Dancers Using Technology

Interviewing and Archiving Project: Part Two

As I wrote about in the spring, I interviewed two of my beloved dance professors from the modern dance department at the University of Utah as they were transitioning into retirement, Abby Fiat and Donna Fiat. I have several hours audiorecorded through Voice Memo on my iPhone and iPad.

Months have passed, and now is the right time to listen, transcribe, edit with Abby and Donna, and then share with you (the interviews). 

Today I listened to 30 minutes of the first interview with Abby. My post today is to highlight the power and importance of audiofiles of dancers. Yes, maybe this is an odd sounding comment about a performing art. I too believe in archives of photos and videos, absolutely! But the simple power of hearing a person's voice, inflections, and passion is priceless. If you are a lover of public radio, you know what I mean.

So, today, I encourage you to interview a student, a mentor, a colleague. Save it for another day. Listening to Abby today transported me months back to our interview, and also transported me back years and years to the time when I studied with her. I am still learning from her and get inspired from her words.

I think that audio interviews and podcasts can be explored more widely within the field of dance. The quality of a voice memo even on your phone is of good quality. Try it out!

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Making Random Groups in K-12 Dance Classes - Team Shake App

For dance teaching artists who do a lot of random groupings in classes, consider the .99 app Team Shake. After initially inputting student names, you can then easily make random groupings in a matter of seconds on your iPad.

 

Wendy Whelan Uses Technology

If you haven't already read this short Wall Street Journal piece this week, check it out. It highlights ballet icon and New York City Ballet principal Wendy Whelan. The article is about the various tech tools she uses in her personal life and for dance-related ideas. 

click here

More about iPads

I was thinking this weekend about the use of my iPad within my teaching work. (I teach dance full-time at a middle school in San Francisco.)

It was quite useful this past school year to videotape phrases and dances during classes, and that the students could easily access and view these videos at a later time. With the iPad, and the nice, "large screen," a small group of students can sit and watch a rehearsal video as they are remembering something from the other week. With my tech savvy students, they can easily just get on the iPad and find the video to work with, while I am busy moving around the room working with other small groups and their choreographic projects. 

The only issue with videotaping on the iPad is if you also regularly play your music via the iPad. Think ahead, and maybe have your music on another device (laptop, iPhone, etc) so that you can unplug the iPad and videotape away from your sound system.

 

Using iTunes U for College Dance Courses

Last week, I put out a simple 5 question survey to college dance professors around the United States to start a national conversation about iTunes U Courses. Seventy professors responded to the survey, and the results are shared here.

Survey Results

-12% of survey respondents currently use iTunes U for one or more courses. (If you search iTunes U you might not find many courses due to some having "private access" settings.)

-55% of survey respondents are completely unfamiliar with iTunes U 

-As for courses in which professors would potentially use iTunes U, the subjects include: choreography/composition, improvisation, dance history, freshman seminar, senior seminar, teaching methods, lighting design, costume design, and more.

-Survey respondents would like to see a sample course on iTunes U. Respondents also expressed various concerns, which are describe below.

Through iTunes itself on a computer or tablet, you can access iTunes U. Now, thousands of college courses are able to be viewed via the internet. You can watch lectures or see class notes, syllabi, video links, and more. Itunes U has opened up "education" to many more participants and also has provided access for more students and educators to share with each other. 

The whole subject brings up a lot of questions and concerns for college dance professors. Let's tackle some here.

1. ONLINE LEARNING. The topic of "online learning" for college dance courses is now an interesting topic for a subject about the body in real time. My point of writing about iTunes U is not really to focus on online learning, but more about using the iTunes U platform within college courses in year 2013. If you are interested in the subject of online dance courses, I suggest that you look at the courses the National Dance Education Organization is now offering. Click here.

2. OUTSOURCING THE JOB OF TEACHING. One professor who completed the survey expressed concern about "outsourcing" teaching jobs by using online courses. In our field, we have so few current books and textbooks for dance educators to use in courses, and the information displayed on iTunes U can fill some of this need. I am proposing that more content get placed on iTunes U that will be used around the country in actual college courses on college campuses. As another respondent also noted, the issues of accreditation and oversight of the iTunes U "dance content" is a whole issue itself now as well.

