There are several ideas from the readings and lecture this week that resonated with me. First being that there are so many ways to professionally development myself. Second being that I thought I knew many things about computers and technology in general when it came to education, but reading all that is available for teachers really opened my eyes. Third, I definitely would consider myself a digital immigrant as opposed to a digital native. I have found I have much more to learn through this class and through my colleagues.
I have often said that there is not enough professional development offered to "specials" area teachers in the public schools. Most of the time, we sit in on math or reading workshops instead of something that would be more specific to our "special" area, whether it be art, music, library, or PE. After reading Bauer's journal article, I realized that we all need to be developing professionally on our own. It is possible to find other articles and workshops outside of the district offered classes. We as professionals should be looking constantly for new ideas and lessons to work into our classrooms. I have used Pinterest and other teachers' blogs to develop my classroom, but could dive even further.
In the reading, Bauer outlines all the components of a computer and other technology that is available. There were a few that I was not aware of and did not really know how to use them. I am still curious as to how some of the different peripheral devices can be used in the classroom. I am excited to look into Rock our World with my students this year.
I would have never considered myself a digital native, considering I went to college with a Brother word processor and a flip phone. However, after reading this week, I would consider myself a digital immigrant working towards knowing what I can use in my classroom and really utilizing all resources.
Bauer, W. I. (2014) Music learning today Digital Pedagogy for Creating Performing and Responding to Music. New York, NY Oxford University Press.
Bauer, W. I. (2010) Your Personal Learning Network: Professional Development on Demand. Music Educators Journal.
Technology for music teaching and learning. Week 1 lecture.
I am on the same page as you regarding technology in my classroom. In my case, though, I knew about several applications/programs that were available, but time and/or resources seemed to keep me from integrating them into my classroom, ultimately leaving me with a negative attitude toward technology. Though I grew up with technology, I would also consider myself a digital immigrant, because new technology did not interest me like it did some of my peers, leaving me a step behind when utilizing it! After starting a Feedly account, I was immediately introduced to many ways to improve my classroom! I found several resources for Band Karate and SmartMusic, which I am hoping to use in my 5th-8th band classroom this fall.
ReplyDeleteThank you for mentioning Pinterest in your post. I thought of that as well, because Pinterest is one of my most-used and most-loved tools. I remember when I started using it a few years ago, that I found many people who do exactly what I do, have similar questions and challenges, and offer lots of great ideas and advice. Now that I am using Feedly as well, I can sift through all the ideas (without missing any, thanks to Feedly) and save the ones I want to remember onto my Pinterest boards. As the only music teacher in my building, it is easy to feel like an island, but using Pinterest makes me feel that I am part of a community of music teachers who are collectively working toward improving our approaches as well as our students’ experiences.
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