I teach over 400 digital natives but I myself am a 32
year-old digital immigrant. I grew up
in a family that did not have a television until I was a junior in high school.
Life was not dull or empty; I listened
to a lot of music, was in sports, played the piano, and spent many hours
reading. I was not in tune to the newest
pop song or the best movie that was showing in the theaters but life was simple
and full.
In high school I was comfortable using a computer but email
was not common and none of my friends had a cell phone until about our junior
year in college. Once I was a college
students(2001-2006) it was clear that technology and internet usage was shifting
in education. Having a computer and internet
in your apartment was a BIG deal. My fellow
college music majors researched music history, repertoire, and theory by going
to the library, calling the librarian, or spending time in the music section at
Barnes and Noble. Composition majors spent hours in the music
labs on campus instead of working from a personal computer in their own home
space. Today so much of research can be
quickly accessed using wifi and various online resources.
Technology covers
such a broad scope of tools that just hearing the word can be overwhelming. Currently I have an iPad, laptop, and a cell
phone but not a smart phone. In the
classroom I am comfortable showing YOUTUBE clips and using iTunes as a tool to
access music for the classroom. Arrowhead
High School, my place of employment uses Google for school email and the Google
drive as a means of sharing information.
I use Facebook as a way of communicating with some of my students
through a choir Facebook group.
Developing a personal learning network is brand new and exciting. Using Feedly to subscribe to blogs on education
and technology provides opportunities to learn from additional teaching
resources on music education and technology in a short amount of time. Using blogs and twitter will broaden my
professional network. Bauer (2010) says “Web
2.0 tools and resources can enhance our efficiency and effectiveness as music
educators.” I am excited to become
friends with technology!
Hi Grace!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am a 32 year old digital immigrant, however I feel as though I've been living in the country for quite some time, and have lost a noticeable accent! From the sound of your post, it appears you've been friends with technology too for quite some time, or at least acquaintances! I feel as though people in our age group have had the good fortune of having access to the major technological advances in a way that is very first hand from the time we were teenagers through young adulthood.
I thoroughly enjoy implementing technology into my classroom whenever possible, but I do struggle a bit thinking about managing a classroom full of children with iPads or a laptop cart in order to create a composition. However, like you I look forward to learning some new techniques, or formats for increasing student experiences with technology first hand in my classroom. Here's to building a deeper and more authentic "friendship" with technology!
What do you think about the concept that our students will be using technology in the not-so-distant future that hasn't even been invented yet? That was one of the big points of a few PD sessions I've been to over the past year, and it came to mind again while reading through your post. It's definitely important to be comfortable with the current technology of today, but I'm starting to think it might be almost as important to really stay up to date with not just educational technology trends, but also the cutting or leading edge of technology in general. Things like 3-D printers are starting to make their appearance in libraries, FabLabs, and high school tech programs throughout the country -- would you have believed when you were a student that some day, your teacher could 3-D print a guitar pick or guitar capo for you right in the classroom? It's kind of scary to think how much things will change again during our careers, but kind of exciting as well!
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