Technology Assisted Productivity and Professional Development
Technology Assisted Productivity and Professional Development
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The use of technology has greatly enhanced the modern music educator's professional development and productivity, particularly in the last several months. Tasks that used to be completed using pencil and paper, such as lesson planning, creating written assessments, and making to do lists have been streamlined thanks to apps like those found in Google Suite. Now, lesson plans can be made in an interactive document, assessments created in rubric add-ons for easy scoring, and using Google Calendar to set reminders, appointments, and make task lists. Music educators can save files to Drive or create playlists on Spotify to select listening examples for class , rather than sift through old, scratched CDs. Video conferencing programs like Zoom and Google Meet have made attending professional developments much more accessible, as participants have no need to travel. It is difficult to even imagine keeping organized and up-to-date on the latest trends in music education before technology made that aspect of our profession much more convenient.
Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)
Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)
The above list of ways teachers can use technology in order to better prepare, organize, and learn are just a few examples of how TPACK can be effectively utilized. As Dr. Bauer explained (2020), rather than taking a technocentric approach, this paradigm balances the effective use of technology with the pedagogical practices and content knowledge of the teacher. Followers of the philosophy focus on finding ways to enhance and adapt the same tasks that would typically be conducted, without altering the preferred teaching method or content. The use of Google Calendar in place of a paper planner is one such example, as is using a Spotify playlist instead of a CD changer. These small changes make a massive difference in the effectiveness of a lesson, and the efficiency of a professional.
instructional software-chausse.docxThe Instructional Software Review project was beneficial for understanding the evaluative process that teachers should perform before choosing programs for the classroom. Although the site that I chose has quite an extensive amount of content, that is not the case for most sites. Performing a critique of the software ensures that the teacher is using the program accordingly with their TPACK, and not just for the sake of using the app. If the software does not provide benefits towards attaining a learning outcome, then it may not be suitable for the lesson.
Administrative and Productivity Uses of Technology Project
Administrative and Productivity Uses of Technology Project
The Administrative and Productivity Uses of Technology Project was one that I quite enjoyed, as the tasks required a bit of creativity. All three apps were ones that I have used quite frequently, so I was not expecting to learn much new material by completing the assignment. However, I discovered features from all that will be rather useful for performing future professional duties. I have a great deal of experience using Docs for class presentations, but this project helped me become more comfortable adding audio and video. My presentations previously included links to content on sites like YouTube, but I can see now why it is more convenient and efficient to embed the video right into the slide. I have regularly made newsletters for my instrumental students, but I typically use Google Slides or Pages on my Mac. Therefore, I had to glean a lot about formatting newsletters in Google Docs in order to complete the project. I have concluded that I may switch to using Docs from now on, as the template options made for an aesthetically pleasing and easy to fill in layout. Similarly, my understanding of Google Calendar vastly improved from completing this project, as I had no idea that you could keep multiple calendars in the same app. I will now be using separate calendars to organize different aspects of my personal and professional life, and will be using the public sharing option to send out dates for important school events.
The Raindrop.io project was admittedly more beneficial than I had anticipated. I typically save Bookmarks to my Chrome browser, which I log into on all of the devices that I use so that they are always synced. I initially thought that the Raindrop.io extension would offer no greater benefits than using my browser's bookmark tool, but was quite mistaken. For one, having the extension in view and a mere click away helps me to remember that my growing collection of resources exists, and to add to it whenever I stumble upon a fun resource. I also enjoy being able to share a collection with others, which is especially useful in conjunction with the PLN on Twitter. Many of my peers shared our collections on Twitter, which gave me the opportunity to discover sites and resources I needed for my WebQuest. One of the apps found from perusing the collections became my favorites from the Quest, which was Sampulator.
Professional Learning Network (PLN)
Professional Learning Network (PLN)
I have to confess to being rather surprised to see a requirement to use social media among my course assignments, and was wondering what benefits the PLN might bring. However, I grew excited to share with my class mates as they posted assignments that they were proud of, especially those who are in other sections of the course. I gained resources from my classmates that shared their Raindrop.io projects, and discovered music sites that I would not have known of otherwise by reviewing posts under our hashtag. I was elated to have my Bitmoji Classroom re-Tweeted by Karajan Music, which led me to following their page. This made me realize how valuable a PLN can be for networking and sharing resources. I also appreciate having a social media account that I can use separately from my personal accounts, and feel that it will be a beneficial way to interact with my colleagues and school community.
For more information, please refer to my blog post, "Drive Minded,"
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