SO YOU HAVE THE COMPUTER – NOW WHAT?

Wow, having a computer and iPad for the MTI program has been so amazing. It has been a challenge to set everything up, and while I don’t have all the programs perfected yet, I’ve already been able to utilize the technology for many things. First things first – using AppleCare and my year subscription to Apple’s One to One program!

• The One to One trainers have helped me come up with solutions for things such as converting and viewing video files, making a DVD that will play instantly on a computer or DVD player, and setting up the iTunes store for purchasing apps on the iPad. There’s still a lot to learn!

• Speaking of video files, one of the things we need to do for the MTI program is share videos of sessions with other MT’s in the company. In the past, we’ve found that sharing a DVD is a good solution, because then we don’t have to find a time when everyone can come observe the intern at the same time (this is nearly impossible). However, the MacBook Pro did not come with iDVD. Very surprising! However, I was able to copy the app from an older MacBook, a free solution to the problem. This is very important when you work for a nonprofit!

• I am SO GLAD that I decided to get AppleCare for the Mac. Why? Because the speakers were defective! AppleCare covers the cost to replace them. I just got the repair estimate by email – $548.

Replacement speakers = free!

Now for a few stories about using technology in classes!

• My intern started a 1:1 case study with a student. She does not have an assistant, and is unable to simultaneously play the guitar, sing, assist the student with hand-over-hand, and give verbal prompts. Therefore, using GarageBand and our Blue Snowball microphone, I helped her record first a keyboard background to the song she was using, at exactly 90bpm, in two different styles. Then she recorded her voice on top of the chords. Finally, we shared the different versions of the song to iTunes and put them on the iPad. Now, she is able to plug the iPad into our keyboard (to amplify the sound), and is hands free to work with the student, while still providing “live” music!

screen shot of the iPad

• We have Relaxation classes every day. One of my goals was to hook up the iPad to our Somatron, which is a mat with speakers that connects to a radio and vibrates to the music. Well, I figured out how to do this! For the first few days, I had students take turns laying on the mat. One day in class, I had students gather around the Somatron, take their shoes off, and place them on the mat. Then I opened GarageBand on the iPad, played a pre-recorded string loop, and set the instrument to keyboard on a pentatonic scale. I played various notes, and talked with the students about the difference in feeling between the high notes and the low notes. It was wonderful to see the students’ reactions to feeling the vibrations! A few students started moving to the music on their own. Their reaction when I found a low bass loop was awesome too! It's a massage with music... If you've never tried a Somatron, I highly recommend it.

•  One of my current class projects is creating a story that’s told through narration, familiar songs with re-written lyrics, and instruments representing various sounds (i.e. a maraca for a chirping bird). I use the computer to take notes, because I type much faster than I can write, and therefore I can get the students’ ideas written down more quickly/efficiently. I have the students record the instruments in GarageBand with the Snowball mic, and listen back for the best recording. The next step will be to record musical background for the songs (they’ve chosen my guitar as the background) then have one of the students record the vocals. Last, I will have another student record the narration, and put it all together!

• We started a music video project quite a while ago, and with everything going on (changing locations, settling into a new routine) it’s taking a long time to get back into it. One of the problems is that I started the recording on a different MacBook. Well, I’ve finally transferred those files to my new MacBook, and we’re slowly getting back into the project! Still on the list of things to do is recording the vocals, and filming the two remaining scenes. And of course, putting it all together. Stay tuned for the completion of the video:

With all of the valuable data I’ll be storing (video, GarageBand recordings, etc.), it will be very important to back it all up. After much research and talking to Apple employees, I discovered that the best external hard drive is the Western Digital My Book Studio with 2TB of storage. These can run up to $250. Yikes! That’s not exactly in the daily program budget! So, the fundraiser continues. I’ve left the Donate button up at the top of the blog, with the disclaimer that “Further tax-deductible donations will go towards technology to supplement the MacBook.” Well, I’ve found the first piece of supplemental technology that I need! Will you help spread the word? Thanks!

Just for fun, here are some recent-ish pics of my hair growing out:

10/12/11 - bleached the blue (almost all) out!

11/8/11 - crazy hair!

11/19/11 - RAAM reunion party (red gel)

11/21/11 - new Ironman sunglasses (some day...)

11/23/11 - hat hair after running!

I've gotten a lot of compliments, so I'm leaving it alone for now. We'll see how it behaves as it gets longer... In the meantime, please help spread the word!