Being
an organized teacher especially when you do not have a dedicated space is very
challenging. Keeping track of concert dates, fieldtrips, appointments, lesson
plans and many other important notes can be stressful. I have been using my
iCal for a while now and I have synced all the reminders with all my devices
but always wished for something that could do more than just reminders. Things
like lesson plans, assignments, assessments and more. Well, that wish came true
when I explored the OneNote for Teachers. Now teachers can do all that and more.
You can save links, send online articles directly to it, link together lesson
plans and homework and do other multiple tasks without having to switch back
and forth to other apps. The feature I liked the most was the quick note. For instance you can add a concert date and send it to a multiple email list. I am pretty sure that there is a lot more to learn but
it is definitely worthwhile the time. This will be an app that will keep me proactive for a while and I plan to use it during this coming
school year mainly for lesson plans and reminders.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Week 7 - Productivity and Professional Development
This week’s reading focused on
technological tools that assist teachers to be productive, and tools that help
teachers to continue to be proactive with professional development. Two of the
main topics that caught my attention are communication and professional
development. I have found that communication on a regular basis is one of the
most important aspects of teaching, especially between parents and teachers. Regular
communication with parents has helped me achieve great teaching results and has
helped me enjoy tremendous support from parents. Clear communication is an
indicator of a high level of commitment. Until now, my communication has been
mainly via email, because hard copies of concert reminders and other important
information never make it home. For instance I communicate regularly with
parents the night before instrumental classes and remind them to bring their instruments
to school. This has helped increase student participation and band retention. In
the past, I used to forget to remind them until I started using a free reminder
website called http://www.memotome.com. However, emails sometimes can be tricky. According to
Bauer (2014) teachers need to be careful with the frequency of emailing because
sending frequent emails “can begin to be perceived as spam, with the recipient
quickly deleting them without reading” (p. 170).
After reading Chapter 8, I was happy to
see other technological suggestions that may help improve communication. For
example I did not know until now that teachers can create professional closed
groups on Facebook. I am looking forward to exploring the Facebook close group
feature because it might be a great tool for reminders and also may be utilized
as a discussion platform for topics students learn in class. Also, a website
sounds like a great idea, but the problem with it is that it may take some time
to design one because it will require a great deal of extensive planning for its
content.
As for the professional development, this
class has been a great example of a master class that helps teachers bring new
ideas in the field and utilize them for better and more appealing teaching
approaches. I have recently been talking to some of my colleagues that teach
music production in my district, about new tools and new project ideas that I
plan to use this coming year. They are very excited to hear more about my music
technology class experience. I personally spend many of my teaching hours utilizing
technology to teach instrumental music, music production and general music
classes. This class has been a real treat for me because it has been relevant
to my personal interests. It has helped me to discover other web-based collaborative
ways that will help me sustain my professional development for years to come.
Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Feedly, Edmodo and Google+ are some of the
excellent tools that will help me make share useful teaching information with
other colleagues and other teachers around the world.
References
Bauer,
W. I. (2014). Productivity and professional development. In Music
learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to
music (p. 170). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Week 6 - Reflection
This
week’s reading focused on music listening skills and how students respond to
music. The opening of the chapter resonated with me strongly because the
experience of Ms. Elizabeth is very similar to my first three years of general
music teaching experience.
I have
been teaching sixth, seventh and eighth general music classes for the last
seven years. Although I have gotten better at teaching and classroom management,
I still find those classes challenging for many of the same reasons mentioned
in the book. The quality of education is often compromised due to misbehaved
students who do not want to be there, making teaching and learning difficult. However,
I have observed that all students, including those who show no interest in
general music class tend to use iPods and iPhones in recess, homework centers
and hallways. The use of these music technology tools is an indication that
they love listening to music. Perhaps
students have not been engaged in my listening lessons because the lessons were
taught as “formalized listening” (Bauer 2014, p. 108).
After
reading this chapter I looked back for a minute and remembered that the music
that I loved to listen to twenty years ago was much different than the music I listen
to today. As I grew older, so did my listening skills, taste and musical expectations.
Listening to music is a part of my practice routine. I listen to music
carefully with an analytical ear. The problem with that though is that my ear
became the barrier between students and myself. I cannot expect my students to
listen to music that took me years to digest. According to Bauer (2014)
listening to music with understanding and appreciation seems to be a result of
prior experience with that particular style.
