The Case for Bluetooth

Technology has been evolving since Adam and Eve were alive. First, the wheel, then the hammer. Or did the hammer come first? Well, it doesn’t matter. The point is, technology is something that is constantly changing. The grounding principles don’t often change, but the shoots where technology and our lives meet, are constantly changing. For the sake of this paper, we will specifically discuss Bluetooth technology: where it comes from and what effects it has on education.

Bluetooth technology can connect devices that are found within a short range from each other - at most 10-20 meters. The original idea was to connect mobile phones to computers in order to share or synchronize information. While this technology was originally created in 1994, the name Bluetooth was not combined until 1997 when Jim Kardach proposed the use of the name King Harald Bluetooth who was successful at uniting Denmark and part of Norway into a single kingdom. King Bluetooth was also responsible for the Christianization of Denmark. The logo for Bluetooth comes from a combination of the historic King’s initials.

Bluetooth technology allows devices to have wireless communication within a short range. An example would be the connecting of a mobile phone to a computer in order to share an internet signal or a printer. When these devices are connected, they do not necessarily need to be in sight of each other, although signal interference can occur from other devices such as microwave ovens, cordless telephones, and some baby monitors. Additionally, the Bluetooth signal can become distorted if power diminishes on one of the devices. This will cause a crackle in sound or a disconnect in the transfer of information.

Bluetooth technology became mainstream with the addition of hands-free devices to the toolbox of any mobile phone user. Especially with state-adopted laws that require hands-free devices, the word Bluetooth and the understanding of its function is becoming a key part of the motorist’s lexicon. Additionally, many car companies are now adding bluetooth technology to the audio functions of the vehicle. Not only can many motorists link their phone or mobile device to the car’s speakers, but the radio or other current audio will actually fade to the background in order for a driver to hear an alert, a driving direction, or an incoming call.

Computer users are also becoming familiar with Bluetooth through the addition of a squad’s worth of wireless devices for the PC. From wireless keyboards, to mice, to printers, to scanners, the fewer cables that you have snaking around your desk, the better. Ergo, buy  a bluetooth device. Pairing and connecting these devices to a computer will take about 5 clicks and as many minutes (if that).  Gamers also are familiar with this technology because many game system controllers are linked to the unit through Bluetooth.

Finally, teachers can use bluetooth technology to streamline the process of connecting numerous items. This connection is wireless and instant, it doesn’t require Wi-Fi and can take place from anywhere in a classroom. One of the simplest uses is through Bluetooth speakers. When a teacher has the ability to roam around the classroom with a tablet or other mobile device while providing a centered source of sound, students will benefit and the teacher will have freedom to monitor the students.

In general, when students are learning, teachers are succeeding. Bluetooth technology helps to increase these opportunities through the simple means of pairing and connecting devices. This can happen temporarily through a students iPhone or their school issued iPad or long term through a teachers computer or handheld controls to run programs or apps. Either way, students are benefiting, and that is a reason to embrace the technology.

Ed Tech Conferences

In a previous post, I talked in detail about Professional Learning Networks and the benefit that comes from collaborating with fellow teachers and lifelong learners who share a similar zest for maximizing their ability to reach each and every one of their students in a truly meaningful and technology-rich way. So the next logical step was to celebrate "Connected Educator Month" by attending an EdTech conference. I decided that the only way this would fit into my current schedule would be to utilize the awesome EdCamp Online event. In short, this event utilized Google Hangouts to herd together a bunch of online-using tech educators so that they could throw a bunch of collaborative ideas around at each other. Needless to say, this was an awesome event.
By attending this event, you get tips and tricks on everything from flipping a classroom, to using apps with 3rd graders, to talking with students about violent tragedies that have happened in schools over the last few weeks. The topics were all across the spectrum and the experience of the attendees was equally vast. By the time you are done jumping from room to room, you feel as though you've only just scratched the surface, even though you've been deeply impacted.
One attendee said that his only objection was that events like these don't happen more often. I know that at my school and in my Arts program, collaboration is my second favorite time of the week - first is my time with the kids! Every time I sit down and talk with a fellow colleague, I go away feeling humbled, educated, and recharged.
There's something about talking about education that makes you want to grow. There is something about technology that makes you want to gain knowledge, and there's something about an EdCamp conference that affects teachers in a very positive and lasting sort of way.

My Future...

Each day that I am alive, I realize that my future has endless possibilities. I know that I will never be the CEO of a company, nor a professional athlete, nor an astronaut, but I do know that my life continues to fascinate me by continually changing for the better.

Now, we are all faced with struggles, and I am not exempt, but I'm going to take a moment out from my normal levels of complaint to give thanks for the wonderful opportunities that have been placed into my life.
 
In college I had two goals: climb Mount Everest, and conduct a symphony orchestra. Although, I'm still clinging to the goal of climbing to over 29,000 feet, my life has continued to make sharp turns around corners that I never saw coming.

