As I began this class in June of 1998, I had a very basic knowledge of technology. I was familiar with some programs that my school district, Springfield Public School District 186, uses, like Claris Works, Kid Pix, and Word 5.1. I had used some music software in my classroom, but the district has very little to offer. The orientation weekend on the campus of the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign was an eye opening experience. I realized how very little I knew about technology and how to incorporate it into my music classroom. Throughout this course, I have learned that technology has unlocked my potential as a teacher with a new set of keys!
Skills:
Technology Tools to Access, Manipulate, and
Generate Data Do I Feel Comfortable Applying this in My
Classroom or for Personal Use? Additional Features I Need to Learn ClarisWorks 4.0 yes Drawing , database, and newsletter features Power Point no I understand only the basic features. I would like to
fully explore the potential of this program. Microsoft Office 98 no no experience Front Page 1.0 no no experience Encarta 98 yes What I know about this program, I have taught myself. I
would like to have formal instruction. LTV hookup no no training Claris Works for Kids yes none Kid Pix yes none Kid Pix 2 no no experience Kid Pix Studio no no experience Hyperstudio no no experience The Musical World of Professor Piccolo CD-ROM yes none A Little Kid Music yes none Early Music Skills yes none Music Ace yes none Making Music CD-ROM no no experience This program was just recently purchased by the District
186 Fine Arts Department. Autoscore no no experience This program was just recently purchases by the District
186 Fine Arts Department. Musicshop no no experience This program was just recently purchased by the District
186 Music Department. Grady Profile no no experience
There are many programs, indicated in the table above, that could greatly enhance my music instruction. I would like to spend some quality time before school resumes in the fall trying them out.
Communication:
Until I began this course, the only technology communication skills I had were a basic knowledge of e-mail (Eudora) and using Web browsers, such as Yahoo, to search on the Internet. Below are listed the communication tools that have been available to me through this course.
Communication Tools to Access, Manipulate, and
Generate Data Do I Feel Comfortable Applying This Tool in My
Classroom or for Personal Use? Additional Features I Need to Learn Eudora yes none Eudora Pro yes filtering Netscape Communicator 4.05 yes editing feature Claris Home Page yes advanced features Fetch yes none Web Board yes advanced features Chat Rooms no no experience Listservers yes I would like to find a listserv to subscribe to that
centers around using technology in a music classroom Netscape 4.0 yes copying, pasting, and saving graphics Quick Cam no no experience various plug-ins, like Apple QuickTime and RealPlayer no no experience CU-SeeMe no no experience HyperStudio no no experience PowerPoint no I understand only the basic features. I would like to
fully explore the potential of this program. Front Page no no experience Quick Take camera no no experience Flex Cam no no experience JavaScript no no experience Java applets no no experience FileMaker Pro Web Companion no no experience VRML no no experience Macromedia Shockwave no no experience RealAudio/RealVideo no no experience
There are many benefits in which teachers in general and music teachers in particular can benefit from on-line communication. These include:
Music teachers can compose and send mail to other teachers in other cities, states, and countries who are connected to various computer networks. Files, such as musical examples to play for a class, can be transferred from a MIDI file to a computer so that it can be used for a class demonstration. Having access to on-line communication tools can allow teachers of music and other disciplines can share ideas and answer question through electronically transmitted discussion groups. If a music teacher was planning a lesson and needed information on Mozart and the Classical era, articles and lesson plans can be found on-line. Many companies and publishers are turning to on-line avenues of offer their products to consumers. On-line catalogs are popular and it is possible to search music catalogs, view printed music, and listen to sound clips. The on-line world offers a wide range of applications for music educators.
Multimedia:
It is difficult to give a simple definition of multimedia. In the purist sense, multimedia is created when two or more media are used simultaneously. A multimedia presentation is made when more than one medium is used, such as a combination of sound, graphics, text, and/or video. I recently read an advertisement in a music education magazine for a "multimedia" package designed to be used in a general music class. Further reading revealed that the package consisted of a cassette tape, printed materials, and a filmstrip!
