Concluding Reflection: Online Courses

Taking this class certainly proved to be an interesting experience. Prior to enrolling in this class, I had taken a few online classes before, one at the college level. The online class that I took in college was Orchestration. I wanted to register for an in-class section, but my schedule would not allow it, so I had to settle for the online version. I was not too worried about taking this online class, as I already had significant orchestration experience at that point. In addition, the only technology (other than a computer) that the class involved was the optional use of either Finale, Sibelius, or some other music notation software, and I already had significant experience with Finale. The class ended up being a breeze for me, and the fact that it was online allowed me to forge ahead with the due dates and do the work at my own rate according to my own schedule. Overall, I would have liked to learn a little more in the class, but the class was still a positive experience for me.

My feelings prior to enrolling in this class were quite different. The situation was similar. I could not fit the only in-class section into my schedule, so I had to go with the online section. This class, however, dealt with a subject matter with which I was not already familiar. In addition, I was worried about the fact that I would be relying only upon technology to complete a class that focused on technology. From my experiences with technology, I have noticed that it tends to go wrong. There is really no other way to put it, as sometimes it just does not work like it is supposed to. In addition, I sometimes have trouble figuring out how to use new technologies without physical guidance. For example, when we reached the Max/MSP unit in my Music Technology class, I was completely lost all the time unless I asked the professor or someone else in the class to help me on a one-on-one basis.

To provide an example in the case of this class, I have not had a great experience with Google Docs. I had used it minimally before this class, but I had never created my own documents or made any considerable contributions to any documents before. Figuring out how to create spreadsheets in Google was a difficult task, and I had to spend a considerable amount of time looking up specific details. For example, creating a hyperlink requires typing a special formula as opposed to just clicking a button. Instead of hitting the “enter/return” key to go to the next line, you must press “command” + “alt/option” and then add “enter/return.” Steps such as these are not intuitive, and I had to research them on my own. Despite following all the listed steps to embedding a spreadsheet in blogger several times, I was still unsuccessful. I read countless other reports on how to do this, but none of them yielded the results that I was hoping for. Despite minor technical difficulties, such as these, that make learning technology using only technology difficult, I still feel that I was able to keep up and follow along in this class pretty much all the time while learning a sufficient amount as well.

Final Project: Technology Integration Plan

CLICK HERE for Technology Integration Matrix            

            The lesson plan analyzed in this matrix is titled “Snow Fell Until Dawn.” In this lesson, which is geared toward a fifth grade class, students will increase their understanding of how to connect vocal timbre with expressive qualities of a written text, and they will do this in six steps. For most of the project, they will be working with a poem entitled "Snow Fell Until Dawn."

1. Students will begin by collecting descriptions of their feelings and experiences of/about snow. To do this, the teacher will call on one student at a time, and he/she will say what is on his/her mind. This step is aligned with National Standard for Music Education #8, as it begins by incorporating students’ real life experiences and descriptions into a music project. Although the project does not yet involve music in this first step, it involves another discipline, which can be loosely described as nature study. This step is also aligned with NETS-S #2, as the students will share basic digital media, such as YouTube or home videos, to help illustrate their descriptions. This step mostly involves student participation, as the students are the ones sharing their experiences. It also involves oral/visual presentation, as they will share videos with the class, and listening/viewing, as the students will experience each other’s videos. In order to keep a running list of the students’ experiences (for future reference), either the teacher or the students will need to write them on a classroom white board or chalk board. The students will need to use YouTube or another form of video archive to share their videos with the class, and the teacher will need to hook up the computer or other device showing the videos to an overhead projector.

2. After sharing their experiences, students will then recite the poem together as a class. This step is aligned with National Standard for Music Education #5, as the students are reading text, which can be though of as a beginning form of music. Although this step does not involve music notation, the students are reading text that will soon be embellished with musical elements. This step is also aligned with NETS-S #2, as the students will be reading from a digital source that is being initiated from a distance by the teacher. This step mostly involves group participation, as the students are reading the text as one group. It also involves teacher display/direction, as the teacher must point to the words as the students read so that they have an idea of how fast to move as a group. In order to do this, he or she can use a yard/meter stick or some other pointing device, such as a broom or even a laser pointer. The teacher must once again use an overhead projector to display the text of the poem to the students.

3. After reciting the poem, the students will brainstorm which musical elements should be incorporated into the poem’s performance, and they will make revisions as necessary. This step is aligned with NJCCCS 1.1.5.B.2, as the students are using their knowledge of multiple basic musical concepts to embellish the text of the poem. This step is also aligned with NETS-S #3, as the students will be using technology to aid with the development of their musical decisions. This step involves student participation, as the students will offer their own suggestions of musical elements to incorporate; individual decision, as the students must formulate their own opinions prior to sharing them; group discussion, as the students will reflect on each other’s suggestions; and editing, as the students will decide on the effectiveness of their own and their classmates’ decisions. In order to organize the students’ suggestions, the teacher will use colored markers or chalk to categorize their suggestions by musical element on the board. The students may also use metronomes and portable keyboards, keyboard apps, or piano pads to assist with their decisions of rhythm and pitch respectively.

4. After brainstorming which musical elements to include, the students will perform the poem vocally. This step is aligned with NJCCCS 1.3.5.B.2, as the students are allowing their voices to take on different pitches and timbres in this performance. This step is also aligned with NETS-S #3, as the students will be using recording technology to document their performance for future reference. This step uses the same strategies as step 2 and for the same reasons. In addition to the pointing device, this step utilizes a recording/playback device to capture the students’ performance.

