Brief description of the String Project Having an on site program is a tremendous resource but observing 240 students and 25 teachers is a challenge. Students and collegiate teachers are used to people entering and leaving classrooms, but the dynamic can be drastically altered when either the university supervisor or a graduate assistance walks in the room.
Contradictions A mixture of confidence and uncertainty They want feedback but can be somewhat reactive to 'live' feedback. . .
Again--with 240 students and 24-25 teachers, there are MANY issues--mostly administrative.
Yes--Cisco is dumping the Flip division (although they are still for sale!) but there are other manufacturers. Kodak makes one. Ipod Nano (5th generation) takes video. The Zoom Q3HD is an audio video digital recorder. (about $249) Digital video cameras are great but importing is in real time and who has time?
We purchased a 50 Gig account ($
I definitely preferred the videotaping and e-mailed feedback later. When someone came into the room, it threw off the whole vibe of the lesson; the students usually froze up (when the observer left, some would literally let out a "sigh" of relief and I could see the tension release from their shoulders!). I think the feel of the lesson on videotape was much more indicative of the environment typical of the actual lesson, and didn't include extra tension in the students' playing. When I videotaped the students in lessons, I often wouldn't even say what for, or I might say that it was just for us to track their progress and for me to assess my own teaching- it didn't feel like we were putting the student on the spot, like the observer was in there to judge them. I also found it useful to get the specific feedback points in an e-mail along with a link to the video- I could go back to the video and see exactly what had happened or what issue was being addressed in the comments. It's also nice to have a video of the student to go back and think about their technical problems outside of the lesson- sometimes I get a new idea or figure out some other underlying issue they may be having that I struggled with figuring out in the moment.
The students used to feel bombarded by email. I thought of developing a wiki, but then Facebook changed the ways that Group communication was visible. I started a group for orchestra teachers last spring (happy timing) that now has almost 1200 members. I decided to try it for String Project collegiate teachers . They tell me it is an improvement.
Most recently, had a clinic with a teacher in Texas: Spoke to the preservice teachers about how to establish a good sound in a beginning class. I posted his handout on another site called Posterous which works well as a file repository.
Posterous--file repository used for supplemental instruction for the teachers: Handbook, calendar,teaching tips Google Drive--Works well for collaborative documents, such as signing up for recital times, posting student repertoire.
