NOTEFLIGHT is a user-friendly online composing software. I find it to be a great tool to let upper primary students entering their composition online. It is also a great tool for teaching as well. The free version, or even the demo version, is sufficient for basic use.
Showing posts with label Science and Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science and Technology. Show all posts
Google Science Fair 2012
The GOOGLE SCIENCE FAIR is an online science competition seeking young curious minds from around the world. Here is the promo video of 2012:
Here's a video on how to enter:
In 2011, 15 finalists were chosen to present their projects in the Google Headquarter.
Here's a video on how to enter:
In 2011, 15 finalists were chosen to present their projects in the Google Headquarter.
Around the Earth in 5 minutes
The credit of this video goes to the crew working at the International Space Station from August to October 2011.
The Route:
1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast at Night
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night
Visit NASA KID'S CLUBto learn more about the space!
ISME conference - Child as Composer
During the ISME conference, I realized a shift of discussion and concern in the field. Many symposia and worshops presents ideas and reports that concerns the technological development in music education.
The paper presentation, Child as Composer, was conducted by Dutch scholar Dr. Michel Hogenes. Dr. Hogenes gave a report on an on-going project in Amsterdam called Klankspeeltuin, or Sound Garden in English. This sound garden is located at a concert hall in Amsterdam. The facilities are especially designed for children aged 7-12 to explore sound ideas.
The names of the three sound stations in this Sound Garden are very sci-fi: Kosmix, Xenax and Omni. Their formations are unique and each of them represent a different combination of technology and art. Children from the elementary school visit the Sound Garden as one of their out-of-school musical experience. In Klankspeeltuin, children create music through interaction with technology as well as with their peers.
Please see the video below to find out more about the Klankspeeltuin.
This project, as described by Dr. Hogenes, is still in its first phase and he looks forward to sharing its development in the next ISME conference.
This very creation is very intriguing. "Composing" has been a controversial topic in music education - music teachers have been pondering "What to teach?" "How to teach?" "How to assess?" etc. Klankspeeltuin reminds us to keep our minds open when it comes to children's composition. If we can allow children to play with sound ideas and explore the millions of possibilities of using these ideas in a musical context, they will surely be able to come up with something unique and creative!
ISME conference - Virtual learning in music education
請按這裡進入此文章的中文版本
Here are some of the interesting facts and figures Dr. Kratus shared:
The Percentage of the World's Population who are Internet Users:
(Percentage of growth in the use of Internet 2000-2010)
Major Internet activities of adults (age not specified):
Here's a video telling you the education needs of the digital natives:
I just came back from a conference in Beijing where I have attended many intriguing workshops, symposia and presentations on the subject of music education.
One of the most interesting presentations was by Professor John Kratus (Faculty of Music Education, Michigan State University) during the a symposium titled "Virtual Learning in Music Education." I forgot the title of his powerpoint but he pointed out how the new generation's learning mode is totally different from ours.
Here are some of the interesting facts and figures Dr. Kratus shared:
The Percentage of the World's Population who are Internet Users:
(Percentage of growth in the use of Internet 2000-2010)
- Africa: 11% (Growth: 2357%)
- Asia: 12% (Growth: 622%)
- Europe: 58% (Growth: 352%)
- Middle East: 30% (Growth: 1825%)
- North America: 77% (Growth: 146%)
- Latin America / Caribbean: 35% (Growth: 1035%)
- Oceana / Australia: 61% (Growth: 479%)
- World: 29% (Growth: 444%)
Major Internet activities of adults (age not specified):
- do online searches
- look for a map or driving direction
- look for information on a hobby or interest
- check the weather and get news
- instant messaging
- visit social networking websites (e.g. Facebook)
- do research for school
- listen to music
- share files
- 64% of online teens in the US have created online contents (e.g. blogs, websites) [2006]
- over half of the teens and young adults in Hungary, Denmark, Scotland, Norway, Germany and Poland have created online contents. [2007]
- Millions of Japanese and about half of Korean Internet users have created blogs
- In the US, 48% of children under 6 years old have used the Internet [2007]
- The fastest growing age group for using the Internet is 2 to 5 years old [2005]
As educators and parents of a time when Internet is inseparable in our lives, have we given enough thoughts on the role of it in our children's education? According to Dr. Kratus, adults nowadays are only digital immigrants for we were born in the pre-digital age when electronic technology was rarely involved in our formal learning; we immigrated to this whole new world of technology some time later in our lives. On the other hand, children and teenagers of today, especially those who were born after the 1990's, are digital natives. They are natives because they haven't lived in a world where digital devices (e.g. CD players, mobile phones, computers, Internet, etc) are absent; it is natural for them to rely on these devices for communication or learning.
Therefore, some of the grounds of old education theory are shaken. Children do not necessary learn sequentially anymore with the help of the Internet. Although concepts like scaffolding still plays a big role in formal school (as the system was designed by digital immigrants or digital foreigners), it is inevitable for us to re-examine the goals and pedagogies we are practicing.
Are we, as teachers, using the appropriate digital devices most effectively so as to optimize teaching and learning outcomes in a classroom full of digital natives?
Are we, as parents and digitial immigrants, standing on a firm ground and have a solid-enough knowledge on the role Internet plays in facilitating learning and the growth of our children?
The presentation of Dr. Kratus made me ponder deeply upon my way of teaching; I hope this sharing will trigger some thoughts and discussion among some of you, too!
Here's a video telling you the education needs of the digital natives:
LEGO and creativity
LEGO is one of the most ingenious toy invented, isn't it? Children get very excited when they receive new toys; but they get tired of it after playing with it for a while. Strangely, have you noticed, children don't really grow out of LEGO bricks. They'd bring them out occasionally and start building new things as they age. Even with adults, when we are sitting in front of a pile of LEGO bricks, we would naturally start building out of the blue. We have all experienced the wonder of transformation (scientific creativity) through LEGO bricks and our drives and desire to create something that is beautiful (artistic creativity). In other words, what makes LEGO so powerful is the mixture of scientific and artisitc creativity incurred during the play process; it fulfills children's (and adults') primitive desire to create. LEGO is a very well-established enterprise today with its own team of research to promote the idea of innovation and creativity through play. You can access the LEGO.com Learning Institute website to see some of the research done by a team of expert. I espeically recommend the report Defining Systematic Creativity. This 87-pages document explains the nature of creativity (from a systematic and scientific point-of-view).
As I have mentioned before, creativity is an ability that grows by age and experience. Children demonstrate creativity based on their pervious knowledge. Creativity does not equal to chaos or mess; creative individuals creates within a system (e.g. a composer has to include the basic elements of music, such as sound and time, when they attempt to create something that is valuable to the the field of music.) Children need rules and parameters when they create. Ultimately, they will adapt to this new system in which they can freely create.
In this blog, due to my personal backgound in music, I have included mostly resources that are related to arts. However, the more I dig into creativity, the wider this subjects become. Certainly, creativity is not confined to artistic sense; it also refers to the ability to solve problem, to innovate, to transform and many more.
Due to my limitation in academic background, I am unable to give insightful suggestions on scientific creativity or technology innovation. However, may this article about systematic creativity serve as a starting point to all of us and inspire us to interpret creativity with an open-mind.
Children supporters of LEGO may find some fun game in the LEGO website where you can directly access from the LEGO Institute website. They may also be interested in a game called Mini-Mizer in which they can build a LEGO avatar with different styles. For the younger children (under 6), The LEGO Duplo Website maybe more suitable for them! (LEGO has surely thought about creative people of all ages when they build their kingdom of colourful bricks!)
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