Flight Path
I teach music history courses and piano at a performing arts college in Jamaica, and for the past five years I have been teaching with technology.
It is my goal to become competent in as many technologies as possible in ETEC 565, and to build a cache of resources for future use. This course will develop my competency and confidence with technology, and I will apply what I learn to my own teaching, and share my expertise with fellow college lecturers as they incorporate technology into their classes.
The MET program is helping me develop and practice the principles set forth by the International Society for Technology in Education (2008). There are some areas that need improvement, such as developing digital-age assessments and experiences. ETEC 565 will provide the time and space to explore Moodle’s affordances, and find ways to design spaces that are accessible and easily navigable to students. I anticipate needing a strong theoretical framework on which to make choices and decisions regarding technology use, and also a framework on which to base the assessments that I will develop for students. The traditional objective exams, and even essays, do not adequately reflect 21st-century principles of undergraduate education, which relies on active learning (Chickering & Gamson, 1987).
I am particularly interested in multimedia and social software programs, and how to embed these within the Moodle framework. I intend to learn how to design and construct interactive learning objects using flash. I have, for instance, an idea for a learning object that would teach students about the instruments of the orchestra, what they look like and sound like, and which would afford students opportunities to try their hand at orchestrating a musical piece. But, I have no idea how to bring this idea to fruition. For this project, I will need samples of musical instruments recorded digitally, and a short, original musical composition for ensemble where students can assign instruments to each part. As I progress in the class I’m sure that other technological needs for this project will become apparent to me.
My experience with social software comes from the perspective of a student, consisting of wikis and social bookmarking. I would like to learn how to use the principles behind these programs into a learning environment in ways that are truly interactive and inspires collaboration. I would like to learn how to set up a class wiki.
Bates and Poole’s (2003) framework for selecting technologies will serve me well in my professional life, and even in this class as I design my LMS. The current student demographics and organizational issues in my country will preclude me from using any but the most basic technologies. Despite this, it is my hope that I will be given the opportunity to explore the more sophisticated technologies. I know that in the future the demographics will change, and infrastructure will be improved to the point where I will be required to use more sophisticated technologies to facilitate learning in the 21st-century classroom.
References
Bates, W.A. and Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). New York: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.
Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin. Retrieved from http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm.
International Society for Technology in Education (2008). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2011 from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx