5/1

The biggest "aha" moment was at the very beginning of class. There was a discussion of how Blogging can help to bring parents into the classroom a little bit easier. What got me was how easy it was to let parents know what is going on. Within just a few minutes of my time I can enter in some information and link in assignments and parents can keep track very easily of what the kids are learning. Blogs can even allow the parents the ability to ask questions or make comments with me as well.

I don't plan on continuing this blog. However, I fully intend to start a blog along with a website for the band program at my school. I have already gotten in touch with different staff personnel to make sure that I don't break any district policies and to make sure that the school will link the sight. I think I will even ask the Booster Club if they will sponsor it so that we could get even more space for picture files and portrait slide show programs.

Every discussion topic in this course has been beneficial to me. Each time it has given me new ideas. For sure, if I had not taken this course I would not have thought of the many ways in which to approach the music education the way I have now. This course has helped me to understand what materials and resources I need to capture the attention of the student better and the get musical concepts across easier.

Blog 4/24

Personally, I like his vision for technology education and how it can change the life of the student and teacher. In my opinion though he paints a rather rosy if not somewhat idealistic picture.

In chapter 7, he list four possible ways to implement the technology program and make funds available. To me none of them are really that great.He is forgetting a major factor in his equations. The local tax base. The mom, dad and random citizen already paying funds on their property each year to the schools. How would you justify to local citizens that there is a national standard when it has traditionally been at the state level. We can't even get the state level standards and assessments figured out. To think that the Federal Government would be able to justify spending more than they have ever budgeted to technology education on the success of the "best" school district is ridiculous. First, there has to be more funds than he is accounting for appropriated for the added bureaucracy to manage this national standard. Second, I think we can all agree that the best thing the Federal Government can do in a majority of the cases is to stay out of the way so they don't mess it up. Also, how do you get the software companies involved. Who decides the curriculum? Will it be a no bid contract for putting the hardware and software materials into the school? He leaves just too many unanswered and serious questions without thought.

To me I think it would be best to throw standardization to the wind somewhat. Create an outline at the National level of what the States should attempt to achieve in regards to meeting standardization at each of its districts. Lets face facts, some districts are well ahead of others. Put grants in place to each State and allow the state to allocate out to the districts the dollar amount in which to give. This will keep the logistical nightmare out of the Federal hands. From a Federal level appeal to Software and hardware manufactures what is being looked for in curriculum material on a variety of competency levels. Leave it up to the local districts to "shop" what will suit their needs for their students best to help move forward from where they are currently without holding kids back or putting unrealistic pressure on students and faculty. This will also create a competition in the business environment that should help keep cost low, feedback from the education world regular, and constantly improving material and products for education. Putting this into the hands of the State and local districts is best since we are "teaching to the Test" in most states. This will help make sure the proper software and curriculum packages are available. This also allows the local population to feel a part of the decision making process in their kids education.

Blog 4/17

In regards to online education in general to Public or Private School education, I think this would make an excellent alternative for situations where parents want to home school. This would allow parents to be a part of an active pre-planned lesson plan that keeps their child at a reasonable education level with other students their age. Also, this makes a great alternative to Counselors and Alternative School teachers that work with students that have suffered pregnancy, legal or general life issues that have kept them out of the traditional classroom setting.

In regards to the Second Life application, at first glance I thought "Oh wow. So the Universities have finally figured out that Online simulated environments exist and on top of that they chose a poor graphics engine to play with." I know, sarcasm. In all honesty I didn't see what was so great or different from what I am familiar with and use all the time in my personal life just to keep in touch with friends and family and in some cases even use to discuss business through a game. It's true... play and work. But when I saw how other applications such as PowerPoint and Movie programs etc. could be imported into the environment was when I realized just how cool this particular program was. It got me thinking that this might be the program that sets the future experience in distance business, education and military communication. Imagine a General able to enter an online environment and see his troops in action and able to communicate with them in real time as they move, as though it were a computer game. Why not have business salesmen make presentations through this environment without the expense of air travel and time delay? It would be neat if eventually people entered the environment able to look like real humans or themselves... not some cartoonish character. An entire new medium of telephone conferencing for instance.

