edu520 final project

Running head: EDU520 FINAL PROJECT

Digitally-Mediated Teaching and Learning Final Project: Learning Activity Presentation

Sarah E. DiVenere

Post University

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Digitally-Mediated Teaching and Learning Final Project: Learning Activity Presentation

This paper will present a digitally-mediated activity for middle school band students. The

Couch-to-Community Recital Project will involve taking student performances from an in-home

setting with a focus on the self to a community service setting with a focus on others. Through

this project, students will gain greater independence in their musicianship, as well as greater

awareness of their community and how they can relate to it.

The integration of multiple technologies, including social media, will facilitate student

research, sharing, collaboration, and documentation of the project. The technology used will not

be the project’s focus, but will be a crucial element that ties each phase of the project together.

“As educators, it is our responsibility to stay abreast of technology by discovering new and

innovative ways to develop and present curriculum… [and] to employ technology in creative

new ways while using Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theory to help our students succeed”

(Hoerr, 2000, as cited by Brammer, D., Gaudet, L., Jackson, A., McDaniel, L., 2009, p. 75). This

project will encompass multiple learning theories and use multiple technologies in a variety of

settings. First, the learning theories will be discussed. Then, the technology will be introduced

and the activity itself will be described. Last, the assessment and evaluation will be explained.

Theoretical Framework

In its basic form, instrumental music learning is mainly constructive. “The primary idea

of constructivism is that learners ‘construct’ their own knowledge on the basis of what they

already know” (Kaufman, 2003). In music, very much as in any other practice-based science or

art, a solid foundation of fundamental skills is necessary. The learner builds upon that knowledge

base in order to move forward. Additionally, band students engage in “problem-based learning”

(Keskin & Metcalf, 2011, p. 203) by thinking critically about their own areas of difficulty to set

goals for improvement. The rehearsal setting also provides “situated learning” (Keskin &

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Metcalf, 2011, p. 203) as students participate as a group.

Throughout the course of the proposed activity, however, other learning theories will also

be addressed. As described by Keskin and Metcalf (2011), students will engage in collaborative

learning by working together, socio-cultural learning by bringing their activity out into the

virtual and physical community, and context-awareness learning by interacting and being

perceptive to the community environment (Keskin & Metcalf, 2011, p. 203-204).

As described by Mark K. Smith, experiential learning is “…the sort of learning

undertaken by students who are given a chance to acquire and apply knowledge, skills and

feelings in an immediate and relevant setting…” (Smith, 2001, 2010, para. 1). It may also simply

be considered “education that occurs as a direct participation in the events of life” (Houle 1980:

221, as cited by Smith, 2001, 2010, para. 2). As explored by David Kolb (Academy of Art

University, 2014), experiential learning covers four basic learning types: Concrete experience

(feeling), Reflective observation (watching), Abstract conceptualization (thinking), and Active

experimentation (doing). The Couch-to-Community Recital Project encompasses all four of

these learning types. The varied experiences provided will engage students in multiple ways of

learning and allow each individual’s strengths to shine through.

Technology

To digitally mediate the Couch-to-Community Recital Project, students will need access

to video recording, photography, and the Internet in general to make use of certain websites,

services and apps. The prevalence of smart phones and tablets should enable most families to

fulfill these needs (Johnson, Adams Becker, Cummins, Estrada, Freeman, & Ludgate, 2013), but

digital cameras, desktop computers, and laptops may also be used.

The first two phases of the project will make use of three Google services: the search

engine, email, and Drive. “Google Drive is the new home of Google Docs” (Google, 2014), and

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allows uploaded files to be shared with specific contacts without needing to email an attachment

(Google, 2014). According to Kathy Shrock, Google Drive (shown in the graphic as Google

Documents) can span the entirety of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Shrock, K. n.d.).

