Co-Mentoring Thoughts –

All of the following points were posted to the Mahara Co-Menotring Dialogue cohort with Mary Troup, Programme Leader, Community Music …. I have responded to Mary’s thoughs and reflections with regards to these points …. 

Can we explore with the students how to put the slideshow onto the wiki, and if possible how to add the soundtrack of the rhyme (this could be linked to learning how to edit using Audacity). In fact, going a step further, perhaps it could be prepared as a glog? I’ve set up a Glogster account at http://edu.glogster.com (I can invite the students to join in the same way as they join Music Matters to keep everything private and ad free when we link between Glogster and Music Matters) Can we explore and reflect on how using glogs will enhance our documentation on Music Matters? Already my own awareness of the various technologies and e-learning options which we can use is expanding. I hope we can make the most of the time remaining to us while you are in Glasgow to explore how best to make these options accessible to all our learners. MT

I will construct a Briefing Note Mary for this purpose of the Glog and will get on it as soon as possible and froward it to you and, hopefully, have a fully functional working site by the end of the week …Friday/ Saturday 12/22 January 2011.

I would also like to take up the point of Etienne Wenger in Stewarding Digital Habitats (2010):

Selection and installation are only one half of the equation. Tech stewards also need to shepherd their community through the process of adopting (or rejecting) the new technology. When a community changes technology in a big way, planning and facilitating the non-technological aspects of the transition process is a substantial task. Tech stewards can play a critical role in raking their communities through the learning curve usually associated with technology adoption and transition.

I also like the concept of Archer, Garrison & Anderson (1999) in the concept of…

Attention to new, disruptive technologies should not preclude sufficient attention being paid to the sustaining technologies to maintain its favourable positions in the marketplace

Is this true of the learning of, for and about the students desire to want to engage or be made to engage in new technologies and how successful these could be in relation to time constraints, influences and musical educational technologies?

The question remains that:

Academic leadership has a very challenging balancing task that must begin with development of sound policy and ownership of the innovation

How true is this concept in relation to the design and implementation of the CM1 Preparation for Practice?

Murray (1997) also suggests that 

if we want to see beyond the current horizon of scrapbook multimedia it is important first to identify the essential properties of digital environments

How true is this concept in relation to the governance of RSAMD policy and procedure and how can this impact on CM1 and the Music Matters WIKI? 

Points for the Assessment of Participation e-learning in the 21st Century, A Framework for Research and Practice, Garrison & Anderson (2003)

• effectively encourage others to learn? To PARTICIPATE? 
• contribute regularly, at each important stage of the unit? 
• create a supportive and friendly environment in which to learn? 
• take the initiative in responding to other students?
• seek to include other students in their discussions? 
• successfully overcome and private barriers to participation?
• demonstrate a reflective approach to using CMC? (Computer Communicated Communications)
• use CMC in novel ways to increase their own and other students’ learning?

Can the above concepts be incorporated into the learning and teaching framework of CM1 and followed through in other ways into the continual study and integration of technological aspects throughout the complete programme of Community Music? 

Garrison & Anderson (2003) also argue within the concept of Student Participation:

One of the inherent advantages of collaborative-based learning models is the capacity to discuss the critical role of assessment with students. In most cases of higher learning, e-Learning can and should not be reduced to machine marked assessment of teacher-defined assessment criteria. Rather, the inherent communications capacity of the Net can be used to allow students to comment upon, focus and negotiate the assessment system so that it adequately reflects and guides their preferred learning objectives. Student control of the learning programme is central to effective learning objectives. Student control of the learning programme is central to effective adult learning. 

Garrison & Anderson also argue that the idea of control:

is concerned with the opportunity and ability to influence, direct and determine decisions related to the educational process (Garrison & Baynton (1987)) and that, if students are to have an expectation of control, they must have some choice over their educational goals. This control must extend beyond choice of goals to choice of how these goals are assessed

What are your thoughts Mary on the above concepts in relation to CM1?  

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