Leading Hands Through Technology

Learn to Play Music Faster with Modern Educational Technology

Studies have consistently shown that technology helps improve learning. From mobile apps and online courses to software and even games, modern teaching and learning tools are clearly a great way to enhance the overall learning experience. They’re not only fun and convenient, but they also allow students to learn at their own pace.

Get the physical tools ready

When it comes to learning how to play a musical instrument, however, you can’t rely solely on your apps and other e-learning tools. You’ll also need the physical gear before you can get started. This includes the instrument you want to play and all the other related accessories required to make it work.

Let’s say you want to learn how to play the electric guitar. Aside from getting the instrument itself, you’ll also need things like strings, instrument cables, picks and a good guitar chair to sit on. If you pick the drums, on the other hand, then you’ll need a kit, several pairs of drumsticks and good soundproofing materials. Keep in mind that the best way to learn is to integrate theory and practice, and these physical tools will allow you to do just that.

Find a medium that works for you

According to Andrea Leyden of GoConqr, learning through apps is the future of education—which is probably true considering the rate at which educational apps are improving. However, the choice of what you should use to learn your chosen instrument should still ultimately depend on the type of learner you are and what medium you’re most comfortable with. If you need formal instruction, for example, then a structured online course would be your best bet. If you prefer a more fun set-up, on the other hand, then more game-type tools would suit you better.

Of course, having a clear goal in mind should also help you make this decision much more easily. For example, if you want to learn chords first, then you should get a tool that helps you do that. Want to learn songs more easily? Then get an app or software that allows you to make music play slower or faster.

Consistency is key

At the end of the day, however, whatever modern learning tools you choose to use, if they help keep you motivated to continue playing, then you’ve made the right decision. After all, skills like playing music rely heavily on consistent practice. Long story short, the more you play, the faster you get better at doing so.

When I was kid, I remember a specific scene in The Last Starfighter that blew my mind. A simple device was clipped to the lapel of Alex’s space suit and suddenly it translated all the alien languages around him. The teenager that was asked to save the galaxy could now properly communicate with other international  starfighters. Now this same technology is here with translating ear buds from Pilot. You don’t have the save the galaxy but perhaps you can travel through it productively 🙂

The Pilot translating earpieces:

1. Translate 15 different languages
2. Stream music
3. Answer calls

The reviews on this earpiece and app seem positive so it might be worth giving a try. If you’ve used them please let us know. Welcome to the future – the future is now.

http://www.waverlylabs.com/pilot-translation-kit/

Did you know that your breath is fuel for your body, the number one indicator of your mindset, and is in your control? The easiest way to monitor your stress, activity and sleep is to breathe. Spire is an app that gives you control of your breath. You put on a monitoring device on your waist and it communicates with the app to help you breathe and stay calm. Check it out and see it for yourself!

Spire.io

Need to improve the vocabulary and your overall writing skills for your next essay? IELTS Vocabulary means using a more academic style and word choice (Lexical Resource) when writing your essay. Using Topic Specific Vocabulary, collocations and words from the Academic Word List will help considerably. Topic Specific Vocabulary also contains lots of collocations, so you can expect a thorough explanation on what they are and how to use them.

This tutorial focuses on what to learn, the importance of context, and how to learn / memorize these new terms so you can improve your writing. The site gives you plenty of detailed explanations, tips, examples and resources for practice on this subject.

https://www.ieltspodcast.com/ielts-vocabulary/lexical-resource/

Are you a teacher? Do you need some apps to keep your classroom organized? Here are some apps we saw on Education World that you might like to use in the classroom.

TeacherKit

• Teachers can build classrooms with student and course data, take attendance with the tap of a touchscreen, as well as take quick behavior notes to monitor classroom performance and participation. The app provides a full gradebook (with weighting options), and report summaries for parents and guardians, all backed up to the Cloud.
• Price: Subscription

ClassDojo

• With ClassDojo you can build a classroom, take attendance, and store general student information. Although ClassDojo doesn’t include a formal gradebook or reports section, it does add some cool communication tools. With ClassDojo, you can privately message parents using their email or phone number through the app.
• Price: Free

Remind

• With Remind, you can add students and parents to a class by sharing an email link or by simply having them send a text to your Remind username using their devices. The beauty of using communicators like this is your ability to communicate through the app while maintaining your private phone number.
• Price: Free

Google Classroom

• Google Classroom is free for all schools signed up for Google’s Apps for Education (which is also…free). In short, if you are already using Google Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Sites, you need this app. Google Classroom streamlines the submission process for these features by allowing teachers to build classroom folders, give online grades and feedback, post conversations and announcements, ad share classroom calendars.
• Price: Free

PowerTeacher

• PowerTeacher is your all-in-one organizing system. Create classes, take and track attendance, monitor grades, keep detailed student and parent information, and print complete reports. Students and parents can download the PowerSchool app to access the gradebook, attendance reports, check the school’s calendar, read announcements, and contact educators and administrators. It’s a phenomenal gradebook system that seems to improve yearly.
• Price: Suscription

http://www.educationworld.com/five-incredible-apps-classroom-organization

Are you looking to create a quick logo? Are you in a pinch? The best route is to always hire a professional graphic designer for a unique brand experience but we’ve discovered an alternative. We recently reviewed the newly released online logo maker DesignEvo; it actually does a pretty good job at creating unique and professional logos for free. It walks you through choosing your industry, then logo style and then dives you into adjusting fonts, colors and shapes. When you are ready, you can download this is where the catch is!

You have an option to choose from three packages: free, basic and plus. With the free plan, you can download the image as low resolution with a background. For basic plan, the resolution increases and you can download it with a transparent background. The plus plan gives you copyright and ownership.

Here are some of its key features:

• Million icons available to search through
• Hundreds of text fonts and shapes to choose from
• Freely customize a logo with powerful editing tools

We recommend this tool because it’s easy to use and creates good looking logos. If you need a logo in a pinch, use this platform.

https://www.designevo.com/

Take a video selfie and add yourself into any video? Let’s say you wish you were at a recent concert but couldn’t get tickets? Find some concert footage and add yourself into it from your phone! Or record a video of yourself and send it to a friend so they can add themselves into it! Try this iPhone app and join the world of augmented reality by creating some videos!

http://flipsnap.me/

Have you tried Airbnb? It is an online community marketplace that allows people to rent or sell lodging. You can book unique homes and experiences all over the world! How does it work? As a host you can rent your property for overnight stays as guests you can rent properties for overnight stays.

Airbnb Steps
1. Find hosts with extra rooms, entire homes, and unique accommodations.
2. Connect with hosts, confirm travel dates, and pay through Airbnb.
3. Travel to the location and enjoy your stay!

https://www.airbnb.com/

Are you an avid runner? Most of my friends who are harriers have their favorite app and they mostly reference MapMyRun. I stumbled upon this article from Babble Out that reviews the top five running apps. How does this list stack up to your favorite? As you can see, MapMyRun is on it!

Top 5 Running Apps

• Run Keeper
• Strava
• Gmap Pedometer
• MapMyRun
• Runtastic

https://www.thebabbleout.com/running/5-absolute-best-running-apps/

Are you looking for a place to swim in everything Apple? Look no further than the Apple Pit! It brings you all the latest from the world of Apple, and makes an effort to be a knowledge-base on all their products. I just read a good article about how to make the most of 3D touch apps for the iPhone. Check out the latest reviews, descriptions and news breaks on iPhones, iPads, MacBooks and Apple Watches! Thanks to James for the link.

https://www.applepit.com/