Here is the proposal we originally sent to Microsoft in April 2009:
2009 Microsoft Canada Innovative Teacher Awards Application
Section 1 - Project Overview
Which tool does your project use?
We plan to use the Zune MP3 player and the Zune Marketplace.
Which category does the project fit into the best? Community, Cooperation, Curriculum
This project meets the curriculum expectations for junior level music students through a cooperative project between classes. This builds community between all participants.
Please complete the following:
A. Title: Portable Music
B. Authors: Nathan Toft and Jane Smith
C. Schools: A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary School
South March Public School
D. Subject areas: Music, Media Literacy
E. Grades: 4, 5, 6
F. Objectives:
1. Read and perform music for recorder
2. Compose, notate, collaborate and share the creation of recorder music
3. Become proficient at recording and manipulating sound using audio editing software
4. Use web tools for sharing and collaborating on musical projects.
5. Collaborate to create original music.
G. Project description
This project will link Nathan Toft’s grade 5 classroom at A. Lorne Cassidy E.S. with Jane Smith’s grade 5 classroom at South March Public School.
Using the video and audio capabilities of the Zune and Zune Marketplace, this project is intended to support ongoing recorder instruction taking place in both classes.
The two classrooms will connect through the internet to work on a series of musical projects. Students will use tools including the Zune player and Zune Marketplace to work through the projects and document their progress on their class blogs.
Student compositions will also be showcased on special music episodes on our existing student produced Portable Radio podcast. These podcasts and compositions will be downloaded to the Zune players and also made available on the Zune Marketplace.
The culminating activity will be the creation of a song to include on www.PortableRecorder.ca. These songs will be featured on an episode of Portable Radio and made available on the Zune Marketplace.
Section 2 – Detailed Explanation of the Project
25% Explain exactly how you would use Zune. (500 words)
In this project, we propose to use Zune 80 or 120 players and the Zune Marketplace to support the instruction of music skills in the Grade 4 to 6 curriculum.
The online nature of the Zune Marketplace is necessary to allow collaboration between two different classrooms in two different schools.
The project will allow students to interact on the internet in a variety of roles: Consumer, Participant and Producer.
Consumer Role
To support classroom recorder instruction, a series of instructional audio and video files will be downloaded to the Zune players. These files will also be made available on www.PortableRecorder.ca. Students will be encouraged to make use of a variety of audio and video files available on the Zune player. The Zune player will be particularly beneficial to those students who do not have computers and/or internet access at home.
Some of these videos will show the music notation and have notes appear red as the song or rhythm pattern is played. They will be created with Band-in-a-Box and Jing screencasting tool. Other videos will remind students how to play specific notes, proper recorder position, and reinforce good habits while the recorder is in their hands.
Participant Role
Once the classes have achieved an appropriate level of proficiency on recorder they will participate in a series of projects involving the sharing of audio files. These audio files will be downloaded to the Zune players.
Through these shared activities, students will learn a variety of musical lessons (i.e. playing in a group, working with digital audio, rhythm, reading and writing musical notation, etc.) to prepare them for collaborative composition projects.
Producer Role
The culminating project will group students from each class to collaborate on the creation of a song for inclusion on the PortableRecorder.ca site. Students will use their classroom blogs to document their progress and plan with one another. Students will be required to submit the musical notation of their composition along with an audio file of their collaboration.
The final songs will be posted on our Portable Radio podcast and made available on the Zune Marketplace.
25% Explain why your project is innovative. (500 words)
In the current elementary school environment, MP3 players, like the Zune, have been discouraged or banned from the classroom. Our project embraces this technology and introduces students to other meaningful ways to learn using these devices. Students will learn that their MP3 player can have uses beyond listening to the latest top 40 songs, and that they have the power to add their own original content to it.
While there are many writing-based collaborative projects available on the internet, to the best of our knowledge, online music collaboration for students in a music program doesn’t yet exist. There are a variety of sites (i.e. www.kompoz.com and www.imadaba.com) that are geared toward music collaboration between adults, but they are not necessarily safe environments for students as they are not monitored.
This project will be completely monitored and facilitated by us. All of the tasks will be geared toward meeting the requirements of the curriculum and the individual learners.
Students, while in separate schools, will be working and collaborating on creating music compositions. The Zune and Zune Marketplace will be the forum for learning the basics, practicing and, ultimately, sharing their compositions.
