First-hand Fright (Technology Integration in Music)

I read an interesting article today about integrating technology in public education. The article by Collins & Halverson (2010) titled "The second educational revolution:

Rethinking education in the age of technology. "makes arguments for the inclusion of more technology to implement into the classroom and to rethink the way information is presented and formed. The reader's digest version is that the article believes that change will come and that for public schools to continue existing as institutions of learning, they need to adapt. The authors point out ,among other things, that we may stand to lose the broader perspectives, social cohesion, and peer culture fostered in a public school, but that we can achieve decrease competition, achieve more self-directed learning, and have more engaged learners by using technology to access learning that is interesting to the student. (Collins & Halverson, 2010) Finding a balance is what the school system needs to consider. It is especially important for my chosen field of music.

It is unequivocally true that education comes from sources outside of schools and that the internet and technology hold many sources of information. The abundance of opportunity gained from technology is incredible and unimaginable a generation ago. Online forums and hubs of knowledge, such as Wikipedia and public servers where people can pursue their interests are some of the many benefits technology has brought. For me, there is no question that all the information that is learnt in a university exists somewhere for free on the internet. It is also a fact that technology enhances the abilities of teachers to teach and for learners to learn through programs that give immediate feedback or that logs marks in a spreadsheet automatically. However, I believe that there needs to be more thought given to the importance of a school setting and classroom learning. I am worried about what may happen when the decisions get made for certain specialist subjects, such as music, become forced to accommodate technology in a way that is impossible.

My Experience

I had a horrible experience trying to teach a hybrid vocal class synchronously in my practicum and it was truly one of the most difficult teaching experiences I ever had. It is impossible to allow for the delay time in rehearsals and it was very difficult to assess their learning without checking on the students individually because I did not see them do things in real time as their cameras were off. The social cohesion mentioned by the article also lacked, with in-person students befriending one another and the online students feeling like outcasts. In a traditional learning setting, those online students could have been a part of the classroom community but instead they were mostly desensitized to music class and almost none of them are taking it next year. (If you want to know what that was like, please watch the YouTube video at the bottom of the blog)

It is experiences like mine that make me wonder about the implementation of technology and how it can be taken too far. I realize that those were exceptional times, but there should no longer be hybrid music allowed in public schools. The powers-that-be need to carefully evaluate not only the educational possibilities, but also the subject-specific problems posed by mandating certain uses of technology such as online models for music. These innately social and skills-based courses such as drama, music and art need special considerations and unfortunately, are often forgotten about. I recognize that I am biased, but I only fell into my love for music through the mandatory class I needed to enroll in. I needed teachers and peers relate their experiences to build my musical interest. To its credit, the article does mention learning what to search for and how to ask good questions to our technology is important, but I believe it fails to consider that humans are social creatures.(Collins & Halverson, 2010) Passion and dedication are things that I believe need to be modeled in person and to each individual in real time. Don't get me wrong, I used many technology aids such as recording devices and online theory sheets but based on my experience, until we get some very convincing virtual reality, my gut feeling is that teaching as a whole should lean more to the traditional model of public schooling.

Well...Those are my thoughts anyways. These things can change as soon as a new situation or technology comes into play. I am curious what you all think? Please reach out to me and I'd love to discuss this topic with you!

- Mike

References:

Collins, A. & Halverson, R. (2010). The second educational revolution:

Rethinking education in the age of technology. Journal of Computer

Assisted Learning, 26, 18-27.

CollinsHalverson.pdf

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