ISTE 3: Model Digital-Age Work & Learning

         ISTE 3

        The technological demands of 21st century society require teacher preparation programs to equip future educators with the "knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society" (Figure 1).  It is essential that teachers have a familiarity with modern and relevant technology and can utilize available digital resources to communicate and collaborate with parents, students, and professional communities.  

Figure 1: ITSE 

How can I improve parent-teacher communication while demonstrating effective use of contemporary digital tools and technology?

       It is always a challenge to find effective communication tools to interact and partner with parents.  It seems as though many of the traditional methods of communication- email, classroom newsletters, parent portals- are not as effective as in years past.  The growing number of adults using social media and the rise in smart phone usage has transformed the way people receive information.  Figure 2 shows the percentage of people with social media profiles increasing from 24% in 2008 to 78% in 2016.  

Figure 2

      There are a wide array of beliefs on the usage of social media as an communication tool in education. Before researching technological tools used for parent-teacher communication, I thought I would not have guessed social media would be an effective method.  My initial hypothesis was that online grading parent portals, Google apps, and student portfolios might be the most useful tools.  However, my research led me to believe that when used correctly, social media networks are perhaps the most practical and efficient communication tools when it comes to parent-teacher communication. 

      Twitter offers an avenue for instant communication through the use of microblogging.  It can provide one-way communication to parents and community members regarding events, deadlines, policy changes, weather updates, and other school or classroom news (Carpenter & Krutka, 2014).  By sending out  brief 140-word or less Tweets that link to a school Facebook page or website with more information, you can connect with parents and community members immediately and provide essential information.  However, it is important to realize that microblogging is an art and successful engagement is closely tied to the quality of your tweets (Porterfield & Carnes, 2011).

     Facebook and Instagram are two other social media platforms that given parents ways to remain informed and get a glimpse into a school or classroom culture.  Teachers can use these networks to post pictures of student work, short videos of classroom activities, and information updates. Parents can engage with this information by commenting, "liking", and/or reposting.  Moreover, schools can use Facebook and Instagram to promote athletic events, student-life activities, and performing arts shows.  The interactive component as well as the accessibility of these social media platforms make them ideal parent communication tools. 

      Clearly, "the logical implication for educators is to experiment with social media and to explore its potential for communication and collaboration both in and out of the classroom (Wankel, 2011, p. 3).  With the research highly in favor of social media as a tool for parent communication, I am excited to see if using these networks will improve the efficiency of parent-teacher communication and boost parent involvement in my classes. 

Resources

Carpenter, J. P., & Krutka, D. G. (2014). How and Why Educators Use Twitter: A Survey of the     Field. Journal Of Research On Technology In Education, 46(4), 414-434. doi:10.1080/15391523.2014.925701

Edison Research; Triton Digital.  (n.d.). U.S. population with a social network profile 2016. Statistic. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile/

Porterfield, K., & Carnes, M. (2011). Twitter: Not just about ham sandwiches. Educational Leadership, 68(8). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/ may11/vol68/num08/Twitter@-Not-Just-About-Ham-Sandwiches.aspx

Wankel, C. (2011). Cutting-edge Technologies in Higher Education : Educating Educators with Social Media. Bingley, GB: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is an effective instructional strategy that deepen students' learning and lays a foundation for success in the collaborative workplace environment that exists in our 21st century world (Dean, 2012).  Cooperative learning provides students with opportunities to share their ideas and process new knowledge, therefore promoting self-confidence, inclusivity, and engagement in classrooms. However, it is important to note that effective cooperative learning must provide structure, accountability, and consistency.

