Garageband+as+a+Literacy+Tool

=Garageband=

Attendees will: Discuss the importance of integrating content and pedogogical skills with technological skills by examining the T-PACK framework. What is Garageband? How can Garageband be used in the non-music classroom? Examples of student work. Garageband Tutorials- Hands on play time. External mic or built-in mic? Alternatives to Garageband for recording voice

T-PACK Framework
"At the intersection of all three elements is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK.True technology integration is understanding and negotiating the relationships between these three components of knowledge. A teacher capable of negotiating these relationships represents a form of expertise different from, and greater than, the knowledge of a disciplinary expert (say a mathematician or a historian), a technology expert (a computer scientist) and a pedagogical expert (an experienced educator). Effective technology integration for pedagogy around specific subject matter requires developing sensitivity to the dynamic, [transactional] relationship between all three components." ([|www.tpck.org], r.July 30, 2010)

What is Garageband?
Garageband is a software application that allows users to create music or podcasts. Garageband is part of the iLife Suite from Apple. Garageband is only available on a Mac. This is important to note as parents will want to know how to "get" Garageband. Many parents in our district (South Berwick anyway) own PCs which do not have this application. For those parents, they can check out [|Audacity], a free audio editor that is available on all platforms and can be used with both Macs and PCs.

How Can Garageband be used in the non-music classroom?
Record students reading. Visual cues for volume and fluency. Create podcasts. Create vodcasts. Create audiobooks. Create soundscapes. Create documentaries. Preserve conversations. Reading portfolios. Record Reader's Theater. Edit audio files. Record performances. Record sound effects. Create music of other genres, styles and/or time periods. integrate the arts. Showcase student work. Create recordings of class/student stories and poems. Record lessons for the guest teacher. Record lessons for absent students. Can be used as assistive technology.

Examples of Student Work:
Audiobooks. Podcasts. Soundscapes Documentary. [|Kate's Classroom Podcast Site] [|Rick Barter's Presentation] [|Animoto] More as Needed.

Garageband Tutorials- (see tutorial page for video tutorials) Word document for '08 (steps helpful for 09 as well.)

External Mic or built-in Mic-
Built in Mic works fine for most projects. Other mics could include:

Headset with built-in mic- Outstanding for clarity, esp when there are conversations in the background My favorite is Logitech but make sure it is compatible with Macs, some of the cheaper versions are not. Wal-mart has one for $35 (the cheaper Logitech models at Wal-mart are NOT compatible, read the fine print, always) [|Podcast Mic]- For the serious podcaster who wants to set up a station and leave it. [|Snowball Mic] -place on a table, have students sit or stand around it. @$100, smaller version available

Alternatives for Recording
[|Audacity]- (see above)

iPods can be used to record voices, then voice memos can be dropped into Garageband for editing iPod Nanos 5th generation (or 4th generation with Belkin Tunetalk) iPod Touch 3rd generation and ear buds with built-in mic