Week 10

Syllabus

Week 8

My first assessment would be conducted early on in the course and its purpose would be to determine the strengths and weaknesses of my students and their particular learning styles. I would ask that they complete a Memletics Learning Styles Assessment similar to the Multiple Intelligences quiz. I found a site that offers this and allows for group membership where I can view my students' results combined as a graphic representation. This assessment is available here Click Here for Assessment
and I would ask that the students share their results via my email at nwildes@csusb.edu or print as pdf and send the pdf file to my email account.

I also created an example of an assessment that I might administer midway through the course to gauge the prior knowledge of my students. I created a pdf quiz that can be completed and submitted electronically, however I am unsure how to embed this file within the blog, so I just copied and pasted the original content below for now. 



1.    True or False? An open hi-hat generally has a longer duration than a closed hi-hat.
True        False

2.    True or False? Compressors were originally used to lower peaks of a signal in order to avoid distortion.
True        False

3.     The term syncopation refers to:

A.    Fluctuation in pitch   B.  Looping of a phrase   C.  Pattern of a rhythm   D.  Scale

4.    The bass’s most important function is:

A.    Play chord roots   B.  Draw focus away from the motif   C.  Compliment the snare   D.  Accompany vocals

5.    Which of the following is not considered a percussion sound?

A.   Shaker   B.   Cabasa   C.   Snare   D.   Kick   E.   Viola

6.    True or False? The motif is usually the memorable part of the melody.
True        False

7.    Another name for the chorus is:

A.   Sing along   B.   Lead vocal   C.   Hook   D.   Sample   E.   Acapella

8.    What does BPM stand for?

A.   Bass Parameter Modulation   B.   Bring Plenty Money   C.   Beats Per Minute   D.   Bi-Polar Musician

9.    What is the typical frequency range for bass?

A.   8000-10,000 Hz   B.   800-5000 Hz   C.   5000-8000 Hz   D.   40-200 Hz   E.   10,000-20,000 Hz

10.     True or False? Sustain is the velocity of note.
 True        False

11.     True or False? The scale below is an example of E Aeolian.
 True        False

      

    
12.    Which of the following is not an example of a scale?

A.   G Euphranian   B.   F Phrygian   C.   D Aeolian   D.   D Dorian




This quiz would be one of five assessments that would account for a quarter of the overall grade. This particular quiz is based on twelve questions totalling 100%. Each question is worth 1.2 points out of twelve or 8 1/3 % out of 100%.

Week 7

Week 6

My Multiple Intelligence Quiz results showed my strengths being evenly distributed between the following three learning styles: Bodily/kinesthetic, logical/mathematical and musical. It would be difficult to incorporate activities that support the kinesthetic learning style within an online course. It would also be a challenge to integrate the logical/mathematical learning style into a course design. For the afore mentioned learning styles, I really think that it is up to the learner to adapt the content to their particular learning strengths. The Seeing, Hearing, and Doing Quiz results show that I am predominantly a hearing based learner. Knowing this now, I think that content presented in any auditory form of would increase my understanding, including: podcasts, synchronous chats with audio, PowerPoint’s with voiceovers, video's with audio etc. These test results reaffirm the previous beliefs that I’ve had about my own learning tendencies. In the past when I’ve had to memorize large amounts of information, I would either visualize it or incorporate it into a story or song that rhymed, making it easier to recall.

As an instructor of an online course, I would anticipate a fairly wide range of students with different learning styles and levels prior knowledge. Upon first contact, I would make sure that students had a clear picture of the course including: What will be covered, what will be expected from the students, what the students can expect from me, what technology and tools they will need and or be expected to know how to use, and the course layout (timeline, due dates, submission processes and grading procedures). This way, there are no surprises and the students that may have issues can contact me to resolve them before the instruction begins. One of the primary reasons why I elected to utilize a learner-directed design approach is that it would allow for some flexibility. I could start with just the basic concepts and modify the content to suit the students’ needs as I become aware of them. I would invite students to share information from their past experiences as it pertains to the content being covered. This way I could provide individualized feedback including recommendations on what may work best to optimize the learning experience for all involved. If an instance occurred where a student was struggling to grasp concepts due to either their learning style or lack of prior knowledge, I could assess the situation based on feedback and provide some alternatives. One example would be if a student were struggling with comprehending the content presented in a slideshow format. In such a case, I could also make the content available as a podcast or apply it to a real life case scenario and ask the student to conceptualize it and engage in an activity that requires collaborating with fellow students.

