SmartMusic Everywhere To The Next Level!

www.smartmusic.com

The next level of SmartMusic convenience has arrived.  Teachers with Android and iOS devices (iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad) can now get the convenience of listening and reviewing to student assignments anywhere those devices can get connected to the internet.  (I spent most of my time trying out the iOS version on my iPod.)

Think about this.  Waiting for your kids to get done at practice?  Got a long commute? Knock off a few reviews.  Please don't do the commute one if you are driving!  Passenger seat is ok.

Of course, you will want to have a life, so don't over do this work-anywhere-all-the-time plan, but this is a way to keep from getting run over by the work that can pile up while you wait to get to it on your computer.  I went on a long field trip last spring and I could stay caught-up with the kids back at school with this tool.

The "SmartMusic In Box" is an excellent description of how it works.  You log in with your teacher e-mail, password and security code and the program gives you what you haven't evaluated yet.  You can sort the in-bound work by class or look at all of the work that has come in, much like messages in your e-mail in box.

If you go in by class, your class roster is available there as well.  From there you can look at the student's grade, review work he or she has turned in the past or send an e-mail to the individual.

The class roster on your iPod could be pretty handy in non-music situations.  Ever have to take attendance away from your computer or forgotten your class list for the fire drill?

The layouts are well thought out for the iPod version.  I haven't tried it on an iPad or iPhone yet.  The iPad idea may be interesting, because of the keyboard size.  I still haven't mastered keyboarding on the iPod and I do leave comments for all work turned in.  I don't think I am too far out on a limb saying the iPhone and iPod Touch versions should have similar keyboard sizes and issues.

I was surprised by how quickly this version of SmartMusic works.  It compares favorably with the computer version and may be the faster way to get your reviews of student work done.  This is exactly the task you need to do and there is no rewrite/reload of the full grade book page slowing you down.  I haven't done a head to head (SM vs SM In Box) race yet and your actual mileage may vary depending on your network.

Overall, I think this is a great addition to the SmartMusic tools.  I plan on using this a lot this fall.