Welcome parents and thank you for showing your support and commitment to educational excellence along with the faculty and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of the Washington School District. By working together, we can provide our students with the best educational tools and resources that will enrich their learning experiences and allow the students to reach their full academic potential. In today’s modern times, these tools and resources take the form of new technologies that will allow students to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge in order to be successful in the classroom and workplace. This year we have initiated a new fundraising effort in order to meet the cost of providing the music classes with new forms of technology. I would like to invite you to join the PTA and me in our exciting fundraising venture and help equip our students with the tools for success.
When introducing new technologies such as computers and the Internet for student use, skepticisms may arise based on real concerns about the validity of their use in the classroom. Concerns that computers and the Internet are for gaming, play, and entertainment is a common misconception among adults that grew up in a different social environment, were taught using different educational methods, and used different educational tools and resources. The resistance of new forms of media is not a new concern; it dates as far back as Socrates’ objections to the use of written texts rather than oral traditions used for instruction (“Breeding Evil?” 2005). Much like the concern related to computer use, Socrates felt that learners would not use their memories, instead they would rely on the external written characters because books were not “interactive” (“Breeding Evil?” 2005).
Today’s learners were born into a “digital world” that involves the use of the Internet, computers, videogames, iPods, cell phones, and many devices that serve as daily tools used to access information, communicate, and express their creativity (Prensky, 2001). Our world has changed and the way students think and learn has changed with it (Prensky, 2001). We as parents and educators need to nurture and develop these technological skills that young minds already possess, and provide students with the opportunity to apply their skills in an enriched educational setting so they develop workplace skills and achieve a higher level of learning.
The Learning Theories
Educators must constantly assess their educational philosophy, methodology, and the evolving theories that support their practice. Two common, yet opposing learning theories that apply to the use of technology in education include the Directed learning theory and the Constructivist learning theory.
The Directed learning theory or Objectivism, is based on the Behaviorist learning theory that is supported by known theorists such as B.F. Skinner, Atkinson and Shiffrin, and Robert Gagné. In short, the Directed learning theory suggests that learning should be teacher directed in a systematic and structured method and that student assessment should be evenly measure using a clear and objective method (e.g. standardized tests) (Roblyer & Doering, 2010, pp. 34-38).
Directed Instruction or Objectivism:
- Knowledge has a separate, real existence of its own outside the human mind.
- Learning Happens when this knowledge is transmitted to people and they store it in their minds.
(Roblyer & Doering, 2010, p. 35)
The Constructivist learning theory or Inquiry-based learning is based on the Cognitive learning theory that is supported by know theorists such as John Dewey, Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, Jerome Brunner, and Howard Gardner. The Constructivist learning theory suggests that learning should be student centered and students construct knowledge as they complete hands-on activities (Roblyer & Doering, 2010, p. 34).
Constructivist Instruction or Inquiry-based learning:
- Humans construct all knowledge in their minds by participating in certain experiences.
- Learning occurs when one constructs both mechanisms for learning and one’s own unique version of the knowledge, supported by their background, experiences, and aptitudes also called scaffolding.
- Communication and motivation are key components in learning.
(Roblyer & Doering, 2010, p. 35)
In order for educators to create effective learning methods, I feel we must find a balance between the Directed learning theory and the Constructivist learning theory as dictated by curriculum, types of resources available, learning activities, and individual learning needs of the students (Roblyer & Doering, 2010, p. 43).
New Technologies
I am proposing the school uses the money raised in this effort to purchase three types of new technology that will benefit the students in the music classes. In order for students to enrich the General music curriculum I wish to purchase five Macintosh computer workstations with Internet connection, five copies of the GarageBand software application, and an LCD projector for the music classroom.
The Macintosh computer workstations will be used for collaborative activities and lessons. The students will be divided into groups of three or four to assemble a Film Score Composer Report. First the student will work individually and use the Internet connection on the Macintosh workstations to gather information on the life, history, awards received, and completed works of an assigned film score composer. In addition, the students will use the Internet to find three relevant visual props. After they individually gather the information, they will work together to organize the information on a word document that will later be presented to the class in the form of a news report along with their visual props.
The GarageBand software application will be installed on the Macintosh computers and be used in a creative and collaborative composition assignment in which the students will write a sixty-measure Pop tune and a sixty-measure Orchestral tune. This software allows students to select pre-recorded sound files called “loops” and arrange them in a linear timeline can be overlapped with other loops to create a multitimbral composition. In the Pop Tune/Orchestral Tune Compositions the students will compose two sixty-measure compositions containing texture changes in measures 20 and 40, as well as dynamic changes throughout each tune. Each composition will follow the stylistic guidelines that are identified and discussed in class.
The LCD projector will be used as a means of presenting the students completed GarageBand Film Score Projects, in which students work collaboratively to create original film scores to assigned video clips. For the Film Scoring project students will work in groups of four and use the GarageBand software application to compose music for three movie scenes. The first scene is from The Lion King, the second is from Monsters Inc, and the third scene is from Toy Story. Each movie clip has specific "hit point" locations that students will be required to strike with a musical event that helps to enhance the action of mood of that scene. Students must also set the tempo to match the pace of the scene’s action, add dynamic changes to four different instrument tracks, and have a melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic line in their music.
These proposed forms of technology would provide students with Directed instruction experiences, as they must learn the technical steps involved in using the Macintosh computers and the GarageBand software as lead by the teacher. The students will be working individually to gather information for the Film Score Composer Report in which each student is responsible for the data that they collect. Finally, the directed approach will be applied as students will be required to take a small quiz after viewing each groups presentation of their Film Score Composer Report.
To create balance between the Directed and the Constructivist approach, the students will work cooperatively in the final stages of the Film Score Composer Report, when they organize their data and present it as a group, in the form of a news report. In addition, the students will also experience Constructivist activities as they collaboratively complete the student-directed GarageBand projects. In both the Pop/Orchestral composition assignment and the Film Score Project students will learn and create through student-driven exploration activities. They will demonstrate critical thinking and creative problem solving skills while constructing their music, which will also engage many of the multiple intelligences that students possess.
Join Me!
Changes in our world prompt changes in our students, which necessitates a change in our approach and method in order to teaching them effectively. Please join the PTA and me in our commitment and dedication to the providing our students, your children, with the best education practices and resources available. Together we will not only prepare our students for tomorrow, we will prepare them to become tomorrow’s leaders.
I welcome your thoughts, input, and ideas that you may express by subscribing to this blog.
References
Breeding Evil? (2005, August 4). The Economist. Retrieved February 6, 2010 from http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=4247084
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved February 6, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID:1074252411).
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2010). Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching (5th Ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson.
DISCLAIMER: This blog is an assignment for an educational technology course at National University. It is not a real fundraising blog.
