Following my last post I had a browse on the internet to find some other ICT resources for music and came across this video on Teachers TV in which they look at three programmes:
Monday, 23 February 2009
ICT in Prmary Music- and the Super Duper Music Looper!
Well... I must admit I was a bit of a sceptic when first introduced to the topic of using ICT in primary music. I've previously used recording equipment in music lessons to record children's compositions and performances, this has always worked well as they love to play them back and listen to their achievements. I also think that using ICT to display words or music for a song is useful (by the way, I think we should sing in whole cohort lectures more often!!). But using ICT to compose music...hmmm?
Music is a creative subject, and I think that keeping it practical with real instruments is still the best way for children to experience and experiment with musical concepts. However, after using the Super Duper Music Looper my eyes have been opened to different ways of incorporating ICT to build on children's musical awareness. I think that it is a great way of building on what the children already know. They can use their previous knowledge acquired by practical experience to create music using ICT. The Super Duper Music Looper creates lots of opportunuties for children to experiment with instrumentation, rhythm, texture...well, all of the elements of music! It could also be used by teachers to demonstrate a certain element which they may be focusing on.
In our specialist music tech seminars we use Logic to compose and record music, this is a complicated programme and I usually struggle to remember how to use it from one week to the next!- So definately not one to be used in the primary classroom. What impressed me the most about the Super Duper Music Looper is its simplicity. It is very easy to add and delete samples- a piece of music can be created in minutes. The number of samples for different instruments is also impressive; it gives a lot of room for variaion. If I had one critcism it would be that there is almost too much choice, as children could spend a whole lesson just picking which samples to use!
All in all, my mind has been changed about ICT in music. I don't think it should be used all the time, as practical activities in music are essential, but for use now and then, I think it is a good tool for reinforcing children's learning.
Music is a creative subject, and I think that keeping it practical with real instruments is still the best way for children to experience and experiment with musical concepts. However, after using the Super Duper Music Looper my eyes have been opened to different ways of incorporating ICT to build on children's musical awareness. I think that it is a great way of building on what the children already know. They can use their previous knowledge acquired by practical experience to create music using ICT. The Super Duper Music Looper creates lots of opportunuties for children to experiment with instrumentation, rhythm, texture...well, all of the elements of music! It could also be used by teachers to demonstrate a certain element which they may be focusing on.
In our specialist music tech seminars we use Logic to compose and record music, this is a complicated programme and I usually struggle to remember how to use it from one week to the next!- So definately not one to be used in the primary classroom. What impressed me the most about the Super Duper Music Looper is its simplicity. It is very easy to add and delete samples- a piece of music can be created in minutes. The number of samples for different instruments is also impressive; it gives a lot of room for variaion. If I had one critcism it would be that there is almost too much choice, as children could spend a whole lesson just picking which samples to use!
All in all, my mind has been changed about ICT in music. I don't think it should be used all the time, as practical activities in music are essential, but for use now and then, I think it is a good tool for reinforcing children's learning.
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Lets Animate!
I thought that the animation activity was so much fun and is definitely something I'd like to do in school. We decided to do a 3D animation and make models out of plasticine- which I'm very impressed with if I do say so myself! We haven't quite finished our animation yet, still got a bit more to do, but maybe I'll put it on my blog when it's done for you to have a look at (if I can!).
I believe that creating animations in the classroom is an extremely beneficial activity for children as it not only allows them to get to grips with some fun and exciting technology but has nearly endless cross- curricular possibilities! Art and design is the obvious one as children will be making their models or 2D pictures. Other cross- curricular opportunities could include:
- Literacy; as children could story board their animations and write captions or 'stage directions' for each scene. Also, children could make animations on a book they are studying at the time.
- Children could make animations on any topic they are studying in science, history, geography and even SEAL.
Other skills which making animations require is team work and collaboration as well as taking in the opinions and ideas of others, it also promotes speaking and listening skills. All in all pretty worth while!
Undertaking an animation activity with a class would require the teacher to be very confident about using the technology themselves. I was quite wary of this at first, but the Digi Blue software we used was quite simple, and I think with a bit more practice and fiddling around I would probably feel confident enough to use it in school!
Here is a video I found on Teachers TV about a school that undertook an animation project with their Year 5/6 class:
http://www.teachers.tv/video/2744
I believe that creating animations in the classroom is an extremely beneficial activity for children as it not only allows them to get to grips with some fun and exciting technology but has nearly endless cross- curricular possibilities! Art and design is the obvious one as children will be making their models or 2D pictures. Other cross- curricular opportunities could include:
- Literacy; as children could story board their animations and write captions or 'stage directions' for each scene. Also, children could make animations on a book they are studying at the time.
- Children could make animations on any topic they are studying in science, history, geography and even SEAL.
Other skills which making animations require is team work and collaboration as well as taking in the opinions and ideas of others, it also promotes speaking and listening skills. All in all pretty worth while!
Undertaking an animation activity with a class would require the teacher to be very confident about using the technology themselves. I was quite wary of this at first, but the Digi Blue software we used was quite simple, and I think with a bit more practice and fiddling around I would probably feel confident enough to use it in school!
Here is a video I found on Teachers TV about a school that undertook an animation project with their Year 5/6 class:
http://www.teachers.tv/video/2744
'Gates' Vision for Education'
I was browsing the internet for some current news on ICT when I came across this video of an interview with Bill Gates where he talks about how he sees technology being used in the schools of the future. I found some of his ideas extremely exciting, such as children having their own tablet PCs which they can use for work at home and at school and also his ideas about parents being able to access their children's learning via a portal. However, I do have reservations about a comment he makes about making the curriculum more internet based and moving away from paper. As important as it is for children to get to grips with the latest technology, we must not forget the vitally important skill that is writing! Also, reading text on a computer screen doesn't even come close to flicking through a good book! He also describes some pretty cool ideas on home technology- such as mirrors which have an in-built computer which shows you what you would look like in different outfits!- I want one of those!!
Anyway, here is the link, check it out for yourself:
http://www.teach-ict.com/news/news_features/education/gates_vision_for_education.html
Anyway, here is the link, check it out for yourself:
http://www.teach-ict.com/news/news_features/education/gates_vision_for_education.html
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