Computers in Music Education addresses the question of how computer technologies might best assist music education. For current and preservice music teachers and designed as a development tool, reference resource, and basic teaching text, it addresses pedagogical issues and the use of computers to aid production and presentation of students’ musical works. Written by a music educator and digital media specialist, it cuts through the jargon to present a concise, easy-to-digest overview of the field, covering: notation software MIDI sound creation downloading music posting personal MP3s for mass distribution. While there are many more technical books, few offer a comprehensive, understandable overview of the field. Computers in Music Education is an important text for the growing number of courses in this area.

Understanding Primary Education will help trainees and newly qualified teachers reflect on the professional decisions they need to make within their planning and classroom practice. The authors analyse key issues and policies within contemporary education through reference to research and pedagogical practice. They encourage readers to reflect on policy and practice and support them in articulating their own beliefs and values. A broad perspective of the curriculum is outlined with a focus on what curriculum breadth and balance looks like in practice. Readers are encouraged to consider questions such as: What are the purposes of education? What values are important in a pluralist society and what values might we share? In what ways can children be encouraged to be active participants within their communities?

Providing practical guidance on enhancing learning through ICT in English, this book is made up of a series of projects that supplement, augment and extend the QCA ICT scheme and provide much-needed links with Units in other subjects’ schemes of work. It includes: fact cards that support each project and clearly outline its benefits in relation to teaching and learning examples of how activities work in 'real' classrooms links to research, inspection evidence and background reading to support each project adaptable planning examples and practical ideas provided on accompanying downloadable resources. This book is highly recommended for all trainee and practising primary teachers.

This book fills a gap in the literature of 21st century international visual arts education by providing a structured approach to understanding the benefits of Philosophical Realism in art education, an approach that has received little international attention until now. The framework as presented provides a powerful interface between research and practical reconceptualisations of critical issues and practice in the domains of art, design, and education that involve implications for curriculum in visual arts, teaching and learning, cognitive development, and creativity. The book extends understanding of Philosophical Realism in its practical application to teaching practice in visual arts in the way it relates to the fields of art, design, and education. Researchers, teacher educators and specialist art teachers are informed about how Philosophical Realism provides insights into art, design, and education. These insights vary from clearer knowledge about art to the examination of beliefs and assumptions about the art object. Readers learn how cognitive reflection, and social and practical reasoning in the classroom help cultivate students’ artistic performances, and understand how constraints function in students’ reasoning at different ages/stages of education.

Unofficial Minecraft Lab for Kids is a collection of creative, collaborative projects that connect in-game challenges with hands-on activities that are both fun and educational. An Amazon Best Kids’ Books of 2016 pick! Minecraft offers players an environment focused on exploration, imagination, and creation, but its nonlinear game structure can mean spending a lot of time in the game. With these labs, you can balance your child's screen time with real-life learning and interaction. You will start the book by brushing up on some common Minecraft language and examining each of the four game modes: survival, creative, adventure, and spectator. Then, you’ll use this knowledge to venture off onto the six different quests that encourage child and adult participation. For each Lab, complete the hands-on activity in art, craft, or design, then build a related in-game project. Have fun with these creative projects and more: Make a Chinese finger trap from construction paper, followed by a zombie trap in Minecraft. Build a castle from sugar cubes, then learn to build one in Minecraft. Create shadow puppets to perform a scene from your favorite story, then animate the scene using Minecraft. Make a bow and arrow from popsicle sticks, dental floss, and a cotton swab, then do some archery practice in Minecraft. Sticker badges at the back of the book reward your child as they complete each quest. You'll even learn how to screencast and narrate your own videos to share with family and friends. Unofficial Minecraft Lab for Kids provides fun, educational gaming goals that you and your child can reach together! The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of topics, including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even how to create your own circus—all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab contains a complete materials list, clear step-by-step photographs of the process, as well as finished samples. The labs can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with Lab for Kids.