Tai Kimmerly
Carolyn
McCarthy and Dr. Sandra Plair
CEP-810 Teaching for
Understanding with Computers
06/26/11
Personal Technology Plan
As I continue
on in my academic life, I would like to incorporate technology into my own
education, my classroom and my daily routine. In a classroom, technology has
great possibilities. For example, we can use the internet as a tool to access
other cultures. It can also make lessons more engaging and provide access to a plethora
of student examples in every subject. Many schools around the world post
examples of student work in programs like VoiceThread and Google Docs. The down
sides to these programs are far outweighed by the things that they offer.
Since many schools have blocked email
access to students in some way, and many students depend on emailing files to
themselves for access, they may not be able to work on files both at home and
at school. “The prohibition of email use by students has become a problem for
teachers and students. Teachers want to send assignments and other messages to
students via email and students want to send assignments to themselves so they
can work on them and print them at school.” (Jensen par. 1) Cloud computing
programs such as Google Docs offer this possibility. They store all of your
files online, giving you access anywhere there is internet available. However,
in working with this program, one thing worries me. Google Docs, does not allow
for nearly as much formatting as Microsoft Word, which many people are used to
working with. At least for me, these formatting limitations make it a very
frustrating program. When using Zoho, many of the same formatting options are
still available.
Currently, there
are several ways that I include technology in my every day classroom. When I
use the computer lab, my students are able to access a program called Super
Duper Music Looper. Although this program has recently been discontinued, it is
a highly engaging program that allows me to assess several musical concepts.
The problem I have encountered is that I often do not have access to the lab,
and we have a limited number of copies of the program. While it is still
possible to work on this program as a group, I am only able to use it as a
group assessment instead of an individual one.
In addition to this program, I have also
used a PowerPoint Jeopardy game that assesses student knowledge of music
notation. This tool quickly informs me of how much the students understand. It
is used in conjunction with a clicker system for students to input answers. Unfortunately,
the version of PowerPoint I have access to is not compatible with the school’s CPS
(clicker system), resulting in a delayed and slightly disjoined experience when
playing this game. While the evolution of technology has done many important
things for our society, I have found, as it is the case with the previous
example, that some technologies are not compatible resulting in more
frustration than advancement. In cases when technology is compatible, it may be
too costly to replace, as with Microsoft Office.
Another way technology can be added
into my classroom is through the use of a blog. Though I have not done this
yet, I plan on implementing it in the fall. I plan to attach the link to my
school website and post information for students and parents. They will then
have quick and easy access to the content we are working on in class, concert
schedules, or websites that may be useful. One downside of this is that families
may not have internet access. We are living in a very transitional time where schools
have access to new software and technology that our students’ families may not.
As schools gain access to new technology it is no doubt that families will,
too. However, the rate at which they can access the same technology may never
be consistent.
The form of technology I use most with
my classes is recorded music. Being an elementary music teacher, we listen to
music quite often. When I started teaching, my first school had a stack of
records and a record player. This was in 2008. While in 2008 records may have
been outdated, they were once the height of recording technology. They are
still preferred by many music lovers today. Before records, the radio was the only
way to hear music unless you went to a live show. Since records, recording
technology has included 8-tracks, cassettes, compact discs (CDs), and is now in
the form of MP3. While CDs are still widely used, 8-tracks are mainly found in
antique stores and specialty shops. In 2010, the last cars were produced with
factory installed cassette players. “According to experts who monitor the
automotive market, the last new car to be factory-equipped with a cassette deck
in the dashboard was a 2010 Lexus.” (Williams par. 1) Now tape decks must be
specially ordered. “Audio seers say that the CD, too, will eventually fade
away.” (Williams par. 7) More and more
cars are coming equipped with MP3 player hookups. Eventually, the CD will be as
obsolete as the 8-track, and the MP3 player will be replaced with a technology
we cannot yet fathom. While I still have a cassette player in my car, I only
use it for my one Billy Joel cassette and audio books, and those are also being
phased out from many stores and libraries. Mainly, my cassette player is used
as an adapter for my portable CD player, or
my MP3 player.
Until recently, most of my school
music collection has been on CDs. I had to take them with me to all of my
schools. I decided to leave my CDs at one school and take my MP3 player with me
to the others. It worked well until I started forgetting the MP3 player. It did
not take long for me to realize that this system would not work for me. I was thinking
of burning copies of all of my CDs when I learned of the new music clouds being
produced by several different companies. Now, the new thing in music technology
is being able to listen to your music collection from anywhere you have
internet access. These days, for most people, that is everywhere. However, if
you don’t have access to the internet where you want to listen to your music,
the cloud may not be for you. Another problem is the cost. While there are free
versions of these programs, they do not offer much storage space. You may not
be able to store all of your music unless you upgrade your service.
Through this class, I have found many
ways that I can increase technology both in my classroom, my everyday life, and
in regards to professional development. I have learned how to use many programs
that put new technologies at my fingertips. Through my RSS feed, I have learned
of the new music cloud programs being offered by several different companies. Through
twitter, I have learned of job openings, conferences and other professional
development opportunities. Regarding my own learning, I plan on continuing by
working toward a master’s in the MAET program. I also plan on using the new
programs and websites that we have learned about to stay up to date on the
latest developments in technology and how it could be applied to a music
classroom.
In regards to my everyday life, it is
difficult to separate from my education and teaching. I have added things to my
RSS feed which I find interesting, but may or may not have a bearing on my
profession. I find myself listening to music on my cloud account because it is
easy to access and maneuver. Also, I started working out while listening to my
MP3 player, which I now know how to use. Once you start adding technology to
one part of your life, it sneaks in and makes the other parts a little bit
easier and more fun. Just don’t forget your password.
Works Cited
Jensen, Tori. “No Student Email at School? Google
Docs to the Rescue!”
Library Media Connection. Web. Worthington: May/Jun 2010. Vol. 28, Iss. 6; p.
52
Williams, Stephen. "For Car
Cassette Decks, Play Time Is Over - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World
News & Multimedia. N.p., 4 Feb. 2011. Web. 1 July 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/automobiles/06AUDIO.html>
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