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 4^th 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.

                                                         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.