Syncing Peloton Bike Workouts to the Apple Watch Activity Rings

My wife and I started using the 12 dollar a month Peloton service, without the bike, early this year. It is full of engaging, thorough, and motivating classes that span everything from yoga to strength training. I recommend it. Even if you don't have an interest in the bike, it is still a viable service for staying physically active at home. That said, we did become interested in the bike through this service and have been owners since around February.

Go to the Apple Health settings of the Peloton app to begin setup.

After my bike workout, I go to this screen of the Peloton app to review my workout.

One of my favorite features of the bike is that it syncs my activity to Apple's health ecosystem, where I also track sleep, water, and numerous other fitness metrics.

The newer and fancier Peloton bike uses Apple’s GymKit technology to sync metrics only the bike knows (like distance) with metrics only the Apple Watch knows (like heart rate) and then immediately track it as an Apple Watch workout. 

I admit I am slightly jealous I don’t have this version but you can get the same results if you have a third-party heart rate monitor. All I do is wear this third party heart rate monitor on my arm when I do a bike ride, and then open up the Peloton app on my phone when I am done. The Peloton app syncs my ride metrics to the Apple Health app, which then syncs the fitness data to the Fitness app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, ensuring that I fill my rings. 

Post workout, I review my workout in the Peloton app and then open Apple Health to see the data tracked in that workout alongside other thigns I am tracking like diet, water, meditation minutes, and blood oxygen.

Next, I open the Apple Fitness app. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for the rings to show up here, and then later on the watch, but they always do.

The best part is that I can charge my watch while I ride, which means I can wear it to track sleep throughout the night using AutoSleep.

Peloton also has an Apple TV and Amazon Fire Stick app now. Great for doing yoga in the living room. I track these workouts normally on my Apple Watch by running the appropriate workout type before I start.

Stay healthy out there.

Flat for Education (Sponsor)

I am thrilled that Flat for Education is sponsoring Music Ed Tech Talk this month. Their product is a breath of fresh air in a landscape of frustrating education software. More on that in a moment, but first, their own words:

Flat for Education offers music educators and their students the most affordable cloud-based music notation software on the market. Empowering teachers to create playful and engaging music activities, creations, assessments on any device at any time.

The platform integrates with every well-known learning management system available: Google Classroom, Microsoft 365, Canvas, Schoology, and MusicFirst to name a few. Everything will be synchronized with your existing setup to avoid any time loss.

Flat for Education offers an advanced system of assignments allowing you to create playful and stunning music activities with your students.

Create a template for all your students to start working from, or simplify the toolbar to have them only working with eighth and quarter notes. The only limit is your imagination.

Save a lot of time by generating worksheets and quizzes in just a few clicks for your students to practice music theory.

Finally, band directors and choirs conductors can have their students directly recording their performance from home for review.

Whether you are teaching remotely or in-person, Flat for Education will support you in creating playful and engaging music activities in no time. Try it free for 90 days on flat.io/edu.

Since my school district moved to online teaching in March, I have had the opportunity to test a greater variety of web-based music teaching software. Much of this I have been able to use practically, with kids using the tools on the other end, and in combination with our district's learning management software.

The user interface of Flat for Education is really simple and clean. It is immediately easy for a teacher or student to find the features they are looking for and every click feels responsive and fast!

I will put this simply: a lot of education technology is buggy, unintuitive, and difficult to decipher. Music technology is no exception. One thing I really appreciate about Flat for Education is the design. It is simple, beautiful, and straightforward. 

I am not just referring to the graphical design of Flat for Education. I am referring to the experience of using it. The onboarding could not be more straightforward or direct. Menus in the score editor are simply laid out, buttons respond quickly, note heads drag smoothly, and nothing takes too many clicks to accomplish. I did a lot of testing before writing this post and found that every feature I tried was easy and reliable. Even something niche like batch uploading numerous XML files from Dorico into my Flat for Education library was quick and rock-solid.

Another example of how clean and easy to understand the Flat for Education experience is. Batch uploading numerous files I created in Dorico into my Flat Score Library happened in a flash before my eyes!

As frustrating as education tech often is for the teacher, we know that it is infinitely harder for our students. If you are teaching in person, online, or hybrid, technology can engage and empower students or frustrate them so much they want to give up. But when the technology is as easy as Flat for Education, the software gets out of the way, and the learning content comes to the center.

I think it is important also to highlight that these scores are collaborative and cross-platform. You might be thinking this is obvious considering it runs in a web browser, but I point it out here because so much of the growth in web-first teaching tools is happening at the expense of our students who are depending on mobile devices like cell phones and tablets. Flat is built not only to run on any browser, but any computing platform. Students can easily work on the same documents together if they are running Chrome on a Chromebook, iOS, or whatever platform is available to them. And it’s easy too!