In order to establish classroom management rules, I would set very clear guidelines for my class. Though the instructions or content of the course may vary, there would be no deviation of my expectations from start to finish. The structure of the course would be set from day one so that there would be no discrepancies on what is expected. I would do this via a synchronous session where I would discuss the syllabus, class rules, ect. I would then make sure that everyone had a clear understanding of how the course would be managed as well as how and when to contact me if any issues or concerns should arise.

I think that my main objective as an instructor would be to establish an open learning environment where no one is hesitant to participate due to his or her background and or lack of prior knowledge. I would strive to ensure that everyone was comfortable with the course and promote a positive and encouraging educational experience. I would set the tone of the course in the initial synchronous meeting as well as through feedback and group discussions. I would also ask that students make a point of interacting with different class members from week to week so that they would become more familiar with one another. Once I was able to make some distinctions based on the different backgrounds and experience levels, I would group the students accordingly and task them to complete projects that require extensive cooperation from all group members. At the conclusion of the project, I would ask that each member provide some sort of positive feedback for all members of their team. I would then open up the discussion for constructive feedback amongst all groups. My hope would be that by assigning a brief group project or possibly introducing a new form of technology early in the course, I could build a sense of unity or teamwork within the class from the beginning that would perpetuate throughout the course.

Week 5

If I were tasked to teach a new online course, I would start by determining my target group. I would consider all of the information that I had available pertaining to my students and plan my approach accordingly. If I did not have much to go by, I would formulate a fairly extensive assessment and present it to my students in the first week. The data that I would hope to obtain includes: cognitive abilities, personal backgrounds, career paths/career goals, attitudes and interests, experience with the technologies that could be utilized and what their expectations are for the course.

If it were a small group of students, I would opt to use more individualized instruction designed to promote communication between students and the instructor. In event of a larger group, I would divide the class into subgroups for better manageability of class discussions and group projects. Next I would look at the level of comprehension in the subject matter being taught. If I had a broad range, I would assign more group projects and match the more advanced students up with those who were the least knowledgeable. If the assessment showed a high level of understanding, then I would go into more detail within particular areas of the content and increase the pace that the topics were covered within each module. If the results showed a low overall level of understanding, my focus would be more on the basic concepts; instruction would be delivered at a slower pace and would be more generalized. The information derived from the personal interests and career goals assessment would help establish discussion topics and projects.

I would already have the basic skeleton of my course established based on the key principles of the content and the goals that I have for the students. I would adopt a variation of the learner-directed design approach. Students would be granted the freedom to choose between several options within modules, however I would keep the content linear. Requirements would be placed on student feedback, due dates and participation. Goals would be assigned to each module and students would be tested at the conclusion of each module to assess the module’s effectiveness. Lesson plans would be broken up into sections containing various resources/information supporting the content as well as student goals. I would make a conscious effort not to rely too much on technology, but would integrate a balanced mix of technological resources. For each media used to convey the content, I would have an alternate means of achieving the instructional goals in place.

In summary, I would first focus on addressing Foley’s basic principles of good instructional design based on the target audience, the content or subject matter and the desired outcomes. I would be sure to provide clear guidelines to my students and do my best to facilitate meaningful collaboration. Optional assignments would be available based on students’ feedback and the desired outcomes for the course. Goals would be set from module to module and constant feedback would be gathered and the information resulting from formative evaluations would serve as the basis for the development of future lessons.

