In this column, I discuss a soundscape composition activity that I implemented with primary/elementary music classes. During this activity, students used the iPad app, iMovie, to record, organize and edit sound to accompany photos of artworks that they had created. Overall, I found iMovie to be a useful app for music composition with general music…

There are many barriers to collaborative planning between music educators and special education paraprofessionals (SEPs). While allocated collaborative planning time would be best, the reality for many music educators and SEPs is that they are not given this time. I provide three alternatives to collaborative planning that were suggested by music…

iPads are becoming increasingly prevalent in schools and offer significant potential as both a compositional and pedagogical tool in general music classes. In this article, I discuss a composition activity that I implemented with general primary/elementary music classes in Australia. This activity involved using iPads, namely the apps iMovie and…

Computational thinking is an important and necessary way of thinking for computer programmers and other professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Research on emerging practices around computational thinking that is developed through coding initiatives in schools reports that elementary children typically learn how…

The implementation of the National Core Arts Standards has amplified the need for multiple approaches and opportunities for student responses and may compel music educators to use new tools. There are currently over one million available apps, and with the popularity of smart devices, student access to technology is increasing exponentially. Music…

This paper discusses the pedagogical practice of developing reading for pleasure in pre- schools and primary phase settings through the lens of one key dimension of twenty-first-century reading: personalisation. It draws on a series of studies and examples to identify, address and problematise human- and digitally mediated personalised reading for…

This is the fourth and final article in the "PE Metrics" series that focuses on assessing the National Standards for Physical Education (NASPE) for Standard 1. The first article focused on assessment of student learning. The second described formative and summative assessments and provided considerations on how to implement assessment within…

In Broomfield (Colorado) the Mountain View Elementary School's use of an Apple II microcomputer as its library's card catalog saves time and money, reduces recordkeeping burdens, and helps children learn to use computers. (RW)

Because it was financially impossible to put a microcomputer center at each of nine Chapter I-funded elementary schools in the Modesto (California) City Schools, a remodeled school bus was converted into a mobile computing center. Objectives of the "Compubus" program and evaluation of the first year are discussed. (JN)

In addition to turtle graphics, the Logo programing language has list and text processing capabilities that open up opportunities for word games, language programs, word processing, and other applications. Provided are examples of these applications using both Apple and MIT Logo versions. Includes sample interactive programs. (JN)

Describes a computer program to help young children learn about the alphabet and about the location of alphabet keys on computer keyboards. Includes a complete program listing. (Author/JN)

Outlines four dual art and computer-art lessons, presenting lesson objectives, activities, and suggested instructional strategies. The lessons focus on the usefulness of shared images, how moving an object affects its shape, creating the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface, and the relationship of parts to the whole. (JN)

Describes a study in the Hinsdale Elementary School District (Illinois) that was conducted to document current applications of computers in the schools. This report covers the collection of data from students and from teachers and other educators, the development of the questionnaire, selected results, and some implications. (EAO)

Identifies and discusses specific components of Maria Montessori's educational philosophy and considers what computer based instruction (CBE) might imply for each. Experiences in initiating a CBE program in a first-grade Montessori classroom are also provided. (JN)

The implementation of a computer education program in a Hawaiian school is described. The use of the LOGO programing language is central to the program, and teachers' comments on student behaviors and reactions are included. (MNS)