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HE7003 – Using Learning Technologies in HE
Pete Bernard
Designing a website to accompany vocal workshops: The creation of Vocalcoacher.com
www.vocalcoacher.wordpress.com (v1.0)www.vocalcoacher.com (v2.0)
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Learning Technologies and My Practice
3. Learning Models and Theories
4. A brief word on disadvantages of Learning Technologies
5. Vocalcoacher.com v1.0
6. Vocalcoacher.com v1.0 in practice
7. Evaluation, and Vocalcoacher.com v2.0
1. Introduction
Many of the changes we have seen over the past several decades regarding the
use of learning technologies in education have been underpinned by one crucial
change in thinking. It is a change of emphasis from a system that favors
transmissive instruction and submissive learners (Choi, Jonassen, Hernandez-
Serrano, 2000 p103), to one that is being driven more by the learners
themselves. This has placed lecturers more as facilitators; as ‘guide on the side’
rather than ‘sage on the stage’ (King 1993). This model of education is based on
constructivism and a number of associated theories, including situated, socio-
cultural, ecological, everyday, and distributed conceptions of cognition (Jonassen
and Land, 2000). Advances in online learning technologies have enabled
students to direct their own learning in new ways, and facilitate a shift from a
‘behaviourist’ towards a ‘social constructivist’ model (Sara Dunn 2003). It also
frees up educators to become ever more effective masters of learning, without
always having to be masters of content.
It seems I use some form of technology in almost every activity I undertake at
Bath Spa University; using digital audio workstations in recording and
production; using Minerva virtual learning environment (VLE) for assessment
and course resources; using online resources such as youtube in workshops; and
importantly to bring students together in an online community through social
networks, thus extending, continuing and compounding traditional face-to-face
learning and teaching (Light, Cox & Calkins, 2001 p179). This wide use of
technology is of course inevitable on a Commercial Music programme, given that
it is such a technology heavy industry. We are preparing students for a varied
digital world of sound, production, image, design, collaboration and marketing.
The specific learning technologies I use are numerous and wide ranging; they
relate specifically to the world of Higher Education, as well as to the social and
professional world in a broader sense.
Learning technology is only valuable if used in the right way; to compliment
already well conceived teaching activities, intended learning outcomes and
assessment tasks. Effectiveness, then, is not a property of the naked technology,
but of the learning activity system that incorporates the technology (Roschelle,
2013). It will of course also only be a success if it is used in the correct way, and
understood by the users, which is where we have to consider matters of digital
literacy across what is now a broad spectrum of learner in HE.
I have designed a website to run alongside my weekly vocal workshop sessions
with the singers at Bath Spa. I have attempted to ascertain what the students
want and need, based on feedback from them, but also by using my expertise,
and some of the pedagogical theories I am researching here as part of my CPLHE.
The site is designed to act as a hub for information and practical guides, and for
linking to other useful resources and social networks. My hope for this project is
for it to become a genuinely useful example of ‘blended learning’, act as a tool to
increase student engagement, and aid in their development as singers.
“A blended learning design is really a way to reconceptualise everything you once
thought you had to do as a teacher, and it can be one of the most exciting times
that you’ll have,”
(Shibley, I. 2010)
2. Learning technologies and my practice
The wealth of existing and emerging technologies that facilitate learning are
seemingly endless, and we often have several good options open to us to perform
any given function. Below are the current technologies, many of which I use, plus
some emerging technologies that I hope to employ in the future.
Minerva VLE
I use Minerva extensively in my teaching. Most notably for electronic assignment
submission, feedback, analytics, and course content. It is also capable of creating
discussion areas, quizes, blogs, wiki’s and journals. Though I find Minerva simple
to use, there is a question for me whether other platforms may have an edge for
particular tasks, partly due to user experience and aesthetic design, but also as
students are already engaging with well designed platforms, particularly in social
media.
