Wk 4: Wimba Archive

Wk 4: Wimba Archive

I was unable to attend the Wimba session to present my publishing/leadership project; however, I was able to collaborate with a few of my classmates and make the recommended changes that they suggest. The following are their recommendations and email responses:

(1) Laurie Kish

1. Slides are attractive, neat and very professional. Good detail in speaker notes as well.

2. I would recommend increasing the font a bit as it is a little small.

3. The photos you selected of the kids were perfect, you captured the seriousness when needed and the excitement in their faces to have music introduced in the learning experience, nice!

4. You also touched on a very important topic, reading fluency, the backbone to our children learning as we know that stronger readers make stronger students. Impressive results and work.

5. Nice diagram on slide 3 with the link between fluency and music.

6. I really liked your results graph, simple and nicely done, but I do have a question: why the 3 bars, I understand one is for C1, one is for C2, what is the third on for?

7. Lastly, I like the quote you added from a teacher on this experience, nice touch, I think i will use this idea for mine if that is okay?

8. You captured me and I know you will capture your audience so good luck with this and really a nice job.


(2) Dennis Dill

I love your topic and I can see how it can make a difference. Whereas, I am not a music person I was initially apprehensive because I though it was going to be all about the music, but I was glad to see that it about the reading.

I am impressed with your reserch, but I would like to throw out some thoughts...

You collected data was from one set of first grade students and you compared growth over two periods of time...my question...is there another group of students that is not included in anything you have done which you can compare data. I ask because you have illustrated improvementin your students, but how much can be directly attributed to your music integration versus natural growth. Is it possible to compare your students with another group of students? This could further prove your findings by showing that your music integration outgained a similar class during the same time period. I hope that this is making sense...my thought is that over the course of the year learning/fluency gains could happen with or without music, but if you compared your music class with another class you will have more validity.

I like how you are wanting to present to a music audience...have you given any thought to presenting to a non-music audience. I am sure your presentation will go over great with them, but I am thinking it is like preaching to the choir. Music people already know how music can help people learn...it is people like me (before Full Sail) that do not get it.

You have great content! Do you have any music samples that you used during your class? Beyond the gains...how did the students feel about the music?

I hope this information helps.

(3) Teresa Crawford

I took a look at your presentation and the ARP you conducted. I like it! The project itself was a good idea. Reading fluency and music as an intervention makes sense, particularly for the younger reading learners. I thought it was good that you used a small group of students to try it out. Your methods were very clear, and your findings are encouraging. I liked the photographs that you used on your slides, and your speaker notes have a nice tone. Very nice, Brett. I enjoyed it.

Changes

I did indeed change the font size to make it larger and easier to view, while also making clarifications to the graph so that the three bars were listed as prior to cycle 1, at the conclusion of cycle 1 and at the conclusion of cycle 2. Also, I considered Dennis Dill's recommendation about comparing my results with another class, but because of school finishing up last week and all of the teachers already gone that information is not available to me. My hope was that cycle 2 would be compared with cycle 1 in order to show progress and the strength of music as an intervention; however, for a future cycle three, his thoughts will definitely be included so that it can be tested with a larger target audience and to add validity to the project. I also felt that with the ability level of the students selected, the ARP was perhaps more credible with the direction that I chose. As far as an additional conference to present and share my findings, I have researched and chosen the International Reading Association. As Dennis suggested, I wanted to provide my research to those not as familiar with music, but that would find the information relevant.

Also, I have included a musical activity in my presentation similiar to what took place during the action research project, as well as some students' comments.

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons. Some rights reserved by rama_miguel.