Alright, here we go. I begin with the ‘why‘, as it seems to me the most natural place to begin. I am a little weary to be doing this as a lesson, as it has a lot of component pieces, and is beginning to seem like a big undertaking. However, I think that if I make a video of recording an audio file, I’ll be learning two things at once, and both of these are useful insofar as the goal here is to furnish learners with platforms whereby they are empowered to demonstrate their inquiry-based learning. A video or audio file lets them provide an educator with something tangible and professional, that is totally within their creative control, and yet provides criteria for evaluation and meaningful feedback.
The fishing hook for my classmates is, I think, the beauty of inquiry-based learning that was captured in the video we watched today on differentiated instruction: basically, getting students to do their best work can be done without YOU having to do additional work. Instead of wasting your time and energy trying to get a kid to do their math worksheet, find a way for them to demonstrate the learning in a way that is meaningful to them!
THE LESSON PLAN: 2A
Goal: learners will be able to utilize Reaper software to record an audio file, which supports the demonstration of inquiry-based learning in a variety of ways. For example, learners could record and produce a podcast wherein they share learnings on a new topic, or engage an expert/enthusiast in a conversation on a topic of inquiry.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
I) Download and open Reaper
II) Open a new project, and arm a track
III) Record an audio file
IV) Edit (mix volume levels, pan left/right) their audio file
V) Export an audio file in a useable format
I would like to create this lesson, as I think that it affords learners with a valuable way of proceeding with inquiry-based learning.
I have pulled out numerous learning technologies, which I included in the learning objectives. There are numerous videos, templates, audio files, and public forums that contain an enormous amount of information that pertains to recording songs and podcasts.
Prior Learning & Learning Profile:
The students are in my cohort, and have a familiarity with basic technological processes. They will need to know how to access the internet, and how to download and launch a program on their laptops/ipads. As well, a quiet-ish space to record themselves speaking would be beneficial! Bonus points for bringing in a microphone for higher-quality audio capture.
Delivery and evaluation will be available on tomorrow’s blog post, 2B!
