrate the idea of motives will be through asking questions and guiding thought to help students develop and understanding of motives instead of me just giving them the information. With all of these techniques put together, I see a well rounded lesson for my students.

Technology Mediation

A great example of how technology mediates musical engagement is the YouTube Sypmphony. Online videos that are shared for the audition process, and live streaming of performances are mediating this musical engagement.

Other types of technology that may mediate musical engagement are tablets of sorts, and interactive random music generators created through algorithms, imagery or physical manipulation.

Vignette 2: As a proud high school orchestra director of the future, I want to show more than just an audience of parents to see my orchestra. I am setting up a live stream through YouTube of our performance for anyone to see, comment on, and share themselves.

Musical App – Pocket

Pocket’ is very well rounded in all uses for learning, and works very well with other PLN’s, even other apps, and fucntions as an RSS. It’s very similar to Diigo, in which you can share information with others, or save the information for later. Pocket seems to basically keep track of your PLN’s with hashtags, video content, articles, etc. So, if we use PLN’s for musical engagement, why not keep track of all of them… in your pocket! It’s just another organizational devise for online musical engagement and learning through these PLN’s.

Questions about the app: Is it child-user friendly? Can it be used inappropriately? Is there a means of communication with other Pocket users integrated within the app?

Some aspects of the app that are due for further exploration are: What sort of other apps can function in unision with Pocket? Since I haven’t used it yet myself, how easy is it to navigate? Is this a functional form of RSS? (Will it ever replace Diigo???)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-save-articles-videos/id309601447?mt=8

PLN Vignette

Being professional on personal learning networks can be a challenge sometimes, given that these “networks” have caught on as more of social media, which they are. But, a music educator can certainly use a PLN such as Twitter to share their ideas and experiences with many other music educators, students, and people in general. I think it’s still taking some getting used to for those who wish to use PLN’s in a more professional sense, because of the overarching social aspect of these networks. But, if PLN’s are infiltrated by more and more like us, educators, entrepreneurs, and the like, it will certainly be more respected and visible from behind all of the more social aspects of PLN’s.

Vignette setting 1: I enter my high school classroom of about 60 students, all of which will be future musicians, hopefully. Music education is almost completely out of the picturing schools. My school though… NOT YET! In order to bring awareness to my students, I ask them to all log on to their computers, which are now conveniently located in the desks in which they seat themselves, and search for the hashtag “keepmusicinschools” (there’s an internet campaign about keeping music in schools, and this just happens to be the popular hashtag on the internet pertaining to this issue) on any personal learning network they choose. Once I have my students do this, they are required to obtain for 5 posts, articles, or blogs about how to prevent losing music education completely, and share them in discussion. We basically discuss what can be done now, and in the future about the elimination of music in schools. #brainstorming

[As we are doing currently in school, we are learning how to prevent music education from being removed from the schools of our generation and future genreations, and using these PLN’s now connects us on such a larger scale than before. In the future, I imagine this being a very prevalent issue given the current path were on as a nation.]

PLN’s

Below is an article refering to and explaining Personal Learning Networks. A PLN is highly useful, especially as an undergraduate student, because in the age we live in it’s inevitable for a majority of younger genereations to use PLN’s, such as twitter, facebook, and the like. We are already so connected, and many call this use of social media “unhealthy.” But, using it as a “personal learning network” can make it much more of use in an eduational aspect. As a future music educator, using PLN’s helps all generations stay connected and able to communicate on different levels of the social media world. There are so many developing technologies on the computer itself, why not take appropriate advantage of them?

Since this article is about 4 years old, there is one thing that is outdated, and that is Google Reader. There is a quote from Google’s Official Blog that states, “We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.”

Currently, we now have RSS feeds, which are subscriptions to websites to help us keep up with updated or new information on those sites. It fucntions the same as Goodle Reader used to, but is more up to date with the current web as we know it today.

Click to access Music%20Educators%20Journal-2010-Bauer-37-42.pdf

What If?: Music Production for 8th Graders

A class of 18 8th graders with 10 iPad mini’s and 4 iMacs given to do a music production project? My ideal project involving this particular technology would go as follows:

I would have two students per iPad. The standard that the students would be adhering to would be number 4. “Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.” The objective is to allow each duet of students to compose or create a 30 second piece of music using Garageband, using any style they please, but with an obvious beginning, middle, and end, that can all be explained and defended. They may create their own music from scratch, or arrange pre-recorded loops in some fashion, or a combination of the two. Using mac technology, once the students have completed their 30 second piece, they will present it on one of the iMacs to the rest of the class. The class will respond identify and critique the use of beginning, middle, and end. Once all of the students have presented and given feedback to one another, they will then compare and connect their creations in a class discussion lead by the teacher. (to be redefined)