5. After the vocally performing the poem, the students will listen to the recording and evaluate their performance. This step is aligned with NJCCCS 1.4.5.B.5, as the students must now formulate their own opinions of the success level of the performance and music elements added as well as defend their opinions. This step is also aligned with NETS-S #4, as the students must think critically to decide on the results of the recording. This step involves student participation, as the students will offer their own opinions; group discussion, as they will share their opinions with one another, and assessment, as both the students and the teacher will decide on the effectiveness of the performance as well as the musical elements that were added. In addition to the recording/playback device, this step may need to utilize speakers, or some form of amplification system, so that the entire class can hear the recording of their performance at one time.

6. Finally, the students will break up into smaller groups, and each group will create and perform a musical composition, this time using instruments, that depicts the text and overall character of the poem. This step is aligned with NJCCS 1.3.2.B.3, as the students will be working with Orff instruments (or other instruments available to the class). This step is also aligned with NETS-S #6, as the students must demonstrate that they can use the instruments, as well as a music notation software, correctly and effectively. This step involves group participation and student collaboration, as the students will work together to create and perform their compositions; listening/viewing, as they will experience each other’s compositions; and assessment, as both the students and the teacher will decide on the effectiveness of the performance as well as the musical composition itself. The students will need to use Orff or other classroom instruments to play their compositions, and they will use a music notation software, such as Finale or Sibelius, to help plan out and notate their compositions prior to performance.

Interactivity #5: A Standards-based Approach to Technology Integration

            The teacher that I interviewed for the purposes of this assignment is an elementary school general music teacher in North Jersey (he requested that I do not reveal his district). Prior to our interview, he had heard of the NETS and was familiar with their general purpose, but he did not know of any of the specific standards. Upon first viewing the standards aligned with grades PK-2 and 3-5, he was quite surprised, and he believed that many of these standards are unreasonably demanding and/or impossible to reach at these grade levels. This may have something to do with the fact that his school has not yet begun to implement the NETS. He was unsure as to whether his district has begun to implement them as well. Despite the fact that his school does not follow the NETS, it seems quite technologically inclined. His classroom contains a newer Mac computer, an iPod, and a fairly complex sound system that allows you to play recordings in various formats. In addition, the school has a technology lab, which I was unable to see, but he described it as being quite advanced.

            I thought the teacher’s responses were fairly predictable for the most part. I would have expected that he is somewhat familiar with the NETS, as he graduated from MSU as a Music Education Major several years ago. The fact that he was unable to name any of the specific standards may be because the Integrating Technology module has changed since he took it, or perhaps he does not remember any of the standards brought up in class. I was also not surprised by his opinion about the nature of these standards. I do agree that standards tend to be a bit optimistic with their wording at times, and these are no exception. I was neither surprised nor unsurprised by the fact that his school has yet to implement the NETS, as I am not sure how many schools have begun to do this in his area. As a future educator, I would want to make sure that my colleagues are aware of the NETS, and I would want to help them interpret the wording. My main message would be that incorporation of these standards is important, but when taken too literally, it could lead to holding students to unreasonable expectations. Although following standards is important, the most important part is that the integration of technology should be related to the lesson plan.

Link to Interactivity #4: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AifGVliPVd2bdG1vRG1CdjdxMUJUUkJhd3V1RnB6Wnc&pli=1 - gid=0

NOTE: I created a new column for the NETS (right next to the original standards column) to increase ease of reading.

What to Do About Piracy?

            Pirating is something that we all do one time or another and in one shape or form. Whether it is music files or software, it will cost some amount of money to obtain, but we do not want to spend our hard earned money, so we try to take an easy way out. Although this may seem like the easiest and most sensible option, there are several disadvantages of pirating that I would like to note. First of all, if you purchase a piece of software, chances are it will come with lifetime free updates. When pirating software, there is no guarantee. It is possible that you may end up with older outdated software that is unresponsive, crashes frequently, and that you cannot upgrade. It is even possible that you may not end up with any software at all. In the worst case, you could end up downloading a virus or corrupted file. I do not know much about the method behind pirating software, but I know that it involves code cracking and risk taking.

            On the more obvious side of the spectrum, piracy is illegal. When you pirate software, you are infringing the copyright law, even if the software is to be used for educational purposes. The copyright law is already a touchy subject when it comes to music making and production, so combining this with the illegal acquisition of software could cause things to turn especially ugly. We must not forget that software companies depend upon our business to stay in function, and if we stop buying their products, they will be less and less able to serve us with those products as well as new products and product updates. According to FL Studio’s website, “We estimate that if 1 in 10 people using pirated copies purchased FL Studio we could double the number of free features we add each year.” One important thing to keep in mind is that some programs may have student offers. For example, Finale offers a student package where you can purchase a piece of software (that comes with several downloads) as a group, and everyone in the group gets one download. This seems like an excellent way of spreading the wealth to students who only need one copy of the program.

            Next time you are about to participate in the act of piracy, you have the option of considering some of the points in this post and reconsidering your actions. Or, you may be overly adventurous and decide that piracy is the best option. The option of piracy certainly has its advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps the decision may be easier now that you have an idea of what to look for when it comes to piracy.