Technology Integration Plan

           When making a technology integrated lesson plan I found myself challenging my usual approach to lesson plans in the dance classroom. It was a challenge for me to integrate technology into many aspects of the lesson due to dance's physically demanding nature and minimal need for technology. However, I feel that the "Interactivities" and information that I learned in this course has helped me devise a new approach to incorporating technology into my lesson plans. For this final lesson I found that using technology to help students understanding of how improvisation and choreography are similar and how they are different. This use of technology will allow students to explore the differences between dance improvisation as well as specific choreographic structure. The students will learn the helpful tools of a successful improvisation, as well as popular approaches to choreography and creating movement. 

            The following unit plan will take place over the course of four class periods. This unit plan is divided into four sections, which are labeled as Access, Analyze, Performance, Assessment. The first portion of the class (Access) will be used to describe the difference of improvisation and choreography through the showing of a performance piece on the smart board. This piece is entitled “Continuous Replay” choreographed and performed by The Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. This piece is a prime example of the understanding and content area literacy of choreography and improvisation in dance. “Continuous Replay would be a great piece to show because it has a set of 45 shapes that are easy to fulfill and show the structure of choreography. While the 45 shapes are being performed in a continuous and repetitious manner, there are dancers using improvisational tools around these 45 shapes. The juxtaposition between the dancers performing the choreographed 45 shapes and other dancers improvising is a clear example of the use of improvisation and choreography. The smartboard would be an excellent technological tool to use for the showing of this piece because of the large size of the screen would allow the students to see the shapes and movement at almost a life size scale. The standard that aligns with this first section of the matrix in the spreadsheet is NJCCS 1.1.8.A.1 which is “Interpret the choreographic structures of contrast and transition, the process of reordering and chance, and structures…” This standard aligns with this matrix because of the emphasis on observing and interpreting and contrasting between choreographic structure. Students will observe through the following strategies including “direct teaching, oral presentation, and listening and viewing.

The second portion of the lesson (Analyze) would involve the students physicalizing the shapes from the video as an entire group. This would permit the use of technology in a non-judgemental way because some students may have trouble watching the material on the smartboard and translating it to their own bodies. Next the students would have the opportunity to improvise based on the material that they had just learned from the smartboard. Now that the students have observed the use of choreographic structure and improvisation through the use of the smartboard, then had the time to learn the shapes off of the smartboard, as well as practice improvisation based off of the material, the students will be prepared for the third portion of the unit. The standard that aligns with this second section of the matrix in the spreadsheet is NJCCS 1.1.8.A.2 “Analyze dance techniques and styles to discern the compositional use of the elements of dance and choreographic principles relating to dynamics, as well as to discern spatial relationships.” The students will be able to discern the compositional use of the elements of dance when practicing and translating the movement from the smartboard. The strategies used in this portion of the matrix include listening/viewing, duplicating shapes, presenting shapes, and improvisation.

The third portion of the unit (Performance) would include the students being organized into small groups of 4-6 students performing a sequence of shapes learned off of the smartboard, then followed by improvisation based off of the smartboard. After the students work in groups they would then perform in front of the class while another group films them with a camera. This would promote the use of technology in a cooperative sense that would benefit another student. After all of the groups have had time to practice their choreography and improvisation and then filmed each other one at a time, they would be ready for the fourth portion of the unit. The standard that aligns with this second section of the matrix in the spreadsheet is NJCCS 1.1.8.A.4 “Integrate a variety of isolated and coordinated movements in dance compositions and performances, making use of all major muscle groups, proper body mechanics, body patterning, balance, and range of motion.” Students will be able to work on their dance composition when performing their material that they learned off of the smartboard. The strategies used in this section of the matrix was presentation of shapes, and presentation of improvisation.

The fourth portion of the unit (Assessment) would involve the students observing themselves performing the choreography and improvisation on the smartboard. The combination of the camera along with the smartboard is a great example of technology building off of each other in order to assist content area literacy. With dance education, assessment is mostly performance-based assessment. This is why every dance studio classroom has mirrors from floor to ceiling, which allows for dancers to self correct and assess themselves as they dance. Having students assess themselves when watching themselves on film on the smartboard is an excellent way to incorporate technology in a redundant process of self-assessment. The standard that aligns with this second section of the matrix in the spreadsheet is NJCCS 1.3.P.A.3 “Participate in simple sequences of movements”, as well as 1.3.2.A.1  “Create and perform planned and improvised movement sequences using the elements of dance, with and without musical accompaniment, to communicate meaning around a variety of themes.” These two standards allow students to assess themselves based off of their performance and representation of the choreography and improvisation that was filmed with a camera and presented on the smartboard. 

My final Technology Integration Plan can be found in the following link...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnNK2baFHVzHdDl5TFpaODE2U2wyemtJQ01QaUhlZ2c&usp=sharing