Chapter
5 is truly an eye opener. After reading it, I realized that I would have
greatly benefited, had I read it before I started teaching those classes. It is
a good reminder that listening, responding to music and appreciating it, takes
time and patience because it has to do with intellectual growth and it is an “education
of feelings” (Abeles, 2010, p. 53). It
is also important to remember that the students we teach today are digital
natives and even simple discussions about music might become more engaging to
them when incorporating appealing technology. The technology mentioned in
Chapter 5 is worth mentioning because it might help increase student
participation. To conclude, Blogs, WebQuests, Spotify, SoundCloud and other
web-based tools mentioned in Chapter 5 are great suggestions and I am looking
forward to use them in September.
References
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music
learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New
York: Oxford University Press
Abeles,
H. F. (2010). Philosophical perspectives of music education. In
H. Abeles and L. Custodero (Eds.), Critical Issues in Music Education:
Contemporary Theory and Practice. (p. 53). Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Week 5 - Reading Reflection
This week’s readings
focused on assessment and curriculum design.
Assessment in music, both psychomotor (performance skill) and cognitive
(knowledge) certainly resonates with me.
In the district where I work, the music department is always concerned
with the importance of assessments, but not all teachers share the same
practice or assessment tools. For instance, not all band teachers use
SmartMusic, and even then, those using SmartMusic assess only the psychomotor
skills, but never assess cognitive skills. These teachers appear more concerned
with the performance outcomes (sound).
According
to Bauer (2014), assessment serves as an indicator that shows if students are
learning and if teachers are teaching effectively. In addition, Bauer points
out that assessing music knowledge (cognitive) is a complicated process because
“a cognitive understanding of something doesn’t necessarily translate to the
ability to do that thing (of course the opposite is also true)” (p. 134).
When
it comes to music learning, and especially the psychomotor aspect, technology
has made assessment easier than ever before. The available technology focused
on the development of performance skills can help teachers keep records of
progress by actually keeping track of practice and individual recorded performances.
In my fourth grade instrumental classes, I use SmartMusic and performance rubrics to regularly assess
students. In general, my students respond
favorably to this program, and parents have indicated that students seem to
practice more often since they have been using SmartMusic. Many of my students volunteer to perform
individually in the classroom, and don’t seem to feel the pressure that they
are being evaluated.
Although
this kind of technology has been helpful, it is not without limitations. SmartMusic only assesses the psychomotor part
of music learning. I find that when I use tests designed in Microsoft Word,
these assessments seem to be unappealing to my students, who are digital
natives. Google forms and Flubaroo.com provide great tools, but when using
these, students may feel like they are taking just another standardized test. In
order for the 21st century music teachers to assess music students
thoroughly, these teachers must have access to technology that is designed to
assess cognitive understanding. The technology
must also be as engaging as the technology used for performance assessment. For example, it would be helpful if a site
existed that allowed teachers to pull interactive materials into a single
assessment or game.
To
conclude, Chapter 6 is a great resource for instructional design and assessment,
but I would have preferred more specific and attractive cognitive interactive
assessment tools that match the level of sophistication of the technology used
for assessing the psychomotor (performance skill) aspect of music.
References
Bauer,
W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning.
In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and
responding to music (p. 134). New York, NY: Oxford University
Press.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Week 4 - Reading Reflection
From the week four reading assignments the one topic that truly resonated with me was “Practice”- how to motivate students to
practice and keep them engaged and productive.
Several
years ago I came across a great quote by Virgil Thompson, and it has stuck with
me to this day - Thompson says, “I've
never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may
have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down.” The reason I
remember this quote is because it made me aware that all musicians I have met
so far, feel the same way regardless of their level of interest and motivation they
possessed when they were music students.
Becoming
a musician or learning music well, is a long journey that requires a great deal
of commitment and motivation. Practice is the bridge between the very beginnings
of music learning and the stage of becoming a well-rounded musician. According
to Bauer (2014), students who are intrinsically motivated learn music for the
sake of music and for those who are extrinsically motivated the “reward for
doing something comes from outside the task itself” (p. 87). I believe the use
of technology can be rewarding to both motivational kinds of students
(intrinsic and extrinsic). Music teachers now are able to reach a much greater
number of students than ever before and retain them long enough so that they
eventually see for themselves how valuable music can be.