Web 2.0 and Social Media
The generation of 18-29 year old users has been referred to by many names –
millennials, avant- garde, and most simply, generation Y, many of who are now
traditional college-aged adults. (Jones et al. 2010; Palfrey & Gasser, 2008; Prensky,
2001; Prensky, 2005; Small & Vorgan, 2009). Young media consumers are more
connected than any previous generation, and they have an expectation to remain
that way in all aspects of their lives (Prensky, 2005).
The social media revolution has now become ingrained in our very psyche, and
associated platforms are now a dominant form of communication for what some
people call generation Y. It includes Facebook and Twitter as the largest social
networks, and numerous other forms that allow everything from long distance
video and phone calling, to image sharing, to music and video streaming, and
information networks. Youtube, Skype, Instagram, Wikipedia, Spotify, Linkedin,
Pinterest and Snapchat have completely transformed the way we find, use and
share content, and the manner and frequency by which we communicate.
Though we have to consider keeping an appropriate amount of distance with
students and our personal lives, I am considering next year engaging more using
Facebook and Twitter, as there are so many benefits; to build online community,
show campus culture, promote upcoming events, and keeping students informed
with news via platforms they naturally engage with.
This category includes other forms of user generated and editable content such
as Google Docs and Wordpress; Web 2.0 allows people to freely participate in
content creation (Tan, 2012). I frequently use Google docs for brainstorming
sessions with colleagues, and have in the past used it to great success for
implementing dual ‘live’ feedback as a second marker during performances.
The Cloud
Storing files in ‘The Cloud’ is a big feature of Web 2.0, as it provides use of
personal content at different access locations, and means many of us no longer
have to buy or carry storage devices. Though there are questions about the
future direction of online storage and distribution, due to the potential risks, the
freedom and versatility of these services are causing them to grow still. We can
store various file types in any number of cloud services, and we now have the
capability to set access levels for different users. I use this a lot in my
professional musical world for sending audio files, but I am also now sharing
files in this way with students where I want to limit access with password
protection. There are also now a wealth of online file sending apps like Copy,
Hightail and Google Drive that can send much larger files than before, and they
can be accessed and managed on mobile devices.
Online Audio Distribution
Apple made music ubiquitous in a way it never was before..(that) has driven a
consumption of music that is unparalleled in the history of the world (Price, 2013).
Though services like iTunes can be included in the general category of social
media, they deserve special mention in my own field as they have changed the
way we acquire and use music. The instant nature of downloading, and the
access to major distribution platforms musicians enjoy now has connected artist,
industry and listeners in a whole new way. As a lecturer of music I can call up
any song, or music video for that matter using iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud or
Youtube. It has now become an indispensible resource in referencing, and I
encourage students to learn from this available content. I also use services like
Soundcloud and Bandcamp to piece together a picture of a students online
musical profile, particularly when assessing a candidates eligibility for the
course.
Online Polling and Analytics
A major aspect (and a great challenge at the same time!) of instructional design
and eLearning development is to know the behaviour of your learners
(Pappas, 2014)
Analytics have become a crucial part of what we do as educators, in order that
we can understand our students and tailor our teaching to their needs. They
help to inform us about learner’s performance, they provide learners with a
personalized experience, they help students understand and fill in gaps in their
own learning (thus keeping them engaged), and they help to improve courses for
the future. All of these factors can also lead to cost efficiencies, as you can obtain
better results with less resources as you focus down on the elements of design
that are getting results. Minerva VLE has a certain amount of analytics built in,
but there is now 3rd party software like Survey Monkey and Smart Survey that
have a wealth of sophisticated tools for polls and questionnaires, and they can be
embedded and delivered in various ways, especially if you are willing to pay for
premium service.
Web 3.0; The Semantic Way
Web 3.0 is in many ways the next stage of the analytics movement, and is about
personalizing a users experience to tailor results to them. Imagine being able to
surf a Web where the content is tailored according to your profile, surfing
history, likes and dislikes..it’s like having the Internet as an extension of your
thought and decision making process (Tan, 2012). We are now seeing our feeds
on facebook, amazon, ebay and other sites flashing up with content that relates
to previously searched, view and purchased items. Companies like these want to
know everything them can about us and our habits in order to sell their products
and services to us. The most recent example in the musical world is Apple Music.
