The Promise of PodcastingMENC Music Education Week

June 21, 2009

Presented byElizabeth Fritz and Susan Thomas

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Mandate: • Provide more field experiences earlier in the music education curriculum

• Expose students to diverse settingsChallenges:

• URI is in a geographic location that makes it difficult for students to travel to a variety of settings.

• Dense curriculum• Students’ schedules

Solution:Bring master teachers to the students via podcasts and video podcasts

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Creating Content• Purchased Mini-DV camera made by Panasonic.

• Firewire connection (essential for editing with iMovie)

• External microphone jack• Filmed school classes taught by master teachers (2-3 classes per teacher)• High School Band• High School Orchestra• Middle School Band• Elementary School Chorus• Elementary School General Music• Private Instruction

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Creating Content• Grant provided teacher stipend for participation.

• Parents of students in the classes filmed all signed video release form• One copy of signed form kept by URI Music

Department

• One copy kept by Master Teacher

• Video edited using iMovie• Minimal editing

• Videos not “entertainment”, but an accurate representation of class situation.

• Created journal tasks for URI students

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Disseminating Content• URI has a dedicated server for podcasts

• iTunes University - when students are registered for a course, new podcast episodes are automatically downloaded to their iTunes.• Other options

• Create a Blog through a site such as www.blogger.com• Videos hosted through Google videos

• Upload Videos to www.YouTube.com: viewers can subscribe through RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed.• Other Video/Blog hosting sites

• www.onetruemedia.com/ Videos hosted through YouTube• www.teachertube.com/

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Other considerations….

• Copyright - a murky area. Always try to get permission from the publisher before posting podcasts of copyrighted music.

• Great resource - The Teacher's Guide to Music, Media, and Copyright Law by Dr. James Frankel• Available through Amazon.com, Hal Leonard, Soundtree, etc.

• Companion website: www.copyrightbook.net.• Teachers can post questions about appropriate use of copyrighted materials.

• Privacy - be cautious when posting student work online.

• Some public sites such as OneTrueMedia and Blogger allow you to password protect your content.

Disseminating Content

• Podcasts uploaded to URI server on a password protected site• Students given the password to the site in

classes using the podcasts

Disseminating Content

•Podcasts piloted in MUS 235 - Intro to Music Teaching (sophomore level) and MUS 340 - Instrumental Methods and Materials (junior level)

• Instructors assigned podcast viewing and written assignments

• Instructors evaluated podcast journals

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Sample Podcast Excerpt

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Student Assessment Tasks

• Download password-protected podcast• View podcast and take field notes or “map the rehearsal”

• Write a journal entry that demonstrates thoughtful reflection and understanding of principles of music teaching and learning; answer focus questions included in the podcast

• Submit journal to TrueOutcomes electronic portfolio for instructor assessment

Instructor Survey Results

Advantages

• Everyone saw the same lesson which made discussing teaching points easier

• Students watched the podcast more than once

• Today’s students are used to getting information in this way

• Convenience - no need to travel, downloadable to be watched anytime

• Written work was impressive

Disadvantages

• Viewers can only see what the camera saw - one cannot see what is going on in other areas of the classroom

• Viewers don’t pick up the room dynamic in the same way - a sense of space is lost

Student Survey ResultsStudents completed a survey questionnaire.

Advantages• Convenience; repeated viewing; discuss same

observation with peers; skip parts; not have to drive; watch when I want to

• Takes you outside the rehearsal which allows you to see some things you might not have noticed actually there

• You can be more objective and not get lost in the moment as easily

• Student behavior is more genuine, sometimes they act differently with us being there

• Shows the best teachers

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Student Survey Results

Disadvantages

• Size of video file

• Pick up less information; can’t move around the room

• Real time is hands-on: ask teacher Qs personally; establish connections w/ teacher & students; establish relationships

• You’re robbing yourself of the human aspect of life which is occurring way too much in our society

• It is less authentic; you will feel differently when you have real students in front of you

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Student Survey Overall Impressions

• Useful

• Prefer shorter assignments (sometimes we write the same things)

• Important to spend time in actual classroom, but for a few assignments it worked well

• I love them. But I would only use them for observation

• They were a nice change

• They should be integrated with a few real observations

• It’s less distracting because the students aren’t in the room with me

• Both observations are very different and you get different things out of each

• I like being in the classroom & being able to look around and see what is going on

• Enjoyable, but very easy for procrastination if not careful

• Excellent supplement to real-time

• I’m planning on using some of what I saw in my own teaching

This presentation may be viewed at

www.slideshare.net/technomouse

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