Concert Band Winter Olympics

Our Concert Band Winter Olympics has come to an end.  What are the concert band olympics?  It's been a fun three weeks of instrument section competition.  I broke the instruments into 3 countries - Windia (Woodwinds), Brassghanistan (Brass), and Percussia (Percussion).  The countries would work as a group each class period to earn the gold medal for...

• Good rehearsal etiquette
• Practicing challenging passages when given time before/between pieces
• Ideal posture
• Continued musical improvement from day to day
• High rate of lesson attendance
• Musical excellence
• cleaning up surrounding area after rehearsal (equipment, tuners, stands, chairs, etc.)

Choosing the champion of the Olympic Games came down to the final rehearsal.  Everyone was in a dead tie and the 54 minutes on Friday decided the winners of the gold medal, which I hand made from yellow card stock and an alto saxophone neck strap ha.  It was by far our BEST rehearsal of the year, and possibly the best of my 3 years at Mainland.  All the musical sections that we worked tirelessly came together in "Chorale & Shaker Dance II".  When we released the final notes, we all had chills down our spines and smiles on our faces from what we had just accomplished as a band.  It was our first shared experience of a truly significant musical moment.  It was GREAT!

Needless to say, I think the competition of winning the gold medal was a driving force in every students' focus for the period.  I will be buying lunch for the Windian people, but since I was so impressed with the work from Percussia and Brassghanistan, I made sure I announced that I will be buying them breakfast as a result of their hard work.


Here is the final reveal of the standings from my perspective using Google Glass.  Great job Concert Band!

Privacy Concerns? Let's ask history...

It is very interesting when discussing the idea of privacy & Google Glass.  Adults are more inclined to ask about privacy issues compared to my high school students.  The generation that experienced the birth of the internet (including myself) appreciates privacy and boundaries.  It is natural to feel a sense of unease when one walks into a situation where recording devices are pointing at people.

The younger generation doesn't really know what life is like without cell phones, cameras, GPS devices, or IP address logs.  It's almost 2nd nature for students to share things over snapchat, twitter, facebook or a quick text.  I believe that my job as an educator is to help instill good judgement on what to share and when to share.  Yes, it sometimes may seem like an uphill battle, but it is important that good judgement is made when one click, one picture, one word, or one mistake can live on the internet forever.

A member of the Glass Explorer community recently dug up an article back from 2003 that discusses privacy concerns with the "new and emerging technology found in cell phone cameras".  It's interesting reading the article in retrospect.  Replace the word "cell phone" with "Google Glass" and you will start to see a repeat of the same societal concerns.

Wired.com article found HERE

I think things will eventually play out with society accepting Google Glass or other devices that utilize cameras the same way.  The younger generation will continue to adopt and support this emerging technology while a smaller conservative group of people will always be there sticking up for personal privacy and personal liberties.  I don't think I could place myself in only one category.  Both groups are important to exist if a good mixture of privacy and innovation is to formulate.

Reflection on the 1st Month with Glass

It has been just about a month using Google Glass in the music classroom.  I have had time to "digest" the experience and have come to realize a few things...

