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Tag: blended learning

blended learning

Blended Learning: Clear Communication, Proactive Email, Realistic Goals, and Impactful In-Person Class Time

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On April 4, 2014

In Digital Learning, Faculty

Jay Rinaldi Blog
This post was written by Jay Rinaldi, Assistant Professor in the Electronic Production and Design Department. Jay also teaches classes at The New England Institute of Art in the Graphic & Web Design Department. In addition to teaching, he has worked as a computer game musician and sound engineer and as a freelance audio professional for TV (advertising) and in multimedia. Jay has conducted over 250 live video webcasts and designs and develops websites.

Since Fall 2013, we have run a subset of MTEC-111 Introduction to Music Technology sections in a blended format. In the blended format, each week we spend one class session together in person and then students spend an additional three or more hours working with learning materials online at ol.berklee.edu. Rather than lecturing in class, now half of my teaching time is devoted to helping students structure and manage their own learning. 

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The Evolution of a Basic Keyboarding Class: from classroom to blended learning

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On February 24, 2014

In Digital Learning, Faculty

ST-Keyboard-blog
This post was written by Stephany Tiernan, chair of the Piano department at Berklee. She teaches private piano lessons.

Learning a new instrument is always difficult and challenging, particularly in the beginning. Developing good technique and practice habits is really important, as it lays the foundation for everything to come. Doing all this in a class of 15 is and will always be a less than optimum learning experience for students for a number of reasons: 

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Blended Learning Student Experience

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On January 27, 2014

In Digital Learning, Student Experience

rachel's-blog
Online and blended courses are a new experience for a lot of students here at Berklee. Check out the following interview to gain perspective from a fellow student, Rachel Sumner. She took the blended classes Basic Keyboard Techniques I and II and shares her thoughts on the experience.

rachel's-profile-2Rachel Sumner is a 7th semester Professional Music major. She has worked for the PULSE Music Method as a workstudy for more than 2 years expanding the teacher training program and is currently interning in the Film Scoring department as music contractor for Berklee’s resident orchestra, the Scoring Sessions Program (SSP). Although flute is her principal instrument and composition is her concentrate in the Pro Music program, she is very active in the Boston bluegrass scene with her guitar and voice.

Digital Learning Department (DLD): How would you explain a blended course to someone?

Rachel Sumner (RS): A blended course is made of two parts. One part is physically being in class and the other part is going at your own speed, online and learning on your own. The online portion is all of your homework and all of the materials you don’t get in class. These are the things that you need to take a little more time with and go over. In the Keyboarding class I took, these materials included keyboard technique and learning the proper fingerings for scales. It was really efficient because the teacher didn’t have to teach each individual person. You could watch a video of someone doing the techniques and then practice it on your own.

DLD: What course did you take and when did you take it?

RS: I took ISKB 211 and 212, Basic Keyboard Techniques for non-piano majors. I took them Spring 2012 and Fall 2012, respectively.

DLD: How did you learn differently in this blended course as opposed to one in the classroom?

RS: There wasn’t too much of a difference. It was mostly the time-frame that was different. The teaching was still the same quality that you would get from one that was all in-class time. Each week you had to record yourself and listen to it before sending it to the teacher. It allowed you to make your own mistakes and discover them, which was really excellent. I think that is one of the best things you can do when it comes to learning music.

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