Teacher recorded bullying student

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/26/11395270-autistic-boys-father-why-hasnt-teacher-been-fired-over-bullying?lite

You may have all heard about this a couple weeks ago, but it's worth a bit more discussion I think. Rather tan discuss bullying, which is something I pay to talk about separately, I'd rather discuss the ethics of recording in a school.

No-one wants big brother watching, and I fully understand that. But schools are public buildings. As a teacher, I'd actually feel MORE comfortable, not less, if I was recorded in class. MY worry would be cherry-picked words or phrases taken out of context, but with the device recording constantly, contest could easily established. It would go a long way towards protecting both student and teacher.

Maybe I'm just paranoid. I spend an inordinate amount of time in New York City, and I tend to listen to NPR pretty regularly. Daily in fact. Over the past few months there have been several teachers in NYC brought up on charges for, shall we say, "inappropriate relationships" with their respective students. I have no intention on speculating on their guilt, but I find myself now really judging both sides of issue. What if one of the accusations is false? How much damage did that really do? Whether or not the teacher is guilty (again, no speculation here), his career is over the second the accusation came out. That kinda terrifies me.

Could my career, or any of ours for that matter, instantly end at the whim of a slighted or attention seeking student?

Of course the argument can rightfully be made that such situations are extremely rare, but rare =/= non existent. Years ago, when I was still a churchgoing uber-catholic, I knew a priest in a nearby parish who was accused of inappropriate contact with one of the alter servers. Disgusting really. But what is your first, most visceral reaction to that accusation? It's outrage, and rightfully so. Your first instincts are to protect the youth. And that's exactly what happened. The church got inundated with hate mail and threats, as did the priest. There was a full on police investigation...

...Once the pressure turned on, the kid recanted. He was mad at being passed over for an honor in the parish, and immaturely lashed out with the accusation. He admitted it openly. But damage done. Career over, respect lost.

Would cameras prevent these things from happening? Probably not. People with that compulsion are pathological. But would there be any benefit from it? Is it ethical? Would you want it in your classroom?

I've been on a music tech kick lately. I finally dropped the money and bought a copy of Sibelius 7. Wow. What a difference from the previous version. There's a few issues with it though - For one the line on the playback is never in sync with the music, and a lot of the tools that were once immediately on the screen are now tucked away in the ribbon a la MS Office. It's quite different from Finale, but I still find it to be a better program. Do any other music majors have any experience with these that could offer any insight?

Also, if you want an educators discount on Sibelius 7, you can get on by simply buying the ed version and submitting a copy of your student ID and a bill or something from the school to show that you're currently enrolled. Drops the price from $600 to $295. Totally worth it!

I stumbled across this a while back, never got a chance to post it. But please take a look at it. It really highlights a lot about education and the system we're working in, as well as the fundamental problems with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Interactivity #5

We’ll call her Mrs. Smith. She teaches music in Peekskill, New York. I contacted Mrs. Smith through a mutual friend in the area, and she agreed to talk with me about her district. Not surprisingly, Mrs. Smith has heard little about NETS, so I sent her a link to iste.org and began my interview.

I started by asking Mrs. Smith about the use of technology in her own classroom. Did she know if her school met any of the NETS standards without realizing it? Surprisingly, she had. Several years ago, her school began a program using Garage Band – a computer program by Apple which allows users to record, mix, and compose their own music using existing sound samples, MIDI interfaces, or live recording. Although she did not teach that particular class herself,  she was familiar enough with it to elaborate.

Students at her school are offered the chance to use Garage Band as a “general music” class as an optional replacement for traditional performance classes such as choir or band. The students begin by learning the basics of sound mixing, using the sound samples provided with the software. They are taught to copy, paste, loop, master, mix, and equalize each of the tracks within the interface. Over the course of the class, the students also learn how to input new sounds into the computer through a MIDI interface, as well as basic recording techniques for live musicians. Their final project is to create a 3 minute audio recording using looped samples, MIDI input, and a recorded vocal track – either sung or spoken.

When I asked Mrs. Smith about the rest of the school, she had no idea. As a “special area” teacher, she explained that there was a disconnect between her department and the rest of the school. In part, this was based on pull-out lessons, and the stress this put on other core subject teachers in math and English.

It’s not surprising to me that NETS is an unfamiliar area for music teachers. Technology has only recently become affordable enough to become useful in the subject area. Prior to the availability of inexpensive technology like digital recording, classes like this would be unthinkable. Hardware alone would take up an entire room, not to mention the expense.  The fact that music technology has finally progressed enough to exist on a home computer is what allows these standards to even be approached today.

It’s hard to imagine, given the current social trends, that technology would not be considered an important tool, even in music education. And the speed at which technology progresses strongly implies that there should be little trouble bringing up these standards with administrators. In fact, I would assume that by the time I graduate and get a teaching job, schools should have at least started to address the NETS-S and NETS-T standards. This is only speculation though.

To be honest, as interesting it was to speak with a teacher about this, I think it would have been far more interesting to interview an administrator. I would assume they would have a far better understanding on how their school was functioning under this standards over several departments.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvCJC2ZFtwqqdG5uaHZtNW0wSnJqdFBsLW5IQ3MyaVE&pli=1#gid=0

Interactivity #4

While most lesson plans I looked at tended to use technology as a primary medium for teaching, this struck a fair balance between actual instruction and the use of computer technology. As opposed to simply sitting a student in front of a computer and simply following the online instructions, this lesson actively engages the class, breaking it into small groups to analyze the musical elements of the Baroque era.

The plan itself, written by Melanie Shaw, is a complete plan. It contains every element necessary for a 50min long lesson for grades 4 – 6. Its anticipatory set engages the student, introducing them not only to Baroque music, but also to the art and ideologies of the era. Following this, students have an opportunity to listen to and discuss the pieces in small groups or pairs. With the use of Excel for students to create a spreadsheet, the students can analyze the aspects of Baroque music and observe them in a very visual way – A rare opportunity for an art which centers around aural aesthetics instead of visual.

Although none of the digital technology is “absolutely necessary” (tapes can be used in lieu of digital recorders, pencil and paper graphs can be substituted for Excel, and digital projectors can be replaced by overhead projectors), the technologies vastly enhance the learning experience for the students as well as the quality of the listening examples. Although, with the exception of music recording or computer composition, technology is rarely “essential”, its inclusion simplifies many aspects of the music education. In the case of this lesson plan it improves the quality of the lsson and also familiarizes students with the capabilities of digital media. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvCJC2ZFtwqqdG5uaHZtNW0wSnJqdFBsLW5IQ3MyaVE#gid=0 

All in all, I don’t find a single technology on this list that would not prove useful in a classroom today. Some may be highly focused on areas that may not be apt for lesson plans, but as a tool for the teacher they are incredible time and budget savers. Take Finale for instance. This program, which albeit requires a decent capital, drastically reduces the budgetary needs of a marching band. It also gives the teacher far more immediate control over the individual needs of the ensemble on the field.

Most of the technology for music education today revolves around composing and recording. What was once a pen and paper activity that required a room full of musicians for playback can now be done by one student and a pair of headphones. The new technologies drastically improve the learning experiences of students and give them an opportunity to instantly critique their own work.

The list as a whole not only covers the overwhelming majority of technological needs I may have as a teacher, but also provides alternatives to cover any budgetary or compatibility needs (such as PC vs. Mac) that I may have. There are several music recording programs mentioned, each with a different cost and with different programming – offering options based on the computers provided by the school. There are even programs listed for Aural Skills training, something far too rare yet all too important.

Film Shows Affect of Music In Relation To Visual Imagery!