Don't stop learning.

This is a lesson not only to students ("kids"), but adults, parents, and especially, teachers. Never, ever, ever...stop learning. Over the past few months, I've learned more while being away from the public school system, than I ever did in college or while teaching. Here's a quick list to some of the new things I've discovered, that we never learned in a class.

1. coworking - "Coworking is cafe-like community/collaboration space for developers, writers and independents. Or, it’s like this: start with a shared office and add cafe culture. Which is the opposite of most modern cafes." - Independents Hall When I started attending events in Philadelphia, I fell in love with the idea of coworking and collaboration. We learn "group work" in school, but it was never this cool!
2. social-networking (or social media) - Stuff like Twitter, Facebook, blogging, Flickr, etc are all types of social media. If you know how to play, social media can teach you anything, and you get to share back! If you're reading this, and not connected to me via the hundreds of other tendrils of my "personal learning network"...why not?
3. charity - After attending Philly's BarCamp, a group of friends (who are a part of my network, btw!) came up with GeeksWhoGive. On our first event, we donated over 1200lbs of food to Philabundance, and had a great time doing it! No matter how good you think your life is, if you're able to read this blog, there's someone that needs your help. 

 And more...
Point is, ever since leaving teaching, and beginning my job at Staples designing, copying, and printing all those teachers' tests and assignments, I've learned so much. It just proves that there's so much out there, and we get tunnel vision sometimes, especially when we've only ever done one type of work. Reach outside your realm of "expertise" (because you're not an expert until you've done it for 10,000 hours), and learn something new!

Why is it so hard to practice?

Students aren't practicing as much as they used to.
Maybe that's just my own observation, or maybe it's partially true. There are a few reasons, I think.

1. Kids are much busier now than they once were - with karate, dance, homework, sports, etc, they literally don't have enough time in the day to do it all.
   
2. Families are much busier - not only are the kids busier, but parents and siblings are often doing many different things within the home, making practicing much more difficult (finding a quiet place, sans distractions).
   
3. Schools aren't providing the motivation children need now. Being "in band" isn't enough anymore, especially with the negative stereotypes and self-esteem issues that come part and parcel with belonging to a clique.
   
4. Encouragement at home isn't what it needs to be.
   

Now, obviously, if your child is routinely practicing, and making steady improvement, most of those excuses don't apply to them.
One of the saddest things I heard this summer was, from one of my 8th graders, "My parents don't let me practice because while my mom is in the kitchen cooking, my dad is watching tv, and my brothers are working on homework. Practicing would be a distraction." Thinking inward to my own habits, my practicing has suffered for a number of the same reasons: apartment living, background noise (a/c, fan, dehumidifier), and time.
Solutions are forthcoming in a future post, as I think about this more. If you have thoughts, leave 'em in the comments!

photo credit: Jason Tromm

Oh Woe is Technology

The past week has been hell for me, a technology-addicted 30 yr old. The quick list, followed by what I've learned over the past few days:

• Wireless router interference - I thought, was being caused by an identical router next door to my apt.
  
• Car "check engine light" - Caused because spark plugs and wires were never replaced after 105,000 miles. (fixed now, thanks to Monroe Brake & Muffler where my awesome brother works)
  
• Wireless card/Motherboard conflict - My HP dv6448se refuses to acknowledge the wifi card anymore. Best Buy's Geek Squad was a waste of time, HP tech support walked me through some steps, and finally resorted to me sending it in (after I finish this post).
  
• Mother's E-Machines desktop power-supply failure - Fun! Getting my brother to work on this one for me. I give up at this point.
  
• Mother's printer failure - Canon BJC 3000 gives me a fun "waste error" code, which I reset, only to end in a roller/paper feed issue. Again, I quit.
  

AND, I THINK THAT'S ALL...*knocks on wood*
When it rains, it certainly pours, and I'm hoping my Toshiba survives until HP can diagnose, repair, and return my Vista laptop. Otherwise, I'll be surfing via cellphone and my iPod Touch. (I did say I was a tech-addict, right?)

*sighs* Oh well...

(btw, this whole situation further reinforces my need to live "on the cloud" and keep all data consistently backed up. Live it. Learn it. Do it.