Week 4_Web 2.0

I don’t really subscribe to any social networking sites or blogs for personal use outside of education. At one stage in my life I did maintain a Myspace and a Facebook site, but they ended up being more of a distraction than anything else. Of the commonly used Web 2.0 technologies, I use Youtube the most often. It is a great resource to learn something fast and easy. I use it to view and save tutorials on various complex software applications that I use in my business. Having a step-by- step video to reference and walk you through an unfamiliar process is very effective. I also use the embed feature to display videos on other sites or share them with my peers.

Despite the fact that I don’t use social networking sites often, I can see enormous potential for educational use. If a single class was set up as an online community to where classmates could exchange information freely, it would bring us that much closer to an actual face-to-face classroom experience online. There are several resources available online that have functions that I can foresee eventually revolutionizing online learning. Some examples are Voicethread’s capability for multiple users to document comments or feedback on specific media, Yacpack’s voice group configuration, Dimdim’s mood icon feature, hosting privileges, and ability to share screens, Talkshoe’s call in features and Skype’s video conferencing. If a developer could take the standout features of each of these systems and incorporate them into an online learning community similar to a social networking site, the possibilities would be mind-boggling.

As the capabilities of online learning tools expand, so too does the online learning community. It won’t be long before the number of online courses offered surpass that of face-to-face classes at the college level. With the advent of more online courses utilizing new technology, issues will arise that professors and administrators will face for the first time. With this in mind, it will be crucial that educators stay up to date on the trends and advancements of technology to ensure that provisions are in place to keep the students and E-learning on the right path.

Week 3

Does the media utilized to deliver educational content have a bearing on the impact or level of understanding for the learner? The answer is unquestionably yes. Anytime you change the format or delivery of information and the matter in which it is presented or accessed, there will be differences in the way the viewer perceives this information as well as how the information is recorded, processed and retained.

Imagine viewing a paper document presenting content in one giant block of black text. Lets assume this content was explaining the components of a car engine and how to troubleshoot certain mechanical issues. Not only would it be unappealing, it would be difficult to read. The human eye would be overwhelmed with the amount of information and this would have a direct impact on the learner’s comprehension. Now lets envision the same content presented in an instructional video complete with actual step-by-step footage of the engine and its separate components. Here the learner is able to digest the information audibly & visually.

Clark makes the analogy that media is like a vehicle that delivers the content and argues that the content is delivered regardless of the type of vehicle. The content may or may not be delivered depending upon the media, but the real question is the overall effectiveness of the content and the efficiency of the delivery. If you need information immediately, would you choose to have it shipped on a ship or would you choose airmail? The fact of the matter is that the resources at our disposal today were not taken into account when Clark made this claim. He could not have foreseen the technology that is now commonly used in today’s society.

Computers have increased the potential possibilities in almost every aspect of life, so why wouldn’t it be the same for education? With all of the demands on the modern student, they need the content delivered as promptly and efficiently as possible. They also need this content to be accessible and versatile. This is not possible in a face-to-face class where your primary media is your instructor’s lectures, textbooks, and paper handouts and or notes. With a well-designed online course, the computer is your media and you have total access to all of the content and can retrieve this content at any time. This way you are able to learn at the pace that best suits you.

Our text states that several recent studies indicate a “significantly higher achievement level for those learning at a distance.” One such study conducted by Souder in which the focus of the study was interaction and achievement in distance learning concluded that the distance learners were “…observed to gain much more than a traditional education from their experiences.” Though the text also states that successful distance learners tend to be “intrinsically motivated”, learner characteristics are a common variable. Different media can also affect a learner’s attitude and motivation towards learning.

In summary, the media used to convey content have a considerable bearing on a learner’s understanding. The quality of the content, the learner’s characteristics and subject area also play major roles. For example, the text mentions that, “Visual channels may be more important in subject areas such as math and science…” The bottom line is that communication is the single most essential component of the learning environment and inherent in every distinct form of media is a dissimilar degree of communication.