Tuesday, February 28, 2012

SmartMusic and iOS/Android

http://www.smartmusic.com/Educators/MobileApp.aspx

I take late work.  With no penalty.  It just seems that if you don't, the deadline is more important than the learning.  Besides, I would rather listen to good work than complain about a bunch of mistakes.  If you need more time to get it right, take it.

We do encourage on-time SmartMusic work by offering an on-time bonus.  But that probably isn't big enough to radically change a grade.

This late policy isn't without its problems.

At the end of the term, I can only grade what has been turned in.  If I have to guess it is a zero.  Sorry about that, but I can't completely change the way the world works.  Sometimes the time-challenged are in a pretty deep hole with a couple of assignments out at the end of the quarter.

It does take a bit of time to listen and evaluate properly, so my school-wide grade book isn't always up-to-date.   I might not have spent the extra time to get things moved over.  Kids can avoid getting caught by this by getting work in on time.  Remember, you turned it in late, I may need a day or two to get the paperwork done.

My school also has a pretty aggressive policy about turning in work.  We do run grade reports (from the school-wide grade book) at strategic times and kids are expected to get work made up during morning meeting while the rest of the class is doing fun projects.  Once the work is made-up they can get back to having fun.  Once again, Remember, you turned it in late, I may need a day or two to get the paperwork done.  This is where SmartMusic Inbox can help.

A student who has late work and would like me to sign-off on their late assignment  isn't going to have to wait for me to go back to my computer to get an answer.  (You would be surprised how many kids THINK they have turned in an assignment.)  I can login anywhere in the building and check.  What was it that Ronald Reagan used to say? "Trust, but verify."  That is policy is easy to follow when you can check the Inbox for things that have come in late.  Even if you are assigned hall duty when the kid wants to know.

The Inbox does run on my iPod Touch and iPad.  I am pretty sure it will run on my Android phone too, but I haven't tried it yet and I am not so sure I want to spend the money on my personal phone minutes when I can get access for free.

I wish that the full version of SmartMusic ran on iOS/Android.  I get the feeling that would help with my SmartMusic Everywhere plan if and when I get my wish.  Parents aren't too leery of giving a kid an iPad/iPod/Smartphone where they might be a little worried about laptops and desktops.  (Dan, have I passed along this Million Dollar Idea?)  The Inbox works pretty well on an iTouch, so it really isn't a screen real estate problem.

So, if you are a SmartMusic teacher, install the SmartMusic Inbox on your other devices too.  It is pretty helpful for those times you aren't at your desk.

Just remember, no SmartMusic Inbox while you are driving.

No comments: