Classroom Management

Orchestras consist of individuals who may be grouped into sub-groups (horns section, winds section etc.) that together form a larger group - just like classrooms. In research on orchestrating TEL, we should thus admit that we are investigating multilevel phenomena and apply new methods to appropriately address these multilevel phenomena. A more extensive use of qualitative approaches to analyze classroom interactions (e.g., Hämäläinen, 2008) may be one way to go; another might be using quantitative multilevel approaches that TEL research has not yet adopted in a widespread fashion (Cress, 2008). In addition, non-linear regression models should be used to deal with the conceptually non-linear processes of development and learning (e.g., Tolvanen et al., 2011). Therefore, the orchestration metaphor can be regarded as fruitful not only concerning the development of new research questions and innovative TEL environments, but also for the development of new and innovative methodologies.

5. Conclusion

Viewing TEL in classrooms as something that has to be orchestrated, arranged and conducted on different levels, with different participants, tools etc. is an intriguing perspective for educational research and practice. Exemplified by the classroom script concept, which can be regarded as an analogy to the score in music, we showed that searching for analogies between the creation, adaptation and enactment of musical pieces and of TEL scenarios may lead to innovative research questions and the development of more advanced research methodologies that are triggered especially by the expanded definition of "orchestration" that we proposed in this article.

As a general remark on research on orchestrating TEL, beyond the papers collected in this special issue, is that there is a danger to regard teaching predominantly as something that looks cool and uses fancy technologies (Kollar, 2010). Teaching should however never be an end in itself. Instead, the main goal of teaching, i.e. creating environments in which students can learn effectively, should never be lost out of sight. Fancy technologies are helpful and nice to look at and work with, but they aren't worth anything as long as they do not serve their function: facilitating student learning. How to facilitate student learning should remain to be the most important question of TEL research, and the orchestration metaphor in deed has the potential