In Shrock’s graphic, Google search is only rated in the Remembering stage Bloom’s

Taxonomy, but for this activity the search will require Understanding, Application, and Analysis

in order for students to find music that is appropriate to their levels of musicianship. Likewise,

the use of Gmail ranks up to Analyzing, but for this activity students will be discussing an issue

and designing a performance/service program, which elevates the use of the app to Evaluating

and Creating.

(Note: In the author’s district, students and staff have school-issued Google accounts,

which makes Google a logical choice in this context. Others may wish to use different search

engines, email providers, and file-sharing services.)

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In addition to Google, the second phase of the project will include apps such as Face

Time and Skype to allow student collaboration during home practice sessions, which is an

Evaluative process. The author already has students using Face Time for this purpose. The third

and final phase of the project will introduce social media; students will live-Tweet and Ustream

(video-cast) the culminating event. Video-casting is a Creative task. Using Twitter ranks only to

Understanding (Shrock, n.d.) but by verbally and visually documenting the live event, it may

also be an elevated activity that will appeal to Visual-Spatial and Verbal-Linguistic learners

(Brammer, et al., 2009, p. 72-73). As a possible follow-up after the project concludes, students

may choose to create their own commemorative slide shows in Animoto, Splice, iMovie (Apple),

or Movie Moments (Windows).

Learning Activity: The Couch-to-Community Recital Project

Phase One: Living Room Recital

Band students in grades six through eight will prepare and perform a living room recital

for family and friends. They will each choose three pieces that are appropriate to their level of

musicianship. Choices are available in their method books, the teacher’s personal and school-

based collections, local music stores, and online. For example, students may use Google’s search

engine to find specific pop tunes transcribed for their instruments, as well as video/audio

recordings of their song choices.

Students will set a date and time for their performance, and invite an audience. They will

set up audience seating to face their performance area, and provide a snack and beverage for the

customary post-recital reception. They will video-record their performances and upload to a

shared space in Google Drive.

Phase Two: Collaboration

Students will participate in the planning of the project’s third phase. The teacher will

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facilitate a class discussion about possible community venues where performance and service

may be combined (such as soup kitchens, shelters, hospitals, parks, and nursing homes). The

teacher will have already spoken to administrators for these venues to approve the possible

event. The class discussion will continue via email, where students may also include their

research on each venue to support their arguments.

Once the venue has been settled, students will design the performance/service program.

They will construct the group recital by extracting the best elements from each other’s living

room recitals. They may select featured solos, and combine others into duets, trios, and quartets

to create a diverse program. They will arrange the performance set and delegate service tasks.

Much of this activity will take place in Google Drive, which will allow each student to give his

or her input equally, and allow the teacher to monitor, guide, and finalize the work. Students

participating in group performances will use Face Time or Skype to practice together. This

remote method is not an ideal practice situation because of possible time delays, but is highly

useful for this context: it will allow students to collaborate without needing transportation, and

also allow them to break for private, individual work without being distracted by each other.

Phase Three: Community Service Recital

At the community venue, students will perform and provide an appropriate service (such

as preparing and serving a meal, delivering flowers and handmade cards, cleaning up litter, or

simply spending time in conversation) according to the program they designed. Those not

performing will visually document, live-Tweet, and Ustream the event. By sharing their work in

social media, they will raise awareness and inspire people to use their talents for the good of

others.

Supporting Elements

Motivation

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This activity is important for the students because it addresses more than just making

music from the notes on the page; it addresses the reason to make the music at all: to express

emotion and bring joy to others. While some students are self-motivated, more are reluctantly

prodded by the extrinsic motivational promises of rewards or consequences. Intrinsic motivation,

instead, recognizes the desire and capacity for learning in every student, and if it is found, it self-

perpetuates. In the "Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching" (Wlodkowski,

1999, p. 11) a learning environment that sparks intrinsic motivation establishes respectful

inclusion of every student, promotes positive attitude by allowing choice, deepens meaning by

including student perspectives, and helps students understand the importance of their learning

(Wlodkowski, 1999, p. 10-11). By giving students choices in their music, ownership of their

performance, and a purpose greater than themselves for which to work, this activity aims to give

meaning and intrinsic motivation to each student.