It is so impressive to me that Flat for Education has prioritized the user experience to this level of detail on top of building an excellent score editor and learning environment. Be sure to check out the 90-day free trial if you are looking for a teaching platform built on top of a great score editor, or simply for a tool that empowers your students to interact with musical notation in a freeing way. Again, my thanks to Flat for Education for sponsoring this month of Music Ed Tech Talk.

How Is Apple’s Keynote Stacking Up in the Age of Online Learning?

In the age of online learning, the teaching world is embracing Google Docs even more than ever. Google Slides are all the rage, especially in combination with the great ecosystem of Chrome Extensions like Flat for Docs and Peardeck.

I love the extensibility of web-based software, but I feel more at home using native apps like Microsoft Office and Apple's iWork. These apps feel like they belong on the operating system, they function reliably offline, have great keyboard shortcuts, more professional features, and great designs. 

I am spending less time creating documents for my classes this year as things have moved to online Canvas content, Noteflight scores, and Soundtrap templates. There is a lesser need for my usual rosters, seating charts, posters, and other data that I create in native software. Presenting information online is still as relevant as ever though, and for that, I am finding that Apple's Keynote is still the tool for the job. 

No, I can't add a Peardeck to my Keynote presentations, but I can access them from a web browser and share them with my colleagues, where we can both be editing the same presentation at the same time, just like a Google Slides presentation.

I am using Google Slides for some things (notably, the extensions above), but Keynote is still my go-to app. It gives me more speed, more control, better templates, and fine integration across Apple’s ecosystem. If I edit a slide on my Mac, for example, that presentation even becomes quickly launchable from the Files widget on my iPadOS home screen for further editing.

Widgets on the left side of my iPad homescreen allow me to see recent data across all my apps including timers, calendars, tasks, recent notes, and recently opened documents across all my devices! It’s fair for me to mention that while this works more reliably with documents stored in iCloud, I have been noticing my Google Docs starting to show up in this Files widget. Horray!

Keynote recently received two updates that make it even better for teaching online. 

Running a Presentation in a Two Monitor Setup Without Overtaking Both Screens

I run two monitors for my online classes. The one on the left is used in combination with Open Broadcasting Software to quickly share my screen without fiddling with options inside of Google Meet or Zoom. Until recently, running a Keynote presentation would overtake both monitors, rendering it useless for my secondary screen, where I watch over the Google Meet, and interact with other software. 

Now through using an option in the Menubar called Play Slideshow in Window, Keynote can run in a standalone window, which can be put into full-screen mode and only take up one monitor. You can also right-click the Toolbar and permanently add an option to present this way. See these options in the gifs below.

Now, I can run this on the monitor I share with students and have them enter my class to a rotation of slides, while I do unrelated tasks on my other display.

via GIPHY

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Embed YouTube Videos Into Slides

One of the last standing reasons I loved using Google Slides was because you could embed videos from websites like YouTube and Vimeo right into the slides and have them play with an internet connection. If you show a lot of YouTube to your class, this is way faster than downloading YouTube videos to your hard drive and then embedding those into Keynote or Powerpoint (although, the Downie app makes this process very easy).

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Now that Keynote can embed YouTube videos right into a slide, I can save a lot of time, and space! I have the entire Breathing Gym video series in one of my slide shows, and the storage really adds up!

I play a “Friday Video Feature” for my students every Friday, usually pertaining to some kind of educational goal, but sometimes just a short, fun, video. I used to save these on my hard drive, and at one point, I archived them in Evernote, but now I think I am just going to leave a year’s worth of my favorites embedded YouTube videos right into the same presentation I run for the class each day so that I can pull them up on command.

Overall I am pleased with the results I get in Keynote, particularly how good the final presentations look. Some of these recent updates, particularly the YouTube support, seem related to Apple’s understanding that their education users are probably depending on the web more. If that’s the case, I am curious to see what else they have in the pipeline for iWork.

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Quick Thoughts from Today's Apple Event

Apple had an iPhone event today. Here are some quick thoughts...

• While I would love to get the new iPhone mini, the software features, camera upgrades, and battery life in the 12 Pro Max are too tempting.
• Love the new flat edge sides inspired by the iPad Pro and the blue color.
• Mag Safe! I love that Apple is re-using this name and I am kind of excited that they are making a leather wallet attachment for the back of an iPhone. It looks like the exact amount of minimal I have been looking for in a new wallet, plus magnets!
• HomePod Mini. As a home automation nerd, this was my favorite announcement. The price ($99 is aggressively cheap for Apple) and features finally have convinced me that it is worth owning more than one HomePod.
• HomePod software. Features like intercom, CarPlay integration, and more are going to be huge winners in our household. My wife and I have tried to use the walkie-talkie feature on our Apple Watches with little success but this looks to solve the problem of communicating around the house in a nice way.

