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Web site name: Torrington High School Music Technology

Web site URL: http://www.thsmusic.net/tech.htm

Web site creator: Wayne Splettstoeszer, Torrington High School, Torrington, Connecticut

"The Torrington High School Music Technology program has flourished since 1996," says Wayne Splettstoeszer. "Because of very supportive administrators, the program has become a model for high school music technology."

Splettstoeszer, a music teacher, teaches band and music courses to students in grades 9-12. "Every year, teachers here have to write out job targets, or mini action-research projects," he told Education World. "The Web site was created during the 1999 school year as part of my target for the -- to see if a Web site would improve student learning."

The main purpose of the Web site is to serve as the online home for the music technology program. Everything done in the classroom is online. The Web site has topic pages such as MIDI; software pages like Cakewalk Pro 9; Technology links; and more.

"Schools that are presently using our Web site as a part of their music technology curriculums find the Assignments page very practical," Splettstoeszer reported. "It shows the sequence of assignments throughout the class. We also have a Past Assignments page for the Music Technology I and II classes that have already run during the course of the year."

Splettstoeszer has designed his individual software pages so that using a new piece of software is a simple matter for his students. With the assignments published online, students can review instructions and information at any time. Splettstoeszer hopes to publish more student work in the future.

"Students love every aspect of the site," Splettstoeszer explained. "With the daily assignments page, they have kept up with the class even when they've been absent. I now have students helping with the Web site and building different pages, and I have found that students will work more online than with tradition handouts."

Article by Cara Bafile
Education World®
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