GeekTripping

In about 8 hours, I'm leaving for Chicago. I'm going to (very weakly) tie this post in with education and music, but really, this is my summer vacation.
First off, I'll be hypermiling in my '02 Saturn SL1 instead of traveling by air or train, mostly because it's a straight shot, and it made more sense than having to rent a car later. I've printed off 3 pieces of paper for the trip (hotel confirmation and the Google Map to get me there). If I need anything else, I'll hunt out WiFi or use the mobile version of Google Maps. Music's covered via my iPod (with a few separate playlists created for the ride) piped through via an FM transmitter. Someday, I'll get a new head unit (probably not this car) so I can plug in directly.
Speaking of plugging in, power is a huge issue on this trip. Learning from my past experience of driving from PA to DisneyWorld, my phone died about 1/3 of the way down, and me without a car charger. I decided to correct this and other charging issues with "one stone". I picked up a cheap, but effective inverter from Radio Shack for about $20 which will let me plug in my normal chargers en-route. My speed-dialing numbers are all set to people I'd need to call during the trip, and I have my bluetooth so don't bark at me for cellphone use while driving. :-)
Finally, I guess I should explain why I'm going to Chicago in the first place! I'm visiting/meeting a friend I met in the virtual world, Second Life. It's always exciting (maybe a little scary) to connect "sl to rl". Following a 4 night stay, I'll be traveling further West to visit my grandparents (I think...lol), before making the entire trip in reverse.
Btw, I'll do my best to document the trip via Twitter and BrightKite, but we'll see if "rl" allows it. :-)

Copyright vs. Creative Commons Education

My students ask me every time I do it:

"Are you copying that illegally? Did you ask permission? My Dad recorded the concert. Isn't that against the law?" etc

They're smart. Some of them even ask me about Creative Commons now that I've shown them some of my compositions. The biggest thing we're missing, is a time and a place to educate these students about Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons.
I'm trying to gather information and wrap my head around it all enough to offer a lesson (possibly even an after school workshop) on the differences. With the press about Nine Inch Nail's latest albums (Ghosts I-IV and The Slip), it gives me a teachable moment to warn them about illegal downloading, plagiarism, copyright infringement, etc, BY offering legal alternatives.
So here's where I ask for help. My plan is to use a simple Google Docs presentation, including some NIN music as a hook, with the goal of having the students understand what we can and can not do based on the various licensing options of intellectual property. If anyone's done this already, I'd love some pointers. By Monday, I will have the presentation published, and will welcome anyone to collaborate if they wish.
Is this something that should be done more often with our students? Are we blindly assuming that they understand the law and differences between copyright, creative commons, and fair use?

Please, look at my profiles

All this talk about online safety, making students Googleable, teachers behaving badly, and so on, gives me good reason to put my thoughts out there.
First things first: I participate in social networking. I have a Facebook profile, a MySpace profile, I blog, and Twitter, and have a few photos on Flickr. My MySpace page has past students as "friends". My Facebook page has past and current students as friends. Both have friends from my high school and college years as well as family. My profiles are clean, and I have no worries of a student/parent/colleague finding them. Here are some quick tips for teachers everybody when it comes to cleaning up their online presence:

• First off: Ask yourself, "If my boss, mother, student, etc saw anything I post online, how would they react?"
  
• Adults are allowed to be adults, but there are reasons children aren't allowed in bars, clubs, bedrooms...don't subject young minds to things they don't need/want to see. It doesn't need to be online (or recorded at all for that matter!)
  
• Kids party and act silly. If you're posting pictures of drinking, shame on you! If you're cyber-bullying or treating anybody worse than you'd want to be treated, online or not, stop it. The minute it goes online, it's permanent.
  
• Simply put, think before you post
  

Please, I offer an assignment: Visit my profiles, if there's something you think I should change, let me know via these comments. THEN, check your own profiles, and look at them in the eyes of your boss, your mother, or your students. Good luck!

