First Uses of Apple TV in Choir

I am very excited to have the new equipment installed and running in the Middle School choir room, the centerpiece of which is Apple TV.  Due to a few issues, I couldn't really try it out until mid-week.  But on Thursday, I just let the Apple TV run for the length of 2 classes while I taught.  The first class was 7th grade general music, and the second class was 7th grade choir.

My 7th grade general music students are recording music history podcasts.  It is a music history project we have been working on for a long time, modeled after the great Classics for Kids music history podcasts.  My students thoroughly enjoyed the Classics for Kids programs.  Instead of just listening to the Classics for Kids shows, I embedded the youtube videos of the musical performances featured in the shows in a separate website.   We only did the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras.  We will save Modern era for 8th grade.  

How did Apple TV help in this class?  Simply as a monitor.  I gave one group of students my iPad and had them record their podcast in Garageband in a practice room.  Since the Apple TV was projecting in the main room, I could see everything they were doing.  No worries about going on different apps or getting off task.  Not the greatest use of the Apple TV, but it is important in the life of a teacher.  After the group was finished recording, we were able to teach the other groups the differences between iPad version of Garageband and the laptop version using the Apple TV.  

But in our 2nd hour choir rehearsal, the real benefits of Apple TV came out.  

I remember when I first got a Smartboard in my music classroom five or six years ago.  I felt like the world walked into my classroom.  For a music teacher who had no student computers in the classroom or any access to the computer lab, the Smartboard completely changed my approach.  This is how I felt about using the Apple TV in choir this week.  The combination of the Apple TV, the iPad right in front of me, and the projector made for seamless learning.  I only used my laptop for submitting attendance.

All from the iPad right in front of me on the piano:
• Music playing through Apple TV while students are walking in
• SmartSeat app open and on screen for attendance taker (don't have it yet?  read this)
• Solfege Scale practice app - first time we used it as a class and kids did better than I expected

• In the rehearsal process itself, I opened Evernote, created a new notebook, and made a new note for that day's rehearsal.  We recorded small bits of rehearsal (either a short piece such as the Star Spangled Banner or about 30 seconds of a longer piece) in Evernote.  Then, students would offer feedback on what needed to be improved.  I would quickly type the feedback into Evernote with the audio clip.  Then we would practice those things and record again.  I repeated this process for several songs throughout class.  I did  this on Friday with my opposite day choir, and will continue this as we move into our Spring concert in May.  Although I am not an avid Evernote user, the fact that it can quickly and easily record and then add text to create a digital portfolio is what I was seeking.  (In the past, we've recorded with Garageband, but there was no way to annotate feedback and save it easily like a digital portfolio.)

Two things amazed me during class:
1.  We must not forget that students are innate musicians.  They know what needs to be worked on and improved.  It may not be in the order that we teachers might do it, but make them part of a constant feedback loop and they take ownership of the rehearsal process.  Phrasing, diction, and dynamics are usually are tops on their list because they know how to fix them easier.
2.  Sometimes students know what needs to be improved, but don't have the words for it and don't know how to fix it.  This is what music teachers live for - the nitty gritty of the rehearsal process.  One student, after listening to the beginning of a piece, said "We sound like children in that part".  What the student really meant was "We need to use a vowel shape and better breath support to create a more mature tone quality."  This was a teachable moment, leading to some work on vowels, another recording, and -voila -we have a more beautiful sound.  I wanted that fixed, but I didn't need to ask for it - they recognized it and asked for it to be improved, and with help from the teacher, they fixed it.  And if they don't do it next week, all I have to do is replay the recording in Evernote and ask for it again.

And two observations about audio:
1.  I need to get a decent recording microphone.  It doesn't do the students justice to use the built-in iPad microphone, and the students deserve a clearer picture of how they sound if we are going to continue this process.
2.  The Apple TV sends audio out through the HDMI and the optical audio (Toslink) ports simultaneously.  If your HDMI cable goes to a projector, you will want to turn off the volume on the projector so that you are only getting high-quality audio through your stereo system.

This was a day where technology:
• Changed my teaching
• Increased student achievement

I look forward to more use of Apple TV with apps such as ForScore (Used it in Fall, but directly wired to iPad, which never works well since the 30-pin connector always comes out.  I really like it and use it often with elementary students learning recorders) and SmartMusic.  If you are looking for excellent discussion about these two apps and more in choral music, check out Dr. Russell's blog TechinMusicEd.

Apple TV Comes to the Choir Room

It finally happened.  It started at Christmas, and finished at Easter.  The middle school choir room has received some much needed tech upgrades, including (drum roll, please) Apple TV!

The middle school choir room has been neglected for a long time.  Since the former high school was converted into the current middle school eight years ago, there has been a succession of middle school choir teachers and administration.  The room never got the treatment that so many other rooms in the building received.  Over the years, it did have 2 good speakers, a good amplifier, and a 5-disc CD changer.  This year, for the first time, I am teaching 7th grade choir in addition to my K-5 duties.  To my good fortune, there was a rotating music account fund and this year was the choir's turn to spend it.

