Day 21 – Xbox Music on the Surface RT
30 Days with a Surface RT for Teachers
Teaching and Learning with a Windows 8 Tablet
I spent most of the day today helping out a local K12 school setup new computers to help get ready for back to school. This post will be short but I wanted to cover another feature of the Surface RT tablet for teachers, music. Music can help lighten the load during this very busy time.
This time of year is absolutely crazy for technology staff as we get ready for the tidal wave of faculty, staff, and students that will soon hit the school doors all at once.
Technology folks work extremely hard and the summertime is no different. Many think the pace is slowed but actually there really is no such thing as a “slow time” anymore in the tech world. Floors are waxed so equipment has to be taken out of rooms and re-installed once the summer cleaning is finished. New systems are installed, software is upgraded, wireless access is being expanded, new users have to be entered, and registration systems updated. So was the case today.
To keep me company I had my Surface RT with me and I decided to listen to the Xbox Music app that comes free on the Surface RT. The Xbox Music app is a first class music service. One of the things I really like is that it lets you create playlists and radio stations of your favorite artists.
Here is a short example of how I used the Xbox Music app today.
I opened Xbox Music and did a search for the artist I wanted to hear. Once I selected my artist, let’s use Adele in the example, I created a Radio station for Adele and artists similar to Adele.
Another great thing about your own Radio station is that you can Fast Forward through a song or skip a song if you do not like it. Like other radio stations, there may sometimes be inappropriate language in some songs so keep that in mind.
Another great thing about your own Radio station is that you can Fast Forward through a song or skip a song if you do not like it. Like other radio stations, there may sometimes be inappropriate language in some songs so keep that in mind.
What I really like about the Xbox Music service is that you will see a slideshow of pictures of the artist scrolling by in the “now playing” window.
You also get an album art experience in that you see a Biography of the artist currently playing and suggestions for other artist that are in a similar style. This is a fantastic way to expand your musical repertoire and I have discovered many artists I never knew about before using this service.
Xbox Music is free on the Surface RT but you will occasionally hear advertisements. If you do not like the advertisements you can pay $9.99 for a music pass that will get rid of the ads and also allow you to download music locally on the Surface RT so you can listen without a WiFi connection.
Another cool feature I really like when I am at home is using the Smart Glass app to “Play To” my Xbox that is connected to my HDTV to watch and listen the slideshow on the big screen.
Xbox Music kept me company today as I installed dozens and dozens of computers and it helped make the day go a little quicker.
Xbox Music Rocks!
Until next time...
Keep on Learning,
Keep on Learning,
Tom Grissom, PhD
Follow me on Twitter @tomgrissom
Interested in Teaching and Learning with Technology?http://www.eiu.edu/itc/
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