Learn to be Impulsive

Harrisburg from across the river
Originally uploaded by rorowe8

The past few nights, I've had optional things planned to get out of my apartment, avoid work, and hopefully have fun. I've noticed recently, though, that as the time nears, I debate whether I really want to go or not. Finally, I jump up, grab my go-gear, and head out the door, usually ending up having a great time. This post is a lesson in being impulsive so stir up an otherwise routine life without spending alot of money.
Friday I attended a benefit concert for Breast Cancer Research at Northern High School (featuring House Exit and Fink's Constant). I got to sit back and enjoy a great event for $3 in a pretty comfortable environment (where I teach, lol).

Saturday, I traveled up to Enola, PA to hear Fink's Constant again at the local VFW. That was a little stranger, as I was driving to a strange area, and going to a Veterans' hangout to see one of my colleagues play in a ska/reggae band. My best memory from last night was my colleague buying a beer for me (on the band's tab) and remarking about how nice it is to have a fellow teacher out to hear them.

On the way home last night, I noticed the lights of Harrisburg from across the river. "I must get some pictures of that," I thought, so that was today's event. I debated not going, but finally let my impulses take over, grabbed my camera and grabbed a bunch of shots. Unfortunately, due to my camera's limitations, I was only able to keep 4 pictures (the one above being my favorite).

This all comes about as I think about the life of a teacher outside of school. What's appropriate, what isn't, and how to participate in the world around us (both physical and digital). I'm anxious to see what my Monday brings me!

Making Accomodations

nycsd Orchestra Room (middle school)
Originally uploaded by rorowe8

I'm going to start off negative, but should wind up with a thoughtful, positive post by the time I'm through.
Because of PSSA's, I got paid to take pictures of my classroom, make a few phone calls, and practice my violin. Because of PSSA's, my 8th Grade Orchestra lost a rehearsal and day of lessons that they'll never get back; a rehearsal that is only one month from the Spring Concert. My home-schooled students were sent home when they showed up for their lessons. When my 6th and 7th Grade Orchestras each had their rehearsals, they were so hyper from being in a quiet testing environment all day, then finally released to "normal classes".

So here's my favorite photo from this morning. A photo prompted by a few of my 7th Graders. This was taken from a storage area that can only be reached via an iron ladder bolted to my wall. You see, my orchestra room used to be a prop-storage room for the plays/musicals. My students have always been curious about this little storage area, but because of the ladder, and other safety concerns, I obviously don't let them up here. So, I promised to take pictures of the closet, and the room, from this vantage point.

My students are starting to learn about technology above and beyond what I/we can teach in
school because of filtering, mainly because I give them opportunities outside of school. "The link on the whiteboard is to an amazing YouTube video of Pablo Casals, a very famous cellist." for example. Publishing worthwhile links on my Facebook wall, or taking it a step further and publishing it via Twitter (which still goes into Facebook for me), and then finally blogging about it, all give students an additional way to learn without the confines of a school building.
While I haven't created specific lesson plans that utilize technology, I'm making my orchestra students use the technology they already have (cellphones, iPods, cameras, computers, etc) to extend their learning beyond my rehearsals and lessons. It's not mandatory, so no worries about students without access/cellphones/etc, and if a student tells me they're not allowed on YouTube (which has happened), I get the parents permission to show them a downloaded version of the video. No iPod? It's an extra step, but I can burn a CD with the listening assignment, podcast, or recorded versions of the concert music.

Until we change the way we test/teach/treat our students, I'm being flexible and doing what I can with what I know.

Earth Hour 2008 (Or have you been doing it already?)

I just learned about Earth Hour 2008 about 20 minutes ago (through Google's blackout notification), but it reminded me of something I've wanted to share for a few weeks now. Here are my Green Habits, and how I've contagiously started to spread them to my family, friends, and students.
First off, I live in a studio apartment (460sq feet) by myself. My electric bill per month averages $50 ALL YEAR. I have not done anything drastic to save the Earth...yet, so everything I share, is easily copyable by all of you reading!

• I use CFL (compact fluorescent bulbs) in all but my bedroom light (which is the apt's globe light that I never use. I even got 2 free CFLs by doing a Electricity Audit of my apartment!
  