To
me, practice has been a priority in both public schools and private teaching. It is very important not only to just press on subject material but also teach students how to practice and what to practice. Usually when I teach I make sure that the material I am teaching is well understood by the students because if it is not students will find any excuse to skip practicing. With the help of technology this process has become easier than ever. In
the district where I teach, we use the method Tradition of Excellence. I also
use SmartMusic, and a Yamaha arranger,
which I use to accompany students in the classroom with different beat
accompaniments. Finally, I use a DVD that
comes with the book and an interactive practice website. In order to help
psychomotor learning, from the first day of lessons, I model proper posture and
tone and use my laptop and a projector to show students videos on topics such
as embouchure, breathing techniques, and how to maintain the clarinet etc..
This last year I also started to utilize Google Classroom, where I invite students to view tips and find answers to frequently asked questions. Google classroom also has been a great communicating tool between students, parents and myself. Next year I plan to use more SmartMusic and I will keep trying to advocate for it and make it accessible to all students in a town wide level, since students who use it really enjoy playing and often come to class prepared. I truly believe that if our department approves the use of SmartMusic, we will be able to build a very strong instrumental program. To quote Bauer, “technology-assisted learning in music performance classrooms has the potential to benefit both teachers and their students and to allow more individuals to experience the joy and benefits of active musical participation through performance” (p. 93).
This last year I also started to utilize Google Classroom, where I invite students to view tips and find answers to frequently asked questions. Google classroom also has been a great communicating tool between students, parents and myself. Next year I plan to use more SmartMusic and I will keep trying to advocate for it and make it accessible to all students in a town wide level, since students who use it really enjoy playing and often come to class prepared. I truly believe that if our department approves the use of SmartMusic, we will be able to build a very strong instrumental program. To quote Bauer, “technology-assisted learning in music performance classrooms has the potential to benefit both teachers and their students and to allow more individuals to experience the joy and benefits of active musical participation through performance” (p. 93).
References
Bauer,
W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning.
In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and
responding to music (pp. 87-93). New York, NY: Oxford University
Press.
Chromatik and SmartMusic
Chromatik
and SmartMusic
Week four was also
another exciting TPACK development week with new helping tools for us to
explore such as Chromatik and SmartMusic.
Chromatik
and SmartMusic are two web-based music software programs that help motivate
students to practice and improve without depending on the supervision of parents
and teachers. Although both Chromatik and SmartMusic were designed for the same
purpose, (motivate and assist learning), in my opinion, SmartMusic is a more school-oriented
software than Chromatik.
I
have been using SmartMusic for a while now and I find it to be very beneficial
for students who are in band or orchestra. Students seem to practice more and perform
with a better tone. SmartMusic is not a cost-free software. It is available
only with a yearly subscription. Although the subscription could be a drawback
for disadvantaged students, I believe that it would still be a worthwhile
investment and worth trying to find ways to make it accessible to all students.
SmartMusic
comes with accessible sheet music for band and orchestra and interactive
accompaniments for most of the popular band and orchestra methods used by many
school districts around United States. Bauer (2014) points out that
“Researchers have found that students generally prefer to practice with
accompaniments. I addition some students believe that practicing with
accompaniments allows them to learn music better and to learn it more quickly”
(p. 82).
Available methods and interactive
accompaniments are not the only great features SmartMusic has to offer. SmartMusic
was developed with the goal to help students play correctly and give helpful
feedback, note fingering, and record keeping for practice. One of the best features that I find very
useful for teachers, is the practice-monitoring feature. Teachers monitor practice
time of each student and may also use this as an assessment tool. I often use SmartMusic
with fourth grade clarinet classes – this allows students to perform solo in
front of their peers, and at the same time gives me the chance evaluate
students individually. I believe this also helps students get over any stage
fright they might have. In general, students have responded to lessons using Smart
Music with great excitement. Using SmartMusic has helped me look very good
during a couple of observations by a principal and my curriculum coordinator. When
I use technology, I always try to find different ways to utilize it to the
fullest. According to Bauer (2014), software can be used not only for what they
are designed for, they “can be repurposed to help students acquire knowledge
about, and skills relevant to, a particular musical topic or skill” (p. 35).
Chromatik
on the other hand can be a helpful and motivating tool for students, but seems
best suited for students who are studying privately – it does not seem as well
suited for band students. However, Chromatik could be a useful tool for general
music students learning guitar, ukulele, or even basic keyboard, similar to one
of the classes I teach. Chromatik is not totally cost-free. The free version
allows student only three plays per day, and limits the ability for students to
explore and find something they would really enjoy playing. One of my favorite
features of Chromatik is the ability to flip pages automatically. Overall I did
not find Chromatik to be very beneficial and not very user-friendly. When
clicking on the performance link of the chosen sheet, the video needs to be quickly
minimized. I think the performance sheets should be better synchronized to MIDI
versions of the songs. That would allow students to play along, but also slow
down the tempo to practice difficult passages.
