First of all, let me say what an honor and privilege it is to be invited to collaborate on Joe Pisano’s site! We have had some very exciting conversations about how we can empower educators and musicians for the changing role of music in the 21st century! As my very first post, I am going to explore a topic that I feel very strongly about- the proper use of technology in the classroom.

“State of the Art” Ahhh! the words are so enticing…as if the answer to all of your curriculum challenges were just around the corner with the integration of the next “killer app”. Believe it or not, the “digital music educator” is going to caution you to proceed in the world of technology very carefully! It seems that in today’s world of technology that is out of date as fast as it’s released, the temptation is great to try to incorporate the “latest and greatest” hardware and software into our teacher toolkit.

It is way too easy to try to incorporate too much technology at one time. The best rule of thumb about technology is that it is only relevant to you if it helps you educate. While that sounds simplistic, you must remember that integrating technology simply means utilizing those tech tools that help you be more effective in the classroom. My advice is to pick ONE concept or challenge in or out of the classroom and think about which tools in technology will help you meet the challenge. As an example, I have been frustrated for years about effectively communicating with my student’s parents. It seemed that nothing worked when it came to getting important information home.

As a “digital native” (or nearly so…) my first instinct was to create a combination website, blog, podcast and wiki that would enable students and parents alike to access all the latest classroom information with just a few clicks of the mouse and sign up for a really neat e-newsletter that was sure to keep us all close! Unfortunately, I had underestimated the digital divide in my school. Thus, only 30 families out of over 200 were actually using the resource, and most of those were just on the e-mail list! I found that using a good newsletter layout program, Pages 2, from Apple I produced a very attractive and informative paper newsletter and included calendars for upcoming performances for the next 3 months. I was SHOCKED at the response, with parents going out of their way to tell me how effective they thought the “new” tool was!

So, when you are planning to integrate technology into your classroom, stop and think first about what you are trying to do and who you are trying to reach. Sometimes getting caught up in the newest software or web 2.0 application is NOT the most effective way to meet your challenge.

Owen Bradley
The Digital Music Educator

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[tags]web 2.0, apple, pages 2, technology, classroom, teaching, parents, [/tags]

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