Forward ed tech for forward minds.
Emily Hendricks is a forward-thinking educational technology professional, working to empower and engage humans in learning through technology. She supports people, not devices.
Emily is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Academic Tech Specialist in K-12, orchestral percussionist, music producer, teacher, adventurer, and co-host/producer of Struggle for Change podcast.
I will be presenting a one-hour session today at Fall CUE 2019 on "Main Street Music: Social Studies, Soundscapes and Poetry.” Click on the image below to view the presentation slides, which contain additional resources at the end! To read more about this integrated unit, as well as other sound-related projects, read my previous blog post.
Click on the slide image to view the presentation slides from CUE!
You know how I posted about a recent 1st grade project I did at Hillbrook? Well, I wanted to share with you the awesome end result!
To summarize the project:
Students recorded short interviews with a partner using Apple Clips.
They added effects to the clips to make them look cooler.
They drew illustrations about one or two of the questions they asked/answered. Their homeroom teacher (Margaret) laid down some legit ground rules of drawing (has to have at least 7 colors, etc.). They turned out great!
Students added a soundtrack via Clips.
Students had a gallery walk to view each others’ interviews.
Now for step 6:
Students uploaded (mostly independently) their Clips videos to a Flipgrid “grid” that I created beforehand. They did great!
Overall, a fun project for all :)
I love learning new things!
Recently, our front desk laptop at Hillbrook was bugging out, shutting itself off in the middle of a process and then showing an “international prohibition sign” (official name). #nobueno
The first time it happened, Deborah (front desk associate) brought the laptop to me with a real-life frowny face. It completely halted her workflow and it can definitely be a bit scary to see a symbol like this on a computer screen (I have to write notes to myself all the time, since I’m jumping from one thing to the next all day):
I gave her a loaner laptop and then proceeded to boot up the computer in Recovery Mode, run First Aid in Disk Utility and finally re-install Mojave. It worked…for about two weeks. Then, it happened again! ERG.
This time, re-installing the OS left me looking at a fun message on the screen: “mac OS could not be installed on your computer.” Hmm. I was at a bit of a loss. I love me a good challenge, though! #lifemantra
I did a little research and discovered that it is pretty straightforward to install a clean OS from a separate startup drive (seems obvious, right?). I had never HAD to do this in my years of experience as a technology specialist, so therefore never actually learned. It’s awesome when you are presented with a healthy challenge, stretch your mind and resources and land on solid solution ground.
Thanks to this SUPER helpful article from Apple Support, I was able to create a clean OS installer using an extra flash drive.
After creating the new install disk, I booted up in the disk (option + power on) and reinstalled the OS via that route. It totally worked!
A few small tips:
Make sure you have an external drive that is AT LEAST 16 GB.
Make sure the drive is formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
This article saved the day…and I am an even BETTER technology specialist for it! #newknowledge #growth
We all do it once in a while.
"I'm taking a vacay here" or "a long weekend there" and "I need to disconnect from tech" for a few days (or weeks). What is it that makes technology sometimes feel all-consuming, a slow soul-suck that wants to hang on like a giant lake leech?
It started with Facebook.
A game-changer that shifted society's way of communicating and connecting. A powerful engine of youth-driven tech bliss, which then seeped into the everyday lives of their parents and grandparents. What started as a "cool new way of learning about one another and re-connecting with past friends," turned into a massive engine of artifacts, fragments, political/social movement, rhetorical questions and un-prompted answers. A new single super-highway that evolved into a metropolis. What if you don't want to "live" in a metropolis? #suckstobeyou
Then came mobile apps and quick-firing fingertips that don't want to lose their mobile momentum. Like the invention of the microwave and the need for quick, cheap food (due to world war craziness), we have again as a society followed the wave of innovative bliss. "This is something we have NEVER experienced before. Let's check it out, yo!" There's nothing wrong with being a curious, ever-learning society with growth mindsets and such, but we do need to understand one thing:
Curiosity does not equal conviction.
We enjoy these toys that seem self-evident. But, not all tech is created with an equal objective. We must be aware of WHY we have this thing or that app. WHY was it created, and to whom is it relevant? Some of us still use microwaves to cook everything, but others choose to cook the majority of their food using an oven or stove top. Not because they don't believe the microwave is a useful technology, but that they like to cook with their own two hands and eat food that is more naturally grown. It doesn't make one person better than the other, but we all have a different version of what is RELEVANT in our lives. With a greater density of technology options, it becomes so much more important to answer the question: What do I really NEED to make my life more fulfilling?
I go in phases myself. Sometimes, I truly want to create things. I am an ARTIST, after all, and often get the urge to compose music, write poetry or blog! Sometimes this requires paper and more often a laptop/iPad/iPhone. Frankly, a lot of technology out there makes it more efficient to create art. Plain and simple. I can put a digital music arrangement together on my laptop much quicker than recording each part live into an 8-track or whatevs. I can convey my own thoughts so much faster by typing rather than writing on paper. However, I still have moments where I truly want to journal and/or draw in an actual journal on nice paper with a nice pen. Because I was not put on this earth to use technology. I was put here to be me, whatever that means.
Let's get back to the original question: why do we disconnect (from technology)?