Learning Outcomes

The Couch-to-Community Recital Project will have three major objectives: Students will

be able to 1) select, prepare, and perform music appropriate to their level, 2) assess their own as

well as their peers’ performances, and 3) relate music to their personal and social lives. These

learning outcomes incorporate the two artistic processes of performing and responding (the third

process, creating, could be incorporated but is not specified), and align with the following

National Standards for Music Education (NAfME, 1994):

2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

5. Reading and notating music.

7. Evaluating music and music performances.

8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines

outside the arts.

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9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Extending components

There are 3 basic styles of learning environments: traditional, online, and hybrid.

Traditional classrooms are the familiar face-to-face model of instruction and interaction. Online

classrooms are completely web-based; all course elements occur in a virtual space. Hybrid

classes blend traditional with online models, with some elements face-to-face, and others in a

virtual or web-based program.

The Couch-to-Community Recital Project is a hybrid activity for a traditional class. As a

performing art, band class is necessarily a face-to-face, physical experience, but this project

allows that experience to bridge the physical and virtual worlds.

Informal learning will take place in multiple components of the project, including but not

limited to the living-room recitals and collaboration. The culmination of the project is both

performing and community service, which the New Hampshire Department of Education

describe as extended learning opportunities because they take place outside a traditional

classroom (2012). Therefore, this project is a hybrid because it includes formal class time,

informal on-line time, and non-formal community service. It is the integration of these different

settings that will give relevance to the project. “Children’s life experiences, both in and out of

school, have profound effects on their achievement in school and their functioning in society”

(Eshach, 2007, p. 171).

Assessment and Evaluation

Musical performance is an assessment in itself. When students perform, it is clearly

evident whether they have prepared sufficiently, and what they have learned and can apply. As

George Wood points out, "That’s how musicians, artists, and actors get better at their craft. Their

work is critiqued, and then they understand what they need to work on to improve" (Boss, 2011).

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A music teacher constantly assesses students’ performances in private or small group lessons,

and in rehearsal. Students are provided immediate and interactive feedback as constructive

criticism, encouragement, and help to establish personal goals for what they should focus on

improving. Every time a student plays is a formative assessment.

Achievement of the project’s learning objectives will be evidenced in several ways. First,

the Living Room Recital performances will demonstrate whether each student chose music

appropriate to his or her level of musicianship, and practiced effectively to prepare for

performance. Performances will be assessed with the following rubric:

Second, each student’s participation in class discussions to build and plan the Community

Service Recital will be documented in the email thread and Google document. The expectation is

that each student will contribute at least one comment in class, one email response, and one edit

or comment to the Google document. Participation will be assessed with the following rubric:

Achievement Level Criteria

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Achievement Level Criteria

4: Excellent performance, exceeded expectations Performance kept steady beat, with accurate notes and

rhythms, and was played with appropriate expression

(phrasing, dynamics, articulation) and good tone

quality

3: Acceptable performance, met expectations. Performance kept a steady beat, with mostly accurate

notes and rhythms. Expression was mostly appropriate.

2: Progress made, but work still needed. Performance did not always keep a steady beat

AND/OR mistakes with notes and rhythms interrupted

the flow.

1: Progress not made, work needed. Performance did not keep a steady beat AND/OR notes

and rhythms were not accurate AND/OR selected piece

was not discernable

0: Effort not made, work needed. Performance was not completed.


4: Excellent participation, exceeded expectations More than one in-class comment, more than one email

response, AND more than one contribution to the

Google document.

3: Acceptable participation, met expectations One in-class comment, one email response, AND one

contribution to the Google document

2: Limited participation, expectations not met Missing one: in-class comment, email response, OR

contribution to the Google document.

