Weeks 11-12

Integrated Lesson

Summary of Context

1.  This integrated lesson is part of a music technology unit, which involves music notation software like Finale and Sibelius, as well as DAW and recording software like Pro Tools and Logic.  This lesson and activity is the introduction to the creation and mixing capabilities in Logic.

2.

            - The purpose of this learning activity is to expose students to the audio production side of recorded music, as an escape from the performance side of music normally addressed in the classroom.

            - This learning activity will support student creativity, appreciation for a new area of music production, as well as encouragement and motivation to continue pursuing music, through both fun and the opportunity to share their creation with others.

            - This learning activity supports the rest of the unit by helping to give students a well-rounded exposure to the different styles of production software on the market, as well as experience in the creative and compositional side of electronic music, unique to software like Logic.  It also gives students the chance to share their music with a larger audience by embedding their musical creation on their blog.

3. 

- By the end of this activity, students will be able to: comfortably navigate and utilize different mixing and editing tools in the Logic software, listen and think critically in analyzing examples of the mixing and production professional or commercial level music, and use the slideshare website to create a podcast and embed it to their blog with a response following.

- This activity supports the objective because it is directly related to content.  The activity can’t be done unless the students possess the tools necessary to complete the task, and these tools are only received through the instruction.

Substance of the Lesson/Activity

4.

            - Students will be using “Logic,” a Digital Audio Workstation, or DAW software.  They will also use the slideshare website to create a podcast, and post it to a blog.

            - Logic will be used in this lesson because it is the basis of the lesson itself.  However, using the slideshare website to create a podcast and embedding it to a blog is used to expand the four walls of the classroom.  It gives more purpose and motivation to each student to product a final product that they are proud enough of to share with a larger audience than just their teacher.

            - Students will need to learn how to use the basic functions of Logic, a music technology software.  They will also need to learn how to create a podcast, and how to embed something to their blog.  It is assumed that the students have prior knowledge in, and know how to use and maintain the blog itself from earlier units.

5.

            -5 days are required for this lesson. Ideally, Monday through Friday.

On Monday, students will become acclimated to the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) called “Logic.”  They will be instructed on basic menu items, their functions, and they will be given a “cheat-sheet” handout of shortcut keystrokes.  Students will then be given some time to explore the program on their own; to see if they can figure some new things out and also to attain a general comfort level with what was already taught. 

On Tuesday, students will be given an audio file to import into Logic.  First, the students will engage in a listening exercise.  A professional studio recording of a popular genre of music will be played, and students will be asked to take note of any editing that they hear involving panning, fading, and automation. They will attempt to identify where each instrument is in the “spectrum.”  For example, they will identify that the guitar is placed more in the left speaker, and the tambourine is all the way to the right (panning).  Maybe they will notice that the end of the song fades out (fading).  Maybe there will be an apparent volume shift at one point in the song, causing the lead voice to drop into the back of the “spectrum” (automation).  They will then be taught how to edit in Logic, using three basic tools: panning, fading, and automation.  Students will be asked to practice those tools with the audio file that they imported.

On Wednesday (extending into Thursday), students will be taught how to use Logic as a creation, or composition tool as opposed to only an editing tool.  Students will be provided with a bank of “loops” (musical phrases, usually one measure long, that can be infinitely repeated) from Logic’s collection.  Using at least 10 loops on at least 4 tracks, they will arrange them in whatever way they choose to create their own musical composition.  If students finish their composition early, they can begin Thursday’s assignment.  If students do not finish their composition, they can finish it up on Thursday.

On Thursday, the assignment is to edit the composition from Wednesday.  Students will have to use each of the three basic tools at least two times in their editing.

On Friday, students will be guided through the process of creating an account on slideshare.com.  They will be taught how to export the final product of their musical composition as an mp3 file, and then how to make a podcast out of it on slideshare.com.  They will then be asked to embed the podcast to their already existing blogs, and write a blog entry describing their composition and why they made the decisions they did regarding the placement and use of each of the loops and editing tools.  This will give students the ability to have their music heard by a greater audience, thus expanding the walls of the classroom.

Assessment

6.

            - The following rubric will be used to assess student achievement of the learning objectives:

Element	Point Value
10 loops	10
4 tracks	10
2 instances of panning	10
2 instances of fading	10
2 instances of automation	10
Slideshare account and Podcast	10
Blog post with embedded podcast and description of musical composition and editing	20
Obvious effort put into creating a musically cohesive product	20
Total:	100

  

          

Other than successful completion of the tasks outlined in the rubric, my criteria of success would be the positive response from the students involved in the activity, as well as their interest in continuing to learn about technology and its relationship to music production and publicity.

            - An analysis of the final product from each student (using the rubric as a guide) will make it very easy to tell if the students accomplished the learning goals I set out for them.  The creation and mixing assignment acts as a summative assessment.  Therefore, students would not be able to complete the task at hand without accomplishing the learning goals, which were to simply have a strong handle on the technology and to use it in a musical and creative way.

