Technology purchase!

I almost forgot...there's exciting news at the Sharp Pointed Stick house! After enduring endless months of begging and pleading from my wife, I just bought (nice crisp buzz roll with the lightweight sticks, please) a brand new laptop yesterday at Best Buy -- it's our first! The bouncing new arrival is an Acer with 1024MB processor (I think?), 160GB hard drive, DVD burner, 15" LCD, etc. -- it even has a built-in keyboard...wow. The little guy was cheap, too - only 500 bucks on clearance. I bring this fabulous news to the reader's attention because I need your advice: I'm not sure what the wisest service contract choice is in this case. Our darling laptop will probably travel a lot, and we have a two-year old that he'll have to get along with. We plan to take care of the little bugger, but accidents do happen -- drops, scrapes, anvils dropping on the screen, that sort of thing.

Do I:

(A) Get the one-year with accidental damage ($99 - I think)
(B) Get the two-year with accidental damage ($199)
(C) Get the three-year with accidental damage ($249)
(D) Blow the the money at the Elgin casino, since it was so cheap and the equivalent will probably go for about $200 in three years based on the current deflation trend

I know what some of you are thinking -- the answer is always (C). But I'm a cheapskate and proud of it. Your comments?

Quitting time

You may be wondering about the blog title. Well, it relates to my profession, and I'm a band conductor, so you'll probably figure it out.

I'm off to check out some other blogs.

Assignment for Tuesday, part deux

I would certainly like to use technology more. Some ideas have brighter futures than others:

• Would love to have all students get Smart Music, but it's cost-prohibitive for many of my students -- and they might not even have a computer for it
• Would be intererested in getting a better notation program, but I don't think I would use it enough to justify the cost
• Would LOVE to send out communications via e-mail more, but many parents don't have an account and/or internet access
• Would LOVE to have a band website or blog where I could post news for EVERYONE, but not everyone would see it (see above)
• Could and should have a band program website anyway -- would like to do one for this fall
• Would like to hook up my office computer to the classroom TV to use it as a monitor once in a while for playing on-line video/audio clips, music theory material, and anything else that is simply a pain to try to scribble on the white board
• Would like to learn Microsoft Access and use it to replace multiple Excel files that currently serve as databases
  

The Assignment for Tuesday

The formalities: This blog has been established as an assignment for Instructional Design, a class that I am taking at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. (I plan to graduate this summer!)

The realities: I find technology interesting and quite useful at times, but I'm part of Gen X (I'm 35), so that puts me in the category of using technology extensively but not completely using it to the extent that I could to serve me and my students. Translation: I need help in getting up to speed with technology!

The other reality: I like to have fun with new technology, so play along with me if you dare.

My profile:

I teach band in Elgin, IL, grades 5-8. My 7th and 8th graders are in one building (middle school) and the 5th and 6th graders are in five other buildings (elementary feeders). Here are the ways that I actually use technology while teaching:

5th/6th:

• Clavinova keyboard for playing pitches for matching and chords (one school only)
• CD player for playing tracks from a method book play-along CD (one school only)
• In all but one feeder school and at the middle school (where elementary large group rehearsals are held after school), I teach in a room void of available technology
• Hand-held tuner in rehearsals
• Essential Elements 2000 is used, which has play-along CD and DVD/DVD-ROM. I strongly encourage all students to use one or both of these sources to help them. They don't all have computers, so some can't use the DVD-ROM features.

7th/8th

• CD player for playing various professional recordings and concert recordings (of my bands)
• Microphone on stage (once in a while)
• Light board and sound board for concerts
• Hand-held tuner in rehearsal
• Television/VCR/DVD for watching performances, "sick day" video assignments
• I occasionally use a digital camera -- my digital yearbook photo was tons better than the one initially taken last year
• I've used PrintMusic a few times for creating parts
  

Here are ways that I use technology while I am doing administrative things and such:

• E-mail (district only; free is blocked) -- daily
• Internet -- frequently -- for research and certain purchases
  
• Word processor -- letters, lists, etc.
• Spreadsheet -- lists, lesson tracking sheets, schedules, accounting, survival
• Grade Machine -- incredibly amazing grade processing program, although it is difficult at times to use
• I have a PDA, but I rarely use it as of late
• I adore the newer data storage technology, especially flash drives...very handy!
• I occasionally call our store rep with my cell phone if I'm driving