In the meantime though, it is common practice for Directors to visit each others neighboring schools and clinic each others bands to provide a well rounded opinion or view of the students progress. It would be cool to be able to see the other class in rehearsal from Rockwall or Wylie live for my students to view how they conduct themselves and practice. Also, I am already in the process of using the online world to communicate and study with other directors for professional development reasons. Me and 2 others are also reviewing each others marching programs for next year and offering advice through emails and application file transfers so that we do not have to travel miles and miles just to look at each others computer screens.

Blog 4/10

I would have the students search out primary resources on their favorite musician. For instance, find and track down not just bibliography information but find the multimedia resources of many numerous performances and see just how their musician performed. Where did they like to play? What did they like to play? Why? How does watching them change or inspire your performance?

Track down primary resources on actual music publication. Find images of the original pieces and movements written by Bach and Beethoven.

Look at music and historical events. How did music play a role in major social movements like the 60's. Did music really improve? For instance evaluate the lyrics of Don McLean's "American Pie". Look for responses to his words in songs like "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack. How does the knowledge that musicians talk to one another and the world through music change or effect your approach to music?

4/3 Blog

All too frequently I walk past classrooms with computers lining the walls and plastic bags sitting over them for dust protection. The teachers continuing their classroom lessons from books and dry erase boards. When I do see them used it is for online test taking purposes or to teach typing techniques from another text book. T.V.s sit in each room with a DVD and VHS player attached and I still have yet to see a teacher use one. As for myself, I have already used my T.V. for various purposes, from a teaching tool on proper care for an instrument with younger students to performances by professional bands with the older students. All of which has helped to encourage and improve on the knowledge and will to do well from the students. I plan to use the T.V. to show the students their own performance and use it to show where improvements can be made. If I had access to the computers in my classroom I would use it as a sound studio and interactive study tool for the students.

• Television's fundamental role in the classroom is to allow teachers to eliminate the compromise of using verbal descriptions of anything that can be seen, thus enhancing the quality of the information they make available to learners, enhancing the outcome of the teaching-learning process.

A prime example in my case would be marching preparations for band. It is near impossible to explain what the students are supposed to look like without having a video tape recording to actually show them what went right and what went wrong. Recording their performances on stage can also help so they may see where they can better improve. Also, watching other bands perform is invaluable for new ideas and evaluation studies.

• The use of television in education can be either a passive or an active experience for learners. The outcome depends solely upon the teacher's understanding of television's versatility.

Very true indeed. I could simply use it and let it role and not engage my students to show them areas of improvement or where they did well. However, using is actively and drawing in outside performances with active interaction will dramatically improve the speed of understanding from my students.

• Ironically, television, the global master medium that daily impacts human psyches and emotions in homes, is only an occasional visitor in the classroom- the place where young minds are being nurtured and cultivated. This is because we have not yet devised the best way to harness this extraordinary power in a manner compatible with the system in place.

This is very true. I think can even be extended to computer use in the classroom. Perhaps teachers do not use these mediums as often because the students attentions will begin to drift. Of course that could also be that many teachers use them passively. I have noticed that when I pull out the T.V. students go into "watch" mode. This frequently means changing seats and making request like candy and drinks. It takes a strong initiative to keep the student in a learner mode when using these mediums. It is this battle that perhaps prevents teachers from using them more often.

• The mind coupled with a computer infinitely amplifies its capacity to perform the basic cognitive functions. Yet, there is no configuration of microchips that replicates the intricate, vital interface between mind and emotions-a basic limitation of computers.

Very true in music education. A student can have access to all sorts of technology and high quality equipment to insure the greatest of sounds and access to near unlimited performance and editing options. But if they go untaught on basic music principles. If they are allowed to ignore the very thing that makes music great. You will end up with a student making pointless and emotionless music and a failed product. Too often we hear "manufactured" music on the radio and not enough truly inspired music. The music student cannot be allowed to forget that technology is not the cure for poor music. Great music comes from inside the human soul and technology is available to harness that creation. Students cannot be allowed to forget that Beethoven not only wrote great music when the technology was only paper and pen, but also did it deaf and unable to even hear what he was creating. The point is that no technology would have created what he made. It would however possibly help him hear what he wrote.