Overall,
both software packages can be utilized in the classroom in many different ways.
In my opinion, SmartMusic wins hands down because it was designed with the
needs of the music student and the music educator in mind. It helps keep band
students engaged and productive during in-school rehearsals and at home, where
students may skip practice due to lack of motivation, or not having available
help when needed.
References
Bauer,
W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning.
In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and
responding to music (pp. 35-82). New York, NY: Oxford University
Press.
Friday, July 22, 2016
Soundation Review
https://soundation.com/t/db0hm
This
week has been very stressful due to a lot of reading and writing but also very
rewarding with lots of new tools and ideas that will help my teaching become
more effective. This week our class had the opportunity to explore and become
familiar with a cost-free web-based recording studio called Soundation. The timing of this project was perfect
because recently I attended three concerts and had the honor to see Duran
Duran, Chic, Guns N’Roses, Nile Rodgers, Gwen Stefani, Eve and Lenny Kravitz. All of these bands used
plenty of synthesizer and sequencers while performing live and I feel that they did somehow influenced my Soundation project. In it you
will hear a little funk, 80s, rock and some electronic sounds.
Soundation just
like any other popular DAW allows musicians to record digital audio, use
available loops and midi. Overall the Soundation sequencer was very easy
to navigate and very user friendly. However, the free version of Soundation
comes with many limitations. For example, limited available amount of loops, midi,
their not so great sound quality and shortcuts. I also experienced some
glitches while working with it. The fade in and fade out handling tends to get
a bit tricky. Every time I tried to fade out a track or the song it affected
the tempo. Also when I would scroll across the screen tracks would skip or
freeze during playback. The limitations however do not disqualify it from being
a very useful tool to teach composition concepts such as, form, melody,
measures, intros, use of loops, midi, digital audio and in general music
technology. It is a lot better to have available music technology even if it
has some limitations than not have it at all. Besides it is web-based and
cost-free.
When
I was hired in 2010 I piloted a music production class. Today this class has
become very popular in all schools of the district. The schools of the district
that I teach have been using Apple computers for many years now. Since
all Apple computers come with Garage Band, it was easy for me to
advocate for the music production class. I remember that my main argument
was that I wanted to teach music through technology since technology was
appealing to students.
However,
since music production is only offered to 8th graders and the 6th
7th and 8th grade conservatory takes place at the same
time, there is class number cap and not all students who apply are able to take
the class. Our music department has been discussing the possibility of
designing a two-year music production curriculum with the goal to offer it also
to 7th or even to 6th graders but the available number of
Apple computers still remains an obstacle.
Recently
the district invested in new computers but those are Chrome Books. Here is
where Soundation wins hands down against any other studio software that
I know so far in a classroom setting. First and the most important part is that
it is free. Secondly, it is a web-based DAW that also is compatible with Chrome
Books. Until now the general music students have been using Chrome Books
only for research and presentations. This coming year Soundation will be
a game changer especially in the general music classes that lack instruments,
student interest and very often space as well. The layout of the Soundation sequencer
is very similar to that of Garage Band in many aspects from the way one
can drag loops to fading in and out. Because of the similarities to Garage
Band and other DAWs, I plan to use Soundation in my 6th
and 7th general music to teach introduction to composition and some
music production and give a head start to students who will eventually join the
actual music production class that the district offers. Soundation has
been the most exciting and useful tool that I have explored during these last
three weeks and I hope it will be as exciting to my students as well in
September.
Week 3 - Reading Reflection
The readings of this week examined the
importance of teaching composition through the use of technology to help
students tap into their musical creative potentials.
I
myself fall into the category of teachers who strongly believe in the
importance of music literacy. However, now I am convinced that I should be more
open to trying new conventional and non-conventional ways to reach all students
and help them explore the realm of music regardless of their level and interest
in the subject.
I only teach composition to my music
production students. The general music students have completely missed out on
composition. To me, the idea of teaching composition in a general music class has
always been a bit daunting because the classes usually consist of students that
do not have any musical background. The general music classes that I teach have
become more music appreciation oriented due to the fact that I did not know
about the technology we have been exploring in this course. During these couple
of last weeks, the readings and projects that we have been working on have
brought to life a new horizon with new opportunities and possibilities for me
to explore and have given me new exciting teaching ideas which are having a
great impact in my lesson planning for the next school year. One of them is
composition. I believe that music should be about creating and improvising and
not merely interpreting the works of other people. “Some people believe
composition is one of the highest forms of musical expression. Beyond the
opportunities for creative thinking and expression, engagement in composition
can also result in a deeper understanding of music”(Bauer, 2014, p. 68).