We disconnect from technology (and other things, frankly) to create a balance between your own drive and the motivations of innovation. As humans, we need to be self-paced. We need to control how we see the world and at what speed. Sometimes this means really diving into something new, that really intrigues us and fits into our "speed" at the time. Other times, we need to lay back, go back to first gear, ignore the microwave and re-connect with the analog properties of the everyday world. It's pretty beautiful, actually. Beautiful that we have that choice.
Don't feel ashamed if you have to touch the "disconnect dial" once in a while. We are blood-pumping, breathing human machines that need some analog TLC on the occasion that our innovation-brain needs a vacation. #longsentence #importantsentence
Why do YOU disconnect? Comments below. #hollaatyogirl
We ALL know how frustrating technology can be, am I right?
Believe me, I've been working in the educational technology industry for 5+ years, the technology training industry for 5+ years, the technology support industry for over 5 years and the corporate A/V industry for a year. Sometimes it still happens. The RAGE.
Don't worry, I don't show it to other innocent humans. But it still happens, and it's all perspective.
Summer tech. work is INTENSE. It's a lot about making lists upon lists and always aware of deadlines upon deadlines. It's also about what can wait until mid-September? Good skills to have, though. Being able to tell a heap of work that "you ain't worthy of the beginnings of my year, yo. Wait in line like the rest. You second best."
I digress.
New iPads are LEGIT to setup. So fancy and nice and...they require DEP scoping, yo.
We got over 100 new iPads this year to replace older ones in the line-up. Cool. Don't forget to scope 55 of them (manually) to the correct DEP pre-stage enrollment group in JAMF (based on the graduation year) and leave the rest for the other general enrollment group. Cool. No biggity.
Let's make sure each Lower School classroom gets the same model of iPad...no easy feat. Did some math and some magic and we GOOD. However, 3/4 through wiping all LS iPads and setting them up in Active Directory bindings, they stop "checking in" with our JAMF database. WTF.
Then, our printer policies stop pushing out and pretend like there's no driver in the freaking driver's seat. #ERRRRRG
#BREATHE
I called my buddies at JAMF support (super cool and helpful peeps). They on it. I had to send multiple Terminal commands via our MySQL Database to dig deep. It's still an open case. I get the feeling these issues are related. If this shiz doesn't get sorted in a week, ain't no one getting a computer that can print (I think).
#FCK
#BREATHE
...you know what?
I am a human using non-human tools in a human world. I need to remind myself that my humanity is more important than the inner-workings of a human-made metal machine that doesn't know how to order an Americano from an indy coffee shop.
#CHILL
There's always a solution stemming from a creative human brain. Always.
#TRUSTYOABLILITIES
The bottom line is that you should never completely trust in a techno workflow and that you are strong enough to design the solution, with or without the techno.
Much love,
Emily
Another "iPad Collection Season" at Hillbrook just wrapped itself up in a nice bow.
We used a different strategy this year (compared to previous years): collect 4 grade levels of iPads in 1.5 days instead of 1.5 weeks. It seemed a bit daunting at first, since it takes a lot of energy to guide multiple groups of students through the collection process, in addition to hauling said iPads from one side of campus to another after collection (with only two of us collecting). It was worth it, however, to have a faster timeline and more efficient process. Ultimately, it gave students a longer period of time with their iPads, which helps when teachers are still assigning final projects and assignments that are dependent on the use of an iPad.
If you are curious about the process we use for iPad Collection (in middle school), check it out below:
That's about it!
I am usually the only Tech person here most of the summer, so it's important to me to have iPads as organized as possible before the school year officially ends. This summer, I will fix broken iPads, swap out cases, update our MDM inventory and profiles, rotate iPads in or out of inventory and get ready for another rockin' school year!
What do you do at YOUR school for iPad collection? Comment below!
#almostsummer
Hey guys! The Hillbrook Art Show 2018 is about to wrap up. It's been quite the artistic year over here and I wanted to share with you some personal experiences with 6th grade Sound Art.
As I mentioned in a previous post or two, I have been teaching a new 6th grade art class focusing on SOUND. It's been a very fun and eye-opening experience for both the students and myself (being my first time teaching a class of my own outside of percussion ensemble) as a new medium for self expression and storytelling.
We created several small projects over the course of the class (I had 4 groups of 6th-grade students that rotated between 4 art classes throughout the year):
Quarter 1: bit.ly/2ILnZRQ
Quarter 2: bit.ly/2rHMOoe
Quarter 3: bit.ly/2IlMguk
Quarter 4: bit.ly/2II2CB8
For the Art Show this year, I made sure to take 360-degree images of each class. Then, I uploaded either links to or the actual project to a hot spot under their picture. I setup two iMacs at a table with links to the AudioBiographies (and other projects) already open in several tabs (on Thinglink). I also laid out several pairs of headphones with headphone splitters so visitors could listen simultaneously (great way to connect with others in an abstract way!).
All in all, this has been a fun and challenging year of stretching and discovering what students can create with sound. Can't wait to teach this again next year!
#fyi I am always available for more information about any of the above-mentioned projects or any other thoughts or questions you may have.
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| (Click on image for presentation slides.)
Apps:
GarageBand (All-around "home base" for audio production)
iMaschine (Cool digital drum machine/looper) LoopyHD (Basic live recording and looping)
Thinglink (Regular and 360 images + audio tags)
Contact Emily:
Twitter (@eh48)
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