• Computers actively engage the human mind and create a synergism. However, nothing transpires unless the human takes the initiative to interact; and then the mind is locked into an active, progressive, collaborative thinking mode. Thus, in a sense, using a computer can be considered aerobics for the mind.

Back to my original points in this post. Too often I see computers with dust protectors on them and not actively being used. Therefore helping the student think that computers are for fun only and very few other uses. With music education it can be used to help stimulate the mind of the student in such a way that they can actually visualize what they are practicing. Play back and edit what they performed. Save it into a computer for other listeners to critique. A performance could now be heard world wide. A student could get feed back from a major university or educator in another part of the world.

• Because computers store multimedia information interactively utilizing software that is course-specific, they allow teachers to provide each member of the class an increased number of individualized learning experiences based on the learner's needs rather than the teacher's availability.

I have touched on this many times before. To keep from being too repetitive I will focus this more towards keeping the student responsible and engaged in their own improvement. The ability to use a computer directly with instrumentation practice is not that common for a secondary education student. This would allow them to be more responsible for their own improvement. Once a student can actually "grade" themselves in a fair and uncompromising way (that only a non-thinking computer could do) can they become truly inspired about improvement.

3/27 Perceptions

• Teachers plan, communicate, guide, and evaluate. Information technology can be adapted to allow the teacher to do these better and, thus, impact positively the efficiency of the teaching-learning process.

I believe that this is the primary role in what I do. As a director of music and a band it seems I am more of a manager and coach than a teacher. Constantly choosing material and putting students into the roles that best suite them and the band. Technology has helped to ease that process. Something as simple as a crude cassette tape recording can validate what I discuss with them. Software programs allow me to continue to put music in front of the student without the expense of having to purchase new music when only a few pages are missing.

• In great part, the effectiveness of the communication phase of the teaching-learning process determines the outcome.

Absolutely. It only takes the slightest bit of miscommunication or misunderstanding to undermine an entire rehearsal. Jeopardizing future performances and the fun the student could have. Making it clear up front what is expected from behavior to performances of the music itself will only make the education process easier on me and the students. This also helps to put me in a position of not defending what I choose to do with them but rather guide them through it since they will already understand the "why".

• Information technology skillfully integrated into the curriculum will allow teachers to improve the fidelity, relevancy, and accessibility of the information they make available to learners. It is proposed that this empowers teachers so that they might do what they do- better.

Again I have discussed my intentions here in the past. Even in the journal article recently submitted I have already began planning my integrations into the classroom a new approach to teaching music. To older and more seasoned students this technology integration will allow for more precise individual practicing and faster understanding of music concepts and expectations in the classroom/ band setting as a whole. With my younger students this will be invaluable. The ability to show a student instead of writing on a board or verbally describing music concepts is invaluable. I have hopes that this can increase the music education at my school by 50% over the course of a year. By the time a 6th grader had entered 8th grade, instead of being an 8th grade level student, it is possible to have them at a 9th or 10th grade performance level and understanding of music theory. Exciting!

• A verbal description alone of anything that can be seen must be considered a compromise; a compromise made every day in classrooms in an age when technology makes it unnecessary.

I do relate to this. The ability to use software and projection hardware to visibly show what is taking place in a piece is extremely helpful. For our visual students that is often times the thing that helps make it "click" for them. But I take this perception one step further to also being able to hear things as well. Frequently, I make comparisons to help them benchmark themselves. Being able to have colleagues from around the area to provide recordings of their students/ bands for mine to hear by email or other media means is very helpful. Also, to send our recordings out for feedback is very useful. My students can hear what another director has to say about us. It puts another audience before them in a unique way.

• All human activity is driven by information; the more demanding the activity-the greater the need for information. Thus, information can be termed the fuel that powers the teaching-learning process.

