MODULE 1

Technology in today’s world is so immersed in global culture that almost everything we do is in some way dependent on technology. Bauer (2014) describes two types of people: digital natives and digital immigrants (p. 5). He offers the following definitions:

Today’s youths have been described as digital natives, having grown up in a technologically rich world. In contrast, many adults are digital immigrants, not born into the digital age, but having come to it later in their lives (Bauer, p. 5).

In music education, there have been significant developments in music technology over the last few years. We as teachers are fortunate there are so many free programs available to help our students grow as musicians but finding the best programs and how to use them most effectively can be challenging. Music technology can be implemented into all areas of music education. Bauer (2014) explains “technology is an integral part of the way much music in today’s world is created, performed, preserved, and consumed” (p. 6). The 2014 national standards for music incorporate creating, performing, and consuming (described in the standards as connecting and listening) and provide a framework for what to deliver to students. The technology itself is the how of the education, directly allowing students to experiment and develop as musicians. Bauer (2014) asserts that by implementing technology and allowing students to have control over how they learn, this results in a student-centered learning environment (p. 7). Students who have ownership of their learning benefit more.

In order to enable students to reach this level, educators must remember that “being able to use technology effectively requires not only an understanding of technology itself, but also of effective pedagogical approaches for utilizing that technology in a particular content area” (Bauer, p. 12). The framework for implementing technology effectively into the classroom incorporates combining technological knowledge, content knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge. Bauer (2014) uses this graphic to show how the three relate to each other (p. 12):

As I mentioned earlier in this post, we are fortunate so many resources, programs, and applications exist (and are continuing to be developed) to help this process (TPACK) manifest itself in education. I have used this model in my teaching before although I did not know that is what I was doing at the time, nor did I get to the depth of learning this model could present to the students. Now I can revise lessons and continue creating new ones to do just that.

When I used Incredibox with my fifth graders this week, I prefaced the lesson by reviewing with them how rhythm and melody work to make a musical work exciting and unique. I walked them through using the program and showed them specifically how I wanted them to share their created work. This still provided them enough latitude to explore the program on their own and give them creative liberty to be adventurous composers. In this lesson, I was able to combine all three areas of TPACK. The format I used to explain the lesson and then allow them work time is pedagogical knowledge. The inclusion of discussing melody & rhythm and their relationship within a composition as well as the program’s musical features are the content knowledge. Finally, the program itself and the use of google docs to share with the other students and myself is the technological knowledge. When I meet with the other fifth grade class this week, I will have had time to reflect on each of the three types of knowledge and make adjustments to better suit the class, which I believe is an important part of teaching. A lesson, while helping students learn, is rarely perfect the first time.

Some student samples can be found here:

Jacob

Dane

Ava

Bauer (2014) additionally provides an example of how composing music with computer programs fits the TPACK model (p. 15) and I have many times built lessons such as this one. I look forward to combining this approach with school wide systems already in place to continue helping students.

I am enjoying developing my Personal Learning Network (PLN). I have had a twitter account for two years, but now I feel like I have a new purpose for using it. Just in connecting with other classmates I have already discovered several new people and organizations to follow. I have never had a blog before so in the coming weeks I look forward to using various multimedia sources as I experiment.

Resources:

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York: Oxford University Press.

2014 Music Standards. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.nafme.org/my-classroom/standards/core-music-standards/