The five elements of cooperative learning shown in Figure 1 provide a framework for educators seeking to use cooperative learning as an instructional strategy in their classrooms.  Face-to-face interaction is a staple of collaboration, and teachers must help students recognize and affirm their peers during discussion.  Moreover, interpersonal and small group skills can be refined during cooperative learning as teacher support students by outline guidelines for communication, decision making, conflict resolution, and leadership skills (Dean, 2012). Additionally, individual accountability is important because each student must understand their responsibility as a contributor to the group.  Teachers promote positive interdependence by developing a sense of teamwork as students work together to achieve a task or goal. Finally, group processing allows students to reflect on their finished product or knowledge as well as evaluate their team functioning.

As a practical example of cooperative learning, my students just began a songwriting unit.  They will work in small groups over the next 6 weeks on this collaborative project  Each week, we will focus on a specific element of the songwriting process (lyrics, melody, chord structure, instrumentation,  style, performance, etc.) and then the students will work in groups to complete that segment of the project.  By the end of the unit, each group will perform their original song for the class.  I'm excited to see how this cooperative learning experience will deepen their learning and am already seeing a high level of engagement after the unit introduction this week.

Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., & Pitler, H. (2012). Classroom Instruction That Works : Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement (2). Alexandria, US: ASCD. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

ISTE Standard 2

How can I utilize technology to design formative and summative 

assessments for my music ensembles? 

ISTE Standard 2

Assessment in music ensemble classes looks very different than assessment in science, math, or english classes.  Due to the performance nature of ensemble classes, assessments often focus on applying skills and techniques during performance rather than taking tests, experimenting in a lab, or writing essays.  This said, technology can open up a whole new world of possibilities for formative and summative assessment in the music classroom. 

VoiceThread, Google Docs/Slides, Vlogs, Blogs, and SmartMusic are a few of the resources I am excited to use for assessment purposes in my classroom.  These programs and tools allow students the opportunity to collaborate while using technology, aiding in deliberate decisions and establishing effective problem solving strategies (Cicconi, 2013). Not only can teachers assess skills, content knowledge, and student progress by using these programs, but they also give students a chance to practice interpersonal communication and leadership skills through collaboration.  Cicconi (2013) believes "technology leads to a culture of social learning by empowering students of all abilities to take on the MKO (more knowledgable other) role."  This social learning environment engages and motivates students to contribute their interests and ideas openly during assessment.  Hence, it is appropriate to utilize these collaborative technology resources as formative and summative assessment tools in the music classroom. 

Advance Organziers

Contrary to many of the constructivist teaching philosophies of today, Ausubel believed that instruction should begin with a focus on teaching metacognition rather than student perception or induction models (Joyce, 2015). He advocated for the use of advance organizers as a mean to scaffold student learning.  Advance organizers facilitate students' cognitive structures by allowing them an organizational framework with which to process new information.  Educators can prepare students for learning by providing a general context or structured outline before launching into the more detailed and specific content.

In my high school ensemble classes, I utilize advanced organizers when we begin our music history unit.  Students are given a handout that gives them a general timeline of the musical periods and the main idea "Music is a mirror of the society that created it." This main idea provides the lens through which they process the more specific concepts and information for the remainder of the unit.  Moreover, I restate this theme before each lecture and facilitate student discussion about the conclusions they can draw about society based on their new knowledge of the musical elements at the conclusion of each class.  Not only has this instructional model has allowed my students to better retain the information they learn, but I've found that they are far more engaged in learning about music history when they understand the relevance to the greater society.

*Joyce, B., Weil, M., & Calhoun, E. (2015). Models of Teaching. Boston: Pearson Education. Ed. 9.

Concepts vs. Facts

The term "concept" and "fact" are often used as synonyms in our society.  However, concepts are abstract ideas that are generalized by specific criteria or evidence, whereas facts are simply bits of true information (Scheuerman, R.).  Concepts require inductive reasoning and inferences, while facts can be memorized just as they are.  This distinction is important to note as educators.  By knowing the difference between concepts and facts educators can teach with concept attainment and memorization models in order to deepen student learning and better inform instructional strategies (Joyce, 2015).  

