Introduction

This intro will provide a bit of background on who Dan Brown is (other than a famous author), why I am taking MSTU5814, and what I hope to gain from the class.

I have been teaching music for 20 years in a small school district in Westchester County. I work with both middle and high school students and teach band, jazz band, and percussion. When I began my teaching career, the groups were very small and there was a community feeling to our rehearsals. Everyone had a voice and dialogue was an important part of the rehearsal process. As time went on, the groups grew in size and popularity, but I began to feel the sense of community slipping away. It became ever more difficult to have effective dialogue with a class of 106 that only met for 40 minutes a day!!

A few years ago, my thoughts turned to ways in which students communicate with one another. Many educators I work with see these modes of communication: texting, IMs, blogging, facebook, and the like, as a negative influence on student habits and behavior. While I share some of their concerns, I quickly realized the potential this media has for "connecting" students in my class.

In rather primitive ways, I have sought to use what is available in my school (eboard), to create opportunities for students in band to communicate with one another about issues that come up in class, and to post excerpts from rehearsals on which they can comment. It has given voice to students in band I don't normally hear from and sparked lively debate among members over any number of issues I can't cover in one class. They are quite willing to take the opportunity to "constructively" criticize things I do in class and offer suggestions, which I appreciate. I do encourage very much a "two way street" approach. Our new school website has a blog feature for each class that I am presently in the process of setting up.

My hope is that students will feel more invested in the class, understand that their voices are relevant, valued and supported. I am also excited at the potential for keeping classroom conversations going between classes, thus making band more than a mere 40 minute elective sandwiched between two AP classes.

Currently at TC, I am working on a doctorate in music education. My research includes collaboration with students to develop a model for online communication and reflection that gives students a more active role in the direction of daily rehearsals. Wow, that's a mouthful! The goal is to let them reflect on experiences in class, discuss options with peers as well as myself, and help chart the direction of future rehearsals.

One of the issues I struggle with in my research is privacy. I am a pretty private person and not one to easily share the personal aspects of my life publicly. My students have no such issues. They display so much of their lives online. However, I think we have a role to play in sensitizing them perhaps to how public they really want to be. How? That is a question I need help on.

Another concern is with how connected some people feel they need to be 24/7. Just last night, I sat watching our high school musical production of Les Miserables. During one of the emotional high points of the show, I suddenly heard clicking behind me and turned around to see two girls busily texting on their cell phones. When I spoke to them about it being as disruptive they started to argue the point, at which time I had to take them out of the audience and finish the discussion in the lobby. They really didn't get it. I was made to think of that video post of Jonathan Stewart and Twitter. We laugh because, though exaggerated, we see the truth in such satire.

I look forward to working with and talking to everyone. Though I love technology, I am very much a novice, necessarily so as I still need time in the day to practice piano, conduct rehearsals, and read Dewey. (I think Dewey takes longer than everything else!) Feel free to share your expertise and offer advice whether I ask for it or not.