Reflection, Week 1

            In a school that prided themselves on being 1:1 with MacBooks, I have heard administrators ask me over and over again, “How can you incorporate more technology into your instruction?” As an overwhelmed and fairly new teacher, I had no idea how to use the computers in my class. To be honest, I had no desire to include the devices. Every once and a while I would create a project for the students using MuseScore or ask them to create a short PowerPoint about a composer whose music we were studying, but for the most part, I left the technology in the hands of the other teachers in my building. In the first chapter of his book, it seemed as though William I. Bauer was talking about my classroom when he described “the gap that exists between the instructional potential of technology and what is actually taking place in classrooms” (Bauer, 2014). 

            Incorporating technology into a classroom, specifically a music classroom, can be an overwhelming process, but educators must remember that it is possible, and there are ways to incorporate it so that it is a resource instead of a hassle. The key to incorporating technology is to think about how its addition will affect the students, as it should only be used to enhance the instruction already taking place in the classroom. Using the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, educators can effectively combine elements of technology, pedagogy, and technology to create an effective classroom environment (Bauer, 2014). As educators, it can be obvious and natural to combine elements of pedagogy (how do students learn) with content (what do students learn), but the technological aspect of the model may be confusing at first. Educators, like me, who have very little experience with technology in the music classroom should become familiar with an application or program before introducing it in the classroom. As the programs are more frequently used in the classroom, educators may find that technology helps to supplement learning in a way that allows students to take charge of how they learn (Bauer, 2014).

            In his article from the Music Educators Journal, Mr. Bauer describes several ways for teachers to enhance their professional development. The use of the Personal Learning Network (PLN) encourages communication between professionals and allows resources to be available at the click of a button (Bauer, 2010). As educators, we often need answers to specific questions now instead of at the next professional development meeting, so this immediacy of information is outstanding. In a time when we are trying to teach our students to search for answers on their own, a PLN allows teachers to do the same for themselves. Feedly, an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Reader, intrigues me, and I am excited to have a central location that houses new information about important topics, such as education technology.

Bauer, W.I. (2010). Your personal learning network: Professional development on

            demand. Music Educators Journal, 97(37), 37-42. doi:

            10.1177/0027432110386383

Bauer, W.I. (2014). Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing,

            and Responding to Music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.