• I use power strips with on/off switches. When I'm not charging cellphone/iPod/Nintendo DS/Laptops, the powerstrip with all the power adapters is turned OFF. Believe it or not, leaving those adapters plugged in still drains electricity!!!
  
• My heat (this apartment uses electric radiant heat, kinda like a giant toaster-oven) is set at 65 degrees Fahrenheit. I tried to go below that, but my cat started having issues. Set your's as low as you can stand and use lots of blankets.
  
• Tide Coldwater Works perfectly, clothes should last longer, and not only am I being "Green" with this small step, I'm saving the apartment complex money on water heating expenses. (Whether I'll ever see those savings remains to be seen. (-:)
  
• I use reusable, canvas (they happen to be green) bags for all my grocery shopping. They were 99cents/each at Weis (where I also walk to work every weekend). They're stronger, hold more items per bag, and I get a small discount at every checkout for using them instead of plastic.
  

Now, my students know I'm a fan of Green living, LifeHacker and TreeHugger blogs, and sharing my tips with everyone, so they've started to adopt simple things too. Turning out my classroom lights whenever we aren't in the orchestra room was an obvious one that apparently nobody else in the district thought of!
So, tonight at 8pm, turn your lights off! In fact, turn everything off, grab your iPod, and take a night walk around your neighborhood (or ditch the iPod and walk with a friend). Let me know in comments if you've planned any fun "no light" activities in the comments!

3 things I learned from a thrash-rock show

If you know me well enough, you know I'm a musician, but more specifically, a music teacher. I am a cellist, violinist, and composer. Music theory is to me what theorems and proofs are to mathematicians.
Every once in awhile, though, I expose myself to music outside...way outside...my normal everyday experiences. Tonight, I went to a thrash-rock CD release party.
I learned some things about music, believe it or not. Things teachers would NEVER be taught in college or during professional development. I learned some things about life that wouldn't be taught as part of character-ed lessons. So, here's my three biggest observations from attending a thrash-rock show:

1. Listen to EVERYTHING. This is THE most important thing I can teach a musician or a music student. My ex-wife used to complain of headaches and car-sickness anytime I played something that she didn't know the words to. John Cage said (I'm paraphasing) that everytime you are given a piece of music to listen to, you're placing limits on what you understand as music. The more variety you hear, the bigger the umbrella of "music" you can appreciate, whether you enjoy it or not.
   
2. "Loud" is not always called "forte". Our musical notation system is complicated. We still use Latin and Italian words for things, notes are placed on staves with heads, stems, and flags/bars, and instruments can be based around different keys. Just because music isn't written down, doesn't mean it isn't music. I take a step back occasionally, and force my violin, viola, and cello students to improvise. The National Music Standards may then advise me to have them try to notate it, but it doesn't always need to me. Some bands (like the 3 I heard tonight) have everything memorized, with only a set-list taped to the floor to remind them the order they want to play the songs in. When's the last time you memorized an entire concert?
   
3. Don't assume ANYTHING based on the music someone likes. Yeah. I went to a thrash-metal-punk show, and enjoyed myself. I almost bought a copy of the cd they were releasing. You only need to go as far as my iPod to know that I'm not all Bach and Beethoven. You'd also never think of me as a music teacher if you caught me at a punk show like this, right? You know what happens when you assume, right?...
   

Finally...(yeah, this is number 4), it's amazing what a little networking will get you. The drummer of the second band I heard, works with me at Weis Markets (which is my 2nd job since teaching doesn't pay enough to survive on a single salary). He was leaving early for the show, and most of the others were attending. They all know I'm a musician/teacher and invited me...just for the heck of it. It was a bonding experience, and I'm actually looking forward to working again next Friday. Hopefully, we'll make the Facebook connections, I'll get some more pictures tagged with me in 'em, and I'll be invited to more musical experiences.

p.s. One of the other cake decorators sang a part of Carmina Burana today, and asked me to write down the title and composer so she could by the CD. (She's a 22 year old, culinary arts student who usually listens to Top 40/Rock)

Cellphones in the Schools

I couldn't let Will Richardson's latest post go without my own response on my blog.
I've talked about this before, as have the many high school students I surround myself with daily. To refresh, here's a summary of our district's policy; one I feel is fair, and well-written, even though it's abuse has largely gone unnoticed.

