Hi Andy

It's kiwigirl from St Louis here... you get about! Good to see you are in touch with others at the coal face.

As you know, you tried very hard to convince me to install PC Kaan system (with CMS also recommending PC as the way to go due to 'value for money' on software available. Still haven't regretted the Mac route - sorry! (Know you agreed personally really!)

To answer your points...

We went for an attached but separate radio networked 12 iMacs in Music Dept also connected to 5 more on the same Apple network in Art Dept. This has enabled pupils to design their CD covers as part of the business side of their production project. They are also designing logos for our NUMU label.

We can access the school network (although as I don't have control over this connection there have been IP address failures - control of the server is now in our upper school, not even on site! Cannot understand the benefit but the only issue for me has been connection to the school network for admin purposes. Otherwise, we are all self-contained and, with the support of a Mac technician (allowed out once in a while from 'PC Hell', as he coins the chaos in the rest of the school, to sort my occasional queries). I have total control of the network - no one else understands what on earth we do!

Audio playback is managed variously depending on the project. I use an Edirol for portability and quick or rough recordings / outside sound capture to import in to files. I can control any of the iMacs, send messages / demonstrate, either just to that group or on the big screen via projector. I can and do also walk around with my headphones and plug in to their 4-way splitters to discuss in more detail. I can also just observe their screens without disturbing them - great in addition to get anyone back on task if I show their off task screen on the big screen ...soon gets them back on track!

I have main speakers linked to the projector junction box so can drag and drop any files onto my iMac to playback through the main speakers and show their score / film to all. Or I can just get them to unplug their headphone splitter and turn up full volume and just show score for quick feedback from others. Pupils often move around groups to give feedback on a particular point. I also video performances privately at times purely for individuals' self-evaluation / encouragement - especially for singing. This isvery popular. We playback on the big screen only if they are happy for me to use theirs to demo a point to others.

Pupils are rarely ' distracted' by the ICT - they are an ICT generation ...it is much more normal for them than us! They understand it is a tool. Hadn't really appreciated how much visual learners and many SEN pupils would benefit from having a visual representation of their music. Focus is greater, involvement made easier and sense of achievement increased. They can much more readily discuss their own and others' music when they can refer to a point in the score rather than try to describe a point they heard and which has passed.

I have a couple of Terabyte external hard drives which I use for back up. We use NUMU to publish now and I have created a department website to create links for all sorts of online things, such as pupil / parent surveys. Parents email me all the time, pupils email work in from home and I can then send it to their iMac in class / show it on the big screen. I also have a deptartment .Mac account so have online storage and access from home and sync this daily.

It's embarrassingly easy really!

Hope that answers your points ...when are you going to come and visit us again?

Take care,

Caroline

re: Many students (and adults) hate someone staring over their shoulder while they are working. Then to have to faff around with headphones/splitters so that the teacher can listen to the student’s work can be very disruptive.

I didn't really mean literally just looking over their shoulder - more sat down with them and actually talking to them about their progress! I don't use lab setups, but do have a PC suite and regularly give online feedback via our VLE. This does work to some extent but doesn't have any where near the impact of sitting next to a student to show them how to play something or to discuss options to further develop a composition etc. Perhaps I should try to see some Lab software in action - I can see how an instant messaging system could be used - still not the same as talking though? I am all for the use of technology though if it will make a difference, so will think a bit more about this?!

Mark

Like Mark, I have never been a big fan of keyboard labs systems, but having seen the Kaan setup in Adam Laird’s school in York, I am revising my opinions.

The way in which the teacher is able to communicate with the student can be very subtle and has lots to commend it. The teacher can ‘message’ students individually without disturbing the rest of the class. Because that student has not been placed momentarily under a ‘spotlight’, he/she will often give a less self conscious reply. And many of our students are often more articulate texting rather than talking!

Many students (and adults) hate someone staring over their shoulder while they are working. Then to have to faff around with headphones/splitters so that the teacher can listen to the student’s work can be very disruptive.

Being able to share works in progress with some or all of the rest of the class at appropriate times is yet another way in which collaboration can be facilitated without intruding on the work of others. It allows the teacher to show consideration and respect for students as they work. Let’s face it no ‘real life’ musician would stand for having to work in a typical classroom environment!

Adam Laird gives us some excellent video interviews on his Kaan resource
I am encouraging/nagging him and Andy Grinham to provide a bit more contextual content to give the reader some flavour of what this system might look like in action. If you are really interested, contact Andy G to see if there is a school near you working with this system.

As far as I can see, this system works really well when students are working on computer based activities. I think when working on acoustic music making activities a more traditional approach to classroom interaction is still likely to work best.

Who controls the ICT Setup/design in your music department – music or ICT consultants?

Everything we have is done in house. We have standard networked RM PC's, some of which are slighlty higher spec'd with dual core in the "studios". These are installed by our IT dept exactly as all other PC's. I have rights to install locally any music software I want to as long as it's legal and would pass an audit! Sibelius is installed in its network version along with Konakt Player/Sibelius Sounds. This works very well.

For sequencing & recording I use 2 programs. ProTools M-Powered, locally installed in the studios, that I install myself beacuse the IT staff aren't really sure that they can get it working without me (!). As a general purpose sequencer I use EnergyXT2 - a relative newcomer to the market. Have used both Cubase and Logic in the past but have never really found them stable in networked environments (on both Mac/PC) and support from Steinberg in particular was awful (at best!). I was introduced to XT1 by a student about 4 years ago and I have been an enthusiast ever since. XT2 that I now use has been in beta/release state for over a year now and does everything I need (well nearly all). Best though is that I install it on ONE network drive by a simple drag & drop, set it to point to my VST folder (also just one folder on the network) and that's it. I use a lot of freeware VST's becaue there is plenty out there that easily meets my needs! The IT staff put a link in the programs menu and ALL PC's in college can then run it! Because of the single installation, upgrading takes less than a minute - first installation only takes about 2! Because I have been a beta tester, this hasn't cost me one penny! To buy for education now, it's 500 euros for your whole site, for ever - less than the price of one Cubase licence! NO score editing but then we have Sibelius (and have you tried www.noteflight.com yet?!)

How do you use ICT to control audio playback in your department?

All PC's have headphones, one PC is attached to wall monitors. Individual discussion takes place in the room, making use of headphone splitters. For whole class listening, students submit files (mp3 mixes or software files) VLE and then we just use the PC connected to the monitors. For live recording, students use our 2 studios on a rota basis.

What about the visual element?

Don't do any of this. No centralised checking or networked 'spy' software. If students have interesting tasks, why would they want to 'drift' elsewhere?!?! Seriously though, if the teacher is at their own PC then by definition they are not 'with' their pupils?! Much better IMHO to be out and about in the class literally looking over their shoulders - and getting involved... and teaching..... I have never been a fan of PC and keyboard 'labs' for music.

How do you use ICT for handling data?

All students have 500MB allocated storage on a standard network accounts. This is the same as all other subjects and is backed up daily by the IT dept. Studios have external hard drives and students back up all their studio work to a dedicated NAS storage drive with a simple drag/drop at the end of each session. This way there are always 2 copies of their work. I additionally back up these NAS drive at the end of each week - again just a simple drag/drop to another external hard drive that I take home at the weekend - for safe storage and for marking!! This means the IT staff just do what they would normally do, the students have some responsibility and I just drag/drop once a week and have a cup of coffee before I go home at the end of an otherwise busy Friday.

Mark Hudson

PS How do you get bold type on this site? My editor only seems to have plain text?