Both Bauer (2014) and Bazan (2016) outline many of the productivity tools that many of us use every day. While I agree that technology can make it easier to manage a music program, I have to remember that one of the purposes of technology in education is to make things easier for the students and parents. For example, calendar programs are very popular planning and scheduling tools. I use them a lot and I keep a detailed calendar of events for my students on the school website as many teachers do. However, many of my parents prefer that I give them a list of events that they can pin on the refrigerator or family bulletin board. While the school website calendar allows people to export their own schedules in list mode, the parents were extremely grateful to receive a printed schedule in list mode. They even prefer it to paper calendars because the list format takes up less room. The analog solution seems to be the best option for this group of parents. Calendar programs are helpful in this case because I only need to make one calendar and generate all the versions I need.
When I first started teaching, it felt like a golden age of professional development in California. All you had to do was turn in a written request to your principal and you could practically go anywhere for "professional" development paid for by the state. During that time I got to participate in conducting symposiums and band director conferences all over the state and even one in Texas. While those days are now over, Bauer (2014) described how a person can set up their own professional learning network (PLN) without any geographic limitations through the implementation of technology. Using both formal and informal online learning platforms, teachers can stay informed and trained on current teaching and learning practices.
I have been lucky in my current teaching positions that I have been able to work with teachers that not only use technology-based instruction in their classrooms, they are also willing to share their practices with other teachers. I am also fortunate that technology enabled me to participate in a master's degree program based half-way across the country with more convenience than participating in a program from a local university. The best part of the process has been getting to work with instructors and fellow students whose perspectives can be very different from my own.
Bauer (2014) asked the readers to evaluate their own competencies based on the TPACK model and develop a plan to address areas that need improvement. For me, my areas of strength were Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), and Technology Knowledge (TK). I feel that I have improved in the areas of Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) and Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) but further development is needed here to bring together the elements of my TPACK. I no longer feel like my technological life is as separate from my musical life as it once was.
Part of my plan to develop my Professional Learning Network (PLN) is to hone my Feedly sources down to the ones that are yielding the most relevant results. I also plan to expand my network and gain insights from other experts in various fields. I find that confining myself to music and education sources can limit my professional development. Business and consumer technology are other areas of interest that can bring new ideas to my PLN.
References
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York, CA: Oxford University Press.
Bazan, D. (2016). Technology assisted music teaching & professional development [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learn.kent.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-5641932-dt-content-rid-52157291_1/courses/14924.201660/Week%207/Lecture/index.html
Hello Raul,
ReplyDeleteAww the golden age! I bet those were the days where you could get professional development whenever you wanted. I wish that were the case today. I mentioned in my own blog how I wish professional development could benefit us as well as our core subject colleagues. I also thought Bauer's' discussion on how we could set up our own professional development was interesting and easy. I was skeptical about using Twitter. My idea of it was posting what's on your mind for the day. I thought it was a waste of time; until we used it for this class. This is a great way to develop a PLN and to get acquainted with other professionals.
I like how you shared what you do with calendars for online. My band booster president uses Google calendar and shares it with every parent that is on the email list. It is very convenient but only if you constantly check it or print it out. He also set up a program, through google, where parents can sign up to chaperone for an event.
Thank you for your input,
Ashley
You make a very valid point when you bring up the convenience of a paper calendar. We sometimes forget that in this age of technology we still have many students and families without computer/internet access at home. Providing ALL materials in a physical form may be necessary for some of these students.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad that you pointed out not only including music and education sources in your PLN. I never really thought about that. Mine pretty much only consists of those two. It's time I start expanding my learning!