3. PROPRIETARY FEELINGS ABOUT OUR COURSES. This is definitely a big concern. If you make your iTunes U course public, you are sharing your syllabus, grading system, videos and articles from your class, etc. Are you willing to put this information out there for free? All iTunes U courses are free.

4. MAKING OUR COURSES AND CONTENT EASIER TO ACCESS FOR STUDENTS. Here is my main point to consider. The iTunes U platform can make your college course paperless. If you set up a course, you can have your syllabus, class notes, videos, and articles all right there in one contained place. Your students can access this information from their own computer or tablet. You no longer have to get a "reader" printed for your course. It is also very fluid --- you can add, delete, or edit content at any time.

5. A PUBLIC OR A PRIVATE SETTING FOR YOUR COURSE. You can make an iTunes U course for one of your classes, and set it up that only students in the course see the material. You do not need to make it public to the world (similar to when you set up a Google Doc and select who you share it with).

6. ARCHIVING YOUR WORK FOR FUTURE YEARS. Using iTunes U is a perfect way to house the information for your courses, and you can use the same material year after year. You also always have editing abilities. Maybe next year in your dance education course you change the articles the students read, for example. Edits are easy. Using iTunes U could streamline your "prep" from year to year. 

Find out more about iTunes U in this February 2013 article. Click here. 

For interested college professors, I suggest:

1. Browse iTunes U for 10 minutes. To get to iTunes U:

-Open iTunes Store

-Click on the iTunes U tab at the top, with the other options such as Music, Movies, and Books

-Start by clicking and browsing on some of the featured courses.

-Search under "dance" and see what is there. (You will find that there is little posted.)

2. Dedicate time this summer to build out your course. If you are motivated to make this happen, this summer is an ideal time. This might mean scanning some of the articles, hyperlinking some of the videos, etc. You could even bring together a small group of motivated colleagues from your college or from the community to work together in the same space for a few sessions to learn together.

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My personal goal is to build out two public iTunes U courses. The first one would be for "teaching artists" in general, a Becoming a Teaching Artist online resource for new teachers around the United States. The other idea I am pursuing is building an iTunes U course of improvisation activities you can explore with middle school, high school, and college age students. 

If you have a course that you would be willing to give limited access to, for interested colleagues, please write in at [email protected]. Thank you!

Let's keep this conversation going.

The Most Portable Dancer

I have been thinking today about how a dancer can be - techwise - the most streamlined. We can easily have our "stuff" everywhere.

Consider your music. I myself have music in iTunes on my home laptop. I have music in iTunes on my work laptop, and I have music on my phone. I frequently use music from all 3 sources to teach classes. This method, clearly, is not the most efficient.

So, as I think about a tech savvy dancer in 2013 who needs music, information, etc. to teach, market her work, and get work done at home, at the office, and on the road, let's consider streamlining. Can all of this information be "housed" on your laptop or iPad? Can all of it be housed on a website so that you can access it from anywhere if need be?

• Google Drive, Mail, and Calendar. Clicking on google.com can be an easy step to access many pieces of information. Check your email anytime, anywhere. Use Google Drive as your online backup system, housing your most recent resume/CV, lesson plans, production budgets, and much more. Keep your schedule via the Google Calendar. 
• Your own website. Whether you are a freelance artist or a person with a company, your own website can house all of the key information - your resume, photos, video clips, and an online press kit. 
• iTunes/iCloud. Sign up for iCloud to be able to access your iTunes anywhere, but also to back up your purchases in case your phone, computer, or tablet gets stolen.

As a dance teacher, could it really be this streamlined? What might this look like? Let's say you own an iPad:

• You keep your class notes as a Google Doc (or Note)
• Your music is in iTunes on a playlist, and you simply plug in the device

iPads

How lucky are we to have so many tech options to play music, videotape, and surf the web. Today we will look at iPads, specifically. The iPad offers many "apps" not available on phones or laptops, as well as a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing tech tool.

