Responding to Music with Technology

            Using technology in the music classroom to facilitate learning by responding to music offers limitless options. In class this week I became familiar with the online video resource Zaption, whose company motto is “Don’t just watch. Learn.” I find this particularly relevant to music educators because we have to make sure our students “Don’t just hear. Listen.” Incorporating multimedia in my classroom is possible with a projector and whiteboard and offers nothing but advantages to student learning. The Zaption video I created about our field show performance music only contained a few prompts, however my students were far more engaged than they would have been if I had simply shown them the video. Additionally, I think Zaption is a wonderful tool because students need concurrent stimulates to stay engaged. They are constantly on their smart devices while having a conversation, eating lunch, and doing homework at the same time. There are arguments that discuss how effective (or ineffective) humans are when multitasking, nonetheless, many students are accustomed to and demand this type of environment to stay engaged.

            In class this week I was guided to revisit the social bookmarking site Diigo. Although I became familiar with Diigo several years ago, I drifted away and I’m not sure why. It is incredibly convenient to have access to all of your bookmarks no matter what device you are using. The ability to source share within a specific group is a wonderful resource. I cannot think of a better place to look directly for quality internet resources. Something that I noticed from viewing my previous bookmarks from a few years ago is that Diigo is almost like a progress monitoring tool for teachers. I quickly realized what I tried, when I tried it, and what was successful.  

             This week I realized something about my approach to teaching that was very eye opening. I occasionally rehab property (usually during the summer months) and in my current project I am in 13 days in and much further along than usual. While reflecting on this I determined that I have become very good at locating the right tool for the job. I do not hesitate to go to my toolbox when something is not working or I go ask an expert for advice. However, in my classroom I have a student laptop that does not get used as often as it should and (until this technology course) I did not take the initiative to find the right tools and did not ask an expert. I am constantly watching YouTube videos for guide on home repair but never for teaching. So the question is why do I view these two jobs so differently? I have concluded that it is because I am formally trained in one but not the other. I have thought of myself as a lifelong learner because I have continued education and read articles and among other things, but have not truly been willing to learn for the best interest of my students. Until now.