According to Bauer composition should
make up a great part of the music curriculum. It can be taught as a single unit
in any music class, general and instrumental or as a dedicated course. With
today’s available accessible technology teaching composition seems to be easier
than ever because “students can also hear their compositions performed
immediately and are not limited to only composing at a specified difficulty
level for musicians who happen to be available”(Bauer, 2014, p. 63).
My general music students have been using
computers on a regular basis but mainly for preparing presentations and have
been missing out on notation and composition. Although I teach some basic
keyboard I still feel that is not enough. With the web-based technology platforms
such as Soundation and Noteflight that I plan to use next year,
students will be able to enter different scores, compose and also will learn
how to read rhythm and notes correctly.
Even though these technology tools are
great at reaching all students to some extent, they will only be helping tools
to teaching music. My main objective will always be the musical expansion of my
students. I will always guide and remind students that in order for them to
reach their musical growth regardless of their age and musical abilities, they need
to remember that they are the “most important compositional tool and that the
technology doesn’t substitute for their musicianship” (Bauer, 2014, p.66)
References
Bauer,
W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning.
In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and
responding to music (pp. 63-66-68). New York, NY: Oxford University
Press.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Week 2 - Creating Music
Music Technology –
Creating Music
Few people believe
that creativity is a gift. People who are creative are so because they were
simply born with an embedded creative gene. In Chapter 3 of the book Music Learning Today, the author William
Bauer challenges that belief and provides the reader with the necessary tactics
that may help students learn how to be creative. I agree with Bauer that some
people might be genetically inclined to be creative, and that at the same time other
influences may also contribute in developing creative capabilities. Creativity
is a nurturing and a “process that takes time and persistence” (2014,
p. 50).
This chapter
resonates with me very strongly because I take the music teaching business very
seriously as a music educator. I believe that music is an important puzzle
piece of education and an art form that requires a great level of engagement
and creativity regardless of the musical style. I have been teaching for twelve
years now both private lessons and public schools and the experience has been
and continues to be very rewarding. I have had the great opportunity to teach
both the so-called talented and non–talented students and realized that anyone
can learn creativity. It just depends on the level of the interest that the
student has in the subject matter. After all what good would a teaching
profession serve if teachers could teach only those who would thrive anyway
regardless of who their teacher is. Therefore my main objective when I teach is
to first motivate students.
Although it is not
realistic to motivate all students at the same level, with the technology of
our times reaching everyone in some way or another has become easier than ever.
In my music production classes there are students who have zero musical
experience but love to listen to music and have some sort of desire to explore music
just like Katie and other students mentioned in the book. According to Bauer “these
are students who aren’t enrolled in school bands, orchestras and choruses yet
who have strong musical interests and untapped creative potential”(p. 46.). To
most of those students technology is just like a box of crayons full of colors
and sounds that allows them to tap into their composition and arranging
creativity. If this technology did not exist these students would not have had
a chance to at least even try musical creativity.
I have been
advocating for music technology since the day I was hired, I use technology in
all the classes I teach. The technology tools I use vary from projectors and
sound systems to Garage Band and Smart Music. However, Bauer and the
lecture of this week gave me some great suggestions that will definitely
refresh my teaching approach with new ideas and new tools such as early
improvisation, Noteflight and Musescore . I feel that now I am better
equipped to engage all students at some level with sophisticated hands on tools
that will give them a chance to explore and discover the possibilities of music
technology and hopefully discover their creative potential.
References
Bauer, W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning. In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music (pp. 46-50). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Week 2 - Noteflight
One of this week's assignments was to explore cost free notation
software for composition units and note learning in general. Overall both programs are great and free. Since I have been
using Sibelius for many years now, and due to the fact that I have become very familiar with its palette I found Musescore to be more similar to it and more user friendly than
Noteflight. However, I think
Noteflight is a more practical classroom tool because it is an interactive web-based program. It is
easy accessible and if used in a classroom setting it gives students the ability to share projects by embedding them
on different web media sites. Since Noteflight is a free internet-based tool it comes
with some limitations but these limitations are limitations only to professional musicians therefore the limitations do not make an unsuitable classroom tool. One of the limitations that I encountered while using it was the instrument availability. The project we worked on as a class this week had a voice part but voice was not an option. After thinking for a while I ended up using flute instead. I modified the score by changing the word flute to
voice but when played back it still sounds like a flute. Generally, I found Noteflight to
be a great tool and I am looking forward to use it for composition and film scoring in music production and general music classes.