Week 10

I have read many articles on bullying for a number of my classes, as it is an ever-present and growing issue, whose consequences cannot be ignored.  Sexting is in the same category, in the sense that it results in bullying, and therefore has the same consequences, sometimes suicide.  The reason I bring up bullying is that in many of the articles I have read, I've noticed a common theme.  No matter how much the schools WANT to change the situation, the fact of the matter is, they really can't.  It is often too hard to get concrete evidence enough to single out a student who has done something wrong in these areas (even though as a teacher, most of the time you most likely know who it could be).  It is also a hairy issue with the law.  Are there laws against these things?  As the one video said, New Jersey has started to explore some of these things, but sexting is still such a new problem, that I'm sure it'll take some time to iron out the legislation.  The bottom line is that you'd be hard pressed to find someone... let me rephrase that. You'd be hard pressed to find an adult who would say sexting is not wrong, however, what can really be done to prevent it?

All you can do as a teacher, or an administrator, or as a collective group of faculty members, is respond to your responsibility and teach the responsible use of technology.  Teach about the issues of privacy, safety, and even the legal aspects.  However, like I said, it's not really going to change the whole culture.  Things like bullying and sexting are too big to take on successfully and in complete victory.  Maybe you'll save some, which is enough reason to implement instruction and pay attention to, but we cannot go home with the students and monitor their every move.  It is my belief that issues like sexting are to be taken care of primarily at home by the parents.  I do believe that schools should teach on and address these issues, as well as adequately informing the parents.  It is also a strategic and political tactic too, unfortunately, but schools need to cover themselves so that no one can say "you never did anything to prevent these things from happening."  However, any instruction in school should be done to supplement the instruction and maintenance given at home.

Week 9

What is fair use? ............I guess I don't really know judging by my quiz score of 55%.  When that video said that it is "slippery," they really were not kidding.  I have to admit, I'm a little nervous now as a teacher, and especially as a music teacher.  I already knew a little bit about the copyright laws with regard to sheet music, audio recordings, and performances, but now I can see that it's even more slippery than I previously thought.  I guess the main thing to keep in mind is if the work is being used for instructional use.  Also, I know that many schools, and I am sure of this at the college level, pay a flat annual fee to BMI and/or ASCAP (2 of the biggest performance rights organizations) so that they are covered when it comes to their music departments' performances.  They just have to make sure they submit a list, called the copyright report, with all the music that was performed so that the composers of the music get paid accordingly.

Week 8

Here is the link to the example I chose:
http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/lessons/lp0004.html
"Color Story" - students practice color words with a word processing program.


The main standard used in this example with regard to teacher skills is 2.A from the NETS for Teachers.  In this example, a simple, relevant learning experience, such as using color words, incorporated digital tools and resources as an aid.

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:

a.	design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

My Level of Technology Integration:

I don't know that I am at the "Transformation" Level yet, but I can say that I probably started somewhere around "Adoption" and have reached "Infusion." I can definitely utilize technology tools to complete a task at hand, select appropriate forms of technology to complete those tasks and to facilitate collaborative learning.  The evidence for this newfound comfort level with technology integration can be seen in the fact that I, along with the rest of the class, have been able to use various forms of technology to complete tasks (slide shows, slide casts, etc)  and to collaborate with each other through our blogs.

Week 7

A recording of the Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass parts, played on MIDI keyboard in GarageBand to be used as a practicing tool for the choir.  This will help students to be prepared for the upcoming Winter Choir Concert, as they will be able to have an accurate recording to practice from at their convenience.

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Week 6 Task 1

As a music teacher, comments like this never fail to make me worry about one day losing a music program:  "Inevitably, putting a priority on skills pushes other subjects, including history, literature, and the arts, to the margins. But skill-centered, knowledge-free education has never worked." (Ravitch).  I do agree that schooling needs to look different in the 21st century, however I think the advocates for 21st century skills implementation can take it to an extreme.  For example, "Every aspect of our education system -- preK-12, postsecondary and adult education, after-school and youth development, workforce development and training, and teacher preparation programs -- must be aligned to prepare citizens with the 21st century skills they need to compete." (Mathews).  Why every aspect?  Aren't there as least SOME things in traditional education that still hold any weight?  I really don't think my education was that bad at preparing me for the 21st century that every aspect of it needs to change.


If schooling is supposed to "prepare students with skills and knowledge," as Professor Bigsby said, then why is there a push to seemingly neglect the knowledge part.  I guess what I'm saying is that I agree with most of the blogs that I've read.  Everything in moderation seems to be agreed upon.  I don't have a problem with new things being implemented, but not by abandoning everything about the way things have been done in education thus far.

Week 6 Task 2

It was very eye opening when Sir Ken Robinson said that "the children entering school today are the people who will be retiring in the year 2065."  I never thought about it that way, though it is something so obvious if I were to just stop and think about it.  How are we supposed to educate them for such an unknown future?  Like Sir Ken Robinson said shortly after that first comment, "we don't even know what 5 years from now is going to look like."

I guess it comes down to the main point of his speech: "Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status."  If we do not foster student creativity, how will they be the innovators of the future?  It is very important to set them up with the skills that will propel us into the future, and one could argue even more so than it is to educate them in the areas that are important for today.    Of course there is room for this in schooling.