Without information, we don't have much to teach. However, I am going to take this and consider information more in terms of feedback. It is the feedback that my students will thrive on the most. Not so much how to do it, but rather, how well did I do it and where can I improve. Just like in football. The game on Sunday is important, but the game film review on Monday morning is what truly helps a player to improve before his next game. Technology gives our students this ability to provide feedback in various forms. This is something I have taken to doing with my students. Get them feedback in visual and verbal forms rather than just marking the grade book and a paper with a letter grade.

• How teachers manage information has a major impact on the outcome of the teaching-learning process. Technology facilitates and amplifies the teacher's capacity to provide learners with information of higher fidelity in an individualized, interactive mode.

Specifically in my case, I could have students get materials and have it on hand. Without me managing that use of material with them then it is useless. Just because a student has access to a computer does not mean they will suddenly use it the best way they can. I can help engage students to use technology to further improve themselves and to help facilitate their understanding of difficult concepts. Holding a student responsible to certain expectations will cause the student to eventually use this resource to its greatest potential. In turn, a better student and a happier teacher.

3/6 Hopes and Fears

As my vision has changed and focused more on how educational technology can be better implemented into the musical classroom, I have also began to feel some fears and imagine wonderful outcomes.

The fears I have in regards to this:

• Student dependancy: What I hope to use the technology for is intended to assist and revolutionize how the student learns to perform. I am affraid however that students will become dependent on the technology and forget to trust thier instincts as a performer.
• Convincing administrators to financially commit: I have already submitted a report to my administrators that justifies and shows why the technology aquisition is good. However, I am affraid that they will not see it my way. I may have to battle and fight for this. It can be difficult to convince an administrator that technology can help the student learn faster and gain greater exposure to future interactions with techonology such as recording studios and such.
• Parent participation: Part of my plans does involve the student and their ability to use a home computer or other media device. This can also lead to extra financial considerations from a parent and of course, the parent is not always fond of the struggling sounds of a new beginner and having to give up the computer for an hour a week.

My hopes:

• Student excitement: I have noticed a trend with some students that they seem to think music is boring. Perhaps when exposed to the opportunities to actually practice as though at a real sound recording studio and able to mix their own practice sessions for assignments, they will find a new vigor and interest in music.
• Parent and student encouragement: By using techonolgy along with the practice studies the student and parent will have recorded history of the improvement of their performance.
• Accelerated classroom and theory understanding: I believe if I can actually SHOW how it works, the student will understand it even faster.
• Improved performance

I believe that I have overcome many barriers to technology in the classroom in the regard that I can visual how it will empower the students and myself, I have a process and plan in place for its implementation into the classroom, and that although my knowledge on the latest software applications is admittedly novice at best, I am quickly pacing myself to be more than proficient to make the most of it.

In fact if it were not for this class I may never have fully realized or even envisioned the potential for certain mediums of education. Also, the studies to this point have even inspired me to pursue other enhancements to meet and improve certain fears and concerns I have overall in the music program. For instance, utilizing the Publisher application to find more eye catching and fun ways to deliver relevant information to parents and students.

My plan with the changes is to completely change private practices and rehearsals by empowering the student using the technology as an interactive study tool and also using the technology to allow me and the student to monitor their progress. This will shift a majority of control to the student. I will also allow the students to bring in more modern and fun aspects to the course once the technology is in place to accept it. Most importantly I can use this technology to share recordings by email and other means with students and directors at other schools so that not only the student but myself can analyze constructive feedback on performances. Interestingly enough, this will more than likely encourage more professional collaboration between myself and other local school district directors.

BLOG week 2/20

1) As I mentioned prior my vision has started to see a change. I am wanting to involve technology into my music classrooms in such a way that the technology can enhance and even change how rehearsals and home practice sessions are conducted. Of course to do that I need parent support. Most of what I have learned in here has been answering questions in my own mind about how I reach and gain support from the parents to help implement some of these changes in music education within my classrooms. Building a website, using blogs, publisher programs or even PowerPoint presentations would at this time be used by me to reach the parents and hopefully get them involved and into the classroom to a degree.

