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Bridging the Arts and Computer Science: Engaging At-Risk Students through the Integration of Music
ARTICLE

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Technology and Engineering Teacher Volume 77, Number 6, ISSN 2158-0502

Abstract

Linux Laptop Orchestra (L2Ork), founded in 2009 in the Virginia Tech Music Department's Digital and Interactive Sound & Intermedia Studio, "explores the power of gesture, communal interaction, and the multidimensionality of arts, as well as technology's potential to seamlessly integrate arts and sciences with particular focus on K-12 education" (Bukovic 2016). L2Ork has formed a unique partnership with Virginia Tech's Integrative STEM Education department to enable students to become proficient in multiple technological literacy standards while learning computer programming to design musical scores. Students then collaborate with these scores to create complex digital music systems--the laptop orchestra. This initiative was implemented at a middle school in southwest Virginia. Participants came from the subgroup of students who attend the school's Boys and Girls Club of America afterschool program. There were ten student participants (four males and six females), aged 11-13. Prior to the first L2Ork lesson, participants completed the 16-item VARK Questionnaire for Younger People. This instrument quantified learning preferences into: Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic. Most student participants exhibited a multimodal learning preference, relying on different learning types in different situations. On average, students achieved an intermediate score on the performance tasks, showing noticeable improvements in programming knowledge and skills in a relatively short time. Throughout the process students were engaged in multiple "Standards for Technological Literacy" content standards, and the following benchmarks were observed: (1) The Nature of Technology; and (2) Core Concepts of Technology. The article shares lessons learned for successful transdisciplinary collaboration and how to use L2Ork in schools.

Citation

Moyer, L., Klopfer, M. & Ernst, J.V. (2018). Bridging the Arts and Computer Science: Engaging At-Risk Students through the Integration of Music. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 77(6), 8-12. Retrieved August 13, 2024 from .

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