A large selling point of this service is based around curating a world of new
musical discoveries for the listener by analyzing their own music collection and
listening habits. Albeit with a different agenda (that of providing information to
our students), there is the potential to do this in education too, by employing
analytics technology to populate our students ‘feeds’ with relevant current and
future material based on their own pace and depth of learning. I already find
Youtube valuable in this way when searching vocal warm up videos for the
students as it is recognizing my previous searches and will bring up useful
related content.
Skype and Remote Desktop
The world of distance learning is becoming increasingly important in allowing
students access to courses where they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to
study. I use Skype now regularly for tutorials where students can’t make it in or
they need some guidance out of my scheduled University hours. I am now also
teaching on the MMus Songwriting course, where students’ learning is more
autonomous and we have a high number of international students. The potential
to streamline Skype alongside remote desktop services has also allowed me to
listen to, and even edit student’s work in high quality whilst in conversation.
This makes me available for more practical style tutorials at a distance.
Platforms like Source Elements even allow for remote recording, which is an
exciting possibility for students looking to utilise musicians farther afield.
Organisational Tools
Tools like Doodle polls, where you can deliver an email tick box survey of
availability to multiple students are invaluable tools for setting schedules in my
practice. Providing flexibility for students is important to me, as is clarity for
them with timetables. Google calendar can now be fully integrated with other
calendars (such as iCal), and has a useful event invitation function. This is fast
becoming a hub for all my organisational admin, and it is a platform students
seem to know and use efficiently.
3. Learning models and theories
Much of the above technology can be use to implement sound practice, based on
a combination of the following ideas.
Experiential learning: Constructivism, Kolb and Mayes
Just as the idea of ‘play’ has become a focus in early development and education,
the idea that people learn by doing in Higher Education (rather than simply
receiving information), is now a commonly accepted idea. It comes from the
philosophies of some eminent thinkers in education, from John Dewey and Jean
Piaget, to the more recent ideas of David Kolb. Kolb (1984) describes learning as
the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of
experience. His model proposes 6 assumptions (Kolb, 1984; p.25-38):
- Learning is a process not an outcome.
- Learning is driven from experience.
- Learning requires the learner to resolve conflicts through dialect.
- Learning carries a more holistic and an integrative view.
- Learning requires the individual to interact with their environment.
- Learning creates knowledge.
Kolb’s cycle of experiential learning (below) is of key importance when designing
practical sessions in particular, and demonstrates that for learning to take place
and knowledge to accumulate, there needs to be a stage of reflection:
Concrete Experience
Active Experimentation Reflective Observation
Abstract ConceptualisationSource: Kolb (1984), “Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development”
As at least 2 of Kolb’s six assumptions suggest that this experiential learning is
more effective when carried out in groups, creating ‘social constructivist’
learners; “A second shift has been away from a focus on the individual, towards a
new emphasis on social contexts for learning.” (Mayes 2001, p.17).
Mayes Conceptualisation Cycle and Courseware
Mayes (1999) describes how different learning activities support students’
understanding of new concepts and the revision of erroneous concepts.
Mayes Conceptualisation Cycle
(Originally from Maier, P. Barnett, L. Warren, A. and Brunner, D. 1996)
Mayes suggests that knowledge and understanding aren’t simply the result of
being taught information, but that these three stages in a cycle are the basis of
students forming their own knowledge. He states that concepts need to be
taught, but that students need to then construct their own ideas through active
learning, and that afterwards dialogue is needed in order for them to extract
meaning, and therefore complete the circle in forming their own, well informed
concepts.
Courseware can be considered the packaged teaching resources used to deliver
course material, and can be split into three areas.
Primary courseware is used to introduce concepts, and includes lectures, books
and multimedia. It now typically includes a combination of all of the above
delivered online.
