The Classroom Remote Control
No other media player remote offers as much flexibility.
Typical remote controls for consumer-oriented media players might offer basic “play”, “stop”, and ”start” functions – which are adequate for the occasional home use they were designed for. But teaching requires lots more versatility and flexibility.
Previous blogs have discussed applications of the variable speed playback feature of the Performer Plus for learning languages and also for dance. While seemingly inconsequential at first glance, its Remote Control (RC-2400) is perhaps one of the best kept secret tools of the Performer Plus. The following will explain more about its various functions which an instructor can use to help enhance student learning.
• POWER: In addition to the obvious function, pushing this button also enables instructors to set the Performer Plus on its “stand by” mode, which enables the user to stop the audio at any time (to provide needed instructions or evaluate students’ progress). Pressing it once initiates the “stand by” mode and pressing it again resumes play. Changing from the play mode to the “stand by” mode also helps get students’ immediate attention.
• MUTE: This button silences all audio playback when pressed, but it doesn’t stop the mechanism of the media player. (The CD/tape/radio still operate in silence.) Instructors can use this function to assess students’ familiarity of the corresponding dance steps or of a memorized poem.
• CD, TAPE, and AM/FM: These three buttons enable you to toggle between these three sources on the media player. Instructors can design a curriculum/lesson plan that integrates all thee modes; no need for extra media players, no hassle of combining media from various sources, just press a button to change the source!
• CD SPEED: The three buttons under CD SPEED allow teachers to operate perhaps the most valuable feature of Performer Plus, its Variable Speed (+/- 15% in 3% increments) playback. This often used feature by dance instructors and language coaches allows them to teach students various dance steps or practice pronunciation slowly and accurately.
• VOLUME: For the instructors’ convenience, the volume can be controlled by “up” and “down” buttons to the appropriate levels in any learning environments for the CD, TAPE, AM/FM modes.
• BASS, TREBLE: The BASS and TREBLE controls enable the instructors to adjust the Bass and Treble up and down respectively for both CD and AM/FM modes. This feature enhances music appreciation related activities.
• TUNER SCAN/SKIP: In the CD mode, the TUNER SCAN/SKIP right and left buttons enable the instructors to shift among different tracks. Instructors have the flexibility to lead students to focus on certain chapters of a recorded book, or emphasizing the phonemic awareness based on instructor designed curriculum, not the track orders set by the publishers. In the AM/FM mode, the TUNER SCAN/SKIP buttons make it easy to change among radio stations.
• RANDOM: Pressing the RANDOM button during CD “play” or “stop” condition will engage random play. Pressing the button again will cancel the function. However, if a memory program is set, the random function cannot operate until the program is cleared. Playing the CD tracks in a random order allows the reading instructors to observe students reading fluency or enables a dance instructor to assess students’ abilities in dancing the right steps to the corresponding songs.
• PLAY/PAUSE: This button allows the instructor to pause the CD audio at any point, pressing the button again to resume play. This is a great function to use for example as an instructor collects students’ feedback about the material they just heard.
• PLAY TIME: Pressing this button changes the time format on the LCD display from elapsed time of each track to the total time remaining on the CD. It assists the instructors to manage and arrange the progress of the curriculum.
• REPEAT: When repetition is required in a reading class or a dance studio, instructors can use the repeat button. Push the button once to replay any single selection. Push the button twice to replay all programmed selections (in programmed order). Push the button three times to clear the “repeat” function.
• STOP: This button allows the instructors to stop the CD.
• PROGRAM: The Performer Plus enables users to program up to 20 CD tracks and up to 20 FM stations and 12 AM stations. To set a CD program, with the CD stopped, press the PROGRAM button one time and select a track with the TUNER SCAN/SKIP button. Repeat these two steps until all desired tracks have been programmed. The tracks can also be quickly selected by pressing the number buttons on the remote control. The “+10” represents the tens- digit of the track number, to select track 15, press “+10” button once, and then press “5”. To select track 24, press “+10” button twice, and then press “4”. These number buttons are also utilized to set the preferred radio stations. Select the station by pressing the TUNER SCAN/SKIP buttons, then press PROGRAM and a number button to set this station at this specific channel. Please note the programming will be erased when STOP is pressed or when the CD door is open. The programming function permits the instructor to plan ahead and preset the flow of the lesson plan, enables them to focus on the interactions with students during class time.
Read about the functions of the Remote Control for the Music Maker series.