Multimedia Tools to Access, Manipulate, and
Generate Data Do I Feel Comfortable Applying This Tool in My
Classroom or for Personal Use? Additional Features I Need to Learn scanner no no experience digital camera no no experience digitizing video no no experience PowerPoint no I understand only the basic features. I would like to
fully explore the potential of this program. ClarisWorks 4.0 yes Drawing , database, and newsletter features Encarta yes What I know about this program, I have taught myself. I
would like to have formal instruction. MIDI no no experience HyerStudio no no experience Microsoft Office 98 no no experience KidPix Slideshow yes advanced features Laser disc no no experience AV computer no no experience
Legalities, Special Needs, and Issues:
Internet Usage by Students:The computers in District 186 with Internet connections are set up so that their "Home Page Location" is the District Web site. <http://www.springfield.k12.il.us> With this configuration, the need to filter what the students are using on the Internet lessens. Students are expected to search topics already created and placed on the school sites.
In preparing my students to use the Internet, I will be much more careful in selecting sites since reading the information for assignments in this course. I will bookmark sites for my classroom and in the future link the best sites to the District home page. The CARS Checklist will be quite helpful to me, as the teacher, in selecting and validating the sites I bookmark.
Special Needs:
An ordinary classroom could present monumental communication problems to students with disabilities. Below are listed examples of disabilities and the page design strategies that could be used by my students.
- Cerebral palsy- There is software designed that permits a student to read a book on computer. The page of text and illustrations appear on the screen alongside a digitized voice that reads the text aloud. A customized chin switch can be used to enter commands.
- Learning disabilities- Software can help display textbook pages on a computer screen. A voice reads aloud as the pertinent text is highlighted on the screen. Students can pull out part of the text into a notepad for later review and look up the definition of any unfamiliar words in an electronic dictionary.
- Speech impairment- Students with speech impairments who are assigned to give oral presentations can compose their remarks ahead of time on the computer, then use a specially designed computer's speech output capability to convey the information.
- Visually impaired- Students can use digitized books that are read aloud electronically. Computer voice systems can make learners more independent.
- Brain injury- Students with minimal muscle control, often due to brain injury, can use a specially designed camera focused on an area where muscle control exists, can assist computer use. For example, a student with only control of the eye muscles could have the computer focus just below the hairline. The eye blinking will activate computer commands.
Helping students with disabilities often requires additional hardware and/or software. Today, few textbooks have been converted into electronic form, and the procedure is costly. For students with disabilities, teachers can customize the learning experience. The pace of the oral reading can be slowed down. The text can be magnified. The system can scan through its options for students who can operate only a single switch. The colors of text and background can also be adjusted to each student's learning preference. Many possibilities exist to assist students with disabilities so they can benefit from the information on the Internet.
In researching issues that pertain to Web access for students with disabilities, I found several Web sites that contain information pertaining to Web access issues for students with disabilities.
- Access.Edu provides the reader with tips for creating accessible Web sites such as making certain that navigational graphics are relevant and easy to read. This site gave hints on using tables on a Web site. For example, screen readers often have difficulty reading tables and could read across columns instead of down columns. For this reason, a table could be difficult for a person with severe dyslexia or visual disabilities to use. Size of font used in a table could pose a difficulty to students who need the font enlarged. Often the table cell information will run over into the next cell and make the table difficult to read. Alternate text for images and imagemaps was discussed. When the image loader is turned off and Lynx, a text-based browser, is used, the reader will not know if the missing image was important or decorative. This site also lists tools that are valuable in making Web sites more accessible. Bobby is a free service that analyzes single Web pages for this accessibility to people with disabilities. Bobby will also examine a page's HTML to see if it is compatible with various Web browsers or HTML specifications. Lynx-View allows you to check what your Web page layout looks like in Lynx, a text browser. TOM: The Text Only Maker will convert your graphical Web pages into "text only" pages or "graphics with alternate text".
