BP12_20091115_Response to Erin Lodes

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I can see already that the website we were directed to for this assignment is a dangerous one. 65 pages worth of Web 2.0 tools! I can think of several co-workers whom I will NOT recommend this to as they'll be lost exploring it for days:
http://www.go2web20.net/

I started by just browsing, but quickly realized I would have to make a more narrowed search if I was going to attempt to navigate the hundreds of tools available. I searched "music" and was initially hoping to find a good tool to help students share their favorite kinds of music with each other. I am going to have my students start blogging consistently about their favorite kinds of music, as suggested in a great tip I saw yesterday on Rena's blog.

Instead of choosing a sharing site though, I quickly settled on Jam Legend, http://www.jamlegend.com/. This site copies the format of popular music games for gaming consoles such as guitar hero and rock band. Users upload music to the site and create game files, many of which are available for free play.

My lesson plan for this site starts with a focus on playing the game. Students will have an initial day to explore and play freely, and then will start to communicate with each other using the built-in communication tools on Jam Legend as they play. These tools include the ability to friend other users and then chat with them, challenge them to guitar duels, and share favorite songs. We will use this game in our discussion of rhythm, beats, and tempo, which are central to what we do in class.

I am hoping to extend the assignment and have students upload their personally composed music and write their own game files. This will be a great application of the beat and rhythm conversation, as they will have to better realize the beats of their own composition.

I think that this will be a good assignment for several reasons. First, as noted, it will provide a base of knowledge that we can use to discuss beats and tempo. Hopefully, some students will develop a better sense of pulse while playing this game. It will also get the entire class participating in a social network together that is appropriate for our content area. For my students who do not have consistent access to a computer at home, this can give them experience with a socially interactive community. Part of my music technology class is specifically focused on technology skills, so this experience with an online social community is important. It will also give our class some community building experience and something to talk about in their blogs and on their discussion boards.

I am hoping to try this out for real this week. It is very likely that when I get to school tomorrow I will learn that our district web filter blocks this site automatically. I will have to do some justifying to get the site unblocked. Wish me luck in that process!