Friday, July 8, 2016
Music Technology Discussion – Week 1
Music Technology
Discussion – Week 1
Technology has become a necessity and it
is very hard to imagine a full day without it. Very often it is taken for
granted and people forget how valuable it can be. The fact that we are all
studying online while in our pajamas, is made possible by this great available technology
that did not exist 20 years ago.
One of the things that I came across for
the first time while reading Chapters 1 and 2 and watching the video, was the labeling
of those who use technology as "Digital Natives" and "Digital Immigrants." In my
opinion all generations are natives of some sort of technology and the
technology of today is nothing but a projection of the older generations’
visions. Despite the fact that the so-called "Digital Natives" are born in an environment
surrounded by technology and adapt to it naturally, it doesn’t mean that they
are using it in a resourceful manner. Technology comes with great capabilities
but also at the same time with great responsibilities due to the invisible dangers
and the lack of human interaction just to mention a few. It is like riding a
bike. It is one thing to balance and another to know and carefully respect the traffic safety rules.
According to the book and the video we watched, I
belong to the "Digital Immigrant" category. My first experience with music
technology was in high school in 1991 in Albania the country I was born.
Albania was a communist isolated state, and people did not have access to
technology as in the Western countries. However, a family friend who had the
privilege to travel abroad at the time, managed to bring in a portable Roland -
61 key arranger. I first heard it at a wedding and I was amazed at how one man
could sound like a whole band. Although, drummers and bass players were not
very happy about this technology, this was the beginning of a new era with new
possibilities. I was studying in an art school to become a professional
musician at the time but this technology experience helped me to fully
gravitate towards the realm of music.
When I became a music teacher, technology, although limited at the time became a norm in my class. With one single computer, and a projector I taught introduction to music production which today has become a course offered in all schools of the district I teach.
It even solved the problem of classroom space and music stands in some of the
schools I teach. For instance, in some schools where I teach 4th
grade clarinets, there are not enough music stands, so I project the music and
this also saves me time from setting up and breaking down folding stands. Last year I started using Google Classroom which helped students access materials from home and submit their projects and even interact with each other. This also helped me keep record of projects. The more technology I used the more engaging the classes became.
Although it is true that "Digital Natives"
learn naturally, I think that in most cases "Digital Immigrants"
utilize technology more thoughtfully maybe because they appreciate it because they know how it is without it. However, some "Digital Immigrants" as mentioned in the
book including teachers tend to resent technology just as they would resent any
new ideas and beliefs. I am in full agreement with the author that using technology only helps the teachers to deliver better the knowledge that they are passing down to younger generation. In order for teachers to connect with students, they
need to learn more about world of their students and beyond because although
the "Digital Natives" use technology effortlessly, it is the job of a teacher to inspire
and make them understand how the capabilities of technologies can have a great impact on what interests them whether that is music, science, medical etc....
Music educators must be open to new ideas
and ways of doing things while demonstrating a willingness to invest the time
and effort necessary to utilize novel pedagogical and technological approaches
if they are to initially develop and continually evolve and refine their TPACK
(Bauer, 2014, p. 17).
Conclusion
Technology should not be used only for administrative work. It should be utilized by all educators and it should always be a part of the planned lessons regardless of how much technology is available. Even one iPhone will make class more engaging than no technology at all. Although I fall into the "Digital Immigrant" category, I have been teaching with an open mindset and embracing technology into my classroom since the day I was hired. I also feel responsible to continue to professionally develop in this instant accessible world and always welcoming new technologies and ideas to help my teaching be always relevant and effective with music as the end goal.
Technology should not be used only for administrative work. It should be utilized by all educators and it should always be a part of the planned lessons regardless of how much technology is available. Even one iPhone will make class more engaging than no technology at all. Although I fall into the "Digital Immigrant" category, I have been teaching with an open mindset and embracing technology into my classroom since the day I was hired. I also feel responsible to continue to professionally develop in this instant accessible world and always welcoming new technologies and ideas to help my teaching be always relevant and effective with music as the end goal.
References
Bauer,
W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning.
In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and
responding to music (pp. 16-17). New York, NY: Oxford University
Press.
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