Yes, please! Angela Pontious. UMEA Advocacy Chair. t d s it mean to have
technology in a music classroom? , most people would have answered simply a
tape ...
Technology in the classroom? Yes, please! Angela Pontious.
td
s it mean to have technology in a music classroom? , most people would have answered simply a tape or . Today music teachers have so many more options to nco te technology which can enhance teaching and lead to more captivated students. At a job interview a few years back, I was asked many questions by the students, and one of those questions was, "What do you consider to be your greatest weakness?" My immediate response was, "Technology." I did not think anything of it until I was offered the position and quickly learned how much technology was already in the classroom. It was a steep learning curve for me to learn how to use a complex sound system, an interactive white board, web-based organization system, and other computer software. I was blessed to work at a school that supported the use of technology, and using this technology helped me to further my teaching abilities. Now, after leaving that position, I am teaching at a school that has no technology in the classroom other than my desktop computer, and I find myself missing the hi-tech hardware of my previous position. Below is a short list of ideas to help bring technology into your music classroom. • Computer First you need a computer with internet access and enough storage space to allow you to save not only your everyday documents but videos, music notation software, etc. • Software Depending on the level you teach, your need for software will vary greatly. Music Ace is a great program for younger students to learn the fundamentals of music through lessons, games and a composition component. If you need notation software, Finale and Sibelius are fine choices. • Internet access Most of our daily operations are through web-based programs. Many websites are available to help music educators supplement their teaching. Here are just a few: Musictheory.net - A great website for beginning through advanced music theory students with lessons, exercises and even an app for mobile learning. Grooveshark.com - An online music streaming service that allows you to create playlists, follow users and share
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UMEA Advocacy Chair
via social networks. Students can create a playlist for your class, and you and the other students can follow them to see what they are listening to. Audacity - I will be adding Audacity to the computer lab for my AP and IE music theory students this year. This free software, available at audacity.sourceforge.net, is an editing and recording program. It can record live audio, convert multiple sound files and create sound effects, just to name a few. YouTube - This site is great for showing videos and providing listening examples; however many schools do not allow access to YouTube. Talk with your administrator to see if it is possible for you to have access. If not, then check out sites like www.zamzar.com, which offers free online file conversion. Charms Office Assistant If you are in need of an organization program, Charms Office Assistant is definitely the way to go. What many people do not know is that Charms can also be a place for students to record their playing tests, and the teacher can then listen to the recording from anywhere. Documents, homework assignments and recordings can also be uploaded to Charms so that students and parents can access important information and do homework anywhere with internet access. A Charms Mobile app is also available. Projector It would be beneficial for students to see images on a big screen rather than hovering around your computer. Projectors can be expensive so check with your school IT person to see if there is a projector on a cart you can borrow until you have the funds to purchase one. Interactive White Board A step beyond a projector would be an interactive white board. The two most popular are SMART Board and Promethean ActivBoard. These boards not only show what is on your computer screen, but allow the students to interact with the software that is included with the purchase. Online teacher resources are also available. MP3 Player or Smartphone If you are finished with CDs, then look into an MP3 player. This is an easy way to organize music and take it with you. Also, many continued, see "Technology?
Yes, Please," page 36
Use Technology to Manage Your Music Program Vincent Burgoyne.
UMEA Band Vice President
Someone with experience in g, budgeting, billing, purchasing and auditing. Office ana ent is an important element of this job, requiring skills in spreadsheet, word processing, e-mail, filing, etc. Web design experience is strongly encouraged. This person must also be able to arrange and coordinate fund raising efforts for large groups of teenagers. They should have experience in arranging travel for performing groups of 100 or more and be able to coordinate equipment and uniforms for these groups. Abilities in motivational speaking are a plus. Oh, and by the way, applicants must also be able to educate groups of junior high school and high school students on how to understand and perform music in any given situation. We wear many hats as music educators, and sometimes it may seem our job description looks like this. Many feel that their real purpose as music educators comes last. We are always on a quest for finding solutions that can help us get to the most important and joyful part of our mission - music education. Technology offers us some great tools to help us manage the many hats we wear. We should take advantage of the available technology to help us organize these tasks. Among them are school-based systems and web-based management systems. Schools are beginning to use grading systems that also allow options to e-mail parents and students information. These tools can be used to alert parents of missing assignments and upcoming special rehearsals or performances, etc. We should take advantage of these tools whenever we can. Parents appreciate occasional communications that informs them of events involving their children and the progress their children are making. Group e-mails, reminding parents and students of upcoming events, can save us a lot of headaches,
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dealing with those who claim they were uninformed. There are many web-based systems that can help us manage and communicate. Some schools are beginning to offer a text service that teachers can use to send a group text message to all students in a class, reminding them of upcoming events like extra rehearsals, fund raising events, concerts, etc. Charms Office Assistant is a web-based management system used by increasingly more music teachers across the country. This system features a wide array of management tools. Some of these tools include: e-mailing parents and/or student groups or subgroups (like sections); text messaging; tracking and billing various student fees; checking out' uniforms, instruments, or music; managing data for a fund raiser; etc. Students and parents can use this system to track their fees, view teacher handouts or calendars, report their practice time, or record a playing test. There are many possibilities with a broad-spectrum system like this. Charms even allows the director the option to assign a helper, such as a parent volunteer, to be given access to only one or two aspects of management like fund raising or uniform management. What a great chance to pass one or more of your hat's of responsibility to someone willing to help. Some directors use a web site, Facebook, or Twitter to help communicate information to students and parents. Many directors are able to help find a knowledgeable parent volunteer to wear that hat for them, as well. Technological tools are available for you to help manage your job. Each director needs to choose those tools that will help her or him the most with their individual program. Identifying and utilizing these tools will help us get our house organized, so that teachers and students can again experience the joy of learning and creating music. /.l
