Blog Assignment #2

Seanne Danielak
2/4/11
EDU 590- Blog Post #2
Professor: Mr. Bruce Umpstead

          

           I was recently asked to list the strategy which would best suit my technology and non-technology lessons for my EDU 590 class. It is quite evident that, given the dynamic of the class in which I teach, cooperative learning is a perfect fit. *“Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement. Students work through the assignment until all group members successfully understand and complete it.” This basically sums up what an individual’s responsibility is in a concert band, but how do we make sure that this goal is attained?
           A topic that is widely discussed (especially among those that I work with on a daily basis) is differentiated instruction. Teaching to various learning styles is quite a challenge and I feel that it is a difficult task as a band director because it is frequent to teach everyone at the same pace, in the same way. Through the reading of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works as well as attempting to implement new strategies involving technology in my classroom, I will be allowing my students to utilize the Smart Music program. This use of technology will assist them in my classroom because those students who are auditory learners will be able to hear the piece of music being performed correctly first, before they listen to the student next to them playing it incorrectly, resulting in a “burned” memorization of something dreadful. Also, by using Smart Music, I will be able to allow students in the near future to record themselves as individuals for a grade. This will give them a chance to hear themselves perform, and it will also give me the opportunity to listen to them as well on days that I simply cannot fit it into the lesson.
            I enjoyed reading about the benefits of technology use very much in this course’s book. I especially thought that the idea of clearly articulating the goals before the use of technology was interesting as well as the authors’ support for its role in cooperative learning. Student-centered instruction is an idea that I have fostered throughout my teaching career thus far and I am excited that the integration of technology can also be helpful towards that goal. Also, while reading the question about “which strategies will help students to practice, review, and apply learning” in the Pitler/Hubbell/Kuhn/Malenowski book, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that this question is ALWAYS at the forefront of my mind when planning a lesson any day. The answer is clear now. Using the cooperative learning strategy will not only help me attain my goal with my students, but it will also allow my students to work together more than ever.
             

* “Cooperative Learning”. Web. < http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/cooperativelearning.htm>