• Currently, Glass is situational.  I'm not going to wear it as an essential item all day and every day. What I mean by situational is I feel that wearing Glass has to have a specific purpose when wearing at this point in the game.  Yes, it goes without being said that it is still being developed, but I don't see any use for it in general public like running errands.  It just looks weird and I'm not all about trying to seek attention.  The benefits of the device are far behind any decent smartphone.  If I'm out in the public the last thing I would want to do is voice commands to Glass.  I'd rather use my cell phone to discretely accomplish whatever task I'm doing (editing my grocery list, responding to a text, writing an email, looking up the Eagles game stats, etc.)  There is a barcode scanner app for Glass that allows you to compare prices on Amazon...but my phone does the same thing with a lot more options readily available.  When I'm in the classroom, I'm using Glass mostly to capture pictures and video.  Sometimes I'll use it to display my POV in piano class on the front projector.  If Glass becomes mainstream and cheap, I can see classrooms using it one day to do science labs - not necessarily the student, but more for the teacher to use.  I don't see it as one of those things where the student is issued their pair of Glass and wear it the entire class period every day.  It needs to have a specific function for the given situation. 
• Glass is great for capturing moments.  I've been trying to wear Glass more and more in my classroom to get my students used to seeing it on me without even using it.  I think it's important for them to see the device and feel comfortable with it.  As it becomes apart of the everyday norm, I plan on recording images/video more and eventually plan on allowing responsible students to use it under supervision.  From the limited times using it, I've been able to get some really great perspectives.  It's so handy to take a picture of the board's notes, a clarinetist's posture, or students enjoying a garageband project.
• Glass is comfortable to wear.  I had my doubts about wearing Glass more than an hour without it hurting my nose or the sides of my head, but I've been pleasantly surprised that is not the case.  I have worn it for long periods of time (4+ hours) without any pain.  It is also important to note that it has not strained my eyes.  There are reports of other Explorers' eyes hurting after using the device for a short period of time.  I luckily have not found the same to be true for myself.
• Privacy should not be an issue with Glass.  When tiny cell phone cameras appeared on the market, people did not feel easy knowing someone could take a picture so easily.  Nowadays, society couldn't imagine life without the convenience of cameras embedded in our most loved tech devices.  With Glass, you cannot take an image/video of someone without them really knowing.  There are countless videos out there of Explorers explaining this in detail.  In short, we have access to incredibly cheap means of taking images/video but those items are not being talked about - think surveillance cameras found in pens, neck ties, shirt buttons, etc. The Explorer program seems to be very important for two reasons:  1) Explorers are testing the hardware and making apps  2.) Explorers are "in the trenches" on a Public Relations mission to get society used to this unique piece of technology.  It's my job as an Explorer to educate people about Glass to turn fear of the unknown into excitement for this newly discovered tech gadget.  From what I gather, society is not ready yet for a full blown open sale of Glass.  It's hard enough explaining to people that you are not spying on them.  
• Driving with Glass is safe.  There have been stories in the news of states banning Glass when driving.  The woman in California who was issued a ticket for driving with Glass just recently had the ticket tossed out of court.  Delaware and West Virginia already have banned Glass while driving.  When politicians introduce legislation banning a device that they know nothing about irks me.  It is much safer using the GPS directions in Glass rather than a GPS on your phone resting on your lap or even a GPS fitted in the center dash display.  "But you could get distracted by text messages and emails."  Sure, you can get distracted by text messages on your phone.  Why isn't the act of simply having a cell phone in a car banned if you aren't using it?  The same could be said for Glass.  If you use it responsibly, what's the harm?  You'd have to start legislating almost everything that could be used irresponsibly.  That just doesn't make much sense.  Driving with Glass can be incredibly safe if used responsibly.  
• As Explorers use Glass each day, more tough questions arise.  Just a few weeks ago, Rochester Optical announced they are selling prescription lenses for Google Glass.  This allows people with the need for corrective lenses to use Glass if they did not already use contact lenses.  But this now makes a bunch of new questions.  As stated above, legislation has been introduced to ban Glass use while driving...but what if these are your "primary" corrective lenses?  When going to the bathroom, it's been common practice to place Glass on your head like people do with sunglasses when going indoors.  But what if these are your "primary" corrective lenses?  What if a teacher makes a rule that Glass should not be used in the classroom because it is too difficult to monitor student use, but then the child says these are his only pair of glasses he/she has in school?  Prescription lenses with Glass create a whole nother set of questions.  What I predict/see is Glass will become a removable device that you can have the option of placing on other "normal" frames.  This article shows a few alterations people have made.  The most reasonable includes magnets on Glass' body that attach to magnets on the normal eyeglass frame.  But that makes you think...in 10 years time, will we be wearing smart contact lenses instead of Google Glass?
  
   

Tinkering Over Winter Break

Over the extended winter break, I found myself tinkering more and more with the developer options of Glass.  People have been posting on Google+ apps that they are currently working on and want feedback.  Some are useless (yes, "duck hunt" is out for Glass ha) and some are extremely promising.   I did some research and started to use "terminal" to use some commands to sideload apps.  Sideloading refers to the process of manually adding apps to a device that have not been officially approved by Google.  This coding has been a totally new experience for me.  Reading blogs, tutorials, and watching YouTube videos has helped me understand the "guts" of Google Glass and how everything works.  

my desktop workspace on our first snow day of the year

I have been following a few developers on Google+ and am excited for things to come.  +Tejas Lagvankar is making some strides in developing an app to display guitar chords.  Take a look at his demo:




I am also excited to have discovered a way to screencast the Glass display to my computer screen.  Showing what I am seeing in live time has been on the top of my mind since getting Glass.  It'll help me display concepts to my music students.  After lots of research and trial & error, I reached out to the Explorer community and was recommended "BBQScreen".  This has the least amount of lag by far.  I am fortunate enough to have access to a projector in every classroom I teach in.  The band room has a very large projection screen that was installed this past year - I can't wait to project on to it.  The only downside at the moment is, Glass needs to be plugged into the computer through a USB cable.  I can still stand on the podium or sit down at a piano and have my computer well within the reach of my USB cable.  Being confined to the reach of the USB cable is the tradeoff of having low lag.

 It is important to note that Google Glass is STILL in development.  People might state, "my phone can do the same thing" or "that's expensive and unnecessary".  Things have time to grow.  All of the apps right now are in their infancy and will develop into much more than the initial release.  As a Glass Explorer, I am trying to improve the Glass experience through feedback and community contributions.  We are testing what is possible with the product and how Glass can enhance our everyday living.

Drum Kit Grooves

Jimmy was kind enough to take some time after school to help record the set player's perspective.

Glass visits Dance Class 12/18/13

I took Google Glass down to Clare Eger's dance class to test video capturing from a dancer's perspective.  Thanks Mod 2!

Mod 2 Dance Class

2013 Winter Concert - "Jingle Bells Forever"

Here is a clip of me introducing the audience to the Google Glass Project and giving them a small taste of what it feels like to conduct combined concert bands (December 11th, 2013)