Secondary courseware refers to the students performing related tasks. Labs,
workshops, individual and group enquiry are all common activities, and can also
include image, sound and video rich online frameworks, such as simulation
programs and modeling tools.
The main aim of tertiary courseware is not to present new ideas, but to clarify
and facilitate exploration of concepts and assist students when they have
misconceptions on a topic (Monthienvichienchai and Melis, 2006). It uses
secondary courseware as a learning resource and takes place in one-to-one or
group tutorials, large group discussions and email conferences (google
hangouts).
Gibson and Affordances
To Gibson (1977, 1979), affordances are a relationship. They are a part of
nature: they do not have to be visible, known, or desirable (Norman, 2004).
Affordances in product design, as put forward by Norman (2004), describe the
real or perceived interaction between a user and the technology they are using.
He talks of cultural constraints and cultural conventions, for example the fact
that it is commonly accepted that the scroll bar on the right hand side is used to
move the page up and down. When designing eLearning, these affordances have
to be considered in order that the user can interface effectively with the
technology. Another example relevant to me is the layout and functionality of
menu bars.
Learning Modalities
One consideration when employing LT is that of learning styles or modalities.
There are three Learning Modalities adapted from Barbe, Swassing, and Milone
(1979). They are visual, auditory and tactile (or Kinesthetic) styles. When
selecting which technologies to use, it is important to consider whether a student
or cohort favours reading documents for information and instruction, listening
to speech or sound, or practically learning by doing with their hands. Some
courses or activities naturally favour different forms. A development of this is
the VARK model put forward by Neil Flemming, which also includes reading-
writing preference learners (Leite, Svinicki and Shi, 2009).
Chickerings and Ehrmanns 7 principles
I have found Chickering and Ehrmanns 7 principles for good practice in
undergraduate education to be particularly useful in designing LT in HE. It states
that good practice in undergraduate education does the following (Chickering
and Ehrmann 1996):
1. Encourages contact between students and faculty,
2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students,
3. Encourages active learning,
4. Gives prompt feedback,
5. Emphasizes time on task,
6. Communicates high expectations, and
7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.
It is suggested that while each practice can stand on its own, when all are
present, their effects multiply. Together, they employ six powerful forces in
education: activity, diversity, interaction, cooperation, expectations, and
responsibility (Chickering and Gamson, 1987).
4. A Brief word on disadvantages of Learning technologies
A barrier to the use of learning technology has been cost. Equipping HE
establishments with computers and software alone can be expensive. However,
as costs have fallen and technologies have developed, this is becoming less of an
issue. In fact, financial and operational pressures in HE have led to institutions
turning to new technologies to make savings. Alternatives to traditional teaching
methods incorporate technology and include access to distance-delivered
education and services, a focus on learners' outcomes rather than inputs, and
technologically sophisticated buildings and classrooms (Kirshstein and Wellman,
2012).
Another traditional disadvantage has been that specialist services such as web
design can be costly. This is also now moving in the right direction, as once
expensive setup fees are coming down due to the wealth of free, open source
software developments to perform almost any task. Design of materials can be
time-consuming to setup, but once an infrastructure is built, it presents
unparalleled access in education.
A further hurdle is that of digital literacy, particularly with older learners and
staff. Training is required here, but as a reflection of the real-world digital age
we live in, it is often not an unreasonable expectation and generally moves
towards empowering teachers and learners alike.
Technology does also move quickly, with new hardware and software, and new
versions of existing software requiring significant adaptability from users.
5. Vocalcoacher.com v1.0 (www.vocalcoacher.wordpress.com)
What do the singers need?
The first question I asked when designing my site was what do the students need
from it? Chirckering and Ehrmann’s 7 principles are helpful here, and I have
tried to tick off all 7 points to a greater or lesser extent. Also of crucial
importance is Gibson’s affordances, as I wanted the site to be easy to navigate,
familiar in its cultural conventions, and to be a pleasant online environment to
work in. The other crucial concept was that of courseware, and I wanted to be
clear about where each stage of Mayes conceptualization cycle would be taking
place.
