Dvorak Project - Prof. Beckerman

Michael Beckerman – Musical Geographies of Dvorak’s New York

Posted on by Andrew Greene in Humanities, PBL + collaboration

Summary

FAS Ed Tech worked closely with FAS Music Professor Michael Beckerman on a collaborative class project for his Freshman Seminar class. Students learned to use Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology as both a research and narrative tool, demonstrating connections among New York City’s history, geography, and architecture, and connecting these with Dvořák’s impact on and experience with American music culture during his time spent in the city (1892-1895).  Students used the Fulcrum app on their mobile devices to explore and collect information from locations around the city significant to Dvořák’s time. While developing their “story map” students investigated several different threads that emerged from the initial data captured via the Fulcrum app.  

Goals

  • Assist Professor Beckerman and students in a project combining location data, multimedia, and historical reSearch
  • Determine, in collaboration with instructor and students, appropriate tools for location-based research and media collection for student projects
  • Partner with NYU Library Data Services to provide access and training to GIS tools (Fulcrum, ESRI)
  • Facilitate management of student-generated data collections  and provide technical assistance importing Fulcrum data into ESRI Story Maps

Outcomes

Combining location data, multimedia, and historical information, Professor Beckerman’s students used both CARTO and ESRI Story Maps to create interactive, GIS-focused presentations describing Dvořák’s influence on NYC and American music cultures, as well as America’s musical influence on Dvořák.

Technology Resources

  • Fulcrum mobile app
  • ESRI Story Maps
  • Carto
screenshot of Venture out project website

East Asian Studies Faculty – Linked Project-based Learning

Posted on by ds4583@nyu.edu in Discipline, Language instruction, Method, PBL + collaboration

Summary

Professors Xiaohong Hou (Chinese), Eunju Na (Korean), and Kayo Nonaka (Japanese) linked students across East Asian Studies through project-based learning. Students participated in authentic, local experiences and blogged in the target language. The instructors wanted students to practice speaking and writing outside of the classroom, as well as a create an online space for peer to peer learning.

Learning objectives

  • Engage with target language outside classroom
  • Practice writing and speaking skills
  • Encourage collaborative knowledge building across languages and skill levels

Student experience

  • Visit a local restaurant, shop, cultural heritage site, or other relevant cultural location.
  • Engage with target language in new setting – through menu, museum exhibit, conversation with native speakers.
  • Using target language, write about experience and share media in a blog post on linked class site.
  • Comment and offer feedback on fellow students’ posts.

Project workflow

  • In-person consultation meeting the instructor and educational technologist to discuss learning objectives and technical specifics
  • Training session with instructors + education technologist to cover basics of web publishing platform
  • Creation of blog with instructor(s) as the owner/administrator and students added as authors
  • Uploading of content to blog by students and grading / assessment by professor
  • Face to face presentation of materials across courses and languages

In this video, Professors Hou, Na, and Nonaka share the process for developing this project, as well as student projects and feedback.

Technology resources

Outcomes


“I learned how to talk more about a topic I was interested in using the source language.”

“I experienced the language as it is used – in real conversations.”

“I got to practice in a real setting.”

“By using Korean outside the classroom, I had to adapt to thinking quickly in order to say what I wanted to say in Korean. I heard the language in a more natural environment.”