- WAI Accessibility Guidelines: Page Authoring is a Web site that discusses and lists markup guidelines that HTML authors can follow in order to make their pages more accessible for people with disabilities and more useful to indexing robots. Also included in the document is a checklist that page authors can use to verify page accessibility This document is part of a series of accessibility documents published by the Web Accessibility Initiative. I especially found interesting the "Good Web Site Design Practices" section. The material in this numbered list provides guidelines that can further improve accessibility. Many links to other articles and sites are provided at this site.
- Apple Computer has a line of products that can make using an Apple computer more accessible for students with disabilities. "Universal Access" can be installed directly from the Mac OS8 installation CD or can be downloaded from the Web site. It is a control panel extension which contains a set of keyboarding utilities. These utilities assist people who might otherwise have difficulties using the keyboard or mouse. Other products available from Apple include CloseView, a utility included in every Macintosh, which enables users to magnify screen contents up to 16 times. This allows for easier viewing by users who are visually impaired.
- Simtech Publications specializes in HyperStudio-based software for people with disabilities. They have designed single switch software to assist children with physical disabilities. These children are often unable to control the mouse or use the keyboard so most software is inaccessible to them. If they can press and release a single switch with any part of their body, they can gain access to software that is specifically designed for that type of input.
Legal and Ethical Issues:
Schools have a significant responsibility with regard to legal and ethical issues. Through modeling adherence to such legal and ethical issues as censorship, copyright, security, and fraud and through direct instruction, schools can teach students to respect the intellectual property of others. The ease with which the technology allows certain actions contributes to misuse of its capabilities.
I feel that creating carefully chosen bookmarks for my students to use on the Internet is the most effective way to approach these issues with my students. I only see students for music instruction twice a week for thirty minutes each session. Going in-depth on most of these issues would confuse most of the elementary students I teach. I feel, however, that my students need to be aware of these issues.
Acceptable Use Policies:
An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) blends a school or district's policies for selecting instructional materials. It also defines acceptable use of electronic information and minimizes institutional liability. It is a good idea, when writing the AUP to work with a broad school community. The greater the involvement of appropriate stakeholders, such as teachers, students, parents, administrators and staff, the grater the likelihood of ownership and adherence to the policy. In writing a AUP, the basic elements should include an introduction that explains what the AUP covers and the reasons for having it. It should identify who is covered by the policy, provide specific examples of acceptable and unacceptable use, along with potential consequences for violations. The process for reporting inappropriate use should also be clearly states in the policy. Teachers will be most responsible for implementing and enforcing AUPs, so they should not just be compliant with the policies, but understand the concepts sufficiently to guide their students.
Evaluation:
Performance-based Tests:Traditionally, schools have tested low level skills and fact-based knowledge. To be competitive in the next century, schools will need to demand more of their students. Students will need to increase their use and skill in critical thinking, communicating with others, and managing their time. Assessments will need to be designed to elicit thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. Because it's difficult to test a lot of these thinking skills with a multiple-choice test, alternative or performance-based tests should be developed. As an elementary music teacher, I have very little experience in this area.Portfolios:
I would like to investigate the possibilities of using portfolios in the elementary music classroom. On the average, I see over 600 students a week at two or three different schools. This systematic and organized collection of a student's work is an area that could include some self-reflection by the student.Issues in Assessment:
I recently visited the Web site of the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory and found a list of points to consider when assessing testing practices in your school and classroom.
- Ensuring Equity with Alternative Assessments
- Rethinking Assessment and Its Role in Supporting Educational Reform
- Integrating Assessment and Instruction in Ways That Support Learning
- Reporting Assessment Results
- Assessing Young Children's Progress Appropriately
Other Assessment Tools:
On a recent Web Board, mention was made of qualitative and quantitative techniques is assessment. I have very little background knowledge in this area and would like to see it explored further. During this same chat, the topic of research designs to be used to collect information on how well groups may be doing compared to others was mentioned. I know nothing about this and am eager to learn more in future classes.Assessment Web Sites:
Return to Lynn Gilmore's Home Page.
Submitted: July 2, 1998