I begun by listing the core requirements of the site, based on my own findings
and sound practice, and also from informal feedback from the students. I found
that the students need:
1. An online hub for all primary courseware.
2. An online community, so students can engage with each other and myself
about vocal issues, breakthroughs, and spark stimulating conversation.
3. Bath Spa module guides to clearly relate taught material to assessment
tasks (these workshops are not part of an official module).
4. Scheduling information, including a full termly schedule of sessions.
5. Time (with online guidance) to explore the ideas covered in sessions in
their own individual practice (secondary courseware).
6. Reflective write-ups from me about what has happened in sessions, to be
followed up in turn by discussion in sessions, and which could in turn
build dialogue in the comments section. These include descriptions of
one-to-one work within the group.
The next step would be to plan defined section and page titles in the menu bar
and start organizing content.
Design
When choosing a platform, design, functionality and versatility were of
paramount importance for me. Though Minerva has the capability of creating
sites like this, it doesn’t allow as much control over design variables like layout,
logo’s, tables and colour schemes as other 3rd party web creation sites. I looked
at Google Sites, Wix and Blogspot, but the one that seemed most versatile was
Wordpress. Wordpress has a plethora of very useable standard themes with
editable design variables, a very intuitive admin interface, good statistics tools as
standard, and with additional assistance from a web designer further down the
line, or by using several optional paid services, you can easily make your site
look professional. I had been recommended Wordpress by several trusted
sources at the University and friends outside. In Vocalcoacher v1.0, I wanted
clean lines, simple and soft monochrome and red colour scheme, and a basic
menu bar down the left hand side. I wanted the site to look serious but light and
welcoming. This phase was all about simplicity and functionality, so I could get
the students interacting easily with a familiar platform, and I could edit content
each week without issue.
Content
It is no easy task to represent a whole philosophy on singing in a website, with all
of it’s component parts. What this has forced me to do is to appraise and edit my
approach with these workshops to create a more structured online course,
focusing on engagement and collaboration. The content, or courseware comes in
several different forms;
- Primary written material from me, explaining about ideas, approaches,
techniques (online docs).
- Primary visual material, such as anatomical diagrams to show breathing
apparatus (embedded JPG picture files).
- Primary audio and video material where I have recorded or video’d backing
tracks to songs, or guided warm up routines (links to my Soundcloud and
Youtube).
- Links to content from other artists or practitioners, for example excerpts to
demonstrate certain techniques, or warm up routines (Soundcloud, Youtube).
Secondary courseware takes place in the workshops themselves, and in
individuals own practice regime.
Tertiary content would also take place in lessons, but I have attempted to engage
the students with this crucial phase of dialogue online too, in order that
discussions can take place outside of class. It was my hope that this element of
the site, which would take place in comments on several pages, but mainly on a
‘share’ page, would serve as a social network in a familiar format, so that the
students and I could follow up sessions with ideas. One benefit of this online
feedback is that students who find it difficult to talk in large groups can
contribute in a less risky environment online.
My blended learning process can be related to Kolb’s cycle in the following way:
Abstract Conceptualisation: Online info, in-workshop taught material, students
own ideas, both online and in workshops.
Active Experimentation: During their own personal practice regime, aided by
online guides, and during workshop sessions in groups.
Concrete Experience: During practical tasks in workshops, and live on stage.
Reflective Observation: Discussion in workshops, sharing ideas online in
comments and on the share page.
Vocalcoacher v1.0 In practice
Engagement
I have been able to see very clearly how students have engaged and to what
extent through 3 main means. Firstly I can tell from the number and nature of
comments left, secondly I can tell through Wordpress stats, and lastly through
my own Survey Monkey Questionnaires.
Analytics
The analytics tell me that I am getting a good amount of visits and views to the
site during term times. In October 2014, at the start of the new academic year I
had 398 views and 76 visits. This dropped off a little throughout the year, but
engagement still remained high (see fig 4 below). The most views I have had in a
day were 130.
