Forum focusing on issues related to audio hardware

The situation is common: You want to use a copyrighted work beyond the limits of fair use or other copyright exception. You tracked down a likely copyright owner and have attempted to seek permission, but the effort simply has produced no conclusion. Worse, perhaps you did receive permission, but with burdensome conditions or a high price. Perhaps you wrote for permission, and the permission was flatly denied. In some situations, you might have little choice but to absorb the bad news and change your plans. Much more complex and frustrating, however, is when you exert an honest effort, but you simply cannot find a copyright owner or your efforts go unanswered. When you cannot identify or locate the current owner, the copyright materials are sometimes called "orphan works." Congress has considered legislation to address the problem of orphan works, but statutory protection is not yet forthcoming. In the meantime, what do you do when you reach that mysterious "dead end" of the quest?

EFF's Teaching Copyright curriculum was created to help teachers present the laws surrounding digital rights in a balanced way. Teaching Copyright provides lessons and ideas for opening your classroom up to discussion, letting your students express their ideas and concerns, and then guiding your students toward an understanding of the boundaries of copyright law.

With Renoise you create loops, beats and melodies efficiently step-by-step. It's a complete, expandable Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) with a refreshing twist. Renoise is affordable, yet no corners have been cut in regard to features. Renoise is based on mod trackers. Mod trackers are characterized by displaying and editing music in an easily understood grid known as a pattern. These patterns are akin to sheet music, but are displayed alphanumerically instead of with musical notation. Whether you're an audio veteran or just starting out, Renoise is a fantastic addition to any bedroom or professional studio. Renoise is multiplatform; runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Register your copy, and you get all 3 versions.

"Instrument A is a composition and performance environment, controllable using only a single-button interface that can be adapted to each user's needs (e.g. adapted mouse, head interface, space bar). After opening the program for the first time, the user can begin a new composition by selecting one of 49 available loops as the basis of his or her composition. This loop can either be heard or silent during the final performance, but it will give each song its bpm and thus cannot be changed afterwards. The user can then add more loops or build new ones using the 105 samples available, through an interface similar to the one developed for Políssonos. After all the loops are laid out, the user can perform the song by triggering and layering different loop combinations and by freely playing the notes within a loop. Each song can be saved for future performances or subsequent compositional work and each performance can be recorded live as an audio file. The sounds for Instument A were selected from samples recorded at Casa da Música, from freesound.org and from Rolf Gehlhaar's personal library "

"An evolution of an old software called «Digital Jam», GameLan is a software made for networked improvisation based on Gamelan music. Upon launching the application, it searches for any users currently improvising and automatically joins them. It can also be used individually, but only if there aren't any other improvisers on the same network! Each user controls the sequencing of several Gamelan instruments and a soloist located in the middle circle. This software can also be used to control the Robotic Gamelan. The above video captures an early stage of development."

Políssonos is a loop-based midi sequencer that elicits the relation between the rhythmical division of time and the shapes of polygons. It was developed for the «Music & Mathematics» month, in October 2007, at Casa da Música. A simple midi sequencer at its core, Políssonos is mainly a proposal for a loop orientated alternative to the traditional "piano roll" interface. Políssonos was awarded with an honorable mention at Lomus 2008 - International Music Software Contest.

information on inquiry-based learning

Information on inquiry-based learning Inquiry-based learning is often described as a philosophical and pedagogical response to the changing needs of the information age, but its roots are much deeper. It assumes that all learning begins with the learner. That is, what people know and what they want to learn are not just constraints on what can be taught; they are the very foundation for learning. Aspects of this idea appear in the earliest writings on education, including Plato/Socrates in the West and Confucius in the East, but is more commonly traced back to Rousseau and Pestalozzi. Its fullest articulation can be found in the writings of John Dewey, whose wisdom derived in large part from his ability to see the unity across the social work of Jane Addams, the schools work of Ella Flagg Young, and the pragmatist philosophy developed by Charles Sanders Peirce and William James.

Project Zero is an educational research group at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. Project Zero's mission is to understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels.

Information on project-based learning

Information on project-based learning

A video on probject-based learning hosted on the Educators PLN (a network for educators)

Edutopia project-based learning info site: "Why Teach with Project-Based Learning? Project-based learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges. With this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying."

The Classroom 2.0 NING Group focusing on Project-based learning.

An edutopia group focused on project-based learning

Suggestions for assessing project-based learning from Edutopia

Create animated videos with go animate.