I had two ideas for the funds:
Option A - some combination of laptops and mobile devices
Option B - projector, Apple TV, network, screen, rack, and other hardware

I decided to go with Option B.  I have been doing this long enough to know that if you don't have the infrastructure in place to start with, the rest of it will not be successful.  There will be options in the future for mobile devices - I can get some out of future budget monies, BYOD, etc.  I already have a few laptops and mobile devices.  What we needed a strong foundation for future growth.

So, back in December, I started putting together a list of items and talked to the person in our district who orders technology for teachers.  The first thing that was not going to be on this list was an interactive whiteboard.  We were going to go a different direction - Apple TV.  We were both excited for the possibilities, since no other room in the district (that I am aware of) has a permanent Apple TV installation.

Don't get me wrong - I was an early adopter of interactive whiteboards in our district.  I still use the one in my elementary classroom regularly and have plenty of colleagues who couldn't imagine life without it.  But it has its limitations, the first of which is cost.  Meanwhile, I have had Apple TV in my own house since Fall, and often bring it to use in our elementary computer lab and church, both of which have HDMI projectors.

But the choir room needed a few things in addition to the Apple TV:
• an HDMI projector - the most expensive part of this project.  Yes, you can get converter boxes, but we didn't have a projector in the choir room yet, so might as well just get an HDMI projector right away.
• a mount for the projector.
• a screen - in my case, big enough for 60 kids to see clearly at once.  We purchased an 8' wide screen to replace the tiny screen that used to be in the room.
• Cables galore, and cable conduit to make things look nice.  50' HDMI, 50' RCA cable, 50' SVGA cable, 50' internet cable, new speaker wire, and more.
• A rack to put all of the equipment in, including an existing amplifier, CD changer, and VCR/DVD.  Since the manufacturer calls it a "Command Center", I think the tech staff pictured something like NASA used to launch the shuttle.  It is a perfect size for a classroom and can handle rack-mountable components.
• An audio converter for the Apple TV that allows us to run audio into the existing stereo amplifier.  This is a Toslink to RCA audio converter.  Well worth the $30 for converter and a few cables to get great sound instead of the tinny sound from the projector.  (The DVD/VCR player just uses RCA cables directly into the amplifier for audio).
• A router as a workaround for Apple TV on a secure, enterprise network.

With this new system, you can use any nearly any media you want at the push of a button and have fabulous audio and video.  But best of all, the Apple TV will allow me - or anyone else with an iPad or new iPhone on the same network - to mirror directly to the screen.  Yes, I also own the Reflection App and it is good, but it's a gamble - Apple could shut it off with a simple update.  And the room still needed these upgrades - the projector, the screen, the rack to pull it all together, etc.  Now the choir room went from being the least tech capable room in the district to one of the most forward-leaning spaces for learning.  I think when other people see it in action, they will want it, too - just like interactive whiteboards were.  Apple TV is one of those things you have to see to understand.

Total cost is still being determined, but I purchased ALL of the above for approximately the same price as a single interactive white board.  Remember - we were starting from scratch here - most classrooms already have a lot of this equipment or wouldn't need all of it.  Plus I think I might have enough leftover in the account to purchase one of the newly-reduced price iPad2 for student use.

Once Spring Break is over, I'll post about how I am actually getting to use the new equipment to help improve student achievement in choir.

Apple TV vs. Reflection

Within the last few weeks, both Apple TV and the Reflection App by AirParrot have gotten considerable attention.  I have had a 2nd gen Apple TV since Fall 2011 (we have an all-Apple household).  But I also have purchased the Reflection App because I can already see applications for both.

                    

Why has the Reflection app developed such a big following so fast?  I think it is for two reasons:
#1 - Most people do not have HDMI inputs on their projectors yet.  Although there was buzz about HDMI to VGA converters a few months ago, it's $40 for the converter on top of a $99 Apple TV box, plus cables, and you are still left with an audio issue.  And HDMI projectors are not cheap yet.
#2 - Cost.  Reflection is only $14.99 for a single installation.

But the single biggest drawback for both of these products for education or business is that neither functions well on secure, enterprise networks without some sort of work-around (at least in my experience so far).  If someone could address this problem, life would be so much easier.  So far, the work-arounds that seem to work best are Mrs. Magiera's for Apple TV (here) and Mr. Eley's for Reflection (via Tony Vincent here).

Right now, I am using both Apple TV and Reflection.  Here's what I am doing:
• If I am in the computer lab with an HDMI projector, I will hook up my Apple TV.  It is the simplest way to still have internet so I can use Edmodo, Safari, and other internet apps with students.  I find Apple TV to be a little more "seamless" in its operation.
• If I am in my classroom, I can easily plug in my laptop to an ethernet cord, set up a computer-to-computer network and use Reflection.  I find Reflection easier to use on the go.  And as a stand-alone window on the desktop, I can drag it from my laptop's screen to another non-mirrored monitor or Smartboard.  But Reflection can only be installed on a single computer.  I can take my Apple TV anywhere and plug it in.

So, at least for the time being, and if you have the funds, I would use both.  Like so many things in life, it is not "either/or" but "both/and".  At least for the near future.  And with this Summer's coming version of OSX to include Airplay mirroring of your laptop's screen, I hope somebody solves the enterprise network dilemma soon.

UPDATE - May 14 - My views on Reflection and Apple TV continue to evolve.  Please see my more recent blog post.