Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) and Personal Learning Network (PLN) Reflections

TPACK

After reading the TPACK article, I whole heartedly agree that technology plays a vital role in people’s lives today and it has great potential for application in music education. In particular, today’s youth, having grown up with technology around them all their lives, are natural candidates for using technology in education. Today’s musical performers and composers use technology, so it is natural that today’s students, tomorrow’s musicians incorporate technology in their music education. I disagree with the educators mentioned in the article who “fear that ‘technology could result in education being reduced to a very mechanical activity.’” On the contrary, I feel that the use of technology stimulates students’ interests. For example, I have seen my students be creative using music composition software and it has motivated them to want to learn more about musical concepts.

As I read through the article, I began to reflect on the role of technology in music education. I believe that technology provides a great benefit to administrative processes in music education. I personally find the use of computer software for email, word processing, spreadsheets, the internet and websites to be indispensable for the dissemination and management of classroom information. It is also interesting to consider how some means of technology, such as recorders, that we take for granted today are important to the educational process in music. For example, I routinely incorporate the playing back of recordings of pieces that my ensembles are rehearsing so that they may better comprehend points that I am trying to make and so that they can self-evaluate. I can also envision some possible additional uses for technology in the music classroom. For example, if a group is learning to play triads in an ensemble, to see how triads sound and work, I could have the students use music technology to experiment with the creation of triads through their notation and hearing the resulting sounds produced. Although I am able to envision some additional uses of technology in my classroom, I agree with the article that it is not always that easy to know how to incorporate one’s knowledge of technology with one’s content knowledge and pedagogy. Even though a teacher may be educated in technology, s/he may still not know how best to apply that technology in the classroom. A teacher has to be taught how to evaluate the cost/benefit of technology tool use so that s/he can make informed decisions on how to take advantage of technology in the classroom.

As I have experienced and learned about music, I have been able to experience and utilize some of the technology that is available for music education. Basic technological means such as metronomes, tuners, recorders and music playing devices have helped me experience music, and have provided me with a means to expose my students to music. I believe, as the article says, that with the increasing comfort that students have with technology, I have been able to utilize technology to expose my students to more music and to help them improve as performers. In addition, I have had the benefit of being able to briefly expose my students to music notation software and to let them experiment with composition. Despite being able to utilize technology to a degree, I feel that I need to continue to improve my understanding of music technology, as well as of my content area and pedagogy and how to better integrate those areas so that I may better utilize the technology at my disposal.

PLN

As an educator, I am always looking for ways to improve my teaching so that I may provide the most beneficial experience possible for my students. As I read about Personal Learning Networks (PLN), I was impressed with the capabilities of a PLN to help access information for Professional Development. Before reading the article, I did not realize how much information was available or how to access that information. Through my education and teaching, I have become familiar with utilizing the internet to obtain information. However, it was not until I read the article that I discovered how vast the resources on the internet are for learning and networking. Prior to reading the article, I searched websites to gain information. After reading the article, I have discovered that I may create a PLN that would allow me to “subscribe” to the internet, helping to more easily access new information. For example, in the future if I want to teach a lesson about jazz improvisation, I may subscribe to sources on the web that may provide me with information as well as networking that would help to improve my lesson. I liked how the information could be consolidated into one location for easier access. In addition, I liked how you could receive updated information from many sources so that you know when new information is available. By discovering this information, I will be able to build a wealth of resources that I may reference in the future.

In addition to the ability to consolidate information, I was intrigued by the variety of resources available, and the possibilities that a PLN can provide for gathering and sharing information. Through my teaching experiences, I have always used email to communicate with parents, and colleagues. I have used email to setup and coordinate events. However, through the reading I discovered how a wiki could be used to help coordinate events. For example, I have used email communication to coordinate honors band events with other directors in the region. However, with a wiki we could create ongoing web based planning for an event that would allow all the directors to share and update information. I have also discovered how useful podcasts can be. I am constantly utilizing my iPod to present music to students. However, after reading the article I discovered how easy it is to transfer information to portable devices such as iPods. When reading about podcasts, I learned that I may transfer information to my iPod that I could use to further my musical and educational development in addition to providing my students with interesting information. For example, I may be able to find a podcast about a piece of music that we are performing in class, and I could share that information with the students by just connecting my iPod to my class stereo system. In addition, I am interested in learning what other teachers have done to be successful, or what pieces of music that they use to teach their students. Through social bookmarks, I learned that I may access this information and share my ideas with others. I was also interested to discover the capabilities that blogs offer. I have been hesitant to utilize and participate in blogs because I was not sure what type of information I may discover. I have often found skewed information when searching through blogs. However, after reading the article, I discovered, that just like other sources, you must be vigil and find the proper blogs to fit your needs. In addition, it was interesting to discover the networks that could be created through blogging. Not only can an educator share information with other educators, a teacher may be able to setup a blog for his/her students in which music students can communicate with other music students around the world. This could help students learn about and appreciate the music of different cultures.

Through the reading of this article, I was opened to a plethora of new ways to access and utilize information. I discovered ways to better network and communicate information through a PLN. I feel that I have learned ways to utilize technology to gather and share information in the past. However, through the development and discovery of the PLN I will be able to tap into a variety of new resources that will ultimately help me to improve myself as an educator. I also felt that it was important to discover how versatile a PLN can be. A PLN can develop, grow, and change over time. As I begin to utilize a PLN, I will establish a base of resources. However, as I learn and discover more about PLNs, I can change and adapt the information and resources helping to better meet my needs and the needs of my students. It will be an interesting process to compile and access new information that will help me grow and develop as a music educator, working to provide the best experience possible for my students.