2) I have already begun working on proposals and request from my administrators to allow me access and use of some technologies. I want to add laptops with mic setups into my room. I want overhead projectors that can display what is on the laptop. I need certain software programs to even make these things useful. I am already planning to use the technology to change how in class and at home rehearsals are conducted. I am looking for more positive and tangible feedback for me and my students to hopefully combat some of the problems I am experiencing now.

3) I think the biggest message I received was that technology will not eliminate the need of an instructor. It will simply change the role of the instructor and how the instructor teaches. Of course, not all technologies will change education or how education is carried out either. Perhaps, in large part to the reluctance to accept new technologies into the classroom. I did like fax buddy ideas. That was unique. And I also thought the use of technology to get students to talk and engage with students from other countries was incredible in the sense of seeing other perspectives. But I think the part where parents were able to become more engaged in the classrooms meant most to me. That is my current concern for developing the music program at my school. But the message was clear. It can be done. Now find a way to make it happen.

My Blog For 2/13

I teach a technology course at the junior high level. It has been fairly easy for me to relate and find ways to integrate much of what we have discussed in class so far into this particular class setting. However, I am also the Band and Music Director for my school. Thinking to myself how to integrate technology into such a classic and traditional type of instructional setting has been challenging.

Recently, I have come across software that I am currently building a proposal around for presentation to my Administrative supervisors that I believe will completely change the way Music is taught. Without going into too much detail the software will allow a student to study music and allow me the director access to all their practice sessions whether at home or school. Also, the technology involved will practically rule me out once the student learns how to appropriately use it to improve their individual skill. The options and power are near limitless and a complete new approach to music education.

Of course this has changed my vision a bit. And now I find myself trying to find ways to get parents more involved and active in the music education of their children. After the last class session discussing different methods of producing creative and visually stimulating documents, I have decided that this will be my means to an end. Working in tandem with the Band Booster Club utilizing programs like Publisher and Word will allow me and this organization to access the attention of the student and parent in a more appealing way. Parents need summer information and in session information about what is expected for their child. Also, new band parents need a legitimate no washed down list of information about what to expect with their child beginning a band experience and education. These programs can be easily utilized for that purpose.

If they are used as effectively as I believe they can be, my school district could see a measurable increase in parent involvement in the band program. It would be great to see how these small products could allow me the ability to capture the attention of the parent to see the band booster grow from a current 4 set or parent attendance to a 10, 20 or 30 parent attendence.

In any case I think I will probably be viewing my vision for technology within the educational system in a new direction.

My Vision 2/6

The activities over the past two class sessions has been extremely enlightening. Never before have I felt quite as empowered as I do now with the confidence to use the Internet with such speed and confidence.

The activities of finding out the validity and purpose behind a website had a big impact on me. I was in fact trying to think about all the information I have used and taken for granted in the past just by doing searches. It is nice to finally understand more about how the search engines work and how best to use them to my advantage. The RSS and Delicious activities were equally as impressive. Combine both activities and suddenly you have an up to date resource site of valid and respected websites at your disposal for day to day use.

I believe I will begin to utilize the bloglines and the Delicious to help me keep a running bookmark site I can use when around and about. Especially between work and home. I do not have the luxury of a work Laptop or personal Laptop. The Delicious would be a wonderful connector between the work I do at home and school. I will be hindered at work with Bloglines though. Blog sites are currently blocked. I will also be far more careful in how quickly I choose to use information from the Internet when teaching in my classes as well. I think this will also help me to combat incorrect statements from students and allow me to figure out just where they got the idea from to begin with.

I expect that my life will be easier as I organize myself and acquaint myself with these new systems and habits. I think I will also begin to petition the school to make admin changes for teachers so that we can begin to use blog sites to keep parents updated on the going ons within the classroom. Being the music program director of my school, all this coupled together could save me tons of time and keep the parents posted on the extra curricular activities as well. One big change I see happening in my classroom would be the teaching of using the Internet and also verifying the information the students find. I think the best and most effective change would be to transfer that knowledge on right now.