Students may carry cellphones/iPods to and from school. During normal school operating hours, they must be turned off. If a cellphone is visible (or worse, audible) during instructional time, a warning will be issued. The consequence for a 2nd offense is confiscation (student picks it up at the end of the school day), and 3rd offense requires a parent to come to pick up the phone from the office.

I am all for a lift to a cellphone ban, but that said, I don't see a problem with my district's current policy. Aside from a very select few teachers using cellphones during the day for educational/business contacts relating to their positions, I don't see a reason to allow cellphones to be used during the day. While I would love students to be able to connect via Twitter, use their cameras/video features for educational use, I haven't seen or heard of anyone trying to implement something like this.
I have many students who have my cellphone number, and I have a short list of students' numbers as well. The music department relies on cellphones for inter-building communication, and communicating during after-school activities (marching band, musical, drumline, etc). I've allowed students to have their iPods/phones out during study-hall rehearsals when they've asked me to listen to a piece of music, or watch a video of them playing. I've allowed phone calls home to explain to their parents why they have a zero for the day (forgetting an instrument, for example), and I invite students to take pictures/record audio and video during performances (where legally allowed, of course).
So, for now, I'm fine with our policy, but I would be on the front lines supporting a change in policy if the use of technology warranted it.

On Their Level (Seussical '08)

The past few weeks have meant spending my entire day at the high school for musical rehearsals, eating fast food, having a spare change of clothes in my trunk, repairing instruments, oh yeah...all while continuing to teach my middle and elementary school string players.

Yes, it is an extreme amount of work/time when you commit to play in a musical.

But...it's worth it! This year, Northern York County School District decided to put on Seussical the Musical at the high school. Some of the best students are in the cast, playing in the pit orchestra, running lights/sound, stage crew, etc. Friday night was our opening night, and it went extremely well. Tonight's performance was equally amazing, with our only snag being the air-conditioning in the theater not working (add spot and stage lights, and almost 1200 people, and it gets into the 90's without a/c).
The most fun, though, is because I'm a young teacher, I still relate to the kids very well. Sometimes too well, to the point where I have to remind myself that I'm still required to be "mostly" professional around them. That said, last night at Al's (amazing subs!) I was one of the last to leave, but we had a great time joking, telling stories of past musicals, band trips, rehearsals, etc. After tonight's show, was the "official" cast party at one of the student's houses. While all but one director showed up, I ended staying until a little after midnight. My junior cellist, bribed me to play DDR against the party's hostess (my cellist is an amazing cook/baker, so she bribed me with cupcakes). The bass player and lead crew-man both talked about their after-party plans to "LAN-it-up" playing World of WarCraft and StarCraft, and invited me to check out their LAN-party setup. I am officially on a few of their Facebook friends lists, and I'm sure more will be coming (especially when the photos are uploading from all the cameras!).
I try to ask myself, "Is this acceptable?" but I remember that most teachers didn't have this technology and these skills even 5 years ago. When my string quartet students are using the WikiSpaces discussions to ask me questions outside of the school day, students are emailing me when they've practiced, and videos links are shared with me through YouTube, I can't help but think this is the way of the future...

No TV for Lent (sort of)

I initially didn't give anything up for lent. I honestly couldn't come up with anything I have either a. not already sacrificed, or b. could stand not having for 40 days.
That is, until last night. You see, I got my friendly neighborhood Comcast Cable bill, and realized, "Gee! I'm paying too much for something I don't really use or need."
I haven't cancelled my digital cable service yet, but I haven't turned on the TV since Thursday night. This is my, "Can I really pull this off?" test. Lately, I've been involved in long rehearsals, working my second job, or reading, so the TV's been off anyway. This morning, I turned the TV on, but only to play some Wii-bowling.
Now, some of you may be asking, "Well, what about his American Idol fix? How's he going to watch Numb3rs, Monk, etc?" I've thought about that, and actually, my answer is the purpose of this post. I'll be keeping my broadband service through Comcast, so I testing out a few online video sites. I'm not an expert web2.0 reviewer or anything, so I'll list each of the three, include a little blurb, and my pros/cons of each. And...we're off!

