So I have these sweet ceiling speakers, now what?

Like you, my music tastes are pretty wide. One minute I'm listening to old punk and the next Taylor Swift. Sometimes these artists are not exactly classroom friendly. This post is dedicated to finding some great music to play over the speakers that won't cause any issue.

Top Picks
Quickly play some mellow tracks on Google Play Music. Make sure you pay attention to how to toggle off the explicit lyrics, very nice. This same idea applies to Pandora but I can't seem to find the setting within Spotify.
Piano Guys - a modern take on many original hits
2cellos - similar to the Piano Guys
Yo Yo Ma - classical instrumental music
The Vitamin String Quartet - new versions of well known songs played on string instruments
George Winston - mellow piano music

Don't forget to check out all the noise generators that are a click away. These range from white/pink noise to background sound that simulates a coffee shop. The idea is to generate just enough noise to help many in your room focus.
One thing that might be missing from our alternative seating classroom - simple noise generator.
Sometimes time off isn't a good thing - create a soundscape that makes your classroom feel like a coffee shop or a college library.

Comments

Like your ELMO but with an iPad (elementary classroom teachers)

I used AirServer to create the infinity mirror effect. We were in a meeting today and Dominic told us about this fantastic idea. As we discussed all things technology he explained one method of using the iPad as a portable ELMO. It was too cool not to share. Step 1 Make sure you have AirServer running on your laptop. 1. Click the Windows key on your keyboard or click the icon in the lower left of your screen. 2. Just start typing AirServer. 3. Click AirServer. Don't see it? Contact technology or your building tech person. Step 2 Connect your teacher iPad to your laptop. 1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Start by swiping in the bezel, the black plastic part surrounding the screen. 2. Click AirPlay Mirroring. 3. Click your name. Step 3 Open the camera app and instant portable ELMO! Anything you see in the camera's len will be broadcast to the big screen. I just used this method to take a picture of my notebook as a demonstration of how co

Who is emailing me? The Blue Man Group??? (Add an image to your Google account.)

WHY It is always nice to put a face with a name. Sometimes we need a tiny little reminder of what someone looks like because we don't see them very often. Follow these steps to add/change the image associated with your Google account. HOW Open your email. Click your image. It might just be a blue circle if you have not added something already. Click Change . Find an image you like. Your amazing new image will appear. From now on everyone can put a name to a face!

Annotate PDF? How might I do that?

So I have a PDF and I need to edit it. Here is one method that works pretty well for me. Open Word. Click File . 1. Click Open . 2. Click Browse . 3. Find the PDF you want to annotate. 4. Click Open . Click OK when you see this box. Bam! Your PDF now opens in Word. Note: you maybe have to click Enable Editing at the top of the screen. Finished editing and want to turn it back into a PDF? Click File . 1. Click Save As . 2. Click This PC . 3. Pick a location. I usually save things to my desktop. 4. Click Save as type - and choose PDF. 5. Click Save .

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