I have moved!  Toooooooo 

http://jenniferharris2.wordpress.com/

and

http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/jenniferharris2

This is my blog for the EdTech Program at Boise State University.  Thank you, 3DGame Lab for getting me prepared for this program!!

Jam Studio

http://www.jamstudio.com/Studio/index.htm

Jam studio is a free, non-subscription based composition site.  Included are the ability to choose key, chords, style, and instrumentation as well as tempo and meter.  Their is a simple tutorial when you initially visit the site.

Applications:
Little Ones - music appreciation, experimentation, very basic composition (high/low, fast/slow, same/different, interesting/boring), identifying: style, timbre, form-either through teacher creation or successful student.  Teacher's could also create background accompaniment for play party songs and can then easily change the style.  Teacher's could also create background accompaniment for recorder, xylophones, etc.

Older Kids - key, chord progression, style, advanced forms, balance; older student's could also take jazz band music solo sections, input the chords and practice improvisation on their own with accompaniment




Found through Larry Ferlazzo's http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org best of series

And here's the whole thing

Sir Ken's Tweet

Saw that Sir Ken Robinson will be in Boise giving a talk, love this presentation!

Good for you Virginia!

Virginia Schools adding more technology in the classroom

I think the key words in this article are investing and

What really matters, Maxlow said, is not what equipment is available, but how teachers use the technology.
"To really change teacher behavior, which in turn changes student learning, is a massive undertaking," he said. "It's far more expensive than buying anything."

A colleague recently told me that a lot of marketers and workshop givers don't bother going to the schools because they say the teachers "don't pay attention in the meetings and refuse to implement the technology."  Of course this is all hearsay of hearsay but really doesn't surprise me either.

How can districts keep up with the ever advancing-no ceiling technology?  The article says they spent 5.8 million alone in about 2 years.

Are we on track to having kids learning online?  I could see the most wealthy having the best equipment and the poorest stuck with handouts and hand-me-downs.  How could the poor ever move out of their "caste" if that turns out to be the situation?  Their is no way our current system of government could support some way to make things equal.

Flexi Skirts - Newest Creations

Spent last night making flexi (flexible) skirts and gowns that move as you walk.  Think I'm on my way to having a shop.

Ajisai (Second Life)

A gorgeous, Alice in Wonderland like place in Second Life called Ajisai.  Only around until the end of August.  Not very big, but definitely worth the trip.  Beautiful colors (this picture does not do it justice), moving snails, and has the illusion that you are walking, or dancing on water.