My OperaAssessment and Music Technology
Tuesday, February 1, 2005 9:10:34 PM
Curriculum design is an important component of a successful classroom. When trying to utilize technology in the music classroom, particularly in a performance based music classroom where directors express limited time to "sacrifice" for music technology projects, it is important to make the lesson plans as effective and valid as possible. Therefore, rather than simply taking token time to say one taught music technology, designing a well-planned curriculum is important. A yearly spiral curriculum where small, well-planned (meaning attentive to end goals, assessments, and methodology), music technology units or projects incrementally develop students' abilities would seem of litle imposition but of great relevance to overall learning in a school. Music educators must attend to their place in the overall learning of their students.
I did not begin my teaching career in an environment of written records of grades tabulated by calculator or by hand. There was evidence that, at the commencment of my teaching career in 1995, that this was just about to be phased out. Teacher marksheets were innovations that I was fortunate to use my first year (and since). Grade reporting was facilitated and efficient, and students could see more than just an end grade. They were able to monitor assignments and see weightings. Their learning was enhanced by greater information. I completely agree in thorough assessments where the student learns from their report. Although up front planning time is greater in creating rubrics, marking on rubrics is no more difficult than a rating scale. The imporant key however, is that when the rubric is in the hands of the student they have (a) a better idea of what to put into their work, and (b) what to do to improve their work in the future. Technology has facilitated, and will continue to facilitate, more effective and efficient methods of assessment and grade reporting/recording.
I can see some immediate benefits to education. Efficiency is primary. I would, however, like to see research done on how the computer has improved music instruction and if it has detracted from music instruction in any way. The argument is that taking time away from a performance ensemble rehearsal time is detrimental to music learning, and that learning technology is better left to the computer classroom. A review of the literature would probably be a good endeavor. For example, the assessment article talked about how great it was that research was finding that music teachers were integrating music technology more. Looking at the references of our articles I find little JRME, CME, or Dissertation type research. We seem to be taking it for granted that technology is a wave of the present and future, businesses will be using it more, and that somehow teaching it in the music classroom is important. In my past blogs I don't doubt this. I do not doubt that using notation software and sequencing software can develop other aspects of musicianship, and that performance is not the be-all and end-all of a complete education. I am certainly not one to advocate competitions. However, I have not personally seen the research (in any focused reading) on this trend, and merely hope to when my eyes, wits, and time will allow.
I did not begin my teaching career in an environment of written records of grades tabulated by calculator or by hand. There was evidence that, at the commencment of my teaching career in 1995, that this was just about to be phased out. Teacher marksheets were innovations that I was fortunate to use my first year (and since). Grade reporting was facilitated and efficient, and students could see more than just an end grade. They were able to monitor assignments and see weightings. Their learning was enhanced by greater information. I completely agree in thorough assessments where the student learns from their report. Although up front planning time is greater in creating rubrics, marking on rubrics is no more difficult than a rating scale. The imporant key however, is that when the rubric is in the hands of the student they have (a) a better idea of what to put into their work, and (b) what to do to improve their work in the future. Technology has facilitated, and will continue to facilitate, more effective and efficient methods of assessment and grade reporting/recording.
I can see some immediate benefits to education. Efficiency is primary. I would, however, like to see research done on how the computer has improved music instruction and if it has detracted from music instruction in any way. The argument is that taking time away from a performance ensemble rehearsal time is detrimental to music learning, and that learning technology is better left to the computer classroom. A review of the literature would probably be a good endeavor. For example, the assessment article talked about how great it was that research was finding that music teachers were integrating music technology more. Looking at the references of our articles I find little JRME, CME, or Dissertation type research. We seem to be taking it for granted that technology is a wave of the present and future, businesses will be using it more, and that somehow teaching it in the music classroom is important. In my past blogs I don't doubt this. I do not doubt that using notation software and sequencing software can develop other aspects of musicianship, and that performance is not the be-all and end-all of a complete education. I am certainly not one to advocate competitions. However, I have not personally seen the research (in any focused reading) on this trend, and merely hope to when my eyes, wits, and time will allow.
