c. Selecting ICT Resources

The teacher in the case study is completely at home with the skills behind most of the options we have looked at above, though she does not know an expert she would e-mail in the final option. She has used video and audio tape, she already has some word-processed materials, she has seen some good Music sites on the World Wide Web, and she knows how to use a CD ROM.

You may not be in the same position as she is, so we shall look at the options in the context of your school and your experience. Think about the following points as they apply to you:

Use the live sound-source only, and not use any ICT (or other technology) at all.
I have a bit of a problem with this (I would say that, wouldn't I?) in as much as my own experience of working with new musical and performance concepts is that the challenge is both hugely enjoyable - on its own, without technology - and very challenging for young people. Especially in terms of the objectives set for this case study, there is such a wealth of material available from the World Wide Web and CD ROM, and so much you can do with a couple of good imported images, that I really would want to get the most out of the subject, the technology and the pupils by combing some of the options.

Use a word processor package to create worksheets on timbre, perhaps placing some images into the worksheets, and relate these to live sound sources.
Here the question is one of how much the pupils will learn, retain and organise if the teacher spends her time on creating learning and testing resources using a word processor, and how much they would have done so anyway. My own view is that a picture can paint a thousand words, or at least that a picture can give an extra stimulus to the understanding of a new concept that a new language may be required to develop. It also seems likely that the time spent on creating high quality resources of the sort the teacher wants is likely to be returned in the adaptability and re-usability of the resources.

Use some video and audio sources of different sounds, instruments and timbres.
This isn't strictly an ICT option, but it would be if it were done in conjunction with the word-processed worksheets or some work on the World Wide Web looking at the background to and application of the concept. The best thing about it is that looking at video provides a range of stimuli to the learner - especially our younger learners with high levels of 'teleliteracy'.

Use a CD ROM with sound and other resources on it, or a mass-market CD ROM such as Encarta.
Several CDROM products such as Encarta and other Microsoft and Dorling Kindersley materials exist to help here. The sound can often be lined up with the image, and a definition of the concept can be found nearby. You will have received as a SBOLP client-teacher a copy of Encarta, and you mentor will discuss its use with you. You will also have attached to this case study a specific Word document with sounds, images and tasks built into it for you to try out with pupils.

Use the World Wide Web to gather resources, especially concepts and theories.
When you come to use the World Wide Web to deal with the case studies for Music, you should try to restrict yourself (and the pupils) to the web sites below. Wandering off into hyperspace can be a waste of time without the right focus and the right discipline.

http://library.thinkquest.org/3306
MusicNet - a range of resources and links.

http://library.thinkquest.org/3306/cgi-bin/
encyclopedia/encyclopedia.cgi
MusicNet's encyclopedia entries.

http://library.thinkquest.org/10400/html/music.html
An online music encyclopedia.

www.geocities.com/Athens/2405
Music education online.

www.talentz.com/MusicEducation/index.mv
Music education index of web sites.

www.bobchilds.co.uk/mtrs
Excellent multi-resource site.

http://members.xoom.com/Rob_Jones/Midi/Midis.htm
Sources of music across the web.

www.bobchilds.co.uk/mtrs/reviews.htm
Instrument and equipment reviews.

www.art.hyogo-u.ac.jp/hrsuzuki/Eindex.html
Personal home page of music educator.

Use the World Wide Web for the resources, and locate an expert on the subject for e-mail communication.
The obvious problem here is the location of an expert. Some web sites invite exchange of observations by e-mail, and these may be included in your list above. You still have the problem of managing this type of communication though, and especially of ensuring that the respondents in cyberspace really are the experts they claim to be.

Now that you've looked at my ideas about the options available, you need to make your own choices. The teacher in the case study has decided to use the worksheet attached to this case study, since it offers a variety of materials and learning experiences in a single space. You need to plan to do something of this sort, perhaps over a period of around two-three hours.

On the next page, make a copy and fill out the summary to help you get focus on what you will do. I've put in some suggestions - you can use these as you like. Think of some uses of your own, and make a short note on what you will have to do to make it work, what you expect the benefit to be to your pupils, and what difficulties you expect to encounter when you do it in the classroom.

Resources Selected for Work on Timbre