YouTube
Do I really need to explain this one? I think everyone has visited YouTube at least once. This site is great for exploring. It's not like sitting infront of the TV for an hour, mindlessly watching show. It still requires "work" (searching, clicking, etc).
Pros: Simple interface, social-networking as an option, submit your own videos, short "snack-sized" clips
Cons: Not regularly broadcasted shows, mostly user-generated content, short clips require "non-loafing" (i.e. work).

Joost
I was selected to mess with this when it was still early in Beta, and thought it was promising, but not quite ready yet. Joost requires an app download (that always tries to stay always-on for you), and it's definitely a band-width hog. That said, they have some great content, and a very cool layout. Most of the shows are geared towards a younger crowd (MTV shows, stuff from Comedy Central/Adult Swim, etc).
Pros: Sharp interface, channels make it possible to sit back, relax, and "watch TV"
Cons: Required app download, bandwidth/hardware requirements make multitasking almost impossible

Hulu
Currently my new favorite, Hulu has an amazing selection of content including Monk, Lipstick Jungle (very new still!), Numb3rs, Heroes, and more. It also requires no downloads, still has a playlist feature, and has many options for viewing. As long as they continue to offer great content, Hulu will be my "drug of choice" while giving up my regular television viewing.
Pros: Content!, many options for viewing (full-screen, pop-out window, embedded, etc), no downloads and relatively normal broadband requirements.
Cons: Still in beta (closed invite, still)

So, try them out, lemme know what you think. And please, support me through this time of sacrifice. :P

Don't Talk to Strangers (just stand up and eat)

Teachers were off today (provided they took classes over the summer), so I had my whole day planned out. Best Buy to use up some Reward Zone coupons, changing out Naji's cat litter, vacuuming (after my cleanup of Naji's litterbox), and then...the mall. I wanted to get a haircut before the quartet gig next weekend, and the musical the weekend after.
I got to the mall, and of course, it was crowded, but I didn't mind. I was just getting my hair cut (which usually takes all of 20 minutes). I signed in on the waiting list, and was told it would be about 40 minutes. Just enough time for me to grab something to eat for lunch.
As I waited in line to get my food, I was scoping out the seating situation, which looked extremely grim. As I took my tray, I contemplated asking to sit at a table with someone else, since many of the 4-seat tables only had one person at them. Luckily for me, one opened up, and I sat quickly and started eating.
When a man decided to stare me down expecting me to get up, instead of politely asking for my table (or even better, asking if he could just sit at one of the empty seats), I flipped. I asked, "Is there something I can help you with?" The guy lowered his head, shook it, and walked away, not even looking back in my direction.

So I ask: "Why is it not socially acceptable to sit in an empty seat in a public place?"...also, "Why do people resort to rudeness instead of opening their mouths, being friendly and asking if you're almost finished?"

Sighs...at least my hair looks good.

Building your Network (understanding Twitter)

I've always thought about what I would say or do to show someone a site like Twitter, Blogger, YouTube, etc. I think it's even more difficult to show a fellow teacher or colleague and try to "sell it" as an educational tool. Back in March of '07, I created my first Twitter post just because it was the next big thing. Since then, I've learned some great tips. Things I could easily suggest to an educator (or anyone skeptical of Web2.0).

1. Reel 'em in
This is the hard part for most of the services out there. Social-networking sites are only as useful as the network you're in. For Twitter, you sign up for free, but you have ZERO people in your network!
Try this: Send the message "track [keyword]" with [keyword] being something you'd like to receive Twitter posts on (teaching, for example). You'll receive IMs or SMS messages that include that keyword, which will instantly give you some people to start following.

2. Nudging
I can count on one hand, the number of times I've needed to "nudge" someone. I've been "auto-nudged" (a Twitter feature available via settings) a few times though. So, you sign up your favorite team-teacher, and they fall off the wagon. Nudge 'em, especially if you know they're doing something spectacular (or even mildly interesting).

3. Share your Friends
If you're trying to recruit a friend of yours, there's a good chance you have similar interests. Maybe some of the people you're following would also be a good fit for your friend? You could showcase a few of your favorites in a blog post, by simply sharing the bookmarks to their Twitter feeds, or even sharing their screen-names over lunch.