From San Francisco Bay Area dancer and teaching artist Katie Kruger:

My iPad has been a supportive tool for my teaching in many ways.  I use it to find new music, through Pandora, iTunes, KALX playlist, and Youtube. I keep a running list of music that catches my attention on the notepad; this has been helpful when I need to refresh my music and need a starting point for searching.  I use it to inspire movement for class by watching clips of modern dance pioneers or visiting companies and bookmark any clips that stand out.  The video comes in handy when rehearsing; it is easy to take a quick, short video and archive it for reference.  The camera has been useful for taking pictures of students for marketing purposes or just for fun.  I receive emails from my students on it.  This is great if they are unable to make it to class, and they know to communicate with me even if it is last minute.  I write and store documents on it that are used in class, such as a class syllabus.  And mostly I use it as an iPod, to download music, and create playlists.  It is light and easy to use, yet big enough that the whole class can view a video on it.  

iPad as a Portable, Visual Device to Support Classes

Google Images is a great, quick way to find images to support an idea in your class. Now, with an iPad, you can so easily have images at your fingertips. For example, search under "Alvin Ailey" on Google to find an image you can show your students in class. 

NPR Music App

This free app is worth noting on its own. For dancers, music is so key. The NPR Music app on iPads provides visuals, text, and many streaming options. I view it as one of the top "browsing" options for artists and educators.

Whiteboard App

For dancers who teach creative dance and modern dance classes for students in grades 2-6, many of us explore pathways with them in class. Creating a "dance map" with them is a favorite. Use the Whiteboard app as a portable "chalkboard" to sketch out different paths for students to explore in the studio. 

Rehearsal Videos at Your Fingertips

The iPad is great to use to document rehearsals, and then to easily access these video clips at a future time during a rehearsal. You can even buy specially designed tripods and wide angle lenses to work with a tablet.

From Ballet Teacher Coco Liboiron: Coach's Eye App

Coco recently shared with me how she uses the app Coach's Eye. She videotapes students or rehearsals, and can slow down the movement. She can also write on the screen with lines and squiggles, to reference alignment issues, an area of focus, etc. She can then send the video with its marks on it to her dancers. The app is only $4.99. Coco did also invest in an iPad tripod and wide angle lens to best use this app on a regular basis.

Photograph Your Lessons or Notes

We all document our lesson plans in various ways. I teach dance at a middle school, where I write out the outline of my lesson on the whiteboard each day. These days, I frequently take a photo of my lesson on the board to document it and remember it for another day. 

Dance Magazine for iPads

The Dance Magazine App itself is free, but you must purchase a subscription or single issues. The back issues in particular, if you can wait for them, are cheap at 99 cents.

Nike Training App

For dancers who crosstrain and are looking for resourceful ways to exercise and save money, consider downloading this free app. There are lots of workout options (30 minutes or 45 minutes) to build up a sweat, strength train at home, etc. The workouts include clear instructions with videos showing each exercise and a clear timer. You can play music from your iTunes library along with the workouts.

Anatomy Apps

Many anatomy apps can be useful to have on hand for your dance classes, whether you teach teens or college students. Most of these apps do cost money. I find that the DK HumanBody App is easy to use with teens. 

Are Any Dance Books Available as Ebooks? 

I spent some time looking up the key words dance, modern dance, ballet, and arts education. To my surprise, there are a few dance books now in ebook format, including:

 

Apollo’s Angels - Jennifer Homans ($17.99)

Technical Manual and Dictionary of Ballet - Gail Grant ($7.99)

100 Lessons in Classical Ballet ($19.99)

Tersichore in Sneakers - Sally Banes ($19.99)+ 3 other books by Banes

Meet the Dancers – a book geared towards teens ($9.99)

Bea at Ballet - Rachel Isadora ($10.99); this is a great book for preschoolers

Ballet for Martha - the children's story of the making of Appalachian Spring ($9.99)

More Apps about Dance?

I made a list of about 25 major dance companies, arts organizations, and theaters, and searched through the Apps Store. To my surprise, I really only found TWO: Lincoln Center and ABT. There seems to be a lot of potential for dancers and dance organizations to create apps, as long as the price of creating one keeps going down. We will see in the future. I would love to see an app that is a "Dance Hub" to go to, to find the latest information from Dance/USA, the Joyce Theater, Jacob's Pillow, Arts Education Partnership, NDEO, and more.