Using the Zune player, students will have immediate access to all songs and sheet music to be covered in the playing part of our program. Videos and audio files will support their learning and understanding of key concepts taught in music class. Students will have the opportunity to take these Zune players home for further practice. In particular, we feel that boys will benefit from this approach to music due to the technology involved. Playing recorder can often be viewed as a “bookish” or “uncool” activity and adding this layer of technology to it will add credibility for both genders.
Another innovative aspect of this project is the fact that students will be sharing and performing their work with the knowledge that it will be available on the Zune Marketplace for a wider audience, include parents, extended family and potentially the world. Having a “real” audience adds a layer of authenticity and purpose to all of the classroom work.
20% Explain how your project will engage learners. (500 words)
MP3 players, like the Zune, are devices that are widely used by teenagers. Our students, who are aged 9 – 11, are already highly motivated to own and to use this kind of technology. This project meets students where they are at. Most are already highly skilled at operating an MP3 like a Zune and will be excited to be given the opportunity and license to use one during class time. Having several Zune players available to sign out and take home will also add to the excitement, especially for those families who don’t have the means or opportunity to own such a device.
Right from the outset, students will be introduced to a variety of audio files that model the melodies to be played. Once they have mastered these melodies, they will use the Zune to play along with an accompaniment file.
Using the Zune’s video capabilities, students will have access to the sheet music and be able to watch the notes turn red as they play along (think “follow the bouncing ball”). Videos like this are easily made using Band-in-a-Box and screencast software. Nathan and Jane have already started creating original songs, accompaniments, and videos to support this project.
These materials are sequential in nature and will allow students to progress at their own rate. Students will complete a series of tasks that will demonstrate and build their proficiency in recording, editing, and mixing audio. Opportunities will be given for students to collaborate with students at the other school on small tasks.
This will lead to a culminating activity where students will collaborate with a student from a different school on the creation of an original musical score for a Public Service Announcement on healthy living.
10% Explain how you will evaluate the effectiveness of your project. (250 words)
Assessment for learning
A series of tasks will need to be completed in order to succeed in the culminating activity. We will monitor how students are progressing through the use of checklists, anecdotal records and student self-reflection on their blogs. We will also be looking for evidence that the students’ ability to play the recorder has improved.
Assessment of learning
Before students begin their work on their collaborative original musical score, rubrics and exemplars will be explained and reviewed. Throughout the collaborative process, these rubrics and exemplars will be revisited to provide feedback and opportunities for the students to reflect on the quality of their compositions.
5% Explain how you would prepare other teachers to implement your ideas. (100 words)
We would start with an initial test run with our two classes. Jane and Nathan would then pair with two other teachers, to begin their involvement. During the project, we would prepare a series of screencasts and written tutorials for teachers to complete (i.e. how to upload audio to the wiki, how to download a backing track and mix in a student playing recorder on it).
Hosting everything on a wiki allows us the means to "train" teachers in how things are set up. We would also maintain a discussion area to address questions as they arise.
5% Provide a timeline for implementation between May 1 - October 1. (100 words)
May: Prepare and submit the project proposal.
June, July: Develop tutorials, audio files, sheet music to support various projects. Become more familiar with Zune, its software and Zune Marketplace.
August: Begin utilizing Zune MP3 players. Continue to test the Portable Music wiki and compatibility with Zune MP3 players with some 9 to 11 year old children.
September: School starts. Begin the recorder music program right away. Get students accustomed to blogging, podcasting, and proficient with working with audio editing software. Anticipate having first two projects completed by October 1.
5% Explain why you have chosen to be innovative in this particular area. (100 words)
With an undergraduate degree in music, Nathan has been looking for ways to allow students to do online musical collaborations.
We have both have received awards from their school district as technology leaders. We are passionate about technology in education, and have been utilizing web tools, blogs, and podcasts in the classroom for the past five years. We see this as an exciting way to integrate all these passions.
It can sometimes be challenging for classroom teachers to create excitement about their music program – especially those teachers who don’t have specialized music training.
5% Explain the skills you have that will enable you to implement this project. (100 words)
We have collaborated to produce and maintain classroom podcasts for past three years (“www.portableradio.ca”), and are very familiar with recording and audio uploading techniques for students.
We have also written two children’s technology books, published by Scholastic, on related topics: “Our Classroom Podcast” and “Web Tools for Kids”.
We have received funding to train other teachers in audio and podcasting, while producing a professional development blog and podcast (www.portablepd.ca). We have also created screencasts and online tutorials.
We have considerable experience using the following software required to implement this project: Audacity, Acid Music Studio, Band-in-a-Box, Finale, Flash and Adobe Connect.