1: Low participation, expectations not met Missing two: in-class comment, email response,

AND/OR contribution to the Google document

0: Effort not made, expectations not met Missing three: participation was not completed

Third, the success of the Community Service Recital event will indicate again whether

students chose appropriate music, sufficiently prepared for performance, and planned effectively

to carry out the community service. However, while the final performances at the Community

Service Recital may be considered a summative assessment (Meuller, 2014), the learning

outcomes for this project are not solely performance-based. Rather, a summative assessment will

be administered in three parts: a self-reflection on the Living Room Recital (see Figure 1), a peer

review of an assigned partner’s Living Room Recital, and a reflection on the Community Service

Recital (see Figure 2). Particularly by these reflections, the teacher will discover what kind of

connections students have made between what they learn in band class, what they do (musically)

for fun, and what they can do with those talents as a member of society, and why.

The technology chosen for this project will prove its usefulness by how easily its

integration enables the students to achieve their goals and complete the project. For example, if

sharing video files in Google Drive, Skype practicing, or Ustreaming is problematic, then their

inclusion will be reconsidered and alternative technologies will be sought. If, on the other hand,

students report positive experiences interacting with the technology and they are able to reach

their goals, then their inclusion will be considered successful.

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To evaluate the student assessments and determine the overall success of the project, data

collected from the rubrics and reflections will be reviewed to check for achievement of the

learning objectives. Aligning with Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation (Chapman, 2014), the

teacher will see:

Student reaction: how students felt about the experience, their participation, and

whether they found it relevant.

Learning: how much students learned through the experience, and whether they

discovered anything new.

Behavior: how student learning was applied to their skills and participation, and

their awareness of this development.

Results: how the learning experience effected the band program, evidenced by the

rubrics and reflection results, and demonstrated at the final event by performance

quality, engagement, and morale.

Conclusion

The Couch-to-Community Recital Project is a valuable learning activity for middle

school band students. Multiple learning theories, teaching methods, technologies, and

assessments have been integrated to give students ownership of their learning, an intrinsic

motivation to improve their skills, and awareness of their actions’ relevance and effects on the

world around them. According to Frank Heuser, “Deliberately engaging students in experiences

that require reflection about their purpose in the world allows them to begin the process of

developing critical awareness about the place of the individual in society” (Heuser, 2011, p.

304). Following Heuser’s suggestion, the Couch-to Community Recital Project aims to address

the need for music education to expand beyond its traditionally concert-centric focus. For all the

good music does for us, let us do that good, in turn, for others.

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Figure 1Living Room Recital Reflection: Sample worksheet

Directions: You have just performed a Living Room Recital. Use that experience to answer the following questions. Use complete sentences (no one-word answers) and music vocabulary. Be thoughtful. Use the back of the paper if necessary.

Sample music vocabulary: (embouchure breath support articulation) (grip stroke sticking) posture phrasing dynamics steady beat rhythm notes fingerings/ slide positions intonation

1. What did you do well in your performance? Why? What are your musical strengths?

2. What could you have done better? Why? What musical skills do you find most challenging?

3. Did you prepare well for your performance? Why or why not? This includes: preparing music appropriate for your level of musicianship, setting a date and time, inviting an audience, preparing a refreshment, and setting up the audience and performance area.

4. How did you feel the audience behaved throughout your performance? (Respectful or rude? Attentive or distracted/talkative? Responsive or passive?) Did you get any feedback afterwards?

5. How will you improve your next performance?

Figure 2Community Service Recital: Sample Worksheet

Directions: You have just participated in the Community Service Recital. Use that experience to answer the following questions. Use complete sentences (no one-word answers). Be thoughtful. Use the back of the paper if necessary.

1. What was done well in the event? What was your contribution to it?

2. What could have done better? Why?

3. Was this event well prepared? Why or why not? (This included: preparing music appropriate for your level of musicianship, building a diverse set list, and delegating service and digital-documenting jobs.)

4. How do you feel the community audience responded to the event? Did you get any feedback afterwards? Do you think the event had a positive impact on the community? Why or why not?

5. What are your overall feelings about the project? Is community service, through performance or other means, something you will do again in the future? Why or why not?

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