What, Indeed!

a. My TurtleBlocks and Python projects will serve as a marker for when I embraced linear thinking.  No, seriously.  As a random-access thinker for all of my life, the experience of logically, systematically and carefully coding a program was a miraculous and lovely experience.  This is not to say that I'm not an organized or structured person.  Quite the contrary. I'm fanatically organized with logistics and lists and agenda all part of my daily life. But even those tasks are done with what I consider to be a 'reaching out and grasping from the ether' and a 'pulling into my mind' and then 'outward again into external manifestation' sort of experience.  Coding is a different kind of order.  So what did I create?  In TurtleBocks I was able to create my name running both simultaneously and consecutively - so pretty! And in Python/Turtles I was able to create a musical moment that contained a staff, G-clef, notes and rest (see my earlier blogs.)  There was great satisfaction in both of these endeavors.  THEN...I began the journey towards adding sound which was a bit of a grind through Google and YouTube and Python websites which involved adding Anaconda/Spyder to my computer. 

b. What did I learn? (Deep breath) I learned how to view code as a language with its own lexicon, syntax, rules and protocols. By doing so, I could break it down into repeated patterns and see places of familiarity after just a few attempts.  I could work through various issues with trial and error and learn from each version.  The act of 'debugging' was a great exercise in careful review and the importance of detail in getting the program to behave as I would like.  In the end, I did reach out to my professor to guide me through the stages of coding for an audio player and to help me to understand how to create a library for my files.   I had already coded an audio player myself (Playsound) and also worked through the Error Codes in the Console to fix errors and uninstall and reinstall AppKit so that the platform could recognize my audio player but it did not recognize my MP3.  That's ok.  The process was more than worth it. My professor was able to work with me to get an MP3 playing and now I will work on having the music start and stop as a function of coding. (As of this writing, I am continuing to work on matching music to my musical graphic.)

c.   In my particular area of teaching, there are ways in which I can use what I have learned about EdTech.  My first thought was to write an elementary school musical about CT and coding in particular.  Demystifying Computer Science and holding it as a language, a way of expressing concepts or images is particularly interesting to me as a method for reaching young random-access thinkers.  Musical numbers in a show are often a fun vehicle for kids to learn concepts and singing is a powerful method for memorization. Further, I could see interpreting code by way of movement or dance as a way of physicalizing the concepts. There are also specific technologies that lend themselves to theater. iMovie and GarageBand can be brought into the drama experience to allow young students to create their own theater or music.

d.    I'm just now putting my toe into the waters of EarSketch and I'm very curious about new technologies for making music and creating sound.  My years in the recording studio have given me many hours of interface with synthesized instruments and effects, the tuning of music electronically and the layering of tracks to create fully realized musical creations.  There might be opportunities for me to become skilled enough in these to support students in taking tech adventures on these platforms.

To hearken back to my answer to question a. of this week's blog assignment, I can't stress enough the impact of the work with datasets, graphics, turtles and python has had on my thought processes.  It's really as though a little-used muscle has been lifting weights and running the track for the last few weeks.  Feels great!

~ J