When looking in more detail into the stats it is apparent that by far the highest
engagement is with the warm-ups page. The stats also tell me that the most
popular time is Monday at 12pm. This would indicate that engagement goes up
when I post my weekly email on a Monday morning, prompting students to go to
the site.
The comments tell me that though the students have spoken in class and
demonstrated that they have been engaged with topics, and that they have often
followed up online, they are not engaging online in the manner I had hoped. At
present students are using the site for information rather than seeking to use it
as a 2-way or 3-way network, to include other students and myself.
Digital literacy and special educational needs
One crucial factor for students is their own personal desire, and sometimes their
ability to engage with sites like vocalcoacher.com. This relates strongly to
learning modalities and preferences, but also specifically to students who have
special educational needs. I have made content available in several forms;
written, picture, audio and video, but it is also possible for students with dyslexia
or visual impairment to change font sizes simply by clicking command +. I do
inform students of this in class.
Survey Monkey
Many of the questions in my surveys relate to the taught material, but I have
been including several questions specifically about the website. These were the
following:
1. Have you found www.vocalcoacher.com to be a valuable
accompaniment to our sessions?
2. Would you like to have an additional online community, for
example a facebook group?
3. What would you like to see change on the website?
The answers to questions 1 and 2 were unanimously yes, which gives me clear
direction and a mandate moving forward. On the 3rd question I had a range of
answers, but the two that came up several times were the following:
1. To include quick links to the soundcloud and youtube pages
containing content, rather than having to navigate through other pages to
find warm-ups and recordings of songs sung in sessions.
2. To have more videos of myself or others talking about techniques
and ideas, rather than text based information.
Evaluation of Vocalcoacher v1.0, and Vocalcoacher v2.0
This first phase of my project has given me some very clear outcomes on which
to act. I have sought at this point to relate my practice here back to the theories
of Kolb, Mayes, Gibson, and Chickering and Ehrmann. I believe the website has
unanimously contributed to sound practice here, but particularly with the
students conceptualization, and experiential learning through online stimulus
and guidance. Where the website seems to have had minimal impact is in the
pro-active dialogue and reflective evaluation from a student perspective.
Though I have helped here by reflecting back students ideas myself in session
notes, I would like to find a way to engage the students more here. This feeds
into Gibsons theory of affordances again, as it is all to do with the relationship
between the student and the website.
I may be unlikely to change students habits here, but its seems logical to choose
to engage with students through the most used and popular social networks like
facebook and youtube, or in other words ‘to anticipate their needs and create
compelling messages in the places they reside’ (Smith, 2015). To develop this
side of the site would mean to positively impact on practically all 7 of Chickering
and Ehrmann’s principles of good practice, plus I believe it will tap into the
already present habits students have of interacting each day with such platforms.
Students say they want less text, clearer pathways to content, and more familiar
social platforms. To that end I have begun redesigning the site with the help of a
web designer. Vocalcoacher v2.0, work-in-progress can be found at
www.vocalcoacher.com. As is popular now, I have created simple tabs at the
bottom of the page to go straight to Facebook, Soundcloud and Youtube, where
most social interaction, and audio and video content will be kept. I will be
editing the colour scheme, and plan eventually to make the background a softer
cream to cater for dyslexic students. Session notes will still be posted on the site,
but links to these will now be posted direct to a new Vocalcoacher Facebook
group, and all reminders and discussion will take place there. I will be creating a
‘Performance Strategies’ section to link more with live performance issues. It is
my plan to make more video and audio content to accompany the existing text
and picture based material, but these will be an addition rather than instead of.
I do feel strongly that my enquiry into new versions of the site should continue,
and that it is useful to delve deeper into student’s habits, what they want, and
what I can supply. I could, for example employ a digital literacy test such as iTest
from Exeter University for future years to learn more about the general
capability (http://interactiveachievement.com/assessment/test-delivery/).
I cannot underestimate the impact the development of this project has had on my
vocal workshops from the bottom up. As a platform from which to build next
year, it fills me with confidence to have this solid and growing resource to
compliment my class teaching.
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