At some point, I will have to reconcile my HomePod excitement with the fact that we still have a bunch of Sonos speakers in the house. I prefer the Sonos system for a number of reasons and would think of any possible HomePod mini purchases as "Siri" purchases more than I would smart home speaker purchases. I hope to write more about smart home audio soon.

You can watch the Apple Event here.

Learn OmniFocus: Workflows with Robby Burns - Watch the Free Video Now

Last weekend, I had the awesome pleasure of being a workflow guest on Learn OmniFocus, a website dedicated to teaching and training on the task management app OmniFocus, complementary apps, and the productive way of life.

The video, along with resources mentioned in my appearance can be viewed here. I recommend watching it here because there are chapters you can use to skip around to the various sections of the video by topic. 

Alternatively you can watch the video on Facebook or on YouTube.

Topic include

• the definition of multitasking

• my love of quick entry and using a task inbox

• how single item action lists are useful in the middle school band teaching environment

• how to stay on top of more tasks than are actually possible to do in the day through use of tags and perspectives that filter out information only relevant to a particular context

• Using the Drafts app for quickly capturing my thoughts, processing my tasks, and acting upon them in powerful ways

• using project templates for larger projects like field trips and musical performances so that tasks don't slip through the cracks

• using Siri Shortcuts to turn data into variables and make a blog post, shared document, and OmniFocus project for creating an episode of the Music Ed Tech Talk podcast

• Using DEVONthink to connect documents to projects and tasks in OmniFocus and keep things I want to "check out later" off of my todo list

• putting widgets with charts that show a view of my day in OmniFocus on the Home Screen of my iPhone

My thanks to Tim Stringer for his invitation and for his inspiring work with Learn OmniFocus and for inviting me to join!

Learn OmniFocus is a great website, resource, and community dedicated to empowering people to be more mindful and productive. The app OmniFocus is at the center of it but there is so much more to it than that, including productivity basics, apps, and services that compliment one another. Be sure to check it out here and become a member here. There are educator discounts!

🔗 New Features Coming to Noteflight Learn's SoundCheck Integration

My school district purchased us some music tech services for use in our online classes this fall. I have been meaning to write at more length about Noteflight Learn and Soundtrap, but I am still getting my heels into the ground with them. Both services take time to learn how they are effective in practice, not to mention there are a lot of quirks with how they integrate with our learning management software, Canvas.

I did want to highlight some upcoming features to Noteflight Learn, specifically regarding their new SoundCheck integration which launched this past summer. My district purchased the SoundCheck integration which means that I can give Noteflight scores as assessments where my band students play the notes into the computer and get a score. Some of these forthcoming features are going to save me a lot of headaches and I am glad to see them coming.

Check out the full list in the blog post below from John Mlynczak. I have quoted some of my favorites.

SoundCheck Check One Two:

New Features Coming Soon

We are working on several new features to be made available ASAP. In the coming weeks, here is what you will see:

- The SoundCheck assessment rating will be automatically added to grade book of your own LMS, including Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Powerschool, Brightspace, Blackboard, Moodle, and more.

- Students just need to complete their assignment and use the same “Turn In” button already available in Noteflight Learn.

- All Content Library scores will include a SoundCheck version that can be used right away. You can always edit a Content Library score and create your own SoundCheck version as well.

And the cherry on top for this iPad-loving, late-night, couch worker:

- iOS functionality. SoundCheck currently does not work in the browser on iOS.

Weekly Recap: Learn OmniFocus, Teaching for MSDE, and New Online Store

The past eight or so days have been very exciting and busy for me. I have been engaged with a number of online learning opportunities and resources. Here is a recap:

Scale Exercise Play-Along Tracks

Last week, I launched my store on this website. I am selling my first ever resource for teachers: Scale Exercise Play-Along Tracks with Trap Beats underneath them. You can buy just the audio play-alongs, or the Logic and GarageBand projects I produced them in to edit them in any way you like.

You can find my store here, a blog post about them here, and watch the promo below.

Learn OmniFocus Workflow Guest

On Saturday, I was a Workflow Guest for LearnOmniFocus, a fantastic website and community where you can learn not only about the task manager application OmniFocus, but about other great productivity apps and the very nature of being a mindful and productive worker.

You can read about the appearance here and join the community here. There are educator discounts. The video of my session will be made available publicly and for free very soon. 

Links to two of my more recent blog posts about OmniFocus can be found below:

- Never Miss a Task, with OmniFocus Project Templates

- Staying on Top of Teaching Responsibilities With Omnifocus Perspectives

Creating and Using Virtual Performances in Your Music Instruction

I am teaching this online class for the Maryland State Department of Education with my awesome friend and colleague, Peter Perry. Peter's book, Technology Tips for Ensemble Teachers is third in the same series as my own, and is worth checking out.