Technology Skills Development

To develope.

1. Microsoft Outlook. I have never encountered this software. Now I am faced with using to facilitate my work. I feel weak and lost. I am terribly used to using Lotus Notes with prior work experiences.

2. General Internet Savy. Now that I educate students with the use of computers, I find us using the internet quite often. But I need a better understanding of just making sure that what I plan on using for class or what a student plans to utilize is valid. Also, how do I get around some of the firewalls that block legitimate searches. For example, I want to look for a celebrity with the name Brandy... however Brandy is also a liquor thus the search is blocked. How do I know when my students have abused their education process on the internet.

3. Photoshop. Has nothing to do with education. Just interested in using it for personal everyday life. Babies need lots of pictures.

4. Blogs. After hearing how the principal utilized Blogs for his school I am intrigued in learning more about this feature and possibly present this to my administrators as an outreach source.

To Share.

1. Lotus Notes. I have utilized this program for 3 years. If anyone is in a position of using this frequently but unsure of its use I could assist.

2. Gaming Knowledge. There is an online world out there with a language of its own. From chat rooms to chat channels within games themselves. Need direction on entertainment from strategy games to MMORPG's? Feel free to ask.

3. Banking Knowledge and Technology use within the banking system.
This isn't a skill to teach but more a lesson to understanding how finances work with todays technology. For instance laws such as Check 21 and its relationship with the FDIC and your local bank or grocery store. Why is it that the evil banker can seemingly get away with certain things like holds? How does technology affect the consumer in todays market when trying to use a bank. It amazed me when I was a banker at how uneducated 90% of our customers were about how technology was changing the way something as simple as a deposit to their account affected them.

Definition of Educational/ Instructional Technology

According to Wikipedia, "Educational technology is the systematic and creative blending of "idea" and "product" technologies with subject-matter content in order to engender and improve teaching and learning processes." Not satisfied with this I continued further. By interesting accident I crossed an article by Alan Januszewski stating the formaly accepted definition of Educational Technology by the AECT Board of Directors. "Educational Technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources."

Reflecting on both definitions I notice a subtle but substantial difference in the two positions. Based on Wikipedia technology essentially improves the teaching and learning process. One could easily infer that it is improving processes already in place. However, the AECT definition takes the stand that education technology should be the driving force to bring new processes and information not originally available to the education process and even create new ideas of facilitating the learning process as a whole.

What does this mean to me? Both are sound definitions but taking two different views of technology utilization. In my view Education Technology is the utilization of all technological resources to improve and excite the learning process and assist in bringing the community into the learning process they support.

Wikipedia (2006) Educational Technology
Retrieved January 31, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology

Januszewski, A. (Jan/Feb2005). The Rational and Decision Making Process. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, Vol. 49 (Issue 1), p45-46. Retrieved January 31, 2007, from Professional Development Collection database.

Purpose and Expectations

I have spent seven years in the restaurant industry. I have spent another three years as a banker. Not a single one of these career paths have made me happy. After going through Undergraduate School working towards a BBA in Management, I regret having not pursued a teacher certification instead. My mother was and educator for thirty years before retiring and always pointed me in a different direction. But now I am a teacher. I have finally put my foot in the door that opens to the future I have always desired.

My purpose in this class is to lay the foundation and set me on the path to finally becoming certified as a teacher. I have always desired to obtain a Certification to teach and to pursue a Masters in the education field with the intent to move into the administrative field of education. Of course right now my main focus is the Certification to teach.

I expect to find new avenues of thought and invotion from this course. I hope to apply what I learn to help educate and communicate the values of technology to my students. I was personally surprised when I began teaching technology to my students and found that the entire school was wireless and each student had assigned laptops. How exciting! At the same time how intimidating. I now find it my responsibility to help guide these students into using this technology ethically and to benefit their well being. I expect to learn not just "technical know how" from this course but new theories and inspiration that I may be able to take back to the class room.