There are my few tips to sharing the Kool-Aid that is Twitter. It's been almost a year for me, and now I look back (on page 49 of my archive and almost a 1000 updates), and realize how much I've learned from it. I also wonder where it'll take us, professionally and/or personally.
Please share in comments, any other tips you have for recruiting your friends/family/colleagues.

Cellphones in the Schools

This is an update to the this post from November: "Scary, Isn't it? (cellphones: teachers vs. students)"

At our recent faculty meeting, cellphone usage was once again brought up. We all know that cellphones are being used by students even though the policy states that they aren't to be used/on/visible during the school day. We went over the policies for discipline (1st-warning, 2nd-confiscate, 3rd-parents must pick phone up). After a few issues were discussed (future changes to the policy, perhaps?), we decided it was time to move on to other topics.
With all the talk on cellphones, the aspect of usage in the schools that was NEVER brought up, was the use of phones by staff and faculty during the day.
Are we being hypocritical? I can honestly tell you, that I am not. I'm truthfully blunt about my cellphone use during the day, and have never had a reason to confiscate a student's phone. If a student is expecting a call from parents (early dismissals, family member in the hospital, etc), I'll let them check for a missed call or voicemail. Cellphones have not caused a disruption in my orchestra rehearsals (and so help me, if they ever did), so I don't make a big deal out of it.

I leave you with this thought, and question: "Parents, teachers, students: How do you feel about your district's current policy on cellphone use during the day? Is it *fair*, and if not, what changes would you propose to fix it?"

p.s. I'd love to begin using Twitter as a notification system for some of my after-school string quartets (rehearsals cancelled, extra rehearsals, what we're working on, etc), but this issue must be addressed before I can invite students to use Twitter.

Tumblr

Everyone knows I'm a Twitter addict. It's ease of use, complete mobility, and constant stream of information, humor, insight, and thought makes it one of the best Web 2.0 tools I've seen since the bubble began.
What you may not realize, is that in addition to Twitter, I also have accounts with Pownce, Jaiku, and now my second favorite, Tumblr.
Tumblr's great claim to fame: sorting by post type. You can post "Text", "photo", "quote", "link", "chat", "audio", and "video" categorized posts in your Tumblr tumblog, and sort all the posts using those categories. Me being a musician, but always coming up with new ideas, recording scratch tracks, and never recording final mixes, my Tumblr is great for sharing some of those audio clips. Now, since most people don't care about all my fed Twitter posts, I give them this link: http://www.tumblr.com/show/audio/by/me.
A few more nice things about Tumblr:

• Complete customization of your template (with a premium account)


• Channels (share certain items with a select group of people)


• Following (works similarly to Twitter)

Lemme know if you check Tumblr out, and please share your thoughts with me. If you're brave enough to listen to some of my audio clips (you can only post one per day, presumably to avoid music piracy), feel free to tear me apart in comments here as well.

edit: I just realized that the link I posted for sorting will *NOT* work for non-logged-in viewers. It looks like it will only sort on your dashboard, and for people you are following...Gonna try to suggest an actual sorting feature though.

Adopting a new keyboard layout?

Is it worth it?
A couple days ago, I was reading some previous Lifehacker posts, and came across this site:

Keybr.com which is a Web2.0, fancy typing trainer. I tested myself on the plain ol' QWERTY keyboard and realized that I don't type properly, but still can maintain about 40 wpm. I used to be able to type much faster, but my accuracy has gone downhill lately.
Being the obsessive type person that I am about tech, I had to check out the site's other options...and then discovered "Dvorak Layout". After a little research, and some settings changes on my laptop, I was thrown into a whole new learning experience.
So far, I've been practicing the home and "tab" rows of Dvorak's layout (you can see the layout in the snapshot, actually). I'm not giving up QWERTY entirely because of my need to share other computers occasionally. That said, though...I'm already up to 30wpm in Dvorak after only 3 days. (sure, still not using the bottom keys yet, but still) I gotta say, so far, I'm liking it alot, and really love that it's forcing me to learn to touch-type the right way.