The concept attainment model provides positive and negative examples of concepts and allows students to make inferences and hypotheses about what qualifies the concepts to be categorized this way.  Then students are encouraged to test these hypotheses by identifying additional unlabeled examples and generating their own examples.  The teacher then facilitates discussion by asking students to describe their thought processes (Joyce, 2015).  This model of teaching allows the educator to gain valuable insight into how their students process information and gives students the opportunity to practice inductive reasoning while categorizing and learning the attributes of new concepts. 

The memorization model focuses on creating associations between previous known information and new facts. Mnemonics, link systems, ridiculous association, and substitute-word systems are all strategies that aid in memorizing facts (Joyce, 2015).  By teaching facts in a way that allows students to create strong associations with sensory images or past experiences, students can better recall the information they learn.  It is also important to note the practicing this recall is essential because memorization takes repetition.  

Clearly, educators can help students learn and retain concepts and facts by practicing these models in their classrooms. 

Sources: 

*Joyce, B., Weil, M., & Calhoun, E. (2015). Models of Teaching. Boston: Pearson Education. Ed. 9.

*Scheuerman, R. (2017). EDU 6526: Survey of Instructional Strategies. (SIS Session 3 Lecture notes on Bloom’s Taxonomy).

ISTE Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

ISTE Standard 1: Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. 

As an educator is in imperative that I design lessons that utilize technology to promote student engagement, creativity, and technological competencies. One way to accomplish this is by creating a project-based music classroom where students are encouraged to explore, research, and compose using technology.  Moreover, the project-based classroom provides experiences that are authentic to 21st century music careers and develops necessary musicianship skills in a way that demonstrates practical application.  The creativity of music composition, video, graphic novel, newsletter, and audio-mixing projects advances student learning.

If I am to utilize these types of projects in my classroom, I must ensure that I support my students by providing instruction and modeling proper use of software programs and web-resources as well as demonstrating academic research practices. By scaffolding student learning in this way, I help my students develop their musicianship and their technology skills and in doing so, foster a more engaged and innovative classroom culture.

Music Standards and Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education is in agreement with the current Washington's State Music Standards.  Her emphasis on drawing connections, engaging students' natural curiosity, and providing context for how a discipline relates to the "real world" is well suited to the music and arts standards.  Let's take a closer look at how her principles apply to each of the four Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs).

1. EALR 1: The student understands and applies arts knowledge and skills in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts.

The language in this learning requirement explains that students must go beyond factual knowledge to the application of that knowledge.  The daily rehearsal process for performing ensemble classes offers students opportunities to apply the concepts they learn in an experiential format.  Therefore, the concepts are not just "fragments of knowledge", but are connected to real life application and skill practice. (Cooper, 2004).

EALR 2: The student uses the artistic processes of creating, performing/presenting, and responding to demonstrate thinking skills in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts.

By requiring that student learning require a creative and experiential process through which students demonstrate their skills and thinking, teachers are able to better engage their students.  Moreover, students feel a greater sense of responsibility for their own learning when they are fully engaged and have opportunities to share their ideas and evidence of learning in a variety of ways.  This standard is in alignment with Mason's beliefs that students should be able to test out their ideas, tap into their imaginations, and synthesize their learning in creative ways.

EALR 3: The student communicates through the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts).

Teaching students how to communicate through the arts enhances their emotional intelligence, expressive capacities, and even engages them spiritually.  Mason would be pleased that this learning requirement focuses on educating the whole child; academically, emotionally, and spiritually.

EALR 4: The student makes connections within and across the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) to other disciplines, life, cultures, and work.

Mason believes strongly that students learn better when they can relate their learning to their life experiences beyond the classroom. This learning requirement demonstrates that principle by focusing on the connections of the arts to real life.

It is safe to say that Mason would feel comfortable implementing these EALRs, as they align with her individual philosophy of education.

* Cooper, E., Anderson, E., Schaeffer, S. McCauley, & others. (2004). When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy For Today.