You can learn more about the class here.

It has been a busy week or two but I am excited at these opportunities to share my love of technology with these different communities.

More Jamboard in the Music Classroom (Testing The New Integration with Google Meet)

Google Meet rolling out Jamboard integration for collaborative whiteboarding | 9to5Google:

Last week, Google’s video conferencing tool launched a 49-person grid and background blur. Google Meet is now integrating with Jamboard to add a digital whiteboard for visual and collaborative brainstorming.

Google Jamboard, which I have blogged about here, is indeed a fun tool and all of my students find it engaging. 

This new Google Meet integration is awesome. Once you start up a digital whiteboard from within a Meet, Jamboard asks you if you want to create a new one or use an existing file in your Google Drive. If you opt to create a new one, it automatically saves it to your drive and names it using the date and meet code of your session.

Immediately, a dialogue with share permissions for the file pops up, pre-filled with the accounts of all students who are present in the Meet so that you can make sure they all have access in one click.

The integration is very smooth. I tested it today at the beginning of my classes so that they could give feedback to one another on a recent Soundtrap project I had them do.

The students recorded brass duets and trios in Soundtrap projects last week. I played three examples of them for the class today and students posted sticky notes on this whiteboard that took me one minute to set up last night. It was a simple activity that was made even more simple by this new integration.

Post Sticky Notes to Your Home Screen

Speaking of widgets on the iPhone home screen, this is one that I have a feeling a lot of people will appreciate. 

Sticky Widgets allows you to post sticky notes straight to the home screen that come in different colors and say anything you want. The experience is as simple as you can imagine.

Sure, I advocate for using proper note-taking and task management software, but there are times where you just want to write something directly and trust that it will be plastered in front of your eyes indefinitely.

Check out a full review from MacStories...

Sticky Widgets Brings Simple Sticky Notes to Your Home Screen:

Sticky Widgets enables placing sticky note-style widgets on your iPhone or iPad Home Screen which can be modified simply by tapping on the widget. It’s utility that’s such an obvious fit for widgets, I’m surprised I haven’t seen a hundred other apps doing the same thing.

New Software Updates from Apple: Exploring Widgets!

iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14 came out a few weeks ago. I have a lot to say about these updates, but today I wanted to write about widgets for a moment.

Widgets are catching on as a significant feature amongst the masses. As someone who plays around with the way apps are organized on the home screen at least twice a week, I can tell that widgets are going to add a lot of excitement (and anxiety) into my life. I have been toying with them since July when this software entered the public beta, and I am far from resolved.

Here is where I have landed for now…

Page one (middle image) contains my most tapped app icons. This will be a hard habit to break, but I find lots of value in having upcoming calendar tasks and weather permanently on my most visited screen. Weather Line and Fantastical have the best small-sized widgets, in my opinion. Even this smallest widget size takes up four app icons, so they need to be beautiful and information-dense for it to be worth me sacrificing four apps.

I didn’t think I would want weather on this first screen, but now that it is always visible to me, I don’t see how I could live without it. The Weather Line widget is awesome because its user interface depicts the weather on a line, almost like a chart. It even manages to fit an hourly rain graph into its small space when it is raining out. Not even my second favorite weather widget, Carrot Weather, does that.

The Today View (left image) is where I keep Siri Shortcuts and the older, legacy style widgets from iOS 13. As much as I like the newer widgets’ look, the older style widgets are interactive. I keep OmniFocus, Timery (for time tracking), Streaks (for tracking daily habits), and Waterminder (for quickly logging water) all on this screen because I can tap right on the buttons to act on these apps without the widget needing to launch into the app.

I am continually playing with page 2 (right picture). I like it to be mostly another grid of tappable apps, but I am experimenting with various widgets here. I think what I have settled on is to have the Maps and Notes app widgets stacked on top of each other at the top, and then to use the Siri Suggestion widget, which shows me two rows of apps that swap in and out throughout the day based on my phone’s predictions of which apps I want to use in which contexts. The image above shows some other widgets I am experimenting with, but I think I prefer having more app icons there.

On the iPad, I keep: calendar, weather, notes, Apollo (a Reddit app I use to keep up on the latest news about my interests), Siri Shortcuts, and the Files app for launching into recently modified files. 

On both my phone and iPad, I am waiting for an OmniFocus widget to track my tasks. Even though I like the one in the Today view where you can mark the tasks as done right from the widget, I think I might want to have my next few upcoming tasks permanently visible on page one.

9to5Mac.com and MacStories.net have been two great websites to follow if you want to stay up on which apps offer widgets.