Now, the educational question: If Dvorak was designed to be faster, more productive, and easier to learn, why aren't we teaching it in schools? Do technology classes even mention the alternative to the clunky standard? Our students use orange "skins" to cover up the letters, so what's the difference if they're learning QWERTY or Dvorak (aside from Dvorak being better?)

p.s. While this post was NOT written on the Dvorak layout, future ones will be, and I'll be keeping track of how my wpm count via Keybr.com

Mobility.

For those of you not in Second Life or on Twitter, you may not have known that I was in Philly all last week for the holiday break. I did have my laptop and wireless router with me, but I used that as a "backup". Interestingly, this was a test of my reliance of cloudware apps in lieu of downloaded software.
90% of my time online, I am logged into iGoogle (which includes my GMail, Google Reader, Remember the Milk, and Jott plugins among others), Twitter, and Pidgin (for IM). When I'm away from my laptop, I can easily replace Pidgin with Meebo for all my instant messaging needs.
Work-wise, the only things I'd really be without would be audio and image-editing apps. I have lived without Microsoft Office for over 6 years now, when I made the switch to Open Office. while I'm away, I go one step further and rely solely on Google Docs, which limits me only in page formatting options.
I'm trying to learn from people like Dave Warlick and Steve Dembo about mobility, so lets hear in the comments: "What other cloudware apps do you rely on?"

p.s. This is the start of a small personal project so I can avoid lugging my personal laptop with me to Disney in March. I'd rather not bring it if I have the choice, but ignoring email, RSS, and more for that week would just drain me, I think.

"I didn't practice because..."

Yes, a music post, but don't worry. This stuff is useful for anybody, whether they're musical or not.
It never fails. We as music educators will always have those couple kids that never practice. They always have an excuse, and most times, it's an excuse that I've used myself. So what do we do? I have the answer...partially

I'm leaving for Philadelphia tomorrow evening, without either of my instruments. You may be wondering, "How is he telling his students to take their instruments home and practice, yet he's leaving both his locked up in the apartment for a week? Kinda hypocritical don'cha think?" Well...yes and no.
Here are some things as a string player, but more importantly, as a musician, that you can do to practice even without your instrument. Many of these tips, I do everyday. Some, I'm even able to do while I'm driving, eating, and just about to doze off into dreamland. So here they are, in a nice, compact list:

1. LISTEN - You should be doing this daily no matter what. Listen to the pieces you're working on, listen to new music, listen to music concrete (everyday sounds from life). The more you listen, the better you can make musical choices in your performing.
   
2. Stay in Shape - I don't necessarily mean going to the gym, because I surely don't. But if you're a brass player, you can easily take your mouthpiece with you and "buzz". String players can practice fingerings (I haven't ruled out Guitar Hero yet, either), and small-muscle training. Any musician should be practicing slow-breathing and can easily be combined with a simple form of meditation.
   
3. SING - Just because your instrument isn't with you, doesn't mean you can't take your music and sing the parts. And no, I don't mean like Placido Domingo. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the pitch should be correct. I end up teaching 60% of my concert literature to my orchestras via me singing the parts. I'd even wager that I sing more than most general music teachers in the course of a school day. Singing your music commits it to a different memory mechanism than playing it or listening to a recording of it.
   
4. Be CREATIVE - Your instrument isn't your only creative outlet. Sing (see above), draw, paint, make up games outside, etc. Something as simple as trying to do a routine task in a new way (a friend of mine made spaghetti with meatsauce in a coffee-maker once, blew me away with the idea!) can jog your creative side of your brain.
   And finally,
   
5. Keep TRACK - Seinfeld uses a 30-days system to learn a new habit or routine, where-in he crosses off the day on a calendar every day he completes that task. It's much harder to break a "streak" when you're keeping track of it. Conversely, it's much harder to get back into it once you've skipped a few days, and the streak isn't so impressive. Everyday you practice (or do one of the things from my list), make a note of it on a "practice calendar".
   

There ya go! Got any more reasons for me? I'm about to sit through a re-run sitcom and practice some scales and Irish jigs. What's your excuse?