a) what is your course topic:

• My course topic focuses on the understanding of rhythms through the Kodaly method, an approach that values interactivity and kinesthetic means of learning in music education. Rhythm is often compared to the numeracy of music and is a fundamental understanding that is critical to building independency in music literacy. 
• I approached this assignment with the focus of building a specific unit that can be taught strictly online to allows more opportunities/time for ensemble rehearsal during in-person portions.

(b) what are your instructional goals/ learning objectives,

• The instructional goals/learning objectives for this course are quite self-directed. All students step into the music room without the same opportunities to experience and learn music; this leads to my teaching philosophy for music, which embodies a sense of individuality. Some students may come in with experience through religious activities, private music lessons or an elementary curriculum with music, while others do not have equal opportunities due to uncontrollable circumstances. The learning objectives are focused on student growth at an individual level. Some students will progress at a different pace from others and that is encouraged. The common factor among students will be motivation and participation. 
• Creating a unit for Rhythm online allows the educator to focus on musical nuances such as pitch and ensemble connectiveness during in-person classes.

(c) who are your audience:

• The audience of this course is catered towards a Grade 9 – 12 concert choir class that meets afterschool twice a week throughout the entire school. Due to the limitation of course scheduling, the in-person class will focus on performance and rehearsal, while the online portion of this blended learning environment will focus on building music fundamentals such as note reading and rhythms. The audience of students reflect the current students that are in my music classes. The student population mainly consists of family with higher socioeconomic status, hence limiting afterschool commitment due to their individual extracurricular activities which requires much time and effort. To find alternative methods of learning and bonding outside of the classroom was a big factor throughout the planning and execution of this module.
• For this audience, access to consistent internet and having a personal device was not a concern.

(d) what is the role of instructor in your course: in what format the course is to be delivered to your audience (for example, a fully online self-paced learning module, an online instructor-led course, a blended mode course, or supplementary material for in-classroom use),

• The role of the instructor of the online portion would be a facilitator that creates a positive and engaging learning environment to ensure all the learning objectives are met by the end of the course. The instructor will be initiating communication between participants and seek to foster a genuine community in the ensemble. As choir rehearsals in person will not have a dedicated time frame for the instruction for rhythms, instructional support will be required to enhance and maintain the learning experience. In order for successful understanding of rhythms from the students, it is critical that a few aspects of the rhythm course offered online shall be at least reviewed by the teacher during in-person classes.

(e) consider describing, how the elements of course design will provide optimal learning experience 

• Many learning activities have the underlying philosophy of UDL, where students have multiple means of representation and means of engagement. Students can learn through visuals of rhythms, hearing hear through audio recording, understanding rhythm text through the English language or standard music notation. Students can quickly discover and reflect on their individual area of success, which allows students to take initiative of their learning by choosing the method that best suits their learning.
• I wanted the online learning space to be individualistic, yet engaging. I created various opportunities to expand one’s learning through gamification through the musical tools offered on digital platforms. Through leaderboards of rhythm games to Spotify playlists, student will have opportunities to expand knowledge through varying educational experiences while continuing to connect their learning in practical manners in ‘real’ life.
• Students will have other means of connection in the third party server for Discord and Group Spotify playlists. Within a music department in highschool, there is often a unique opportunity for the music teacher to teach students year by year consecutively unlike other academic offerings split among several teachers. This enables the educator to foster an interactive, and genuine community within the music ensembles, that extend beyond mere the boundary of ‘classes’. These modes of expression represent an opportunity for students to build community while in relation to the courses subject of music.

Consider the privacy and security risks when using open access platforms and cloud based tools.

One limitation of this hybrid method is the FIPPA privacy requirements for BC publicly funded educational institutions. There are some privacy concerns through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act where with Google Classroom, it is a cloud-based platform. A cloud based platform can raise questions about who has access to data and how the data is protected. The district that I work at currently (Surrey School district), prefers to have full control and ownership of student data and through a third-party platform like Google Classroom, the trust of that student information is with an external service provider.