Michael Dean is Assistant Professor of Music at Oklahoma Baptist University, where he teaches piano pedagogy, applied piano and group piano classes. He also maintains an active schedule as workshop clinician, adjudicator, solo performer, collaborative artist, and faculty at summer music camps throughout the United States and Canada. Mr. Dean previously taught at the Wheaton College Conservatory. He holds degrees from Minnesota State University Moorhead and the University of Oklahoma.
Michael Dean
Division of Music
Oklahoma Baptist University
500 West University
Shawnee, OK 74804
405.878.2326
michael.dean@okbu.edu
Utilizing the University of Oklahoma's two piano labs, Courtney Crappell, Jyoti Hench, and Rebekah Jordan-Miller demonstrated ways in which group piano teachers can use Smart Board technology in the classroom. The presenters explained the equipment needed to successfully operate this technology, and outlined many of the Smart Board features while offering ways to use these tools in group piano classes.
What do I need?
Smart Board software is quite advanced and offers nearly limitless possibilities for the classroom. One component of the software is Notebook, which Crappell described as being the Smart Board's version of PowerPoint. Anything written on the board can be saved as a slide before moving to a new page. Teachers may also type using the keyboard function if the legibility of their board writing is in question, or they may type directly from the computer keyboard. It is very easy to move from one slide to another and to locate previously created pages and Notebook files. Crappell, Hench, and Jordan-Miller created a Notebook file that demonstrated how they use this technology in their own group piano classes. They focused on three main areas: Planning, Previewing and Classroom Interaction.
Planning
The University of Oklahoma, with copyright permission, has scanned every page of Alfred's Group Piano for Adults and saved these pages as PDF files for use with the Smart Boards in the piano labs. The presenters placed the pages needed for the five-week plan into a separate notebook, organizing them for efficient accessibility. An instructor can capture and copy any portion of a page to the notebook, as well as attach MIDI files to each piece. Preparing such a Notebook in advance saves set-up time, as the instructor is ready to teach as soon as the file is opened. This is especially convenient when teaching and classroom schedules are full.
Though the Notebook presented was a five-week plan organized according to the type of activity (repertoire, transposition, harmonization, etc.), the presenters stressed flexibility. A Notebook might be created for each day or week and can be organized in any number of ways. Each graduate assistant at the University of Oklahoma has an individual folder on the desktop for class plans and Notebook files. Planning often occurs on another computer with files transferred through use of a flash drive.
Previewing
The Highlighter tool can emphasize a specific set of directions in a larger portion of text. When using two distinct colors, it can show the distribution between the hands in a score-reading example. The Spotlight tool accentuates a certain area of the board while darkening or dimming the rest of the page. The shape, size, and level of transparency are adjustable, directing the student's focus to the portion of the score being studied.
Classroom Interaction
The presenters observed that students enjoy writing on the Smart Board. Teachers may ask students to come to the board to write consequent phrases to antecedents presented. There is a template gallery in Notebook that includes staves that are very useful for this activity. When projecting harmonization examples, students might write the bass line or chord inversions on the board.
An especially entertaining activity presented was a game of Group Piano Jeopardy. The Jeopardy template is available online as a PowerPoint with various hyperlinks and may be attached to a Notebook page. Clicking on the desired portion of the Jeopardy grid changes the display to the question, answer, or activity corresponding to that category. Categories may be altered to fit a given class. For this demonstration the categories had amusing titles that included “Hectic Harmonization,” “Aggravating Arpeggios,” and “You Want Me to do What???”
Other Considerations
Crappell mentioned other hardware alternatives beyond that presented, such as using a wireless keyboard for extra convenience in a teaching space. A recent alternative to the board is to have a plasma or LCD display with an overlay that allows it to become a touch-sensitive writing device.
Dr. Barbara Fast stated the importance of collaborating with a technology expert in designing a setup that works best for each individual situation. It is important to note the most expensive option is not always necessary. The costs can vary greatly depending on each classroom's needs.
Conclusion
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Each piano lab at the University of Oklahoma is equipped with a Mac connected to the Smart Board by a USB cable. USB cables also connect the computer to a Wolfvision document camera and to a projector. The technology also works well with a PC and with other document camera brands. The necessary software to run the Smart Board and the document camera is provided with this hardware. It is important to purchase a projector with sufficient lumens in order to read the screen in a fully lit classroom. Teachers were encouraged to test a portable projector in their individual rooms to determine the number of lumens necessary for the space.
Perhaps the easiest way to use this technology is through use of the document camera. The teacher can place a score on the document camera to project the music onto the screen. Previewing the piece in the classroom becomes uncomplicated when using the pens to circle or mark broken chords, patterns, formal sections and other features of the music. This saves the instructor from having to mark an actual score or from cleaning up the pages used in overhead projectors. Anything that is written can be erased as easily as on a white board, so the teacher need not worry about making mistakes.
Using the Notebook feature, five-week plans and lesson assignments are projected for the class. Since these slides are prepared in advance and saved, they may be displayed easily whenever it becomes necessary without the instructor taking time to rewrite the information.
Using the Smart Board to preview sight-reading and repertoire examples is especially effective. While using the Notebook application, an instructor may use the colored pens to mark intervals or other features of the score in the same manner as demonstrated with the document camera. Additionally, one might choose to use the Highlighter or Spotlight tools to further guide students on the page.
There are many ways of using the Smart Board interactively in piano classes. Displaying an improvisation accompaniment and playing the MIDI file in advance of the activity gives students extra focus and confidence when it is time for them to perform.
One of the issues of any technology is that the instructor must be trained to use it in an effective manner. At the University of Oklahoma, the first pedagogy course includes technology projects designed to train graduate students on how to use the Smart Board and its software. Emphasis is on good teaching first, with graduate assistants encouraged to use the technology as they are ready. The instructors frequently record videos of their teaching to evaluate if they are teaching well and using the technology effectively.
Though SMART technology may seem foreign and intimidating to many teachers, it is quickly becoming a standard form of presentation in many schools. Students often experience this and similar technologies in middle school and earlier. Once one learns how to use it, a Smart Board can significantly decrease planning time as well as increase the effectiveness of teaching.
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© 2009 University of South Carolina School of Music