When I began my graduate studies, I wanted to become the next great Leonard Bernstein, Gustavo Dudamel, or Esa Pekka Salonen. I wanted to start with my M.M. in Conducting and work my way up to conducting world-class orchestras performing some of the greatest music ever penned by humans. At this point, I won't delete that from my bucket list, but I've been shown some less fancy but more important opportunities.

In the spring of 2013, I was offered a job teaching K-6 music at an elementary charter school. It was an amazing job offer, but it required my family to move and forced me to reevaluate my graduate studies. Digital teaching and learning immediately became an option due to its virtual/distance options. I could take these classes from our new locale and graduate in the same amount of time. Score!

Little did I know that I would discover a gap in my own development as a teacher, and a serious desire to overcome that gap.

I've never been a big technology guy - I've always asked my brother anytime I needed help with my wireless router or suggestions on which iPhone 5 to buy. As I began teaching, though I realized that I needed to instruct my students at a level of technology where they would become tech-leaders by the time they leave my music classroom. Students at a charter school should be using the most up-to-date technology in each of their subjects, and my classroom was still stuck using white boards and overheads.

So through my Masters Degree and my own PLN, I will continue to learn how to use Educational Apps, and I will discover ways to integrate them into my teaching and into the lives of my students. I will challenge my students to think critically about the technology that they use and the effects that it has on their lives. I will encourage my students to be 21st Century learners and leaders amongst their peers.

I know that this personal development means that I must put my current dreams of extreme mountain climbing and concert hall performances on hold, but I know that the changes that I'm making to myself and the level at which I teach will refine me into a better educator, communicator, and musician. Ultimately, those three things are what I want to be.

How Long? How Long?

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/apps-for-creativity-diane-darrow

After reading the title of the article Creativity on the Run: 18 Apps that Support the Creative Process, I began to wonder how hard would it be for a teacher to create an environment where students can think creatively every single day? To answer the question, I looked deeper into the article.

Our first stop had the "Idea Catcher" apps. These are the apps that students should have on their iTouches or iPads where they can jot down ideas, or take notes. These help to capture the thoughts of students in a quick and convenient way.

Next we have apps that assist in the process of brainstorming. Within these apps, students can take private notes while a larger discussion is taking place. These apps give the student the freedom to take notes in a less structured way, so that they can revise and augment their notes with ease.

Then, the visual thinkers get their chance to create, edit, share, and save their ideas. Through apps like Paper by Fifty Three, or Whiteboard Pro, students can simultaneously edit ideas while collaborating with other students.

Finally, students can complete and connect their ideas through apps like Popplet or Idea Sketch. These apps will be especially useful for your visual students because it allows them to connect ideas with lines and arrows in order to show a continuous thought or cause and effect. With apps like these, students can design note pages that are functional in any subject.

To answer my question, it's not very hard to allow students to use their creativity in a useful way. The hard part would be taking the first step toward allowing your boldness as a teacher to positively affect your students. This article provides a list of apps that would work well in a classroom setting. Each app would speak to a different Multiple Intelligence and would have its strengths and weaknesses, but would be well worth the time to integrate them into your classroom.

My Professional Learning Network and how it hurts me

For those of you who aren't familiar, a Professional Learning Network (PLN) is designed to give you an immediate source of knowledge and information that can be rooted in just about any area of life. For me, I used Twitter to get started - I revamped my already-existing account and jumped right in. Unfortunately, I didn't come back up for air soon enough. Here's why:

1.  The community is huge! I decided to focus on Education, but Education is far too vast to focus on. There are so many professionals who like to talk about Education that as soon as I find one person who has good info, I find three more who have even better info. Which leads me to my next complaint.

2.  There is too much information! Much like year-old Apple products, technology is constantly making itself obsolete. By being available to more people and finding ways to do cooler things than ever before, technology is continually becoming better and more accessible. Because of this, someone like me is bound to get lost in the virtual convention center floor of kiosks and booths that are made to get your attention, give you information, and then make it impossible for your to find the exit door.

3.  There's no cure for the addiction of knowledge. Some people don't have this problem. They are dumb, they don't mind being dumb, and so that's how they will always be. Me on the otherhand - because I'm certainly NOT dumb - I get my jollies reading up on cool ways to trick my students into listening to me, finding ridiculously cool apps that I will probably never use with my K-6 music classes, and how learning NPR has better news than just about any other news outlet.

4.  I haven't mastered my need to prioritize my Grad work, with my PLN, with my personal time, with my family, with my job, with my other interests, with anything. That's the real problem, because 1-3 on the list above are actually good things. Actually, they're great things that technology has enabled everyday people to do, everyday.

Never before has technology allowed so much dialogue and collaboration - God-willing, that phrase will always be true. But regardless of the amount of information at our fingertips, we have to know what to do with it. Whether it's turn off the push notifications until you finish your project, or turn off the device while your family is home, some plans need to be made.

Without technology, you will live; but with it, you might drown.


-Jon